There may not be a phrase that sounds more like music to a woman’s ear than designer shoes + designer handbag = fabulous look. The problem is that we cannot always afford these items, and certainly it is not always easy to purchase them together. The fact of the matter is these items are investments. The trick is to remember this when you see their price tags, and consider what you are getting in return.
There are some wonderful shoes and handbags out there without the designer labels, to be certain. Certainly they do not come with the designer price tags! However, neither do they necessarily come with any sort of guarantee of quality. If you shop at a discount warehouse location looking for ‘designer’ tags, you are not necessarily getting what you pay for. You may end up spending more than you would without the designer labels and getting significantly less, as these shoes or bags may not be authentic. What you may end up with is a pair of shoes or a handbag that is of lesser quality than you would have gotten had you purchased a no-name brand. If you are going to shop designer for a fabulous look, do it right. Go with names you know and trust, so that you can be sure to reap the return on your investment.
One such name in designer shoes is Christian Louboutin. Many, many shoe designers are Italian. Christian Louboutin is French, although his shoes are made in Italy, and he designs exquisite shoes. You can tell his shoes anywhere by the signature, bright red underside of his shoes. Many a knock-off designer has tried to recreate the look and mimic his shoes, but they can’t even come close. If you look closely at the red underside of the shoe, you will be able to tell a fake from the imprint of Louboutin’s name as well as the way the sole fits on the underside. As for quality and design, you can tell a Louboutin shoe from simply looking at it, even from afar. His shoes are stunningly sleek, for the most part, whether they are skins (snake, alligator, etc) or leather. They also tend to have a very high stiletto heel, generally in the 4.5” to 5.5” range. Of course, Louboutin also makes boots and flats and platforms, but he is best known for his stilettos.
It would be wonderful to see a Louboutin bag paired with a pair of these magnificent shoes, but unfortunately there is no such thing. Christian Louboutin does not have a handbag line, but you can still be certain of fashion success if you wear his shoes with another designer’s bag. Just be certain to pair an animal skin shoe with a solid handbag,
or a solid shoe such as those in his Catenita line with more of a daring print in a handbag.
For a fabulous fashion fit and a guaranteed winning look, you cannot go wrong matching your shoe designer with your bag designer. Many - if not most - top shoe designers also have a complete handbag line. Gucci is probably the best known designer in this category. Again, you will want to pair your patterned Gucci handbag with a solid Gucci shoe, and vice versa. Introduced to the fall/winter 2009 season Gucci collection is the “New Jackie” handbag, which is a beautifully large shoulder bag complete with tassels, hand stitching and bamboo detail. There is a coral python print and a beige and ebony crystal design with the Gucci logo fabric, both of which would be perfect when paired with Gucci’s new “Division” high heeled platform for this fall/winter season. While the new line does carrying a solid leather and black patent, the stiletto heel is gracefully patterned so as to match a number of Gucci’s bags. This would be the exception to the rule of not ‘doubling up’ on prints with bag and shoe, because the print is so minimal on the heel it actually helps to highlight the bag. You cannot go wrong with Gucci.
Another fabulous designer look for both shoes and handbags comes from Versace. This famous Italian designer does everything from shoes to handbags to clothing to home décor, and does it all quite well. His spring/summer lines are whimsical and contemporary, allowing you to mix and match a number of his strappy, leg-accentuating shoes with his oversized, colorful bags. His fall/winter line is sure to reveal even more outrageous fashion fun.
It really is a worthwhile investment to pair a designer shoe with a designer bag, especially if you can make both purchases from the same designer. You will be noticed from a mile away, and if you take good care of them you will enjoy your purchases for many, many years to come.
