If shoes could talk, this season’s selections would be speaking so many different languages and combining so many different sentence structures, I’m not sure a mere human could understand what they were saying.Some trends have come back around (as fashion has a tendency to do), but some mark this season as a daring evolution into strikingly new ground.
Fall’s shoes encompass a vast range of characteristics, including cutout shapes, over-the knee style boots, metal details, buckles, peep toes, suede, wedge heels, chunkier triangular shaped heels, sky high stiletto heels, lace-up styles…the list goes on.This season’s most ubiquitous shoe current may not be a single trend, but the fusion of different styles in look and construction.
This season oxfords are everywhere, some models refreshingly reminiscent of the saddle shoe, in several different varieties of course.Some precisely mimic the classic model and some are more modern descendants, incorporating other seasonal trends such as cutouts or peep toes.
Clockwise from top left: Dolce Vita ‘Myron’ (Dolce Vita), Harajuku Lovers ‘Packard’ Oxford (Nordstrom), VANELi ‘Poseidon’ peep toe oxford (Nordstrom), Urban Outfitters Candela NYC Spectator Oxfords (online only)
Boots are taking on so many different forms this season; it’s hard to keep up.One clear runway trend is the always dramatic over the knee boot.Chunky heels and/or platforms attached to these statement boots make them even more dangerous, but all the more in.
Lace-ups have also cemented their presence this season, as seen below on Lindsay Lohan (note the fusion of over-the-knee, platform, and lace-up trends).Lindsay always seems to get the bad girl/rock n roll edge look right on.
September 2009 cover of Elle UK
The lace-ups merge well with certain cutout styles as well.Here, we see a lace-up leather boot with the front cut out to form a thong sandal.The fusion of boot and sandal that arose in the spring comes full speed into fall with new shapes and details.
More Lace-ups clockwise from top left: Chocolat Blu Quest Leather Boot (DSW), Via Spiga ‘Crispin’ Riding Boot (Nordstrom), Olive Oxford Boots (Anthropologie)
Metal details are making their mark on shoes this season as well.Whether in the form of buckles, bangles, studs, or sequins, they always add a touch of rock n roll to the footwear they adorn.Metal details on black booties are most coveted for fall.Try a suede or even canvas pair for extra edge and texture.
Clockwise from top left: Facade (Nine West), Jeffrey Campbell ‘Us’ Ankle Bootie (Nordstrom), Suede and Metal Boots worn by Lindsay Lohan for Elle UK September 2009 photo shoot (Isabel Marant), Gold Silver Studded Suede boots (Christian Louboutin)
Perhaps the most pervasive trend for fall footwear is the use of peep toe and cutout shapes.This trend provides a brilliant link between seasons.The peep toe and/or cutouts allow a thinly exposed foot to feel that last breeze of summer, while providing an enclosed form perfect for the crisp air of fall.The style transcends into winter, when worn with tights or thin socks.The trend also works with a wide variety of patterns and colors.
Clockwise from top left: N.Y.L.A. Mariah Plaid Bootie (DSW), Poetic License ‘Kiss & Tell’ Pump (Nordstrom), Vince Camuto Buckle Bootie (Victoria’s Secret), JS by Jessica Truffle Peep Toe Ruffle Bootie (DSW), Zigi Soho Zipora Platform Bootie (DSW), SM Luxe Trump Studded Cut Out Ankle Bootie (DSW), N.Y.L.A Zoolander platform Shootie (DSW),Viva (Dolce Vita)
The cutout heel is a particularly popular mode of the cutout trend, often combined with the peep toe or cutout front.This type of construction makes the shoe captivating from all angles.
So, with all these bewitching selections to choose from, how does one decide which to sport?The fall season is all about drama and bold, innovative shapes.Be true to your personal style, but don’t be afraid to deviate from your comfort zone or to choose something that fuses multiple trends.Indeed, the best selections of the season are poetic blends of varying details and construction.
Your perfect fall shoe might just be a little visually unsettling at first; something the eye has to inspect and then reconcile before comprehending the statement it makes.At the end of this process you will realize you have something that you and others will adore.
