ShoeSense

'Tis the season to wear linen

When it comes to fabric shoes, I prefer canvas and jacquard for spring, tweeds and velvet for fall, and satin for evening wear. As for the summer, it's linen all around, baby! Ok, cotton, too, for the basics and especially for clothes, but when it comes to outer garments, linen reigns supreme.

Linen is one of the most wearable, soothing, summer-weight fabrics known to Scarpediem. Sure, it wrinkles, but's it's also crisp and light, and it has an uncanny ability to capture and envelop you in every hint of breeze that the scorching day allows. Besides, it's supposed to be wrinkled, so don't fuss over it!

Linen is especially suitable for men's suits--a well dressed man must wear a jacket, and for summer, nothing beats linen. I have a Max Studio linen pantsuit (which I usually wear as separates) that is possibly one of my coolest purchases, and I also have a few other linen pants and jackets, some skirts and shirts, all fabulous for summer.

Shoe designers can also do great things with linen. A little while ago I posted a link to these gorgeous Ferragamo linen wedges, which can only be described as sheer delight. As are these sweet, somewhat low-heel Dolce and Gabbana linen and snakeskin slides (on sale at Bluefly, 46% off):
Or how about these cute red linen slides from E. Yomeda (currently 42% off at Bluefly), which are both girly and sophisticated at the same time:
I also fancy these classic but adorable wedges from Oh!, also available in black (and from what I know about the brand, they're also bound to be comfy):
If none of these is upscale enough for you, there's always the option of shelling $1000+ for a pair of Christian Louboutin linen wedges:
(Not that I encourage you to! I just included the example to show that even the most famous designers turn to linen for their summer collections.)

And let's not forget one of my favorites, Marc Jacobs, who has a few beautiful linen shoes, such as this vintage-inspired wedge:
...which, sadly, flew off of Zappos' virtual shelves this weekend, just as I was toying with the idea of buying it (hence, no link). If you see it anywhere on the nets in a size 10, will you let me know?

Linen shoes can be fabulous, but why stop at shoes? Linen designer handbags are cropping up these days. You can pair your fabulous linen sandals with an equally fabulous Kate Spade metallic linen handbag, exuding, as always, that understated elegance and flair that we try so hard to achieve:
So, here's to more linen in your summer fashion diet!

posted by Cristina Hanganu-Bresch @ 3:48 PM