Stay Fly From Head To Toe — Hair Accessories Genius Eugenia Kim Launches Footwear Line
If there’s one woman who has consistently proven that hats aren’t merely utilitarian accessories designed to keep heads warm during blustery winter days or to shield women in tropical climates from harsh and oppressive-feeling rays of sunshine, it would be Eugenia Kim. Sure, skater girls have been rocking their beanie and skull caps for decades now, while sporty vixens have made baseball caps synonymous with spunky street style, but these trappings tend to feel superfluous, like afterthoughts rather than chief ideas in a fashion narrative. Eugenia Kim’s toppers, on the other hand, are true masterpieces that make, rather than frame, the story — they’re the action verbs in the sentence, not the final punctuation marks. From leopard print equestrian caps to wide brim fedoras with feathered bands, porkpie hats with pearl-adorned brims, newsboy caps fashioned out of sophisticated boucle and tweed, floppy straw hats with printed scarves adorning the base of their round crowns, velour bucket hats with fine leather bands, and sculpted felt berets with cat ears, Eugenia Kim’s pieces fuse together traditional millinery techniques with a contemporary attitude and a coquettish and whimsical femininity — all the while maintaining an overall sense of elegance and sophistication.
Now, our favorite moxie-having mad hatter is approaching the art of shoemaking with her characteristic gumption and creative ingenuity. The new Eugenia Kim footwear collection, then, incorporates classic silhouettes and luxurious materials yet modernizes each offering via the use of unexpected embellishments.
A traditional pointy-toe flat, for instance, gets a contemporary makeover with the Eugenia Kim Renee ($650 at EugeniaKim.com), pictured last above, featuring leather uppers with an embossed snakeskin pattern, mirrored silver-toned heels, and almond-shaped crystal embellishments positioned to create a triangular shape along the front of the shoe. Another innovative take on a sleek pointy-toe flat is the Eugenia Kim Thelma ($435 at EugeniaKim.com), shown third above, which features almost crackled calfskin leather in a rose gold shade and shiny, polished silver leather panels arranged in a V shape along the front of the shoe to create a contrast of metallic hues and textures. This particular silhouette also amps up the sex appeal via clever details like a rounded, loafer-like front tab and sloping sides that offer greater coverage along the heel while showing off more skin along the front of the foot.
Similarly, the Eugenia Kim Lou ($995 at EugeniaKim.com) is, at heart, an ankle-high boot with an equestrian feel (down to the almond-shaped toe) and the polished and glossy black calfskin uppers, yet these classical elements are subverted via the addition of a decorative strap meant to resemble a spur. Instead of the traditional horseshoe shape with the spiked wheel along the back of the heel, however, the Lou bootie features a curved metallic bar in a rose gold hue along the back of the shaft, with faux pearl accents adorning its length. This rounded metal bar is then attached to the black leather strap along the front via smaller U-shaped buckles at the sides.
Fans of Eugenia Kim’s pom-pom-adorned knit berets, meanwhile, will swoon over the fluffy mink trim along the front of the Daria heel ($850 at EugeniaKim.com), shown in black calfskin with pale rose fur trim above at top and in metallic rose gold calfskin with white mink fifth above. Featuring a slim ankle strap and a 95mm stiletto heel, this pump feels posh but kittenish, classy yet coy.
For a more futuristic take on footwear, check out the Eugenia Kim Karen pump ($775 at EugeniaKim.com), pictured second to last above, which features silver metallic calfskin uppers with a near holographic iridescence, its sides embellished with lines of embroidered, velvet-y black ribbons in undulating shapes.
The debut collection only incorporates six styles, but they constitute a strong indication of where Eugenia Kim hopes to take her brand in the years to come and how she’ll continue to toe the line between tradition and modernity with great panache.
