April's Observations: Winter to Spring

1. The capsule collection for now
I was thinking about trends recently. Spring may be on the way, but Chicago is cold and windy. And icy. Snowy. And gray. Trends are all well and good, but what, I wondered, would be the best shoes for right now? The set above came to mind: Jeffrey Campbell stacked-heel penny loafers, black lace mini-wedge House of Harlows, killer Sorels and a new color of my favorite boot this season, the Vancouver.
 
A capsule set! The stack heels are for client meetings; the tennies are for of-the-second Factory inspiration; Sorels are for all the time (yes, you can be happy when it’s crappy); and a great pair of all-the-time, super sleek, platform laceup booties. Yes.

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2. Spring/Summer 2011
Onward! SS11 is full of great surprises and a lot of help for those who hate heels: the platforms are all flats and the flats are outrageous (and so are all of the heels). Here’s a round up of some favorites 
for the upcoming season:

LOOK FOR: platform flats / textured stilettos / fantastic colors / disco shoes

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3. Honor thy Sorel
Confession: as a little girl, I often found myself tromping around in the Northern Michigan snow. Getting a new pair of Sorels was, like, a heavenly moment. The whole process was a cool sensation: going to the old-time outfitter and dipping my arms up to the shoulders in fishermen's waders, then walking up the soggy old boards to the boot room. You could get a pink and white pair. A red pair. A blue and purple pair. Sorels were cool back then and I am so happy to say they are off the charts for this season of very wet, cold snow. Of course, you can always make a cute outfit based on them that’s bar appropriate.

—April Francis of Haute Closet