The peep-toe bootie goes mainstream
August 18th, 2008Spring’s fringe “it” shoe is now everywhere. I suspect that the peep-toe bootie was well received at retail six months ago, explaining why fashion buyers repeated the transitional look for Autumn. Interesting.
I liked the look of the ped when it first came out and I still do. It is edgy, modern and very new. They look super with a pair of skinny bottoms. I also like the peep-toe bootie with frocks and skirts on the right body type. This shoe is off limits for me personally, because I can’t wear peep-toes or soaring heel heights. But I whole heartedly appreciate the trend.
This style was not popular at YLF when it debuted. Has your eye adjusted? Are you sporting peep-toe booties? Or is this still a look you can live without.
August 18th, 2008 at 7:23 am
These shoes are beyond ugly. Yuck.
August 18th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Although they did grow on me a bit, it’s not enough for me to actually get a pair and wear it. Besides, finding a pair with 2-2.5″ heel would be almost impossible. So I’ll skip them and happily wear my new black traditional (closed toe) Franco Sarto booties that you have alerted us too Angie.
August 18th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Nope… I still think they’re awful.
August 18th, 2008 at 7:32 am
this is my deal with the booties:
where is the sock/hosiery/whatever one wears that cushions an actual boot? their aesthetics are fine with me, but even last night when i was looking for some boots i saw boots with cut-outs in them and just wonder how uncomfortable they will be without socks.
i might as well wear sandals. maybe i’m an anomoly in thinking so much foot coverage will cause friction?
August 18th, 2008 at 7:44 am
This style is not for me. It looks to me like the poor shoe can’t make up it’s mind on what it wants to be ( A boot? A pump? A loafer?), so it will be all types at once. And seeing so much leather surrounding a little peep hole makes me envision the toes gasping for air. Also, I look for feminine shoes, this type is a bit to strong for me.
August 18th, 2008 at 7:45 am
I like them. But it’s not a style I plan to go overboard on. I found a pair on ebay that you posted in the spring and I plan to stick with those. The heels are high for me too.
August 18th, 2008 at 7:47 am
They don’t quite quite cut it. Looks like jazzed up school marm peds.
August 18th, 2008 at 7:55 am
I don’t mind the look when worn with opaque tights. I may or may not get a pair this year, but they aren’t too ugly for me. I do have to be careful with heel height, though. I can wear 3+ inches, but it isn’t practical.
August 18th, 2008 at 7:56 am
While I’ve grown more accustomed to this look since it debuted, it would NEVER make its way into my closet. I just can’t fathom my stockinged or bare toes poking out of a bootie!
Angie - I would love to get your take on the other new trend I see in stores now, which is the short ankle high-heeled granny bootie! I didn’t like the look of these booties when they first came in, but I’m getting used to these and even contemplating buying. I would love to get your take on the trend, and how long this trend will be around for. (It seems to come around every fall when the tights and pleated skirts make their appearance again).
August 18th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Nope.
I like peep toe pumps and heeled booties, but their love child just doesn’t make sense. Too impractical for the wet and/or cold weather of the season.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:06 am
I love this look, and I’m shocked at how many people hate them around here. Anyway, how should I style them? Wearing them with bootlegs and flares is a given. But what about matching them to skirts? Would they work with a knee lenghth skirt or dress on a short pear? I was worried that without dark matching stockings they would cut off the line of my leg. Would the stockings even help? Is it best if the stockings are opaque?
August 18th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I think some of the styles are cute, but they won’t make it to my closet. One of the reasons that I wear boots is to protect my feel from the Seattle rainy weather. When it is not raining, the ground is almost always still wet. Soggy toes don’t work for me.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:18 am
My eye is adjusting to this look and, if younger, I might try it. But I won’t be adding them to my closet, especially because of the heel.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:30 am
I’ve grown accustomed to the look, but peep-toes aren’t really practical for fall and winter, I think. And there’s no way I could wear heels this height. If they had something in a more modest height, I might attempt.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Everyone is making a good point about the weather. The peep toes still work in our mild winters. I forgot to ask– Angie, which body types can wear these with dress/skirts? Tips for doing this?
August 18th, 2008 at 8:47 am
I’m accustomed to the look, but I still don’t like it. It’s so dumb. If it’s cold enough for boots, it’s too cold for a peep toe. If it’s warm enough for a peep toe, it’s too warm to wear boots. I feel like there is probably 1 day a year where the weather would cooperate with these.
And even then, it kind of just looks like your enemy decided to ruin your favorite boots but you’re too far away from home to go put another pair on.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:53 am
I’m surprised too, Mochaccino. Loads of passion this morning.
This shoe is hard to wear with skirts and frocks (slim ankles and a shapely calf are a good start). Experimentation is in order. There are too many variables at play to come up with a list of rules for this shoe.
I’m sticking up for the “weather worry” of the ped. I don’t think it was intended for the rain. It’s a transitional shoe!
Theresa, care to post a link to the “granny boot”?
