Footwear Plus Shoesday Tuesdays: Fashion Advice

What came first, the clothes or the shoes? Spring ’11 footwear and apparel trends are a match made in merchandising heaven as design techniques and fashion-forward details crossover category boundaries. —Angela Velasquez

Off the Hook
Crochet overlays romanticized Alberta Ferretti’s spring collection. Chanel basked in the faux lace’s kitschy glory. Grandma’s favorite past time is experiencing a revival, and this time it is in neither doily or hippie form. This spring, look for footwear designers to add crochet-inspired textures and details to create feminine silhouettes that show off the naked foot.

Breaking the Mold
Easy deconstructed slip-ons match the chill attitude found on runways this spring. Crisp and clean flats coordinate with Twenty8Twelves’s take on the girl-next-door look. Grommets and raffia soles add grit similar to L.A.M.B.’s loose but utilitarian approach to springtime dressing.

Nice Weave
Woven uppers tie in the artistry found in Jean Paul Gaultier’s latest runway show. Whether close knit or open and airy, like Carolina Herrera’s twisted vest, footwear designers’ rekindled love for woven leathers comes just in time for spring’s everlasting boho vibe.