Jil Sander f/w 11 Footwear

via style.com

Beautiful boots with some nice gold detailing including a hole in the wedge that accommodates the stirrup pants featured in the collection.

Jil Sander f/w 10 Footwear

via net-a-porter & style.com

The new s/s 11 womenswear collection by Jil Sander was great but didn't feature very interesting footwear. I'm sure there will be some brilliant things released as part of the wider collection later - Raf doesn't usually disappoint. I did however admire the boots from f/w 10. It was nice to see the models stomping down the runway in rather shapeless flat boots and looking amazing. Those cut-out loafers are really doing it for me also.

Jil Sander Lece-Up Boots

via net-a-porter

Great proportions on these boots by Jil Sander. Also, I've spoken about contrast rands on mens shoes before but this is a nice example of a contrast rand on womens heels.

Jil Sander f/w 10 Men's Shoes

via jilsander & gq.com

Sometimes there are collections I see that I don't particularly like but are something different that I feel we are ready for (does that make sense?) This, in my opinion, is more important than making shoes just beautiful, because beauty needs to change in order to remain potent. It's one of the reasons why we have trends. That's how I felt when I saw this footwear by Jil Sander. Shoes have been narrow for a while now and in the last few years soles have become chunkier but not the shape of the shoes themselves. It gives these shoes a certain edge and makes them more forward thinking. They're not exactly beautiful now, but it just feels like it's time.

Contrast Rand

So simple yet very effective. A light rand lifts the shoe and gives it a glow (I sound like I'm selling face cream.) On the Dior Homme boots it gives the sole a layered look and at Jil Sander it gives a simple shoe an interesting edge (literally.)

Dior Homme f/w 09 via highsnobiety
Jil Sander s/s 10 via selectism

Capped Heels

I love a good sculptural heel and this effect of extending the heel up the back of the shoe is a great way of giving a simple heel a sculptural edge.

top to bottom:
Maison Martin Margiela via thefashionpolice
Jil Sander via style.com
Sophia Kokosalaki via shoelust

Creepers

Creepers have been lurking, slinking and sneaking their way back onto catwalks and I like it. As with most styles of shoe they have a little history, so here is what our clever pal Wikipedia had to say about the soleful style:

They found their beginnings in the years following the WWII: Soldiers based in the deserts in North Africa wore suede boots with hardwearing crepe soles because of the climate and environment. Having left the army, many of these ex-soldiers found their way to the disreputable nightspots of London (Kings Cross and Soho) wearing the same crepe soled shoes. Those became known as Brothel Creepers.

In the late 1950s, these shoes were taken up by the Teddy Boys along with drainpipe trousers, draped jackets, bolo ties, quiff and pompadour haircuts, and velvet or electric blue clothes. The brothel creeper was a hit throughout 50s and 60s.

They were invented in 1949 by George Cox and marketed under the Hamilton name, based on George Cox Jr.'s middle name.

The brothel creeper regained popularity in the early 70s when Malcolm McLaren sold them from his Let it Rock shop in London's Kings Road. Teddy Boys were the obvious customer, but the brothel creeper still proved to be popular among regular customers when McLaren and his partner Vivienne Westwood changed the shop to more rocker-oriented fashion.

The shoe has since been adopted by subcultures such as ska, punk, new wavers, psychobilly, greasers and goth, Japanese Visual Kei, and was noted as the footwear of choice of Bananarama (their preference for the brothel creeper over prettier, girly footwear became emblematic of their tomboyish and rebellious nature).

All that and they make you tall.

top to bottom:
Chloë Sevigny for Opening Ceremony via openingceremony.us
Marc Jacobs f/w 09 via marcjacobs.com
Lanvin f/w 08 via gq.com
Jil Sander f/w 09 via shoelust

P.S. When I die I want to be buried in that Marc Jacobs outfit.