The return of pointy toe shoes FW 08/09

[Mr-Dale]

The thing with the pointy toe is, they can be really great and I enjoy looking at them sometimes, but they get so incredibly badly translated into affordable streetwear that it just becomes ugly and uncomfortable to wear. Something I especially cannot fathom is the pointy flat It looks completely trashy and cheap. I've always preferred round or open shoes to pointy, or boxy shoes and I don't think this reemergence will change that.

 

[Spike413]

softgrey is absolutely onto something when she mentions the shoe changing the attitude of an outfit. Pointy toes, whether flats, boots, pumps rounded or sharp, they command a different sort of attention than a round toe or a peep toe or even an almond toe.

It's like, you can almost tell what kind of mindset a woman is in by the type of shoe she's wearing.

Pointy toes = take me seriously.

 

[laika]

thanks for the nice comments, all.

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 ...

they are actually a lot pointier than they appear at the angle in that pic, but I think you would still like them, because the sharpness is balanced by the roundness around the ball of the foot.

I'm glad to hear you think they are "me" though, because that means a lot coming from you.

 

[Flyingama]

This is fabulous as my shoe collection is mostly dominated by pointy-toes

 

[stella-mayfair]

It's like, you can almost tell what kind of mindset a woman is in by the type of shoe she's wearing.

so true!

 

[softgrey]

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.



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....

yeah- i think that was the defining moment for me...
i have been obsessed with the pointy toe ever since..
so that was fall 07/08...
and i think i am forever going to regret not getting those boots when i had the chance...
ever since i saw those...nothing else has felt as right...
which of course led to the ann demeulemeester obsession...
also out of my reach...argh!
...

*i am seeing cool looking pointy flat or baby heel boots on the street now and then as well laika..
and it always looks SO right...
i need to start grabbing these girls and asking them where they are getting these boots...!...
because the only ones i see in stores are the ones like people have been describing in this thread..
those horrible pointy suburban mall pointy toes...

not the cool ones...

because there is definitely a difference...

 

[SnejanaIsMyMuse]

Pointy toes are fierce.Like you could stab someone with them if you wanted to .

 

[pinksatin]

errr.... I am not looking forward to a flood of pointy toed shoes in shops if it leaves no other options. My personal opinion is there is nothing inherently wrong with them on other women. They can look quite sexy and chic with the right shoe done right. But I have tried them on during shoe shopping from time to time and I never bring myself to buy them. I just think they make my feet look funny and distorted and . . . pointy! I feel awkward and witchy in them and just don't like how they look on me. But on others I think they can look good. So hopefully they won't take over and there will still be cute non-pointy options available.

 

[MUXU]

i like the small pointy toe shoes. this season has great shoes! i am quite tired of chunky platforms, so heavy!
i dont really like long wrinkle pickers though i have a pair of red flat ankle boots with wrinkle picker toe

don't know if anyone is curious enough to see some very early pointy toe wrinkle picker heels from the 50s worn by the girly Teddy Girls

andmas.co.uk

 

[MUXU]

Pointy toes are fierce.Like you could stab someone with them if you wanted to .

i know! one of the reasons why i like it. better than peppermint spray

 

[pinkpalm]

finally!

 

[pinksatin]

i know! one of the reasons why i like it. better than peppermint spray

Do you mean pepper spray? I think criminals might actually be attracted to peppermint spray. And what defines "wrinkle picker"? I've never heard that before.

 

[stella-mayfair]

^love the teddy girl shoes! so elegantly retro!

 

[snowqueen]

I love pointy toe heals as i have very very small feet adn they make my feet look bigger..big footed people should stay away unless they want to look like a clown imo

I prefare the more rounded pointy two like the 80's style then the massive massive ones, they look leathal haha

 

[Navygreen]

I love pointy toe heals as i have very very small feet adn they make my feet look bigger..big footed people should stay away unless they want to look like a clown imo

I prefare the more rounded pointy two like the 80's style then the massive massive ones, they look leathal haha

I have a pair of boots like this. One of my friends used to claim that by wearing them, i was capable of exterminating any kind of insect residing at the corners of my house.

 

[Deborah]

And what defines "wrinkle picker"? I've never heard that before.

I think they meant winkle picker! Unless it is wrinkle picker and I have never heard of it.

 

[iLoveCouture]

In reference to winkle pickers, here's a bit of history:

From wikipedia.com

Winklepickers (also known as Winkle Pickers) are a style of shoe or boot worn from the 1950s onward by both certain male and female British rock and roll fans. The feature which gives both the boot and shoe their name is the very sharp and quite long pointed toe, reminiscent of medieval footwear and approximately the same as the long pointed toes on some women's fashion shoes and boots today. This pointed toe was called the winkle picker toe because, in England, winkles are eaten with a pin or pointed object to get the winkle out of the shell (hence the term "to winkle something out").

From fashion-era.com

By the mid 1950s pointed toe shoes called winkle pickers with stiletto heels up to 5 inches were a common sight. There is no doubt that the trademark of the fifties was the stiletto heeled shoe, first seen in 1952 at a Dior fashion show.

 

[kmccormi]

Pointy toes = take me seriously.

In my opinion, it's more like:

Pointy shoes = look at me.

This can work really one of two ways. If the pointy shoe is done right and paired with a chic outfit, it does sort of say "take me seriously ... I am a professional or well-put together woman."

On the other hand, if the pointy shoe is cheap or "off" and ESPECIALLY if the cheap pointy-toe is paired with a cheap or sleazy outfit, the girl wearing these items tends to be the kind of girl that just wants attention. And thus, "look at me."

Unfortunately, I see way more of the latter than the former, and so it's usually so unappealing to me. I also agree wholeheartedly with whoever said they don't understand pointy-toe flats in particular - they really just aren't attractive.

That being said, personally my favorite type of heel is the perfect mix between pointy-toe and rounded; the best pumps do taper but to a more subtle and chic rounded point, halfway between a round-toe and point, if that makes any sense. I find it's a nice and elegant balance.

 

[loves]

^i agree. pointy toed shoes have to be well made, cheaply made pointies just don't look good because they don't keep the shape properly.

the shape that i love best is the one you've described too. some call it almond shaped toe

 

[pinksatin]

Thank you for the history IloveCouture! You are such a smarty pants. It's good to know the term but I still don't really like the look for myself.