FOOTWEAR
By Lisa A. Flam
For the Associated Press
If you are looking to take a fashionable step into spring, let your shoes lead the way.
Sleek, sophisticated and ladylike, the pointy-toe shoe is coming back strong, pushing several seasons’ worth of chunky platforms toward the back of the closet.
The narrowed point, part of the retro-feminine trend drawing on the 1960s, has trickled down from the designer world to the mainstream market, said Gregg Andrews, fashion creative director at Nordstrom, and will be a silhouette to wear to look well-dressed and on-trend for spring.
“It looks so fresh,” he said. “It feels right with everything that’s going on in fashion.”
The classic, versatile style, last a must-have in the “Sex and the City” era, is enjoying an updated return to the spotlight in a burst of colors and with decorations such as pretty bows and tougher-looking studs.
“When you think of the pointed-toe shoe, you think of Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy,” Andrews said. “You think of those very famous fashion icons from the 1960s, but then you tweak it and you make it very 21st century.”
At Narciso Rodriguez’s New York Fashion Week show last month, pointy-toe heels, including ankle-strap and bootie versions, walked the runway. To him, the style is sexy, sensual and no-nonsense. Of all of the shoe silhouettes he has designed, the pointed toe is the most flattering on a woman’s foot, he said.
“It’s great when you want to look sleek and pulled together,” Rodriguez said.
One of the best attributes of the shoe, which can also be fashioned with a kitten, mid-height or flat heel, is that you can wear it with just about anything. Michelle Obama worked in several medium-heel pointy-toe pumps plus a pair of sharp-point boots in her inaugural wardrobe this year.
Stylist Stacy London favors a higher stiletto paired with cropped pants or midi skirt, and said the shoes also work well with a pantsuit, a full or pencil skirt, a sheath dress and even the boyfriend jean. For a trendy outfit, dress up a look of skinny jeans, T-shirt and lightweight leather jacket with a pair of pointed stilettos, Andrews suggested.
A casual look could combine a pair of feminine shorts with a pointy toe flat, Andrews said, or add a mid-height heel to careerwear or an embellished stiletto beneath a cocktail dress. “It’s a great shoe because its silhouette is so clean and neutral, you can really do a lot with it,” he said.
While “anyone and everyone” can slip into the style, said London, there still are things to consider: A skinny heel, for example, can make heavy calves or ankles look heavier, so women might want to consider a wedge or stacked heel instead. Also, an elongated toe box can look “a little witchy” on shorter women, she said, urging wearers to “keep the point in proportion with your height.”
The pointy toe will make everything in your closet look new again, Andrews said, and perhaps even give your psyche a boost.
“A pointed-toe shoe is unquestionably a sign of good taste,” he said, “And that makes a woman feel empowered.”
About the Author