August 18th, 2008 at 9:03 am
I like the funky look of these shoes and I can imagine wearing them with opaque tights. The chunky look would balance out the fall dress/skirt ensembles but it’s definitely a hard look to pull off for a lot of people.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Besides being totally uncomfortable and impractical, I still find them truly ugly. I can imagine 98% of your foot sweating, while the other 2% is freezing. Also, not being able to wear socks with boots would turn my foot into a giant blister. I agree with redhead. It looks schizophrenic. Rather than combining two stylish shoe choices, it seems to detract from both.
I can still imagine them looking edgy and new and all those other things you mentioned Angie, but only on the catwalk. There are some things I just can’t appreciate on “real” people, and this is one of them. They just look silly to me.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I’ve gotten used to it since i’ve seen these around since Spring. I *almost* bought the 3rd pair when i found them on sale for $80 but decided i really don’t feel strongly towards them one way or the other. I don’t want to wear something just because it’s “in” if i don’t love it. So i will be sticking to my close toes oxfords this year.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:53 am
I think I will pass. I love a good peeptoe, and I am all about the high heels (3+ inches? Yes, Please!) but those shoes look like they are having an identity crisis. And besides that, they are pretty gosh darn impractical for our chilly, snowy CNY Winters.
August 18th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Oy! Put back the toe, please!
August 18th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I don’t hate them with a pashion, but I would never wear them because they are impractical. No warm feet and freezing toes for me this fall and winter! I agree with Maya; they belong on a runway and that’s about all.
August 18th, 2008 at 11:44 am
I could wear these with pants - but never a skirt. Oh man, I can feel my calves swelling up at the thought.
August 18th, 2008 at 11:53 am
In my opinion, these are everything that could be bad about a shoe thrown into one sad boot-ish-thing. Don’t like them at all… no class to them!
August 18th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
YIKES! I have yet to see someone in these shoes. Perhaps Madonna could pull it off?!
August 18th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I found the PERFECT bootie/oxford and it is so comfortable. (No peep toe) It’s at Piperlime by Aerosoles and called Roller Skate. I ordered it black suede in two sizes- both actually felt fine, but i went with the larger for comfort. This shoe is so flattering with black tights and a knee length skirt. Texas weather has changed from 100 degrees to the 80s this week and I have Fall Fever!
August 18th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I’m sitting this one out.
August 18th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
This shoe is confusing. Is it a sandal or a boot? I heard a comic once say that women’s apparel can be quite confusing. He mentioned the turtle neck, short sleeve shirt women tend to wear. Is it a sweater to keep you warm or is it a summer top to keep you cool? This shoe reminds me of that comic who said..which is it? LOL…
August 18th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Not a shoe I personally would like to see on my feet. It is just not my style. I don’t think they are ugly though, and would appreciate on someone else if they are worn with the right clothes.
August 18th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Nope, still hate them. Agree with others that they are just SO UGLY.
August 18th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Whoa. There is still a strong dislike for the peep-toe bootie. Interesting.
I hope everyone’s a little kinder to the closed-toe bootie because it can be a practical shoe. I’m not sure yet, but it might make my seasons “must have” list. I have two pairs and my fussy feet are happy. They’re mainstream this season and heel heights are lower. It’s a goodie.
August 18th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I’ve liked this style on others, but don’t think it would work for me. I’m hankering for some plain, closed-toe, heeled oxfords, though!
August 18th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I don’t get these. They’re not breathable! I think they’d be very uncomfortable with bare feet. I love peep toe pumps, but these look like blisters waiting to happen.
And I don’t get why they’re back for fall. You can’t wear them in the rain! Not that the entire fashion world revolves around Seattle weather….
Besides, I have cankles. Sad but true. My inherited German farm girl legs could NEVER pull these off.
August 18th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Deja Pseu has a good post today about closed-toe oxfords in a variety of heel heights:
http://www.unefemme.net/2008/0.....cated.html
If I were going to wear an oxford style (doubtful), I’d go with a true vintage style from Remix. They’re made on authentic lasts from the 1930s and 1940s and are amazingly comfortable. The “Kate” is one open-toe style I’d actually consider, because it balances the peep toe with a slingback:
http://www.remixvintageshoes.com/
They cost considerably more than Aerosoles, but they’re much better made, too.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I’d wear them in a heartbeat…maybe not the snake skin…but I think they are great. I can imagine them with jumpers and tights or an updated version of Kathryn Hepburns “men’s” look of straight leg pants, blouse, and vest.
August 21st, 2008 at 8:17 am
I LOVE the peep-toe bootie. Why does everyone think so literally about fashion? Use your imagination, people. There is no “right” way to design a shoe.
Having said that, I wear mine with leggings or skinny jeans and trousers or tights that don’t have a toe-seam. They are very comfortable, your feet do no sweat nor do they get cold if you wear them anytime during mild fall weather. I can wear mine barefoot as well as they are real leather and very comfortable. You get great support plus the height of a heel, and no toe pinching.
Brilliant, wish I could afford them all!
August 24th, 2008 at 11:46 am
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