WHAT INSPIRES FOOTWEAR DESIGNERS? | autumn/winter 19’-20’
Last season, we talked about how fashion is no longer forming new trends but rather transforming them. So naturally, you may wonder: what inspires fashion designers?
The answer is pretty simple - subcultures, art, and social events. For example, classic rock won’t surprise anyone anymore, unless it’s interpreted by a designer with a unique, bright and different style. Then it gets much more interesting. So what kind of rocker history do the Italians tell and what’s different from other designers? And how far can the designers’ imagination go when creating new collections?
Piercing details on your shoes? Extra-large platforms? Rivets? Or maybe leather that looks like old steel? You think that’s bold? Yes, and this led to an interesting result - collections turned into provocative performances with shapes, colors, and statements forming new rules for rocker fashion.
Fashion designers and brands, such as Laura Bellariva, Del Carlo, Chie Mihara, Gianfranco Butteri, Halmanera, Philippe Model, RBRSL and others, are dictating a new but certainly not inferior list of trends. The brightest trends are:
- PUNKS inspire designers;
- Animalistic motives;
- Emerald City green
- Technocouture | The new form of rubber;
- Knee-high boots inspired by Victorian times;
- Grizzlies and climbers;
- Claude Monet and his shades of blue;
- The West. Ranches. Cowboys.
Designers themselves have stated that modern fashion is important not just for blindly following certain trends but for the uniqueness and artistic value of the trademark. Fashion paradoxes and contradictions are another reason for getting to know fashion better.
PUNKS inspire designers
“My Buddha is Punk’’, directed by Andreas Hartmann. This movie title could perfectly describe many models from the autumn/winter collections. In these collections, punk culture elements are subtly combined with Italian philosophy and esthetics. In footwear and accessories, massive zippers and black-colored leather predominate with the accent of silver-colored laminated leather, which adds to the overall mood of the collection and reveals the “Love Is Like Punk” sentiment.
Premiata for women
Black is the accent of the season. But notice how it’s different: different leather textures, decor elements, and different, often contrasting materials (leather + velour + fur + textile + …) create hundreds of different shades of this color.
Premiata for men
“Style is not about the clothes, it’s about the individual” – Alexander McQueen.
It is in his collection that punkish gothic colors, graphic elements and details are dominant.
McQ by Alexander McQueen for women & men
Premiata designer Graziano Mazza combines the Japanese Geta platform with punkish elements. Sounds a bit eclectic? Definitely, but knowing the designer's style and retrospecting his works, such and more eccentric solutions are abundant. In the men’s line, militaristic shoes and double soles are dominant.
What about the Spanish? Paloma Barcelo steps into autumn pretty boldly: massive platforms, rivets, bright colors, shapes reminiscent of rain boots or Japanese Geta models.
The Vic Matie collection is something completely new for men. Bright accessories or newly-presented frank style shoes give the collection a punkish style. Was creating this first-time collection for men a challenge to the designer? We don’t think so. After all, the Vic Matie women’s collection is usually inspired by men’s fashion.
Vic Matie unisex backpack and shoes for men
Another completely new brand at DOLITA - Emanuelle Vee. Extra-long and loose-fitting - one of the most stylish shapes of the season. You’ll also find crystals, rivets and buckles.
A Grey Mer woman is a true rockstar. The main accent here is the shape of the tip and heel. Punkish square-shaped rivets are also dominant.
Moma is perhaps one of the most “punkish” Italian trademarks and not only in footwear. Their attitude toward life, music, culture is reflected in the collections. This collection is undoubtedly meant for free, ambitious, “punkish” customers who have swapped classic fit pants for ripped jeans or leather pants. Thick buffalo leather is reminiscent of leather biker clothing and thousands of kilometers traveled on a “steel horse”.
Moma for men
Moma for men
Moma for women
Moma for women
Animalistic motives
You certainly don’t have to choose between leopard, zebra, cow or tiger fur prints for a graphic and emotional moment. The secret lies in making visual chaos. Why not match leopard-printed shoes with a zebra-printed raincoat? You can also combine exotic reptile leather prints with lacquered, jean, or silk clothes.
Vic Matie for women
Fashion chaos and eclecticism dominate in both classic and sporty models: Voile Blance, Del Carlo, Chie Mihara, Laura Bellariva, Pomme D’Or, Sebastian, Strategia.
Emerald City green
Mystical, intriguing and mysterious as a fairy tale. Green like an emerald, green like tourmaline, green like moss, green like Van Gogh’s meadows... We can go on and on, there’s so much green in nature.
The color green isn’t among the main spectral colors. We get green by mixing yellow and blue. Depending on the amount of yellow or blue, the shade of green may range from warm to cold. There can be lots of different shades: olive, jade, emerald, turquoise, sea, forest, or avocados.
Although green is associated with nature and renewal, its pigments were among the most poisonous in history. In 1775, Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele invented the deadly shade of “Scheele Green”: a bright green pigment containing the toxic chemical arsenic. Later, “Scheele Green” was replaced by “Paris Green”, which is a blend of copper and arsenic, allowing Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir to create vivid, emerald landscapes. The paint was also used for painting textile, which was used in the fashion industry. However, unsurprisingly, these paints were banned in 1960.
Today's technology makes it possible to convey the color green anywhere: on accessories, plastic, leather, textile, and so on. Velour, forest, and sea green predominate in collections.
A new form of rubber | The sporty Technocouture
Rubber is changing so much that we can give new names to sneaker trends every season. The so-called “transformer” shoes are gradually being replaced by a more futuristic style. In essence, the feeling hasn’t changed, only the sole did, which is now clearly sending the message, “the future is now”.
