After covering all the Fall/Winter 2015-16 handbag trends seen on Fashion Week runways, the time has come to bring the most comprehensive report regarding Fall/Winter 2015-2016 shoe trends to you that I know you have been eagerly waiting for! Anything from Alexander Wang gothic feel to Dior’s gorgeous see-through marbled boots (of course, heeled!), we absolutely adored every design to no end. Truth be told, the next best thing after diamonds for a girl is shoes!
We have refined the overload of information that almost burst our brains during the Fashion Week and present you with the finest and most fab footwear that captivated our eyes and hearts.
#1: Classic Pumps
Sashaying and gliding down the catwalks the classic pump was in every single runway show. It looks fabulous and definitely back in style with leather leggings, flared trousers, cropped pants and all. Thick or thin heels, pumps hit the stage and created a blast and, to be honest, we can’t be any happier than that! From the simplistic tones of the white based Nina Rici to Vivienne Westwood coral colored pieces, Celine’s bewildering designs with the embellishments and beading, and Balenciaga’s dazzling cap toes classic pumps have come to shape one of the most timeless show trends for this fall and winter.
#2: Sandals and Peep-Toe Shoes
For those winter days that you think you can get away with a sling-back or open toe design, you will certainly find pleasure in this trend. You have options that range from thin or thick heels and ANY material you wish, which is pretty impressive. For example, Narciso Rodriguez went for the peep version, instead of baring your feet completely while Proenza Schouler threw in a fascinating peep-toe style with the heels that look like copper cylinders and a design that looks much like having fabric wrapped tied at the back of the ankle. Definitely attention-grabbers! Also, open toes appear with lacing in many pieces, which is mesmerizing (see Rodarte, Giambattista Valli, and Francesco Scogmamiglio). Open toes are matched with a golden glitter and thick heels (i.e. Dries Van Noten) and often come with fanning designs on the sides and straps across the top of the foot.
#3: Ankle Boots
Booties are high enough to keep us warm and endure the snows and low enough to show off our legs! Unquestionably, booties are big this year. Some of the highlights from fall/winter 2015-2016 runways are Fendi’s furry version with the amazing ice sculpture heels, Peter Pilotto’s cut-out ankle booties, and the leather and wool ones made by Hugo Boss. As for Francesco Scognamiglio’s lace-up peep-toes, there are no words to describe and the same applies to Rodarte’s fantastic white pieces. Did we like the zip in front of Roland Mouret’s booties? Indeed, we did! Now, if you have laid eyes on those high-heeled BOSS booties, we think you will be blown away by the orange touches that catch the eye. Into more color? Alexander McQueen’s pale peach booties with the lace finishing will steal your heart.
#4: Chunky Heeled Shoes
Lucky for us, we have plenty of options this year for when the cooler seasons strike. Many of the various types of footwear provided to us appear in more comfy, chunkier heels that won’t cause a nuisance no matter the height. What is incredible with chunky heeled shoes is that we are lot more stable when walking and losing nothing from our sexiness and style! You will find awesome colors and stocking-like properties in Marc Jacobs’ variations that add to their overall appeal. Even mules come with chunky heels this year (see Derek Lam’s collection), but there are so many other designs to choose from (see Miu Miu, Emilio Pucci, Giorgio Armani, and Donna Karan) that you will find something that speaks to you for sure.
#5: Gladiator Style or Lace up Shoes
Gladiator style footwear raised some serious steam during the spring/summer 2015 runway shows and were one of the greatest hits of the season without doubt. Now, they have taken a new form and embraced the evolving lacing idea to add more character. Besides that, we also have pure gladiator style shoes fashioned with open toe stockings and intriguing platform heels (see Rick Owens designs). Erdem, on the other hand, brought a very attractive lace-up knee-high boots on the table that stood out, followed by Giambattista Valli, Rodarte, Altuzarra, and Vionnet, who used a similar styling (knee high lace ups, open toe booties, Victorian style boots, and thigh high sexy laced up boots respectively), offering all of us a plethora of choice.
