There is a lot I’d like to see changed in the world of fashion retail, but if I had to pick one area to focus on it would be footwear. It’s simply not up to scratch. I and most of my clients have some sort of foot and shoe challenge that’s only getting worse as we get older. It’s completely unacceptable that it’s SO HARD to find a good looking AND comfortable pair of shoes.

Yes, there are comfort footwear lines, but I haven’t found one that delivers. Many of them have shoes that are indeed comfortable, but just plain ugly. Others, like the exorbitant Taryn Rose, are beautiful, but hit and miss on the comfort dimension. And I’m not just talking about my fussy feet – this is based on my experience with many clients. There is no single range that is universally comfortable. The shoes that combine style and comfort are isolated surprises from the ranges of many different brands.

This challenge requires thinking outside the box. I don’t think the aesthetics of the shoe are the crux of the problem. That’s pretty well covered. Also, preferences are very subjective and there should always be a range of brands and styles to choose from. Comfort is where we should focus our attention. The thing I do notice is that there seems to be a set of characteristics that are common to the shoes that I find comfortable. Perhaps the answer is a range of shoes that are tailored to my specific needs.

In a perfect world where budget is no object, I see an online foot store that gives me the option to specify everything about the shoe that would make it perfect for my foot. At the touch of a button I would select my preferred style and colour, and then perfect the fit and performance of the shoe by specifying inner width and length, heel height, overall dimensions, arch support, inner cushioning details and fabrication. The shoes would magically appear on my doorstep in a couple of days.

How would you go about improving the state of retail footwear?

Friday fun: these fashion professionals have their own footwear challenges (no runway models were hurt in the filming of this video).

It’s true. The Fall 2009 collections on the runway at Fashion Week are full of outfits showcasing shoulder pads. This brings back all sorts of memories for those of us who wore them in the 80’s.

But the shoulder-pad trend that’s on the runways at the moment is different to the looks we coveted back in the days of Dynasty. The aesthetic is more sculptured and streamlined. It’s as if the modern shoulder pad is molded into the design and fabric of the garment. Sort of space-age looking. Back in 1983, you shoved huge spongy triangular shoulder pads under the shoulder seams of an oversized top and you could often see the actual outline of the pads. I remember thinking that I looked and felt slimmer in the waist and hips when my shoulders were all padded up, which is why I wore multiple shoulder pads under one garment.

I’m pretty sure that shoulder pads will find their way back into clothing. In fact, I saw a longer length 80’s style blazer with one-inch shoulder pads at Club Monaco yesterday. The effect was subtle but definitely there. Whether shoulder pads make it back into mainstream fashion remains to be seen. But the next question is whether you’ll wear the look if it does make a comeback. Before you answer, think back to how you vowed you would NEVER wear skinny jeans again. I was one of those people. Now I wear skinny jeans all the time. So maybe shoulder pads are in my future after all. Time will tell.

Every season has wonderful trends that we can adapt to suit our lifestyle, body type and fashion persona. It’s a matter of sifting through the styles on offer to add the right amount of “right now” to our existing wardrobe. In the process we leave behind things that don’t work for us, or that we simply don’t like. This is more difficult when the trends are hard to wear, choice is limited to a few fashionable design details, or items aren’t styled for the average woman. Here are my complaints about Autumn and Winter 2008:

