With black footwear trending strongly at the moment, there’s an excellent assortment in stores. Casual, rugged, refined, textured, with hardware, without hardware, there’s lots to choose from. Here’s a selection of low-heeled and comfortable options. 

• Fidji G482 Bootie: I’m thrilled with these booties, which I bought to give my ink blue booties a rest after walking them into the ground. I love their refined casual appeal, pointy toe, non-cowboy look, and that they aren’t jet black. They are ever so slightly grey, which looks a dash softer. Soft leather makes them super comfy, but you have to add a cushioning insole because the footbed isn’t spongy. Their tailored fit around my low volume ankle is an added bonus, and the elastic inserts make walking a joy. No rubbing and very well made. Their just above two inch heel height would have ordinarily been too high for me, but their lightweight nature helps take the pressure of the balls of my feet. Thank you Fidji, for making fashionable and comfy boots for my fussy feet. 
• Stuart Weitzman Manlow Bootie: If I was in the market for a refined bootie with buckles and hardwear, this would be it. Buttery soft leather, tapered fit on the ankle, and super comfy. Stunning quality. 
• Stuart Weitzman Parttime Bootie: A simple and sleek bootie for the Modern Classic. 
• Stuart Weitzman Dude Bootie: A short rugged bootie with that signature Stuart Weitzman refinement despite its hard edge. 
• Vaneli Lana Bootie: An easy wedge style for an extra relaxed look. Available in wide sizes. 
• Vaneli Caesar Bootie: Another simple and sleek style for the Modern Classic. Versatile, tailored and understated. Also available in wide sizes. Read the rave reviews. 
• Miz Mooz Nicole Bootie: Here’s one for Team Chunky Booties. Fun cut-out and stud detailing. 
• Kenneth Cole Prince Bootie: A textured, feminine and dainty shootie. Fun dressed up or down. I almost bought these, but preferred the smooth leather finish and more stable heel of the Fidji.  
• Jeffrey Campbell Everly Bootie: The hard edge of the Everly is in its third season of repeat styling, it’s that popular. A unique and fun bootie for mild weather. 
• Jeffrey Campbell Carina Bootie: Here’s a softer version of the Everly. The daintier strap and buckle are more to my taste, so I might try these on when the weather warms up. 

Some of these options are available in brown, which might be more suited to your style if you love earth tones.

On Friday Neiman Marcus announced that the company was hacked and that some customers’ credit and debit card information may have been stolen. The facts date back to mid-December last year, with a third party intelligence firm confirming the security intrusion on January, 1. This is the second cyber attack on a major retailer in one month, after the credit card data of over 70 million Target shoppers was compromised around the same time in December 2013.

In a statement company spokesperson Ginger Reeder said she ‘did not know how many customers could be affected by the breach”, but that the company has “begun to contain the intrusion and has taken significant steps to further enhance information security”. The investigation is still underway, but it seems that the customers affected recently used their credit card in a Neiman Marcus brick-and-mortar store. Currently there is no evidence that shoppers at the company’s online stores were affected.

Neiman Marcus is notifying “customers whose cards they know were used fraudulently after purchasing at their stores”. If you shop at Neiman Marcus look out for communication from them.

By the way, a great place to learn about data security breaches at retail is Krebs on Security (via Andréa Lopez). Read their coverage of the Neiman Marcus breach for more information.

For several seasons now it’s been hard to find wardrobe items in shades of dark brown. About six years ago, dark brown clothing, footwear and accessories were fashionable and therefore very accessible. I remember walking through Ann Taylor, Nordstrom and the Loft with clients back then, and the landscapes were a sea of rich chocolate brown. Today it’s a sea of grey and black. 

It used to be equally difficult to find wardrobe items in navy and ink blue. But that’s no longer the case, because shades of dark blue are ultra fashionable and there’s no stopping the ink trend. It’s as if shades of dark brown have been replaced by shades of dark blue. And for some reason the fashion world doesn’t have room for more than one strong, dark neutral at a time, aside from black or grey.

Dark brown isn’t unstylish just because it’s not the fashionable choice right now. All colours are in style if they complement your complexion and make you happy. That’s why you have to stock up on “your colours” when they’re in fashion, because when they do fall out of favour they might stay off the fashion radar for a good long while. 

Excluding my high school uniform back in the ’80s, I can probably count the dark brown items I’ve purchased on one hand. When it comes to brown, I prefer lighter shades like cognac, camel and taupe. So I don’t miss the neutral for my own style. But I do miss it for those of my clients who gravitate towards earth tones and look sensational in dark brown. These clients much prefer wearing brown and navy to black and grey. Plus, dark brown complements a navy, peach and burnt orange palette. So I hope that dark brown resurfaces as a fashion colour for their sake, and because a fashion season with lots of options is always best. When that will happen is anyone’s guess.  

Do you wear dark brown, and do you miss it as a fashion colour? Do you wish for more dark brown wardrobe items at retail level? Or do you prefer black, grey and navy?

Former model and beauty entrepreneur Linda Rodin (65) stars in The Row’s new Pre-Fall 2014 lookbook. According to the silver-haired style icon, designers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen selected her to be the face of their high-end luxury line “for her age”. The decision to feature older models — Linda is joined by Esther de Jong (39) and Ursuall Wallis (age not disclosed) — is applauded in the fashion world and blogosphere as another step in the right direction towards more diversity and the end of ageism in fashion campaigns. It’s an especially important season for the brand as it will open its first store in Los Angeles this Summer, meaning that the clothes in the racks will be from this collection. Quite risky, it is said, to use older models at this point then, and a sign that the designer duo is committed to celebrate style at all ages.

According to Style.com, “the sisters were influenced by images of older men and women at work in their gardens”. The collection consists of sophisticated, simple pieces in black, grey, brown and ink blue with a focus on superb fit, sumptuous fabrics and ageless elegance.

• Browse the collection and read the review on Style.com.
• Fashionista’s and Refinery29’s take on the collection.
• Find out what Linda thinks about the collaboration, the clothes, and the photos in this Elle interview.