If Sabrina Goh intended to diagram a complex character in her Fall Winter campaign and collection, Control Freak, her success is apparent.The images from the campaign illustrate the underlying contradiction that defines the character by placing the model amidst a mess of chaos that seems to elude her.The collection and campaign poignantly depict the irony of control freaks in that they end up shackled by their own boundaries.
Sabrina Goh was born in Malaysia and now bases her business out of Singapore.After graduating from LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts-Singapore, Goh worked as an in house fashion designer for several local labels.She currently designs for her own label, ELOHIM, which stocks at The Black Market, Pixiemarket, and Not Just A Label.ELOHIM, a name for Jehovah in the Hebrew Scriptures, means God of the Creative.The name suits the bold and resolute campaign.
Her Fall Winter 0910 Collection moves forward from the Spring Summer 09 collection with new details and more feminine furbelows, while her signature bold shapes and general androgyny in overall look persist. Goh’s Ready to Wear pieces range in style from avant-garde to mod to punk to Gothic, without a dull shape or combination to be seen.
Goh often plays with symmetry and asymmetry in a way that always intrigues.The viewer often has to look closer at the details to determine the symmetry or asymmetry of the piece in question.Is it symmetrical?Sometimes just a simple detail, like a fold, breaks the symmetry, as in the “Oversize cotton vest” ($239.90).
One detail that appears tirelessly throughout the collection is the black side release buckle (interestingly creating symmetry, when buckled and breaking it, when released).Goh uses the buckle “to transform silhouettes, tighten, release, and join designs together to illustrate the characteristic of the control freak in the collection” (Goh, Press Release).
The buckles appear everywhere from sleeves to skirts to collar accessories and infuse the avant-garde edge to some of her pieces.Some pieces are not very wearable, such as the acrylic accessories top and collar accessories, but conceptual, as the artist is trying to develop a theme.
Another editorial element of the collection is the textures.“Designer mainly using matte and shine fabrication as a key to contrast and to show the extreme of its character” (Goh, Press Release).Here, the artist uses fabrication to convey the duality of the character.
Certain components of the collection are in keeping with the gothic gentility themes (i.e. vampires) fashion has been seeing different variations of throughout the past few seasons.The cape is a statement piece, implications abound.
Goh also creates a punk rock feel by pairing many of her tops with tight jersey pants, zippers running horizontally across the knees.They are a trick, though.When zippers worn closed, they appear a solid-colored pant.
The structured and flirtatious cocktail dresses with cutout shapes add a touch of mod to the collection.
The most stunning and pervasive visual aspect of the collection and the campaign remains the androgyny.The model’s hair in the womens collection photographs is made to look boyish in the front, juxtaposed by a feminine French twist derivation in the back.The designer categorizes some of her womens collection under the header mens and ironically, has the model’s hair down for those shots.The collection incorporates several loose-fitting tops and vests that essentially hide the woman’s curves.
In the collection, Control Freak, Sabrina Goh visually evokes the ambiguous nature of her character through textures, shapes, symmetry/asymmetry, and androgynous details.The clothes, while not always wearable, succeed in generating a complex, themed aesthetic. The designer cannot conceal that she is as much of a storyteller as she is a unique constructionist.
The trio of Trouble Andrew, Amanda Blank and Santigold at last night’s sold out show made for a dynamic and powerful night of music.All three acts provided a unique creativity that complimented each other and made the show stronger as a whole.
The first band to go on, Trouble Andrew, was an entertaining lead in.He combined the sounds of punk rock and electronica with the lyrical themes of hip-hop.Some elements of the performance seemed executed simply for bewilderment value, like having a man wearing an oversized skull mask with glasses posing in different positions on stage, but the music was penetrating and exciting and made for a great set.
The chaotic mixing of genres established in the first act proved to be a common thread among the artists.Amanda Blank stormed the stage next with her excellent blend of dance pop and rap.Her lack of pants was initially distracting.In fact, she was wearing only a black bra and underwear with what looked like a cotton jersey or an oversized wifebeater.Her performance was vicious and the girl has a wild stage presence that might have been more over the top had she not been sick (she canceled her appearance at the after party held at DC9 earlier in the day due to illness).
