A 13 Year Old, An Essay & Christian Lacroix

Christian Lacroix Spring 2008
Similar to the shoes I wrote my essay about.

Women these days are truly obsessed with shoes. There are all kinds of quotes (some real, others fabricated for the ease of use) that explain that a woman with the right pair of shoes can change the world. Shoes are important. Philanthropic shoe companies have come into existence and thrive on their buy a pair, give a pair sale pitch (Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes is basically a genius for harnessing that concept). While i'm still not convinced that a woman with the right pair of shoes can change the world - I have recently, upon reflecting on how I became such a fan of all things fashion and developed my sense of style, come to the conclusion that it was a pair of shoes that were my catalyst.

I have always been a fan of shoes, a self-proclaimed shoe whore. So when I was assigned, as an 8th grader
sitting in Kate Menta's writing and communications (aka: the best class I ever had at Wyoming Area and one of my favorite teachers of all time), to write an essay about a personifyed pair of shoes and the story behind them - I was ecstatic. Most everyone in my class was writing about the sneakers on their feet, a pair of old soccer cleats, track spikes or baby shoes but being the oddball I am, I wanted to create a tale about a truly fabulous pair of shoes.

Huffington Post, Conde Nast

I didn't know where to begin so I took to the internet and started scrolling through Saks. Stuck in the middle of the screen between a sea of black pumps sat a pair of ballet pink, silk heels. They were exquisite. I had never seen a pair of shoes quite like them before - nor had I any idea how to pronounce the name on them. Christian Lacroix. At the time I would say "La-cross" not "L-ah-k-h-w-ah" but that didn't bother me. It was love at first sight.

While I cannot remember what exactly my essay was about, I believe it had to do with an actress wearing them to a premiere and falling in love, I never forgot the shoes and the name stitched onto their footbed. Years later as I began to teach myself some fashion history I stumbled across that name I couldn't say except this time it had nothing to do with shoes and everything to do with Vogue.

You see, it was Christian Lacroix who designed the sweatshirt featured on Anna Wintour's first American Vogue cover - paired with Guess jeans. This was one of the most shocking covers in the history of Vogue, mixing a several thousand dollar  couture sweatshirt with a pair of common pants was unheard of and the high-low fashion trend that has lasted ever since.

If you follow fashion or speak to me on a regular basis, then you can guess where this is going. Only a couple weeks ago, Paris hosted the couture shows. Since 2009, Lacroix's groundbreaking designs have ceased to exist after it's luxury conglomerate decided that the company was too much of a loss to support. Fans of fashion and Lacroix were saddened and there was a hole.

Style.com

Style.com

Style.com

Imagine the reaction when Lacroix was chosen to design the first couture collection for the relaunch of French design house Schiaparelli (formerly by Elsa Schiaparelli - Google "MET Gala 2012").  As seen above, many of the looks channeled Schiap but the final look in the presentation was what caught my eye and brought me back.

Style.com

Style.com

That ballet pink and brown striped ball gown, shown on sides, was everything that I imagined when I wrote my cheesy essay in 8th grade. It is feminine, detailed, elegant and ladylike. A merger of two great concepts from different lifetimes. 

If nothing more, the capsule showed that no one does couture quite like Lacroix. At one time - this was fashion. It might not have been easily attained, but what was cared about was creating a spectacular product, not a huge profit. My fingers are crossed that one day someone else will acknowledge this and that maybe I will see a Christian Lacroix couture collection, if for no other reason than to appease the 13 year old in me.