ISLAND STYLE
Dress your feet in flowers
• Make an old pair of comfy shoes look new
By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Clockwise from left:
Pair of Ramon Tenza mule in clear plastic with cork flower from C. June Shoes at Ward Warehouse, $99. Pair of Zalo pink suede flower on multi-colored straw heel from C. June Shoes, $155. Pair of Ramon Tenza ankle strap wedge with striped heel in red, white and black from C. June Shoes, $115. Navy aloha print with wood sculpted heel (uppers are made locally by Crafts Hawai'i) from Fetish in Kailua, $69. Black-and-white thong by Papilio from Fetish, $19. |
Designers are crafting blossoms from every imaginable material — cork, canvas, patent leather, plastic, silk, suede — and placing them on the toes of thongs, the heels of sling backs or the sides of slides.
Iconic shoe designer Manolo Blahnik has embroidered subtle summer blossoms on linen mules and cut dainty flowers from suede to sprinkle on stiletto sandals, at Neiman Marcus.
This year there are no limits to the styles, heels or heights of sandals. Mules, slides, espadrilles, thongs, sling backs, ankle straps — anything goes. The kitten heel is just as coy as the five-inch stiletto. Flat flats look fresh. The wedge is revitalized as a design element, echoing the uppers on many sandals. It draws the eye in bright weaves of straw, red patent leather or '60s-style floral prints.
Stylish slippers
Call them thongs, flip-flops, zori or rubbah slippahs — they're the trendiest shoes in Europe this summer. Variations on Hawai'i's favorite footwear were spotted on the streets of Italy, Austria and Germany last month. They're made of canvas, cotton, terry cloth, straw or even rattan. They sport colorful Hawaiian prints on both uppers and lowers, the hibiscus being the theme du jour.
The most popular embellishments are flowers and shells.
Fashion-forward Italian men are wearing them with orange or red casual pants. Women pair them with tank tops and flowing multi-layered skirts with handkerchief hems for a romantic, light-as-air look.
They're baaaaaack...
That '80s teeny-bopper fave, jellies, are back and now come in designer derivations. The translucent, neon-bright rubber slippers are all grown up and sporting heels, plaids and a plethora of embellishments.
The jelly is going uptown at some designer boutiques. Christian Dior at Ala Moana Center has a beachy version in jazzy neon brights for a cool $110. Tommy
Hilfiger has a platform zori with flower embellishments for $25.
Even that bastion of British understated chic, Burberry, is offering a jelly thong in red, white or black for $85. However the foot bed says "Burberry" with the company's signature Nova plaid.