Santigold sure knows how to make her audience wait and get them good and riled up before going on.By the time she finally went on, I felt like I had experienced the whole roller coaster with the first two acts and was wondering what more could be in store.
But sure enough, she topped them both.In her second appearance at 9:30 Club, Santigold, equipped with her live band and war-officer-clad stage women, brought down the house.She skillfully combined elements of both the opening acts with other outside influences, such as reggae and alternative. She sounds like a crazy mix of M.I.A., Lady Gaga, Lauryn Hill, and undulating alt. rock bands such as Mew.
One high point was her cover of The Cure’s first single “Killing an Arab.”The song is a simplified retelling of Albert Camus’ novel The Stranger.The Middle Eastern flare to the song provided an interesting break from the rest of her set.The lyrics and melodies evoked an urgent and menacing threat, in keeping with the theme of the book.Santigold and her band performed an animated version that kept the audience moving and engaged throughout the song.
The climax of the entire night was the onstage collaboration of Santigold and Amanda Blank in their performance of “I’m a Lady.”The two of them had a truly symbiotic relationship up there that electrified the entire place.The audience was going wild as they fed off each other, fusing their two different sounds into one song.Unfortunately, the collaboration didn’t last long enough.Another song with the two of them would have made my night.
Something should also be said about the supreme audio capacity of 9:30 Club.The sound in that place infiltrates the entire building, no matter where you are.Among other, lesser things, this consuming vitality of sound is what makes 9:30 Club the best venue for shows in DC.
The show, as a whole, was surprising, interactive, turbulent, and provocative.It makes me giddy to think what she and her cohorts might come up with if they collaborated with some other music names.Santigold and her whole show lives up to the name of one of her title tracks; “Unstoppable.”
What if a metal detector could detect guilt and fear? The instrument then might just be able to expose the inner rage of a quiet maniac.
BODY:
The plumbing had been bad in our house for weeks and I was getting fed up.Dad said he was “taking care of it” but I was beginning to wonder what those words meant, since there had been no sign of a plumber and the sound the upstairs toilet made when it flushed was only getting worse.I was in the habit of holding the flush handle down and glaring at the water swirl down the bowl until everything had been flushed in an effort to make sure I didn’t walk away from any potential overflow situations.So I started to wonder when I kept hearing this sound about ten seconds after everything had gone down…it sounded like a churning of something, pipes maybe?But after the churning came a sort of rattle that faded to no real resolution.
Dad, Jack and I had been living in that house for almost two years to the day.Mom died a month and a half ago in a car accident.She was coming home from a trip she took with her lover that she didn’t think we all knew about.I think they went to Virginia Beach, a cheap vacation, naturally.People who cheat on their families don’t treat each other kindly or extravagantly.Their relationship is shallow and cheap, just like their lives.He had a family, too from what I understand.A daughter around my age.I wonder what she thinks of all of this.
He drove his ’99 VW Golf into a lake off I-95.Idiot.My mom probably had him distracted.His body was found by the police at the bottom of the lake and returned to his family for the funeral.Her body was never found.Dad still hasn’t given up the search effort.I think Jack and I have let go of the hope he still clings to.
But we were all trying to keep going I think.I guess “moving forward” is what people say.Aside from the plumbing problem of course, life was functioning routine.School, practice, cook dinner, homework.Mom had bequeathed to me the pressure of caring for two generations of men at age 15.Thanks, mom.Really.
So, it didn’t come as a shock to me that I was the one who was going to have to deal with the churning and grinding that Dad and Jack must just phase out if and when they ever hear it.I would have to call a plumber myself.
I got out the yellow pages and went for one of the more expensive guys.When I first found out that my mom was taking trips with this guy, what most appalled me was just the places he was taking her, first Dewey Beach and then Stanton.I mean, talk about the cheapest weekenders ever.When somebody you spend time with is always cheap, it teaches you that you only deserve what is cheap.
