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1999 Fall Fashion Preview: Comfortable shoes are back, and it's cause to celebrate
Sunday, September 12, 1999 By Hope Caldwell, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
There was a time when fashion dictated a certain shoe that would become the "must-have" item of the season. Whether it be flats, Mary Janes, stilettos or wedges, if the fashion gods said "wear pumps in every color," then women didn't have too many other choices besides picking from red, turquoise, black and white pumps.
Well, this fall the gods have taken pity on both women and men. Comfort is the name of the game, and it comes in many interesting textures, heels and styles. Pittsburgh shoe-store managers and owners all agreed that women have had enough when it comes to uncomfortable, impractical heels and soles.
For instance, designers have heeded the warning they got last year when stilettos remained on the shelves at the end of the season. Maybe that's because just by looking at the dainty monsters, women can get a sharp pain from their ankles down to the tiny bones in their feet. There is still a touch of the pointed, skinny heel out there but not much in daily-worn shoes.
The strongest fall trend for both men and women is the mix of traditional styles with chunky, wedge soles and unusual textures. Perfect examples of that come from Stuart Weltzman who has black suede Mary Janes with a sculpted-wedge heel called "Amble", found at Footloose stores in Shadyside and Mt. Lebanon, and, for men, from Kenneth Cole, who has a microfiber and leather demi-boot with a lug sole.
Other sights you can expect to see in women's footwear include animal prints thrown into anything from loafers to another Stuart Weltzman creation. It's a black leather laced ankle-boot with hair-calf animal print on the sides, also with a stacked wooden heel, giving it a sporty look as well. It's found at Saks Fifth Avenue for $256.
Carol Jackson, manager of Footloose, said that customers seem to get a little confused because of all the different choices and styles this season,
The tried-and-true gets an update from shoe designers such as Anne Klein and Bally, who are springing some surprise touches on customers who expect a certain look from them. Anne Klein's classic Mary Jane gets the added touch of a sculpted heel and a new flannel fabric, found at Footloose. And Bally adds a reverse heel and circular tip to its women's patent-calfskin pump.
And the colors of the season have remained the same: black, with some neutral, khaki-green (or bronze) thrown in.
It's rare when men see a drastic, new statement in shoes, and this season is no exception. However, for adventurous souls there are clogs by NAOT and Birkenstock that may tickle the casual trendsetters' fancy. And the unisex Merrell winter moc has the versatility of a sneaker mixed with a loafer and comes in black and gray, available at Littles. Donald J. Pliner makes perhaps the boldest new statement of the season: an all-fabric dress shoe with lug sole that demonstrates how women's fashions have had their effect on men's.
Whether your pleasure is comfort or couture, it's truly an "anything goes" type of season.
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