Who else could be responsible for a shoe like this other than Gwen Stefani and her promotional fashion machine, L.A.M.B.? This is the L.A.M.B. “Denver” Wedge Pump, and I can totally envision Gwen wearing these. Unfortunately, in my vision, she’s flailing around to the sickeningly repetitive “Hollaback Girl” and I’m getting close to shoving a Harajuku Girl down her throat.

Gwen, a few times we’ve been down this track. I do not like this shoe. Why? Well, first of all, it’s ugly. Second of all, it looks like something that Baby Spice would have worn in 1996, crossed with the shoes Jennifer Lopez wore in that “Jenny from the Block Video”. Y’know, those hideous Chuck Taylor stiletto boot hybrids? Yeah, Gwen somehow made that worse. Bananas!

L.A.M.B.’s fashion philosophy seems to be the merging of street style with high fashion. While I wouldn’t say that Gwen’s been completely unsuccessful at this, I will say that Vivienne Westwood she is not. Not yet at least. These days, vanity fashion labels are handed out like anti-depressants at a My Chemical Romance concert. Gwen has been known for her personal style for years and can sell an image like few others. Her clothes will sell based on her image alone - she doesn’t actually have to be good at fashion design. However, Gwen’s pretty crafty, and she’s not going away anytime soon. She’s going to get better and better at this, and one day, I will be praising her work as oppose to gasping in horror at it.

I hope.

Now for something easier on the eyes:

This is the Nine West “Decors” pump. While this pump is far more dressy than the “Denver” Wedge Pump, it employs many of the same ideas. Both are loose variations on the Oxford style of shoe, but where Gwen made a shoe for Harajuku Girls playing basketball, Nine West created a classy pump that channels running shoes in a more refined way. Plus, the peep toe is adorable. In fact, I can see even see Gwen wearing these with a cute little dress. So long as she’s not singing “Hollaback Girl” at the same time.

What do you think of L.A.M.B.’s approach to fashion? Do you think Gwen’s got it right, or would you rather go for the Nine West “Decors” pump?

Tags: gwen stefani, heels, l.a.m.b., nine west, patent leather, pumps, running shoes, vanity label

Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 12:04 pm