Will Berkeley: Plumber.I decided to call him.Our conversation consisted of this:
“Hello,” he answered.
“Hello, my name is Katie Henley and”
He cuts me off; “I know who you are” He coughs.
Weird, I think but then he resumes in a husky voice:
“Caller ID.”He hacks again. “What’s the problem, sweetie?”
This guy’s voice sounded like a trombone with a set of keys caught in the windpipe.
“Oh,” I stuttered, “Our toilets have been on the fritz for a couple of weeks now and I think something might be clogging the pipes, or caught in the pipes or”
“Ok, ok sweetie,” he interrupted again. “I can be there tomorrow at 10.”
“Ok, that’s not so good for me because I have school, does someone have to be here?” As soon as I asked, I answered it for myself.Just as quickly I deduced it would have to be me, since Jack would somehow screw it up and Dad’s work trumps my going to school.That is what’s paying for this curt, roughneck of a plumber to come here and fix our pipes.I answered before he could say anything: “Yes, I’ll be here.”
“Ok, sweetie.Wear a pretty necklace for me.”
And then he hung up.
What the hell?Why would he say something like that?I had no idea what to think of it, so I guess I just ignored it.In any event, somebody had to be here for him, I wasn’t about to leave that creep alone in our house.Wait, did I even give him my address?No, I didn’t.Should I call him back?
“Katie!American Idol’s on!”My dad yelled.My favorite show.Whatever I was just thinking about vanished.
The next day I slept in.I don’t know if my dad asked about it, but I assume Jack covered for me if he did.Besides, it was for all our benefit that I was missing school.I could no longer live with the imminent threat of sewage backup.
So, I waited and he showed up promptly at 10:00.He rang the bell and I opened the door.He stood there.He was a little bit stout and hunched at the back.He had salt and pepper hair and about an inch-long, scruffy beard.It was uneven with what looked like a Hershey’s kiss wrapper stuck in it on the left side.Gross.I’d guess he was about 40.He had a potbelly.He was only about ¼ inch shorter than me, but shorter, definitely.I could take him, if push came to shove.
He interrupted my inspection with: “Mornin’ sweetie, I’m Will.”
That voice took me again.There was an alarming depth in it, but it sounded like a car accident was happening inside his throat.Breaks screeching, metal scraping.I had forgotten about it overnight, but now it resonated in my mind.
“I’m here to fix your pipes,” he clarified.
I must have looked blank for what might have been a long time.
“Oh yes” I came back to.
I noticed he was leaning on something rod like.It stood upright, slightly behind him and I strained to discern what it was.
“Is that a metal detector?” I asked, slightly confused.
“Yes.”
“What’s that for?”
“It’s to search for hidden pipes around your house if I need to,” and then he walked inside.
I was a bit bewildered, but didn’t ask questions.Would he really have to search outside for pipes?I was beginning to find his behavior eerie and felt nervous to be alone with him.He went to the upstairs bathroom and started to work.I could hear him digging through his toolbox, but tried to zone it out.I sat down to watch TV.
The metal detector also seemed odd to me.It was very long and technical looking, with what looked like a computer at the top of it.The bottom of it looked like a spaceship.It looked like it could detect other things besides metal too, like fear.
This guy was giving me the creeps.I didn’t want him wandering around outside my house.It was a rainy day and I didn’t want to get wet.Would that thing work if it got wet?That thing looked like it would work in an ice storm.What was I going to do about this?This guy began to frighten me.Why had he asked me to wear a necklace last night?That was creepy, or maybe just weird plumber humor?I felt disoriented.
I got up to go see how things were going.He turned the corner of the staircase exactly as I reached the bottom of it and he stood staring down at me from the top.I stared back from the bottom.I felt threatened.
The next thing I knew it, he was coming down the stairs.I froze.
“I’m gonna have to go outside.The problem’s not up there.Something’s clogging it from outside,” he explained.
