Here is a Spring '09 board I did a little while ago. (We worked on this delivery in summer of 08...I know, working multiple seasons at once makes us all slightly insane.) Inspiration comes from so many things, and for me, not much of it comes from other footwear....I feel like ready-to-wear can explore so many things relative to embellishment, construction, and material, whereas shoes have more restrictions, both in spatial and technical terms. Seeing what is possible on a larger scale, in my case, makes me want to see what is possible for a shoe. Our Lamb designer takes a lot of inspiration from jewelry and architecture, which is always exciting to see as an interpretive process. Anyways,....here are some trends we've been seeing:
- fabric manipulation, 'mille-feuille' take on layers, ruffles, florals, etc
- netting, cutting, sort of an update to the goth glam movement, but with a 90's edge
- shine, but dirty shine, imperfect, bronze, black diamonds, a la Balmain (...ahh....sigh)
- geometry, futurism, cutouts, optical illusions, kaleidoscopes (Mcqueen did some dope prints)
- straps, bondage, strong ankle coverage....strong, statement accessories overall.
- accessories seem to be the saving grace of recession fashion...thank g-d (knock on wood)
- structured, classic silhouettes with menswear roots, but sexy lines and futuristic touches (an ode to my idol, Ms. Lanphear) ...classic materials mixed with synthetic (rubber, pvc, neoprene) I think this will continue into fall
Anyways, hope you enjoyed and I tend to be long winded. oops. Thanks again to the illustrious Shoegirl for being so generous with her blog space :-) Ciao all~ jp
