New York Fashion Week has officially wrapped, but fashion insiders are still buzzing about these collaborations.
Christian Louboutin
Christian Louboutin revealed five New York Fashion Week collaborations, starting with Novis’ spring ’18 presentation. The custom-made shoes were a standout in colorful velvet and unique silhouettes.
Novis designer Jordana Warmflash chose to customize three new shoe styles from Louboutin’s spring ’18 collection, which included open-toe mules and a slip-on sandal. Each shoe was uniquely constructed to enhance the Novis collection’s jungle-inspired botanical prints and color palate. To top it off, Louboutin Beauty provided perfectly polished manicures to complete the looks.
The luxury label also collaborated with Bibhu Mohapatra, Tome and Naeem Khan.
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Jean-Michel Cazabat
Jean-Michel Cazabat created his first styles for Julianna Bass’ show this week, a mid-heel mule and a capped-toe pump. “For the Mule, it was more a silhouette of construction — ’80s with an upper cut that is very ’70s,” said the designer who is known for the architectural, yet comfortable build of his shoes. “I was inspired by the traditional Wooden Clog from Denmark and the way it has been adopted and adapted by communities around the world.” When it came to the pump, which was in line with many other capped-toe styles seen this season at New York Fashion Week, he noted it’s also very ’80s, as it was dreamt up from the movie,“The Eyes of Laura Mars” with Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones.
Tanya Taylor
New York-based designer Tanya Taylor stuck to her roots of femininity and expressive prints for her spring ’18 collection, deciding to partner with designer Andrea Gomez for the line’s shoes. “For spring we wanted shoes that felt sophisticated, feminine and fun, “ explained Taylor of the collaboration.
Gomez played off of the rainbow color palette from Taylor’s apparel pieces, presenting an array of color-blocked sandals, across both flats and heels for spring ’18. “Collaborating with Tanya was such a pleasure! We found a lot of common ground between our brand aesthetics! We both have a deep appreciation for art, color, feminine silhouettes and quality, so it was a natural fit. Tanya and I both love combining colors in unexpected ways and our Bea, Essie and Bettina styles allowed for us to really have fun mixing colors,” said the shoe designer of the partnership.
Taylor added, “I was impressed by the worksmanship and classic femininity of the shapes Andrea offers. She and I identified styles and developed suede color ways that complimented the collection’s geometric shapes and raw natural colors.”
Jonathan Simkhai
Reebok Classic had its iconic Freestyle High sneakers reimagined by New York-based designer Jonathan Simkhai, which were featured prominently throughout his spring ’18 NYFW showcase on Sept. 9 at Skylight Clarkson Square. The line boasts the designer’s signature fabric selection, which includes blue seersucker, indigo denim, white leather, powder pink leather and more. “I have always admired Reebok’s commitment to crafting quality styles that cater to the many demands in a woman’s life, which parallels my own design philosophy,” said Simkhai.
Baja East
California-based ready-to-wear brand Baja East teamed up with Brazil’s Melissa brand to create four shoe styles for its spring ’18 runway show (held at the Galeria Melissa flagship in Soho). The looks included a pool slide, flat sandal, heeled mule and chukka boot. Baja East designer John Targon said in a statement, “Right away we were awed by the caliber of [Melissa’s] innovation over several decades. As a company, their approach to design is so complementary to our spirit and how we play with fashion.” The shoes are available now in the Galeria Melissa stores in New York, London and Sao Paulo, for $105 to $150.
Dear Frances
British luxury footwear label Dear Frances teamed up with Beaufille for the brand’s spring ’18 ready-to-wear presentation. Dear Frances provided multiple styles for the NYFW event, including the brand’s Spirit boots, Lounge loafers and its Jen and Bare slides.
Anna Sui
The footwear on the Anna Sui runway was a conversation starter, even before model Gigi Hadid suffered a slight footwear malfunction on the catwalk. Sui showed a series of boho and Western-inspired sandals and boots, created in partnership with the Bed Stu brand, known for its artisan approach to shoe-making. Among the standout looks were a hand-tooled tall boot and a platform sandal featuring garden-themed appliques.
Marcel Ostertag
German ready-to-wear designer Marcel Ostertag turned his runway into a disco at New York Fashion Week to celebrate the ideas of freedom and indulgence. And his spring ’18 footwear styles — a collaboration with fellow German label Tamaris — supported the 1970s vibe. There were plenty of chunky heels and platform sandals, plus groovy glittery ankle boots that could’ve walked straight out of Studio 54.
