FNPlatform: the Shoe Show at Magic

Annie here, and I have just completed my buying for the Fall/Winter 2011 season.  I must say, it’s looking just as good if not better than 2010!

What’s nice about heading to a huge show like Platform is that I get to look for new styles that are fresh in my mind from the Fall 2010 season.  As one of only two buyers for Sole Food, Platform is a marathon!  We buy for women, men and children at this show and with the show being so huge, Karla, the owner, and I have to divide and conquer to make sure every style, brand, accessory is covered.  

  

With a LARGE cup of coffee in our hands and lots of candy and chocolate to munch on until dinner, Karla and I meet brand after brand, walking every aisle in the hunt for new styles and trends.  The best part of our trip is finding that magical brand or style that will fill a space in our customer's closet!   

When we find what we want, I take a seat at the table, sit my large, heavy bag down and spread out my travel-sized office (my camera, pen, calculator, white out, and paperclips).  Karla and I get to work deciding on our collection, choosing color swatches and scheduling out deliveries. 

Gidigio

Here is Karla working with Kevin and Giorgio at the Gidigio booth.  Gidigio has quickly become one of our favorite lines!  During our Fall 2010 season, I was shocked at how fast we sold out of sizes.  Gidigio's choice of colors and sense of fashion are amazing; you will see every type of boot imaginable from these guys.  They really know how to keep a shoe creative without being too over the top!

Biggest trends that I saw for women were:

•  Lace, Lace, Lace-Ups!  Tall lace knee-hi boots, ankle lace-up heels, flat oxfords…lace is everywhere next season…don’t worry the really tall boots from us will always have a side zip! (Pictured above is Indigo's Water Row bootie heel, which will be back next fall!)

• Grey anyone?  Grey heels, flats, boots…you name it. Remember the boot you loved in black this past season?  Well it’s probably getting made in a grey option next season! 

• Riding boots are not going anywhere!  There are a ton of riding boots from everyone now.  Miz Mooz has some great styles; Frye will have their amazing riding boots except now in COLOR!  I saw red, grey, distressed black or brown leathers (I could go on and on…just be ready for some Frye boots with a kick!) And remember Camper’s 1912 collection?  They are back with more colors too!

At the end of the show, we were exhausted.  We walked miles and miles viewing every style, and we are pleased with what we saw.  There is something for everyone from our selection.  We focused on fashion with comfort, specific closures, requested rubber bottoms if possible, and stick to heels that are realistic for our customers to wear all day. As always, we want fashion without having to sacrifice comfort.  We need to keep our feet healthy…for sandal season :)

Stay tuned for my top trends for children!  

- Annie

Sorel

Here at Sole Food, we’re always on the lookout for cool new shoes and styles to add to our collection. One of our new lines this season is Sorel. If you know the name, you might be thinking of the big snow boots they’re famous for. As a very happy owner of a pair of those boots, I can tell you that Sorel is fantastic! Their footwear is incredibly comfortable, durable, and still pretty darn cute.

Now that spring is here, you probably won’t need any snow boots. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered with spring sneaker styles from Sorel that combine the comfort and durability of the classic Sorel boots. Sorel offers casual everyday styles for women and men at great prices. Here are some of my favorites we have in store right now.

Sentry Mid-Canvas for women, $89.90. in-store only.

This waxed canvas high-top looks great on! The Sentry is based on Sorel’s top selling boot from the 1960’s, updated for today. The vulcanized rubber outsole provides plenty of grip for wet Seattle streets and sidewalks, while the removable insole allows you to put your own orthotic for perfect comfort.

Sentry Leather Sneaker for women, $89.90. in-store only.

After trying these sneakers on, I can safely say they are one of the most comfortable pairs I have ever tried on. The full-grain leather uppers and liner are so soft. These shoes are also nice and roomy in the toe box, giving plenty of room to wiggle your toes! The Sentry sneaker also has a removable insole like the high-top.

Sentry Leather Sneaker for men, $99.90. in-store and online.

The Sentry for men has really cool distressed leather that adds a great vintage touch. They even come with an extra pair of contrast laces if you want to switch it up a bit. Again, a removable insole is also included.

Thanks for checking out our new Sorel styles! Come into Sole Food or go to shopsolefood.com to check out all the other great new spring styles!

- Lindsay

Sole Knowledge: Hunter Care

If you own a pair of Hunter wellies, you maybe have already experienced a funny phenomenon with your boots. Have you started seeing this white film buildup? Don't worry; it's not tartar or plaque...and it's not a defect either. Your Hunters are doing what it's supposed to do; protecting itself from drying out and cracking. This white waxy buildup is a natural occurrence and does not affect the performance of your boots. However, if you do not like the look of it, you can take a few measures to make your boots look shiny new.

1. Soap & Water.
The simplest way to clean your boots is using cold, soapy water, and a little elbow grease. After each wear, wipe off excess dirt with a cloth, clean with soapy water, wipe, and let them sit to air dry.

