You might remember how excited I was over the debut New Balance for Nine West collection, which featured perky striped for its "Classy" style, contrasting colorful jersey knit and nylon fabrics for its "Chipper" style, and criss-crossed straps for its Emilian sneaker. The sophomore collection, which debuted in Fall 2009, was even more exciting thanks to the introduction of the studded, hi-top "Corbitt" sneaker and the animal prints covering the new "Chizzle" style. So, of course, I was excited to see what the two leading footwear companies had cooked up for Spring 2010.
Sadly, I was disappointed by most of the collection. The third time was simply not the charm for the NB for Nine West team.
I do appreciate the new take on the "Chipper" style (pictured below) — even if it's eerily similar to the first "Chipper" styles revealed last year, with the main difference being that the stripes now run horizontally along the width of the sneaker and that the stripes themselves are of alternating widths. But despite the deja-vu feeling the new "Chipper" sneakers conjure up, they do also convey a cheerfulness befitting of their name. The "Classy" styles for spring (pictured above), meanwhile, feature brighter, more invigorating colors (I particularly like the cream shoe with the turquoise and orange details), but again, it's not necessarily something to write home about.
The biggest disappointment for me are the new Emilian styles (pictured last, below). The floral print Emilian is particularly heinous -- it looks like a pattern taken from one of the dresses on Little House On The Prairie, and when the print is juxtaposed with the criss-cross detailing along the toe, it's about as harmonious as ketchup and cereal. No thank you!
One noteworthy addition for spring is the new Softmoon style, a lightweight, slip-on shoe designed specifically for practicing yoga. Just make sure to wear it to yoga and not to pair it with any other outfits because, if you do, you'll be in major footwear faux-pas land!
New Balance for Nine West Chipper sneaker:
New Balance for Nine West Emilian sneaker:
New Balance for Nine West Classy sneaker, $89; New Balance for Nine West Chipper sneakers, $89; New Balance for Nine West Softmoon shoe, $69; and New Balance for Nine West Emilian sneaker, $89. All available at Nine West stores or NineWest.com
