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


  

Trend Report: Handbags 2011

Handbags. At least they have no sizing issues. Will they they always fit your lifestyle? Do you desire quality pieces that transcend the seasons? Are you a slave to trends, constantly searching for your "it" bag? Either way keep an eye out for the following looks when shopping for arm candy this spring.

Burberry Prorsum spring 2011 runway finale

Multi- & bi-tonal colors against neutral backdrops

Tassels and feminine embellishments

Structured shapes

Geometric prints

Pastels/Neons

Bronzed metallics

Diane von Furstenberg.  Her bold use of bi-tonal color is right on trend.

Elly Clay. Here's another focus on bi-tonal color but in a low-contrast palette. Note the nod to the tassel trend.

This piece by Gucci is one of my favorites. Metallics are still in. The tassel makes another appearance.

This ultra-feminine, structured piece by Chloe is adorable!

Black is being shown on the runways for spring. In most cases, it is mixed with brighter colors, but Chanel goes classically dark. 

This Chloe piece is probably my favorite. I love the beadwork and the chain!

This adorned clutch by Marchesa is absolutely adorable! Very originial. Perfection. 

The neutral tote is here to stay! You can never go wrong with this type of bag. Every girl needs one! Alexander Wang.

Wang does it again, with this ah-mazing bag! I want. I think we all do.

McQueen. I mean, yeah, of course this is awesome.

—Ashley Lacey, Armitage staff and creator of Stiletto Chic

   

Sneak-Peek: New Apparel Finds in New York

Lori and the buyers are busy in NYC scouting out new trends and styles for our spring lineup of clothing and accessories. Apparel, a new addition to our repertoire just last year, it growing bigger. A big trend we're buying this season is the drapey and diaphanous Greek goddess look—lots of wraps and gathers in tunic lengths, one-shoulder tops and silky rompers. The look is easy, yet effortlessly chic.

We temper our enthusiasm for the ancients with more structured, modern pieces like a wool-and-leather panel skirt, a cowled shift dress and, why not?, black leather hot pants. Vrooom!

Color blocking and sailor stripes are emergent looks for early spring. While we would normal run shrieking from horizontal stripes, we think these picks have a jaunty, fresh vibe that really luffs our sails.

   

Peak into the Future: Spring 2011 looks

We were reading up on our Spring 2011 in Women's Wear Daily recently. The sneak peek predicted shoes with "added femininity to chunkier silhouettes using painterly prints and exotic details." (Got that?) Designers gave Footwear News a preview of their illustrations of 21 spring shoe trends for 2011.  We call it shoe art at its finest. The emphasis indeed was on architecturally designed high wedges and heels covered in exotic materials with a focus on blending shiny and matte, clear and patterned – opposites to which we are definitely attracted.

For the complete list of illustrations check out FN by WWD

Should we coin a phrase for the trend? "Diva Glam" for the spikes, buckles, ankle ties and rosettes? Or is it simply a Lady Gaga Spring slouching toward us? Either way season is going to be sexy as designers retool their Spring 2010 designs with added "Wow."  

We love the chance to see designers' illustrations, to pull the curtain back and see some of the thought process that goes into making a beautiful shoe. We can't wait to see (and wear) the final results!