Summer shoe fashion outlook about color, flair

Summer shoe fashion embodies the season: Like the gardens abloom everywhere, this time of year it?s all about color and flair.
That is, unless you?re a man. Men can look forward to lighter hues in their footwear ? from black to brown, basically. Oh, and a slight slimming of shoes? silhouettes.
Otherwise, for the males of the shoe-wearing species, styles for summer look a lot like styles for spring, winter, fall and the summer before.
?Typically, men?s fashion doesn?t change a lot. It doesn?t change very quickly,? said Ed Starks, store manager for The Garment District in Fort Collins.
Not so for women?s shoes. You can stop holding your breath, ladies. Like all of women?s fashion, the trend for shoes is change.
That is, as one Northern Colorado fashion maven quipped, ?So you have to buy more stuff.?

Color is the watchword
Color is the watchword for women?s footwear this summer season. Lots of color in general, and one tint in particular.
?Pink is big this season,? said The Garment District?s Kristen Taylor. ?We?ve got several pairs in different shades of pink.?
Taylor also said styles have tended to be more casual. ?We?ve started carrying more of a sandal-style, as well as dressier flip-flops and sandal-style shoes with open toes.?
Among the most popular styles are closed-toe mules. These styles, generally sporting pointed toes and shorter heels, are slightly dressier and very versatile, Taylor said. They can be paired with pants or skirts.
Look for extremes in women?s shoe styles, said Linda Winter of Accessories with a Flair in Greeley. Winter said summer shoes will sport ?very pointed toes, very high heels (and be) very colorful.?
Those extremes are largely for special occasions, Winter said. However, some are finding their ways to the workplace. Workday shoes are likely to be somewhat more reserved. For summer, however, even women?s career shoes are showing vibrant color and high-altitude heels.
In Northern Colorado, there are few rules when it comes to footwear, fashion observers say.

Workplace sets the tone
In most cases, the formality or context of the workplace sets the tone for shoes, just as it does other garb. Typically, for example, closed-toed shoes in conservative colors go to work at law offices.
?It depends on the work and the work rules and the dress code,? Starks said.
One enduring rule-of-thumb, Winter pointed out, is ?if your shoes are run down, that?s a bad reflection on the whole outfit. People are more attracted to the person who looks more professional.?
While it is said that clothes don?t make the man — or woman — shabby shoes and attire apparently may well be the undoing of either.
Back to rules: Remember that classic regarding summer shoes ? that white is to appear only between Memorial Day and Labor Day ? Forget about it.
?Most people ignore that any more,? said Betty Boone of Famous Footwear in Fort Collins. ?There?s not really a rule for anything any more. You see sandals in the middle of winter with socks.?
Kristen Taylor at The Garment District noted that it?s actually tough to find white this summer. ?The hardest colors to find are white and that chocolate brown,? Taylor said. Cream colors, blacks and pink are most available.
Taylor, too, said there aren?t a lot of rules when it comes to footwear these days. ?We?ve got everything from a real high, kind of chunky heel to a real thin flat shoe.?
Pointy points may still be the thing but a squared toe is headed in as well, Taylor said. ?Now that square toes are coming back, it?s kind of everything is acceptable.?
Boone said tailored sandals are a popular purchase this summer season. The sought-after sandal she described is open-toed, has one or two straps and resembles a slide. They?re more tailored than casual, dressy, but not too dressy, Boone said.
Even in the anything-goes atmosphere that marks fashion in the region Boone said that most of the work wear footwear she?s seeing comes in shades of black, brown and beige.
Pumps, a workday standard, are chunkier for summer with square, mid-height heels.
For men — sorry guys, the changeless theme continues — it?s about comfort, Boone said.
?Men don?t really change that much,? she observed. ?Most of the men are either wearing an athletic shoe or a more casual shoe. Very few wear wingtips or anything that?s really dressy any more. They?re going more for comfort.?
Comfort may well be a trend in women?s footwear as well, Winter said. The pointy-toed, high heels ruling the current fashion day aren?t built for comfort.
Winter looks for a shift based on demand and lifestyle changes. ?More women are working on their feet all day,? she said.

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