Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 18, 1990 TAG: 9003152263
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-18 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By TRACIE FELLERS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Just ask retailers like Rose Dauphin, manager at Frances Kahn, who says: "Serious shoes are out."
So save those basic black pumps for business and those nondescript flats for the car pool. You'll want shoes with a lot more imagination for sunny spring and summer weekends ahead.
With the right footwear, you can transport yourself to a distant country without leaving town. Just slip on a pair of flats or sandals designed to complement this season's international looks.
Nicole Club's fabric, slipper-style flat, available at Leggett, puts a multicolored pattern reminiscent of motifs from the American Southwest against a tan background. Metallic threads are woven into the fabric for subtle shimmer.
Shoppers can expect to see a lot of fabric shoes with prints and stripes this season, said Lisa Williams, special events coordinator for Roanoke's Leggett stores.
Butler Shoes in Valley View Mall also has a selection of fabric shoes, primarily flats with multicolored prints. "They're supposed to be very popular for spring and summer," said Lara Burton, the store's assistant manager.
But to finish our travelogue, you can imagine yourself in Rome - doing as the Romans did - with shoes like 9 West's Roman-inspired sandals, sold at Thalhimers.
E.I. Randle has a variety of shoes with a novel look, including Unisa's silver thong sandals. The sandals are fashioned of small silver disks, which are attached to thin strips of metalized leather.
Another shoe with a sense of whimsy is Adesso's white thong sandal with attached gold chains and dangling gold charms, sold at Leggett.
In other shoe news, area retailers say shoppers should look for more color in footwear this season. Women are moving away from shoes in the traditional browns, blacks and blues, said Donna Williams, owner of The Foxx.
"Colored shoes are coming back in because of all the prints in the market," Williams said. Those prints mix "a lot of unexpected colors," such as lime green and purple or cobalt blue and aqua.
Adding a small handbag to match colorful shoes can help complete a look, she added.
Hofheimer's in Tanglewood Mall is getting a selection of flats in "a lot of your bright colors - fuchsia, reds and greens and purples," said Eddie Fisher, the store's assistant manager.
Butler Shoes has flats in "bright pinks and purples and yellows and bright blues - and the basic white," Burton said.
Flats also will have a strong impact on the more serious side of women's footwear this spring, retailers say.
"We're mostly getting flats, not as many dress pumps in," Burton said.
"Practically nobody asks for high-heeled shoes now," said Jane Bonomo, owner of Bonomo's stores in Roanoke, Blacksburg and Radford. "Women have found that they're not that great for their feet," so most are wearing low-heeled shoes or flats now.
"The flat shoe is very, very strong, so you can give the heels a rest. And I'm glad," Donna Williams said. "They're making the flat shoes much dressier, much more appealing."
Finally, for those who consider themselves trend-setters, "a modified platform look is coming back in," says Carol Hughes, manager of Grassroots.
Much to the relief of many of us, this new platform shoe differs from its 1970s counterpart. The heel has a larger platform, and the shoe's bottom isn't as flat, Hughes said.
Memo: Spring Fashion