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Randa Shoes A/W 2011/12

September 28, 2011 by

Is it too soon to do another shoe post?? I thought it was time to check out Randa‘s latest offerings, as my last post on Randa’s Spring/Summer collection was back in March.  I was so taken with this season’s styles, that I’ve ordered three pairs already!

Aren’t these over-the-knee brightly coloured boots just delish? I fell in love with the orange ones, and so I bought them:

There are some amazing shoes showcasing the new colour block trend, like these:

Although I loved the blue, I settled on the pink and orange, as it’s such an unusual colour for shoes…and I have the outfits to match!

Some others I loved but didn’t buy, also in great colours (love the button detailing too):

Unusually for me, I fell for a pair of baby pink shoes (even though they also came in grey or black). They are just so ladylike, I loved them! They would be perfect for a lolita, hime or dolly kei outfit. The coral booties next to them I find an unusual shape, but managed not to buy them.

There are many more styles worthy of a good peruse, either at the Randa online store, or at the Rakuten store Hitotei, where I purchased mine from.  Yes, they deliver to overseas destinations, but at around $25 to $30 per pair of shoes. I’ll let you know how it goes, time and costwise.

November Vivi has a Randa spread showcasing some of the best styles too:

And that is probably enough pictorial goodness for now. You know you really want to hit those websites and have a drool…

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Esperanza and R & E Shoes 2011

March 10, 2011 by

Since I featured Randa yesterday, I thought it only fair to check out some of the other big shoe labels in Japan.

Esperanza

The cut-out heels we’ve seen elsewhere have made their way into the collection, and I especially like the tie-dye and metallic silver boots here:

 

Unusual platforms are also to be found in the sandal section – it seems the footwear designers have adapted some quirky elements from couture shoes into their high street lines. I adore these anything-but-boring floral platforms with the fabric extrending down the heel:

 

The fringing seen in the wild-western clothing trend has also surfaced in the boots – my faves are the blue suede. One – because I love bright colour, and two – because everyone needs to own a pair of “blue suede shoes”!

 

Some boots have been opened up to make them cool enough for the warmer months. The floral tapestry style would go really well with Dolly Kei or girly gyaru outfits:

Goth girls are going to love these next boots, which in addition to coming in black, each feature a little skull, bow and rose!

 

Retro spots, gingham and bright colours take the spotlight away from the edgier styles and bring fun and girliness to the fore:

 

R & E or Rosessence

The standouts for me are the platform brogues (first seen in-store in January), although there are more sedate brogue versions available too (which again, would suit dolly kei and mori girl wardrobes well):

 

The retro theme continues here as well, with spots, checks and nautical stripes in evidence:

  

Likewise the 70’s trend continues with rope, cork and wood heeled platforms:

  

..and the ubiquitous fringing (combined with hanging beads for a little je ne sais quoi):

A mini-trend seen in this collection is the use of charms and chains at the ankle – something to watch for.

 

Somehow I feel there must be more exciting models still to be released, as most of these from R&E do not make my heart race. I do love the first two from Esperanza though, and will struggle not to bring one of them home with me.

What do you think?

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