I’m neutral on the mens shoes (my husband would never be daring enough to wear a two toned shoe) and am enchanted with the womens. I am especially grateful to see shoes with a reasonable heel width. I never liked walking on hees the same width as a toothpick. These are a definite add to the collection.

Very funky yet elegant! I love them in black and cream. I have one pair from Ann Klein and it’s one of my favorites since I got them.

Oh, I love these! I didn’t know spectators could be monochromatic too, in which case I already own a pair, those grey Me Too oxfords from NAS. I’d love to get a two-toned pair, but have similar requirements as you Angie, so it might not happen.

Love all of these options! I had been dying to find a pair for the last few years – I think I saw them in the movie Pretty Woman and knew I just had to find some for myself!

Thanks to Angie, who turned me on to a pair of Naturalizer spectators, I have my own pair of two-toned nude/black specs!

I’m glad they’re becoming more mainstream – at the beginning of my search, all I could find were costume or tap shoes!

Thanks for this, Angie! I was wondering exactly what “Spectators” were, and now I know. Despite not knowing the name, I have admired this look for as long as I can remember. I’m keeping my eye out for a fab pair with a lower heel. We’ll see what stores come up with this Fall and Winter.

I’m all for the menswear trend but these look too clunky and heavy for me. I’d like them better as a sleek pump.

Love these! Don’t have a pair yet but they’re on my wish list!

Wait a minute! There’s another Meredith on YLF!

I saw these in Nordstrom the other day–love them! As I look for a job over the next few months, I’m hoping I find a job where I can wear shoes like this!!

love,
m!

Can’t wait to see your spectators Julia and Shell! Patience has a killer pair too.

Quite right Tanya, you have wonderful light grey spectators at the prefect heel height. Perhaps your keen bloodhound scent can sass out the spectators of our dreams (you, Ana and I seem to have the same spectator requirement).

I have a few bloke clients who own and rock two-toned spectators. I love those shoes for them. They have the personalities to match.

Interesting Meredith – the chunkier heels and sturdier look of these spectators are precisely why I am drawn to them. I love a stable shoe when I walk and I adore that 40’s look. Not a stiletto lass. That’s why a fashion season with ample variety is always a fab fashion season.

Wow, I adore the same pair you love Angie. Actually, I’d picked them out of the bunch before I read that you liked them bellow the pictures. That makes me feel fab. I could deal with the heel heigth, but the price makes me gasp.

I have the bottom right pair but in black. They are my favorite pair of shoes. I may duplicate them this fall. I guess I am doing menswear after all. My next venture will probably be a waistcoat. I’m just not sure what to wear under it.

There are a few Merediths on YLF. This is for “my Meredith” and you know who you are. We’ll definitely have to find you a job where the dress code is smart casual. I can see you sport a red and black pair of spectators for your style.

For the other Meredith – hope you find your sleek spectator pumps soon.

Sarah, that’s what you can expect to pay for designer shoes. Unfortunately it’s the going rate. Doesn’t mean we can’t find a fabulous less expensive pair though!

Oh wow! Look spectators too! I’m all over that first pair – they totally go with everything I love for fall. now those are a heel height I can handle and the price, nice!

For years I’ve been in love with any shoe with the 40’s dame vibe! I feel like I’ve struck gold this season with all the spectator styles. The only thing killing me with most of them is the heel height. But I’ve found a great selection of this style in the $70-$100 range. I’m all about the ability to buy multiple pairs of true love shoes instead of one designer pair! Especially when the heels are so high that they limit my wearing time. (Or once they get completely rained on!)

Now if only wearing these meant that Cary Grant would show up at my office!

I am loving the red ones right in the center (i’m on a red kick lately) and the flats – I agree with you K Lauren!

Hurrah! I adore this style, and am so glad I hung onto mine from two years back. Although they can be painful little dears (http://www.alreadypretty.com/2008/08/owie.html), so perhaps I’ll run them down to the repair shop for a little stretch.

I think you have to be careful with these. Too chunky of a heel and you end up with a very 90s look.

It seems my dream spectator, alas, is nowhere to be found – I just want a basic lace-up style shoe – not a mary jane, not a t-strap, not a peep-toe – with a bit of a heel. Oh, well. Perhaps if I wait and keep looking, someone will fill the gap eventually?

I love those metallic gray T-straps! A couple of years ago I found a great pair of monochromatic black spectator mary janes in the Naturalizer outlet while visiting Las Vegas. They had only 1 pair in size 11, but being on a tight budget I wanted more time to think about the purchase. Next day I decided to get them and they were gone! Been kicking myself ever since. Maybe I’ll find something similar if spectators are in for fall. My concern about the two-tone spectators is that they seem to make long feet look longer if there’s a lot of contrast between the colors, especially if the lighter color is in the middle. Those black & cream ones might work for me though, because the black part is in the middle.

To be called a spectator shoe, it has to be two-toned:
http://nancyfriedman.typepad.c.....gisms.html

The solid black men’s shoe is simply a traditional wingtip and not a spectator at all. The gray T-strap pump is a variation on the traditional wingtip.

(I’ve written copy for a shoe catalog for more than 15 years and have picked up a lot of otherwise-useless information about shoe history, materials, and styles.)

I was just at Target last night and was so excited. . . . . they have a variety of spectators!!! You girls must check them out!!! They also had “peep toed booties”. I thought I was “all that” because I had read all of Angie’s posts and could identify all those shoes by name!!!! hahaha Seriously though, check them out — you will all be pleasantly surprised.

Apologies–wrong link on that spectator-shoe reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectator_shoes

Thank you, NancyF, for the distinction between wingtips and spectators. Love to learn little bits of information like that, and really love the shoes featured!

Niecey, your excitement is contagious. Bring it on.

Miss Britt, that’s an interesting perspective. I don’t see the 90’s influence. Perhaps you can link to the 90’s shoes you’re thinking of and educate me.

NancyF, thanks for your attention to detail and knowledge. It’s great. The black men’s shoes are indeed wingtips. All spectators are “wing tipped”. I think that footwear terminology is different in other parts of the world. I have sat through loads of footwear reviews with fashion buyers and manufacturers and what I have come to know as spectators comes from my experience in those situations. The word “spectator” referred to any shoe that had “brogue” detailing, whether they were two-toned or not. Two-toned spectators are the traditional and more recognizable version and I’m glad you were able to clear that up for us!