You Got It, Dude: Mary-Kate, Ashley Olsen Launch Elizabeth + James Shoe Collection

Pint-Size Designer’s Leave An Even Bigger Fashion Footprint

Tiny twosome Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have teased us for months with news of their first-ever shoe collection, a collaboration with Steve Madden.  “Design aesthetic” this.  “Style philosophy” that.  Yeah, yeah show us something, already!

Mary-Kate gave us a taste of their designs when she sported a promising prototype (try saying that three times fast) at Fashion Week.  It was cute with a hint of the unexpected, just what you’d expect from the blonde titan who regularly outfits herself like a slightly mad Himalayan Sherpa just to grab a venti latte at Starbucks.

So, behold.  Their Elizabeth and James shoe collection hit stores recently and we are . . . under-whelmed.  Objectively it’s fine.  It’s a mix of trendy and traditional silhouettes at a relatively reasonable price ($195 to $500).  Well, reasonable compared to three-digit couture, anyway.

We had high hopes for a “oooh, pretty!” inhale.  But instead of a Alexander McQueen-esque edge meets Betsey Johnson WTF-ness, the line is a bit “hmmm, where have I seen that style before?”

Take a gander:

Mary-Kate’s been spotted rocking these suede flat gladiators so they’re definitely downtown-darling approved but they’re also the newest residents of Meh-ville, in our humble opinion.

And these menswear-inspired moccasins.  MOCCASINS.  The word alone offends us, never mind what they look like.

The look are missing something: like, a slew of buckles and  zippers and cutout details.   And . . . feathers.  Yeah, that would have been AWESOME.  Or at least visually interesting.  It’s as if deciding which over-sized layer to mix and match with which bedraggled, too-long pair of pants zapped Mary-Kate and Ash of all their creative energy.

That said, some looks did catch our eye:

What size queen couldn’t use four extra inches of fabulous? We j’adore the ‘Haley’ slingback strap and the sexy arch of naked foot these reveal.

And if you’re drooling over the season’s fetish footwear look, but aren’t ready to fork over big bucks for shoes like Louboutin’s ‘Differa,  ‘Luella’ is a brilliant alternative.

Word is, the Olsens will stick with Steve Madden for another shoe collection next season.

Are over-the-knee boots on the way??

Sleek, sexy and sky-high.  Make a statement without saying a word in these BCBG slingbacks.

By ShoeMinx “Full House” Fan Paige Muller