2. Hunter Care Products
If you're like me, you never clean your boots off when they immediately get dirty. If you need something quicker than soap and water, try using Hunter's care products. Sole Food carries the boot spray, which works to clean off buildup, condition the rubber and bring back the shine. For quick touchups, the boot sponge works wonders.

The boot on the right shows the wax buildup. The boot on the left has been cleaned
using the boot spray, bring the boot back to its original state. Oooo, shiny.

In this video, Brett shows us just how easy it is to clean those boots using the boot spray and sponge.

Yo Gabba Gabba!

We love the new Yo Gabba Gabba! arrivals from Vans. If you're a big fan of the smash hit show, you too will love this slip-on sneakers featuring Brobee, Plex & Muno!



We also found some sweet commercials directed by the YGG co-creator Christian Jacobs and the talented Vans team. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

and the dust keeps piling up...

We have some more construction photos!

These are from a couple of weeks ago. We had moved our shelves to a temporary home...sadly they couldn't be moved, as you can see from the sign below:

Thanks for the warning :D

The latest news: our new walls have been framed and installed!

Just a few coats of paint and we'll be looking very good.

We love Valentines!

It's that time of the year again and love is in the air. Heart shaped candy boxes, over stuffed teddy bears, and deliciously sappy cards fill store shelves. If you're like me, a procrastinator, you probably have seen all of the warning signs (of this day that happens to occur every year at the same time) but still has not bought a gift or thought of an outfit to wear on your annual date. Well if that's you and you need some style advice I assure you, one LBD (that's an initialism for 'little black dress') and some hot/cute red shoes will do the trick. 

Our lovely Mandy is modeling the Lara shoe from our new Chie Mahara Spring collection. Add some retro style to any outfit with this super cute heel.

Another fun pair of shoes is our Walker shoe from our spring collection of Miz Mooz. The insole is cushy with bright rainbow colored stripes that'll make you think "perfect party shoes." Bri loved them so much she bought them for herself!

All class and a little sass. The Opportunity shoe from Gentle Soul has arrived in a sweet as pie ecru color. Clean colors on your sky high (yet ridiculously comfy) heels are your perfect day time date look. 

Biviel shoes always make a statement. Paired with the perfect little black dress and some pearls and you've got yourself one hot little outfit!

Ahh...wasn't that inspiring? So come on ladies, Valentines Day is just around the corner.

Australia Bound!

Thank you to Linda who is our first ever customer in Australia! We hope you enjoy your shoes!

We know you will love your new Chie Mihara shoes!

Spring is here!

Punxsutawney Phil has declared that spring will come early this year...well good news! Sole Food has started to bring out new spring styles. It's only the beginning!


New styles from Teva, Keen, Privo & more are here just in time for those midwinter vacations coming up. Need some comfy waterproof sandals for the beach? Your favorite Teva sandals have returned, along with some new styles!

Going somewhere nice on vacation? The new spring shoes from Jambu are a perfect blend of comfort and style. You can walk in these all day and look good while doing it!

Indigo by Clarks are here with nice metallic and earthy colors. There's a wide range of shoes for every need!


There's plenty of other new styles too, so check them out in the store and online at shopsolefood.com.

Sole Foodies' Shoe Closets

Do you ever wonder just how many pairs of shoes a person at a shoe store owns? Lots of people ask me how many pairs I own and it's come to the point where I honestly can't give them a number. That's not necessarily a bad thing! :D

I asked my fellow Sole Foodies to take pictures of their shoe collections, big and small. I also asked them to point out their favorite pair.

Amanda is a shoe fanatic, as you can tell by her photos! She's got shoes in boxes, stuffed in shoe shelves and even a small collection at her parents' house. Amanda's favorite pair is her Frye Simone Cuff boots (above), which she scored at the Sole Food sidewalk sale. Beautiful, aren't they?
Cute shoes Jen! Included in her collection are the ever-so-popular Opportunity heels from Gentle Souls. They are hot shoes!
Here's Anilyn's super-impressive collection. 3+ bookcases full of shoes!

Look how nicely organized Bridget's shoes are! To Bridget, shoes are what makes an outfit. Her favorite pair of shoes is her lovely, vintage ones from Dolce & Gabbana (above). Sadly, she says there too small, but hey! They're D&G, so they're worth it.

Frye, Coclico, John Fluevog...Bri has got some great shoes!

Here are the shoes in my closet. That doesn't count the ones I have by my front door, or in boxes packed up in the garage! My favorite pair are these Faryl Robin heels. So colorful and fun!

The NYT shows off some leg!

The other day, my brother-in-law sent me this great article from the New York Times. Bill Cunningham, a photographer for the NYT, walks the streets of the Big Apple and looks at the latest and greatest fashion trends of today. Bill says the look that is dominating the streets of NYC is the "long stretch of leg, ankle boots and a new posture." Yowza!

Check out his cool video of fantastic looks here: (http://nyti.ms/fNzKo8)