Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Jimmy Choo for H&M

H&M is teaming up with Jimmy Choo to release a line of strappy stiletto shoes this fall. The retailer said in a press release that the shoes will be available starting Nov. 14 in about 200 stores across the world.

There will be a dozen women's styles and four for men's, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch blog. Prices for the women's shoe line are expected run between 40 euros/$55 U.S. and 100 euros/$138 U.S. There will also be a line of accessories and bags, some of which could cost as much as 200 euros/$276 U.S.

(Press photo from H&M linked from the Vancouver Sun.)

(Btw, I didn't realize that Jimmy Choo -- which will always be linked to "Sex and the City" in my mind -- only launched in 1996. And H&M, which has featured clothes by designers like
Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Karl Lagerfeld and Roberto Cavalli, says this is its first designer shoe line.)

Those prices aren't cheap, but they are attainable for a young professional like myself. And the shoes pictured above look pretty awesome. I'd love to see the full line in person to feel what the construction is like and check out the stiching. It'd be very poor form for either company to release a sub-par product just because it's not going to cost $600 U.S. like a typical Jimmy Choo, though.

Which makes me wonder, would we be as excited about this line if it didn't have the flashy name attached? Of course the answer is probably 'no.' While the shoes pictured above do look a lot more intricate than, say, a Payless or Forever21 knock-off version (and no hating, I buy there too!), the aura of the Jimmy Choo brand makes them even more desirable. Like anyone could put these on and pretend to be Carrie Bradshaw for a little while.

The bigger question though is, would you actually wear these shoes...and be able to walk? Since a beautiful shoe is meant to be displayed in its full glory on your feet, not hidden away in some (albeit well-organized, spacious, sigh) closet.

And that leads to the epic shoe question -- pretty shoes or comfortable shoes? And can there be both?

1 comment:

Crystal said...

When I saw this news about Jimmy Choo for H&M I got sooo excited! I think you're right though, if his name wasn't attached to the shoes no one would really care. :P Shows you how bad we all want a piece of the luxury pie! As for your last question, I've got to go with pretty shoes...hopefully ones that are also comfortable. I know that usually the twain don't meet, but then I prefer pretty over comfort. My feet hate me, but they just have to deal with it! Choos, Louboutins, et. al. are supposed to be SUBLIMELY comfortable for how high their heels run, so let's see if Jimmy makes that happen for his cheaper H&M line. ;)

p.s. Did you see Audrina's reality show is a go? I mean, I like her and she works on the Hills, but I wonder how an entire show devoted to only her would be? *shoots look of utmost concern* :P