NEW AT DOLITA - Déplacé for him and her. Created and manufactured in the Marche region of Italy. Three very different designers: an architect, a music designer/creator, and a tattoo artist. Déplacé footwear combines futuristic design, trekking-inspired functionality, and innovative materials.
Déplacé for women
Lego-like shapes, “speed shoes”, constructive, multi-layered platforms, and transparency. All of this dominates in Premiata, Del Carlo, Deplace, Fru.it, iRi, Laura Bellariva, McQ by Alexander McQueen, RBRSL, Y-3 by Yohji Yamamoto collections.
NEW AT DOLITA - iRi! Created by designers in New York, produced in Italy. Celebrities like Adriana Lima, Slim Jxmmi, Rae Stremmurd, Gigi and Bella Hadid and others have loved these futuristically-designed shoes. Also, various publications and blogs, such as Vogue, Fashion News, CR Fashion Book, Harper's Bazzaar are writing about these shoes.
iRi
iRi
McQ by Alexander McQueen for men
Technocouture. This word perfectly describes the current fashion of sneakers. Sure, some women determine the “couture” value of an outfit by counting the number of embroidered beads on it. But recently, these beads are being sewn onto sneakers, rather than dresses, and combined with neoprene, technical nylon, velour, epoxide.
RBRSL unisex backpack and sneakers for men
Del Carlo and Premiata for men
Attimonelli's
Knee-high boots inspired by Victorian times
Victorian times were truly an interesting period in terms of fashion. Shoes went up to only size 3, waists were only about 22 inches… In about 1845, the corset grew a bit, so the classic v-shaped silhouette appeared, complemented by wide sleeves. Ultimately, those who followed fashion trends could barely move their arms and their overall body movements were greatly limited. Helplessness and dependence on men made Victorian ladies even more attractive to their admirers.
Gracefulness, elegance, visually lengthened proportions all came into fashion during the Victorian times. Today, fashion is much different: the main emphasis is placed on comfort.
These types of knee-high boots and ankle boots with laces from top to bottom are dominant in Greymer, Fru.it, Halmanera collections.
Grizzlies and climbers
This trend is inspired by mountains, snow and mountaineering. If not directly, then at least by stylistically combining the rough mountaineering sole with soft leather, shoelaces similar to climbing ropes with a shiny golden color, using details similar to climbing hooks as decorative elements, and using fur as a decorative element or the main accent of the model. This is how the new trend, called “grizzlies and climbers” was born. Sounds a bit northern? Definitely. But believe us when we tell you that this type of footwear will be at the top this season. Why? Because unique design, comfort, durability, character and the general feeling of this season are all combined. What more can you need?
Maximum comfort is especially emphasized in Bruno Bordese, Fru.it, Gianfranco Butteri, Jog Dog, Laura Bellariva, our new trademark Noclaim, Premiata, Vic Matie, Voile Blanche collections.
Jog Dog for men
Jog Dog for women
Jog Dog for women
Claude Monet and his shades of blue
Colors and shapes were everything to Claude Monet. During his final years of life, he especially emphasized shades of blue and purple. Huge canvases inspired by the mesmerizing garden created with his own two hands. This was the symbiosis of his passion for gardening and art.
Claude Monet. Fragment
Esthetic gardening completely took over his life during his last 30 years. Iris, lily and peony colors are abundant in his work because these were the artist’s favorite flowers.
Precisely these colors have appeared very subtly and artistically in many autumn/winter collections.
The water garden was a huge inspiration to Monet. At first, he was aiming toward a Japanese garden but later, he developed very unique features himself. He would wake up at 4 AM to watch the rays of sunlight dance on water so that as the day went on, he would capture the biggest changes of light in the water, lilies, and cloud reflections.
This season, designers have fallen in love with the color blue once again but much differently and in a way never seen before. There’s lots of lacquered leather, velour, suede leather, decorations, and blue accents.
The West. Ranches. Cowboys.
The romanticist of the New Age steps into autumn with a rodeo beat, which is another interesting mood and cultural atmosphere of the season. This season, footwear designers have recreated the “cowboy” style: funnel-shaped heels, loose boots, and extra-shiny leather or textile.
But why did this style get so popular in fashion podiums again? Because in the eyes of an Italian, this is the new dream of a rodeo girl.
Alexander Hotto & Laura Bellariva
Match these shoes with an oversized coat, a suede jacket or a fur coat. Also, play around with contrast: cowboy shoes + pleated skirt + big sweater.
This season at DOLITA, you’ll find a huge selection of these shoes: from aged leather to shiny textile. Wear them, be unique, and sing Ring Of Fire by Johnny Cash in your head:
“Love is a burning thing
And it makes a fiery ring
Bound by wild desire
I fell into a ring of fire”.
Why choose DOLITA footwear collections?
Reliable and time-tested brands
We offer our customers time-tested brands. We have been working with many manufacturers for over 10 years, so we can guarantee high quality and unique design. We also offer exclusive collections specially adapted to Lithuanian weather.
Unique design, exceptional, unique
At DOLITA stores, you’ll find handmade footwear made using the traditional footwear production method. These shoes reflect the spirit of our time and the adaptation of professional and advanced technologies. We are the only representative of exceptional footwear in Lithuania, so we guarantee the authenticity and exceptionality of our products.
Wide selection of footwear
At DOLITA stores, you’ll find more than 40 Italian and Spanish designer brands. Each season, DOLITA selects more than 400 models for men and women. Collections are constantly renewed by adding new models and brands.
Professional customer service
The DOLITA team consists of professional and trained consultants with over 15 years of experience. With the advice of DOLITA consultants, you’ll easily decide and choose the footwear which perfectly matches your personality and style. Customer satisfaction is our priority. We devote great attention and time to communicating with our customers and looking for the best solutions. One of our main objectives is to develop even greater customer service.