#6: Reptile Shoes
Be it alligator skin materials or snakeskin designs, exotic prints have made their presence noted and appeared on many pieces of clothing and footwear alike. They shine bright, they come in multiple textures to them (see Nicholas Kirkwood’s collection with the tops looking like the alligator skin), and style our favorite mules with the furry edges (see Christain Siriano runway). What more can we ask?
Now, snakeskin is sported by so many designers but Haider Ackerman’s boots definitely stole the show with their perfectly scaled designs. However, the one that takes home the prize for 1st place is Kenzo, who fashioned gorgeous red and green variations of snakeskin designs!
#7: Geometric Shoes
Some fashion houses decided to add more character to chunky heels and breathe in more artistic designs to them. Admittedly, when they are tuned into the heel of a shoe, they look great! For example, Maison Margiela’s models glided down the runways in fab androgynous designs made ultra-sexy and feminine by modern standards thanks to the umber clogged heels they fashioned. Of course, we can’t overlook Salvatore Ferragamo’s cubical artistry and Jason Wu’s pieces with the sculptural heels that use 2D geometrical shapes.
#8: Stocking Boots
Overall, stocking boots are comfortable in themselves and quite lovely. Their perfect fit on the leg and foot makes it particularly adorable and appealing to almost every woman, making them look glamorous when fitted in lacquered leather and fashion latex! Stocking boots looks nice on the limps and compliments the whole outfit and they can be found with chunky and thick heels (see Givenchy) and stretchy materials that encase the calves. Other designers that showed clear preference to stocking boots include Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen and we loved every single piece!
#9: Latex Boots and Shoes
The use of latex seemed to be quite necessary, judging by the fact that almost every designer chose to showcase it in their fall/winter 2015-16 collections. How could it not? It encapsulates the leg so beautifully, is a functional material and can stretch out for max comfort and fit, and doesn’t ask for much work overall to highlight the beauty of legs it holds within. Also giving a more futuristic look that most women love for its nice aesthetics and ingenuity, latex shoes this year come with a pinch of lux and lusciousness (see Marc Jacobs and their shoes with the purplish bases and thick heels). Now, if you are a fan of marble patterned dual colored latex boots that embrace the thighs oh-so-flattering, then Dior will leave you in awe.
#10: Go, Furry!
This one is possibly the most unusual trend in footwear sported on the catwalks. The furry look (you may hear it referred to as hairy, as well) makes you look as if you have adopted and turned petit fuzzball animals into shoes! Undoubtedly, furry shoes reigned on the spring/summer 2015-16 runways and it seems that their huge appeal continues into the colder seasons of the year, with slight variations to keep us warm as the temps drop. However, we are quite concerned about the increasing popularity of a trend that is more suited for kids (better said, to their cartoon characters) than on a woman’s feet. Anyway, Vionnet dedicated a significant part of their runway to furry slides with ribbon strapping that looked as if they were cutting off the circulation of those wearing them. Possibly, the most crazy hair shoes were Maison Margiela’s mules and boots that looked like you have stepped on an animals and are using them to wipe the floors clean (literally!). What was even more fun was Tibi’s Moroccan fur covered mules that gave you the impression that someone had just sheared a sheep and created shoes! We even saw sandals with fur (see Blumarine) that I would probably want to wear at the end of summer rather than the chillier days of fall and winter. We are saying that with some hesitation but we believe that Antonia Marras’ furry covers might be all we wanted to keep our feet warm enough in the above zero temperatures. So, in particular places around the globe, these could be handy and worn in the winter months. That said, Fend’s ice sculpture inspired furry booties are definite winners and have reached perfection to when it comes to the use of fur on shoes. Finally, Gucci and A Détacher have come forward with some lovely quirky designs and funky interpretations of fur.
Check out Part 2 for some more Fall/Winter 2015-2016 Shoe Trends!