Trends

Flat sandals for summer 2014

 in Shoes / Trends  tagged birkenstocks / casual fashion / casual style / sandals / summer 2014 by

Product Details: Click on sandal above for information

Summer 2014 is almost here! This means every Fashionista everywhere will need a fabulous pair, or two, of flat sandals. 

Flat sandals are classic; and the perfect casual shoe for the hot summer months. In order to stay cool and fashionable, the perfect flat sandals for summer 2014 are a must! There are many trends for summer which can easily be incorporated into the seasons’ perfect flat sandals. 

For summer 2014, the hottest trends include fringe, ankle straps, gladiator, black/white color blocking, studded (yes studded flat sandals are still around, crazy right?!), slides, flip-flops, and of course Birkenstocks! Yes, I said Birkenstocks. In case you have not noticed, the 1970’s favorite comfort shoe has returned to the streets and is arguably the hottest sandal on the planet right now. 

Small tangent: Birkenstock’s have been around for longer than most of us reading this article have been alive. That being said, they have resurfaced as the years’ most popular sandal; even being referred to, at times, as hip! I will admit Birkenstock’s are incredibly comfortable and I did wear them in high school. (I get a pass for that. I grew up in Marin and was surrounded by hippies.) But, they are being touted as “high fashion” right now and designers everywhere have been scrambling to put their, inspired by Birkenstock, designs on the market. There are luxurious versions of the iconic comfort shoe from the hippie generation popping up in high-end price points and on luxury store shelves for summer. The “Me Generation” is scratching their heads, after all, the people wearing the shoes and designing the shoes are everything they stood up against in the 1960’s. But I digress. . .

Back to flat sandals for summer 2014! For everyone who is looking for regular flat sandals for the summer season, there are so many new styles and trends this year, that is can be daunting deciding which style to go for! If you plan to do a lot of walking this summer, ankle strap flat sandals will be perfect. (Birkenstock’s slip off your feet, they are not a walking shoe. In case you were wondering ;-)) For days when you plan to sit or lay by the pool, and you are interested in more of a shoe than plastic flip-flops, look for a brightly colored pair of flat slides. Other two hot styles this season, Gladiator and thong-style sandals, are great all-around shoes which will carry you through the summer months and keep your feet happy. 

Flat sandals for summer 2014 can be worn with any of the seasons’ hottest trends from the streets and the runways. Look to pair flat sandals with jeans (skinny or boyfriend), shorts, maxi skirts/dresses and skirts above the knee.

I found a few fabulous pairs of flat sandals for summer 2014 around the web and assembled them into the widget below. I hope you love them! Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 😉

Summer 2014 trends: booties are back

 in Shoes / Trends  tagged boots / spring 2014 / street style trends / summer 2014 by

Product Details: Click on the image you like above for details.

One of the biggest trends in shoes for the summer 2014 season is the bootie. That’s right! Warm weather booties are back; so if you have a pair from a past season, pull them out of your closet and add them back into rotation!

Booties did not dominate the runways in New York, London, Paris or Milan for the spring/summer 2014 season, rather, they have enjoyed continued popularity on the streets. The open-toe, summer bootie has enjoyed popularity for a few years on the streets. For spring and summer 2014, the open toe bootie is flying off of store shelves and onto fashionable feet on the streets. 

The spring/summer bootie has not really changed much over the past few years. The shoe style still offers an open toe and may or may not feature a slingback or ankle strap with exposed heel. The color palette has remained unchanged over the seasons. Popular hues continue to be neutrals, black and white. We are still seeing color blocked black/white open toe booties for spring and summer too!

The fabrications on open toe booties for spring and summer 2014 offer a wide variety. In addition to traditional leather we are seeing suede (normally a cool weather fabric), faux leathers, laser cut fabrications and PVC.

Being that the open toe bootie has not changed much for the spring/summer 2014 season from past years, it is an easy trend to wear if you have worn it in a recent season. I love being able to shop my closet instead of spending money, don’t you!?

Open toe booties are being shown with the hottest trends from the spring and summer 2014 runways. Open toe booties can be worn with boyfriends jeans, midi-skirts or dresses, scuba skirts, a-line skirts, pencil skirts, and the seasons’ newest short length; the Bermuda short. Although open toe booties usually hit at the ankle, the silhouette is very “of-the-moment,” so wearing them with shorts, skirts and jeans looks modern and perfect for the spring and summer 2014 seasons.

If you find booties and ankle straps are not flattering on your leg, try a light color such as beige, pastel pink or light tan. These hues should not cut off your leg and allow them to look elongated; allowing you to rock this trend! Love that!

If you have the perfect pair of open toe booties in your closet, you are all set! If not, here are a few fabulous open toe booties for the summer 2014 season I found around the web. I hope you love them! Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 😉

Handbag trends 2014: the inside-out handbag

 in Handbags / Trends  tagged bucket bag / drawstring bag / fall 2014 / mansur gavriel / spring 2014 / summer 2014 / totes by

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Photo: Mansur Gavriel red and black drawstring bucket bag. Online here and here. Tote version online here.

A few seasons ago, Saint Laurent and Valentino introduced reversible tote bags. These beautiful handbags reminded us of high-quality garments which look just as amazing inside as they do on the outside.  There is nothing like looking inside of a handbag and seeing just as much beauty inside as outside.

This brings us to the current trend in handbags which is exemplified by the current “IT” bag by Mansur Gavriel. Instead of a reversible handbag, Mansur Gavriel stayed true to the fashion industry mantra of making a piece beautiful inside and out. In doing this, they created a line of tote bags and drawstring bucket bags which have fabulous colors inside, and finished seams inside, without fabric lining. The color on the inside of the handbag peeks out from the top of the bag creating additional interest in the piece from casual onlookers, while keeping the handbag owners’ interest. Love that!

Mansur Gavriel’s popularity did not go unnoticed in the fashion industry. Aside from becoming the most sought-after handbag of the decade, which is next to impossible to get your hands on, iconic designers such as Prada have followed suit and created bi-color handbags for the summer 2014 season; and into the fall 2014 season.

That’s right! Mansur Gavriel’s drawstring bucket made a quiet trend explode; a trend which goes beyond the drawstring bucket bag silhouette. This new trend offers one color on the inside and another color on the outside. They have reinvented the basic black or tan handbag; giving handbag fans everywhere something fresh to cheer about!

As we move from spring 2014, into the hot summer months, and the new fall season, be on the lookout for more designers and brands creating bi-color handbags which offer inside-out interest. This is the beginning of the trend . . .

Bi-color handbags from around the web: