The return of pointy toe shoes FW 08/09

[Yanka]

I think this is one thing I will NEVER find aesthetically pleasing.

 

[softgrey]

i love reading how so many people HATE pointy toes...
and other people say that is what they like best and have always worn...

it's fun!...

i also remember several years ago when the round toe started to show up and SO many people said that they HATED it... and would never wear it...
but clearly...MANY people changed their minds...

what we are seeing here is just the seeds...
it will be interesting to see how people think about this as it grows and spreads and more and more designers are showing collections with pointed toes shoes (no platform)

peoples' eyes will just generally become more and more accustomed to it...
it always happens like that ... little by little people change their point of view as they get used to new ideas...

*meg- i agree...
the toe is a bit different than before..
shorter-and maybe even pointier...like really sharp!
which i think could mean more comfortable..
because they are wider in the ball of the foot and then get really sharp really quickly...

*i definitely feel this as an evolution from the almond toe that got really popular with so many people buying vintage 80's boots/shoes and frye's etc...

 

[fashionista-ta]

Shoes are hard, because at a certain point a trend can become so widespread that you cannot buy anything else. I really hated the 90s heavy clunky heel, and I well remember the day when I had to give in because I literally could not find the heel I wanted after a whole day of shopping. It was the same thing with pointy toes ... the reason I own some is because I literally couldn't find round--even though everything I read told me they were hot hot hot! At the same time I was getting tons of compliments on the round toe shoes I already had in my closet I must live in the pointy toe capitol of the world

 

[RubyJewelStone]

I suppose I'll be one of the odd ones in saying that I love pointed toe shoes! They always seemed more interesting to me than round toes. Especially since I have small feet so some rounded toes made me look deformed.

You all can go on about "classy" but I stand firmly beside (or in!) my pointed toes.

Ah well, to each their own.

 

[melt977]

I think they are already here....

I agree with what has been said about being brought forward by the more directional designers... but imo it could be also attributed to the trouser form starting to become wider, slowly but staedily moving away from the dominance of the skinny...

also, some hipster or scenester or whatever-they-are-called kids, have been wearing them in the form of winklepickers for a few seasons now....

I can't understand how some people can say that they hate the pointy shoes or the rounded ones... doesn't it always depend on the balance of the outfit? If the outfit demands a pointy toe, you will have to go with it... wouldn't you?

it's strange, but I feel like shoes are determining the actual mood of every fashion era... haven't quite put my finger on it yet, but it seems that no matter what your personal style is, how independent of trends it is, shoes are the one item that can't avoid following the flow, if a person doesn't want their style to feel "outdated" - in the bad sense...

here's an (obvious) example of them having arrived... the watanabe fw 08 show... I know they've been on other runways as well, but my memory is failing me now...
but I'm sure we were discussing it on the catwalk-trends thread in september...

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ None of my outfits has ever demanded a pointy-toed shoe

 

[basil]

i'm not a huge fan of pointy shoes but roundes toes really look stupid to me sometimes. i'm into sneakers!

 

[Erin]

yeah to be honest I never feel that pointy toes went away 100% in terms of what was in mid-range shops (steve madden never stopped making them) and what people were wearing. That said, I feel like the pointed toes that are out now are similar to the ones that were popular right before the rounded toe came back which is that they have a much shorter toe box than when pointed toes first became popular and i like pointed toes with a short toe box

I agree, Meg.

And I still have worn my pointy shoes, even when the "trend" seemed to have died out a bit... to me, they can be worn at any time...

I like a pointed toe, I think it's my favorite kind. Especially with my suits at work.

 

[ediewarhol]

I only like pointed shoes every once and a while. I dig my rounded tips so much more.

 

[laika]

I can't understand how some people can say that they hate the pointy shoes or the rounded ones... doesn't it always depend on the balance of the outfit? If the outfit demands a pointy toe, you will have to go with it... wouldn't you?

it's strange, but I feel like shoes are determining the actual mood of every fashion era... haven't quite put my finger on it yet, but it seems that no matter what your personal style is, how independent of trends it is, shoes are the one item that can't avoid following the flow, if a person doesn't want their style to feel "outdated" - in the bad sense...

