Footwear Plus Fashion Fridays: Window Dressing

Window Dressing:
Designer retail stores spin spring’s leading fashion themes into picture-perfect presentations.
Edited by Leslie Shiers

Rainbow Brights

Springtime brings two inevitables: the return of spicy, splashy hues and April’s intermittent sprinkles, showers and storms. Yet the foreshadowing of gray clouds doesn’t dampen the assortments at Marc by Marc Jacobs (above) or Trina Turk (left), where vivid, juicy shades are hard to miss in surf-centric and preppy variations. There’s no arguing that wellies haven’t gone high-fashion, as both of these designer stores have topped off their seasonal backlash to winter whites with puddle-ready boots.

The New Neutrality

Washed-out nudes replace cooler weather’s steely grays as this season’s choice neutral — at least, that’s Topshop’s assertion (above), per its menagerie of mannequins in head-to-toe cream, oatmeal and frothy ballet pinks. The ethereal, boho-chic looks come back down to earth through the weight of chunky statement platforms. Meanwhile, Tory Burch (left) finds her own neutral ground, leaning toward darker shades of khaki, taupe, olive and tan, but still tying up the aesthetic via eye-catching footwear with criss-crossed lacing.

Marquee Appeal

Hugo Boss (above) dedicates its window space to top-billed items with a simplistic visual capable of arousing as much envy as a coveted backstage pass. Casual classics — think denim jackets and clean blazers — strike a perfect chord next to men’s oxfords and strappy summer heels. The Zadig & Voltaire boutique (left) riffs on rock ‘n’ roll with effortlessly cool-looking ensembles and worn-in but never washed-up styles, such as cowboy boots, summer sandals and engineer boots — the sartorial equivalents of a greatest hit.