Oh, holy shit!My worst fear, realized.Why does he need to go outside??I hadn’t anticipated this.But I didn’t know what to do, so I let him out.He had his metal detector strapped on his back.He left a smell of piss, rust and grime trailing behind him.His walk was so heavy.I could feel the floors reverberate with each one of his steps.God, I am going to die today I can feel it.
But I sat down and watched TV, anxious.There weren’t any pipes out there, were there?I know I didn’t see any.I went to the window and watched him.He was on that side.Why did he have to be on that side?He walked around the yard moving that metal detector like it was going to uncover something gruesome.Why?What?Did he find something?I had zoned out for a second.
He seemed to be bending over, there.Then, it seemed like he gave up on whatever he thought he found, because he stood back up and walked back around front.
A wave of relief came over me.I really wanted this guy to leave.I tried to relax. I went back to the TV.A minute, or maybe a few, passed.Then I heard some shuffling coming from the garage.I jumped from the couch and sprinted to the garage door.He was in there getting the shovel down from the hook!
“How did you get in here?” I snapped.
“I walked through the front door,” he replied as if questioning me. “I walked past you in the living room and told you I was going into the garage to get a shovel.You seemed pretty into your program and didn’t answer me.”
I stared at him, angrily.I didn’t hear him come in at all.
“You, uuh, seem kinda jumpy sweetie, is everything alright?”
What is with this redneck?Did that really happen?He started moving toward me with the shovel.I froze again.Why did that keep happening?
I closed my eyes as he approached, still unable to move, terrified of what was about to happen.Then that voice again;
“Um, excuse me sweetie.”
I didn’t realize it, but I was blocking the door that led back through the house.I opened my eyes and saw that he seemed to be chuckling.
“It’s ok sweetie, I’m not gonna kill ya,” he laughed.
Was I losing my mind?Why did he have to keep calling me “sweetie?”I stepped aside and let him through.He went back outside with the shovel.I sat down on the couch again, trying to calm down.He won’t find it; he’s just looking for the pipes.
I heard him start to dig.
I jumped from the couch again and bolted to the window.It was raining harder now, almost in sheets.He kept digging.The mud must be heavy because he had to remove the metal detector from the strap that kept it on his back.He dropped it beside him, next to the pile of mud and kept digging.He was flinging the mud so hard some of it was hitting the window.It startled me every time it did, even though I was watching his every move.
I don’t know what happened then.I just glared out of that window, frozen.Like a fish looking out of its bowl, only the outside of the bowl was where all the water was.The rain kept coming, but I was dry.I wanted to go outside and stop him, but nothing happened.He kept digging.
Digging and digging, it seemed like he would never stop.He saw something, finally and I knew what it was.I should have thought about the pipes.
Then he seemed to choke on something. He grabbed his chest, let out a yelp that I didn’t hear and tripped backward into the pile of mud. All of a sudden, the hole was in my plain sight.His stout frame had been blocking my view the whole time, until now.
And there she was, just where I had put her a month and a half ago.After I rammed that stupid Golf into the lake and dragged her back to my car.Her hair had gotten caught in two of the pipes that crossed in my side yard.So her face had been partially pulled under them and mangled into what now was just a mess of hair, mud, flesh, metal and human excrement that had leaked through and caused the backup.
The plumber regained his footing, saw what I had just seen, frantically looked around for me and then fled up the side yard, leaving his stupid, space-age metal detector next to the pile of mud and that putrid hole of filth.I heard the engine of his ’89 Bronco rev up and peel out.
And then I just looked at her, still causing me grief even after I buried her into the ground.I could still hear her begging me not to, even though she knew I had made up my mind.I could still see her struggling to free herself from the scarves I used to tie her up in (one of them she brought back for me as a souvenir from Stanton), kicking and screaming as I shoveled dirt onto her face.I could still smell the bile that festered after she projectile vomited dirt for about two minutes and then went limp.I stood looking out the window, frozen, watching the water and mud gradually covering her back up.
Currently writing about the daily explorations of style. Love to share my style and absorb the indivduality of others' I am interested in the process by which we create our own looks and how in turn, that affects us and influences others.