Agree with everything you say here. I don't generally follow the fashion in my own dress (or at least, not consciously ), but I do find myself havingly seemingly out-of-the-blue cravings for particular types of footwear. And despite having worn mostly round-toe shoes for years now, I've been mysteriously drawn to pointy toes since last fall...

I've been wearing these a lot--they are pointier and shorter, and hence more roomy in the ball of the foot, like softgrey was describing.

{barneys}

It's funny how insidious fashion can be, even when you think you are immune...

 

[softgrey]

It's funny how insidious fashion can be, even when you think you are immune...

ain't it the truth......

as a stylist i have always said that the shoes are the 'attitude' of an outfit...
you can take the same outfit and just change the shoes and you change the whole look...
so i agree with you melt that it is necessary to update shoes in order to not appear dated or just 'out of touch'...

i think that while the wider trouser trend (do we even have a thread on that? ..we should!) is contributing to the shoe thing...
there is something more...
there is just an 'edge' that they have that feels really right at the moment..

it's really just a feeling...it just feels right...


* as much as junya and ann have shown pointy toes already...
on a realistic level...those are not really the designers that set trends...
though they may inspire the designers who do...

but when you see it on the runway at chloe, balenciaga, AND lanvin...
it's really impossible to ignore...


I think the whole industry is preparing for a shift....
it will be interesting to watch what happens....




laika...those are so cute...

 

[softgrey]

and let's keep in mind here that we ARE talking about FALL WINTER 08...
so we are not talking specifically about pumps here...
but definitely boots as well..

and that is definitely where i am going to invest in this i think...
well- i already got a pair...
and if i ever find those ann demeulemeesters......

 

[melt977]

I already got a pair too...
last year...
a flat pair of grey marsells...
which seem more spot-on by the minute...

not counting older purchases that beg to resurface....
don't you just love it when things like this happen???

 

[*HoneyBee*]

Never realised they were ever gone! I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!

 

[Alexis1983]

For me they were never gone.
But there is definately a limit for me when it comes to pointy toes...it can't be too pointy, like its gonna poke someones eye out. I like a small point, nothing too extreme. I hate when it sticks out 2 inches beyond where your toes end...yuck!

I'm also a fan of a platform, as long as its femenine.
I've never been keen on the big and chunky platforms-they have always reminded me of the spice girls.

I like a pointy toe though because I'm short and it does wonders for me elongating my legs.

 

[softgrey]

I already got a pair too...
last year...
a flat pair of grey marsells...
which seem more spot-on by the minute...

not counting older purchases that beg to resurface....
don't you just love it when things like this happen???

haha...i got two pairs of marsells last year...
*or was it the year before...?...

well- anyway..i couldn't agree more...
they are SO coming out of the closet...

 

[melt977]

Laika, I just saw your shoes (the photo wasn't showing for me before) and I just had to say that they are gorgeous!! What are they?

 

[laika]

oh, thank you melt, and softie too! I'm glad you like them. They are barney's coop label, and I have them in navy patent.

and let's keep in mind here that we ARE talking about FALL WINTER 08...
so we are not talking specifically about pumps here...
but definitely boots as well..

It really started with boots for me, because I saw a lot of girls wearing flat or low-heeled pointy boots in november in Paris, and of course, I started craving them myself.

And then I came back and you were talking about those flat pointy-toe Yohji boots. And now I am occasionally seeing such boots being worn in New York.

I still don't have any though....

 

[fashionista-ta]

I like your shoes, too, laika ... to me they are not pointy, they are in between--and very you. I also like this season's Lanvin shoes, though my favorite style has an unfortunately BeDazzled heel There's a huge difference to me between those, and toes that are pointed like a weapon ... which are also quite impractical. Those are most unwelcome in my closet, and always will be ...

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Another fan, Laika...! They're ridiculously perfect...

I, too, agree that pointy-toes never rly left...
A great pr. of wide-leg trousers always looks better with something pointy carrying it...

I have a really pointy pr. of drk purple kitten heels...
They've been in my closet for 3 yrs. now...
Unworn and forgotten...
I have been defying round-toes for a while, now that I truly think about it..
Unconsciously, of course... they feel incredibly wrong with trousers...
Which happen to be my weapon of choice @ the moment...
As well as that - I have been considering a pr. of roundy-pointy booties...
On a completely unrelated note, Tall boots with open-toes seem so RIGHT, too...

Great thread, Soft...