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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

FASHION

Flatforms: The Most Talked-About Spring Shoe Trend

Derek Lam, 3.1 Philip Lim, Chanel

2011 Spring shoe trends: Derek Lam (Photo by Karl Prouse/Catwalking/Getty Images); 3.1 Phillip Lim (Photo by Karl Prouse/Catwalking/Getty Images); Chanel (Photo by Chris Moore/Catwalking/Getty Images)

We can’t remember exactly when this shoe trend was last in vogue, but we’re certain it's the most talked about shape for Spring 2011 styles. During Spring Fashion Week last September, Cindy Leive, Editor in Chief at Glamour, tweeted about the flat platform shoes she spotted on the runways of top fahsion designers Alexander Wang and Derek Lam, calling them “flatforms” and giving the look a name that style bloggers and fashion magazine editors latched on to quickly.

Indeed, flatform shoes were everywhere for Spring 2011. Fashion designers Michael Kors, Prada and Derek Lam showed almost entirely level heels raised several inches off the ground. At Chanel, Marc Jacobs and Philip Lim, the flatform shoes sloped a bit in back, though the platform in front remained significantly high. The flatform heel, or base, was shown covered in a variety of materials, including glamorous glitter and textiles and earthier materials like wood, cork and leather. Miuccia Prada, armed with her artfully playful design approach, introduced a loafer meets sneaker complete with a sporty stripe foam base.

Are flatforms comfortable? Are they pretty? The debate rages on. But like many things in the fashion industry, it really doesn't matter. What does matter is that these flatform shoe styles will surely be selling out at retail for spring. 

We searched for “flatform” in the shoe category on eBay, and, as suspected, the fashion jargon hasn’t caught on quite yet, yielding just about 60 auctions in total, with only one resembling the current fashion trend and none we can recommend. But scouring other search options like "platform wedge" and "flat platform" helped us in our obsessive quest. We even found the Celine wood and leather shoe from Spring 2010 that some fashion insiders believe kick-started the movement last year.

For those of you not ready to banish your stilettos or lady like wedges, consider pairing flatform shoes with the wide leg pants we saw this season— they'll partially obscure the potential clunk factor that’s likely scaring you off.

Check out our selections below. With half of our style finds coming in under $100, this just might be a Spring 2011 shoe trend you afford to try.





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