Uncategorize | Twenty Three

So I was going to do a post covering the entirety of the Barney’s Warehouse Sale, online for the first time ever, but then I got to the shoe section and it all went to hell. There are too many pairs and so little blog space to show them with, especially if combined with clothing, the horror! Instead, what you see below is a nice little collection from the sensational shoe section available to us all now! Not just those in New York and Los Angeles! (Though I was enjoying being part of that club). The Barney’s Warehouse Sale is my favorite time of the year (when it happens, at least, since Couture time is a have when that happens, and fashion week time, and so on). But I digress. Now, see for yourselves, and relish in the show glory.

First we have Chloé, with the Chunky Criss-Cross Wedge (1) -which, I might add, I have shown before-and the Snakeskin Platform Sandal (2), if you prefer something more delicate. Continuing on with yellow, we have Phillip Lim’s Espie (3) and then Rag & Bone’s Hanalei Ballet Flats (4) which aren’t yellow, but fell next to the yellow shoes because they are flats, just like the pair before them. In continuation with the now blue theme we have going, we have Manolo Blahnik’s Pamukfac (10) and the Alexander Wang Aida (5), whose textured pieces might start molting like a bird does, in which case the shoes would be ever sicker.

Moving on from shedding shoes we have Haider Ackermann, who just kills it in everything he does, and in particular with these Laser Cut (6) and Brocade (7) Oxfords, which are particularly amazing in that your ankles will be saved from blisters due to the lack of a back in the shoe, which also make you look like you don’t care that your expensive oxfords are folded down to save you blisters, which, in turn, makes you the coolest ever.

If you prefer a Chunky Shoe, meet Sergio Rossi’s Sandal (8), Rag & Bone’s Cutout Platform Sandal (9), and both Proenza Schoulers Slingback (11) and Slingback Cutout (12) Platform Wedges. They are your new best friends. And last but not least, though not chunky, is Pierre Hardy’s Cube Mask Sandal (13).

Balenciaga and Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garcons are certainly an unlikely pair, through they make for one (almost 2) great exhibition(s). The Balenciaga x Comme des Garcons exhibits really have nothing to do with each other; they are in separate rooms and are displayed in the most unparalleled way ever, though you don’t just go to one and ignore the other. The Balenciaga side has pieces made and owned by Cristobal Balenciaga, and includes garments, accessories, and sketches. It’s funny to see how history repeats itself in Nicolas Ghesquiere’s recent collections for Balenciaga (hello, Darth-Vadar-Visor-Hat) and is astonishing to see if nothing else than for the beauty of Balenciaga’s garments.

Walking into the Comme des Garcons side of the exhibition was like walking into a completely different world. Garments from Kawakubo’s Spring 2012 collection, all in white, were showcased in big, clear bubbles. Think a hamster ball blow up to twice-human size. But in a good way- it was very cool, and contrasted nicely with the historic-inspired yet thoroughly modern look of Kawakubo’s clothing. The clothing, while creepy at times, was eerily beautiful, and made even more interesting by the seclusion provided by the bubbles.