Mukluks have nothing on Phoebe Philo's spring heels for Céline. You know the age of the reptilian shoe is over when you're slipping your feet into a bed of mink, like something out of a Flintstones' Easter egg hunt. And no matter how bizarre they are or how much of a toy they must look like to cats, they're the very height of luxury. Bonus: never again will you have pinched toes.
Around $5,000 at Céline stores
Like a cut-off tee for the eyes, these Miu Miu sunglasses all but guarantee long gawking from strangers. At first glance, the various sunnies in the spring capsule collection resemble regular cat-eyes, but with one key difference: they've been truncated, as if with a razor. Hence the name, Rasoir. Available in various combinations of black, white, pink, and tortoiseshell.
$320-355 at Miu Miu stores worldwide
Madonna, the original, has your back this spring with these nylon men's backpacks from Givenchy. Leave it to Renaissance man Riccardo Tisci to hybridize religious and street influences to create a must-sport that even the new pontiff would approve of.
€694 at Hunting and Collecting
Not like she needs the height, but extra-amazon glamazon Anja Rubik has collaborated with Italian shoemaker Giuseppe Zanotti on an accessories line consisting mostly of high-high heels. Specifically, the capsule includes one bag and five shoe styles—again, mostly heels and exactly one pair of gladiator-style flats—with over-the-top details like corseting and gold studs.
Around $1200 per item, coming soon to Giuseppe Zanotti and Colette.fr
Here's something only a stoner could think of. The folks at Shwood, the Portland-based makers of wooden sunglasses, have taken a chip off the old block and made the first slate-framed sunnies, combined with a birch and hand-poured pewter. Two wayfarer styles come in either black or white slate. These aren't farmed out to a manufacturer, but crafted in Shwood's own workshop, where they also do all the veneering and lens-cutting, so you'll have to forgive them for limiting the stone sunglasses to 200 pairs.
$325 at Shwood
Only bad things come in envelopes anymore—bills, junk, jury summonses. But the Brooklyn-based accessories label Fleabags are out to change that with their cheery envelope bags, made in collaboration with VPL. Colorful and minimal, they're guaranteed to lift your mood. And there's more to feel good about. They're handmade in small production runs using organic materials, and vegetable-tanned and re-purposed leathers. Talking about pushing the envelope.
$315 at VPL
Saving his wilder ideas for the runway, Riccardo Tisci has launched sorta a tame line of men's sunglasses for Givenchy consisting solely of classic wayfarers and aviators. You could say the line is inspired by—gasp!—vintage. Of course, it's fairly radical in its own small ways. Leather or wooden inserts can be found in the aviators, while a small metal chain appears at temples and a wayfarer model comes with metal-rimmed lenses that clip onto the front.
Part thigh-high boot, part femme-bot leg, the crazy concoction in the center of the image below is one of a four-style collaboration between Prabal Gurung and luxury shoemakers Casadei. Seen on the designer's fall runway, the small feats of engineering—in suede, croc-print leather, or snake—feature the Italian company's Blade heel, basically a five-inch razor-like blade welded to the upper sole. For the squeamish out there, lavender has a softening effect, but really, the squeamish need not apply.
It's a little hard to explain, but we'll give it a go. For spring, New York-based shoe designer Alejandro Ingelmo, who's usually influenced by his Cuban heritage, drew inspiration from classic Americana—particularly New England—to create his Made in Maine men's shoes. They actually are made in Maine, handcrafted in a small factory, and they are reminiscent of a retro-coastal style, but they also hark back to 80s goth. Penny loafers and boat shoes in black, brown and bright fluoro shades are given thick creeper soles, like a Cure concert on a ship. Should you get a little seasick from all the references, just think Siouxsie and the Preppies.
$485 - $575 at Alejandroingelmo.com