• Soaring heel heights: Finding fabulous boots is hard, but when most of the heeled styles are in excess of three inches it’s that much harder. I don’t know who purchases them because I seldom see super high heels on the street (and that’s all over the world). There must be a lot of people sitting in high, high heels because they’re certainly not for walking.
• Too many mini skirts and dresses: It’s amazing how many times I took petite clients into the regular clothing area to gain a few inches of length on a skirt. I found myself passing up on plenty of skirt and dress styles because the hems were short and I’m only 5ft 6. Raised hemlines are fine, but when that’s the only option in stores it’s a problem.
• Poorly styled sweater dresses: Don’t get me wrong, I adore these and bought another one this season. But finding the perfect sweater dress is a tall order. Retailers (ultimately the fashion buyers) did not put enough thought into how these styles could be most flattering on a typical, curvy female form and there were loads of sweater dresses on early markdown as a result of poor styling.
• Pleated pants: We have not seen the last of this generally unflattering trend. It’s all over the show for Spring.
• Too many puffed sleeves: I personally enjoy puffed sleeves, but there are many women who either don’t like them or can’t wear them. Once again, there was far too much of this design feature in stores. I was often passing up on items for my clients because of the abundance of puffed sleeves.
• Too many empire baby-doll cuts: This silhouette can look killer on some and it’s great for camouflaging muffin top or balancing out curvy hips. But once again, the sheer overdose of the look is a weakness of the season. Busty gals can seldom wear empire cuts and the style can make you look pregnant (which is only a bad thing if you DON’T want to look pregnant).
• Boyfriend jeans: Don’t like the trend on adults.
• Fringe fashion that made me laugh: Latex leggings, harem pants and jumpsuits.
• Uggs: Enough said.

There were also a few missed retail opportunities:

• I sound like a broken record, but a deeper assortment of fab looking shoes and boots with one to two inch heels always goes down well. I cannot understand why this super-popular heel height is constantly overlooked in the US. It’s so much easier to find in Europe and Asia.
• Winter dresses in heavier fabric weights with longer sleeves would have been fab. They are easier to wear than sweater dresses and look fab with a great pair of boots, hose and coat. What’s not to love about a super easy slip-on-and-go frock?
• A wider range of casual pants that aren’t jeans or cords. If you lead a casual lifestyle and don’t like to wear skirts, you can get really sick of wearing jeans.

Personally, there were a handful of items on my shopping list that I could not find: the perfect pair of slouchy chestnut boots, a long cream puffer coat with fake fur trim, a red tartan pencil skirt and flat cream knee-high boots. I suppose there’s always next season! Your turn ladies. Bring on your rants for Autumn and Winter 2008 before we close the door and concentrate on Spring 2009.

Many of us have a good few months of cold weather to endure before the weather warms up, but we’ve seen the last of Autumn and Winter in retail stores (blame the retail cycle). Cold weather merchandise is on heavy markdown so if you’re still in the market for that, shop online for the best deals in town.

Spring collections are unfolding and as always I’m champing at the bit to talk about them. But you know the drill. I like to end off a retail season by sharing our final thoughts on the last six months of fashion:

Here are my raves (hold off on the rants because we’ll do those tomorrow):

• Biker jackets: I absolutely love this look because I’ve always been “a biker girl”. The trend is going through to Spring and Autumn so don’t give up on the look if you want to incorporate it into your style. And if you’re like me, it will ALWAYS be part of your style.
• Boots, boots and more boots: A cold weather season without boots is like putting on an outfit without a bra. The two go hand in hand. There was an excellent assortment of flat boots this season and I particularly enjoyed the resurgence of Dr. Martens and slouchy styles. Tucking jeans into boots is practical, sleek and flop proof for wet, snowy weather and it happens to be one of my very favourite Winter looks. The look is here to stay so if you missed it this season, they’re always next time.
• Pencil skirts: You’ve got to love a gal in a pencil skirt. It’s a killer look and my best skirt silhouette.
• Boyfriend cardigans: I committed to one of these when they first surfaced and have thoroughly enjoyed wearing it belted. It made for a nice change alongside its forever fashionable cropped counterpart.
• Skinny belts: Love them and didn’t wear a skirt ensemble without them. They added the perfect dose of polish each time.
• Waistcoats: I like adding menswear inspired pieces to my wardrobe and the waistcoat is a superb way of doing just that.
• Ruffle and zipper detailing: I like ruffles on anything and zippers add a certain edge. It’s right up my alley to combine both looks into one outfit.
• Tailored jackets: It’s wonderful to see the tailored jacket in stores again. For a while, trapeze styles flooded the market and they are much harder to wear. Long live the flop proof tailored jacket!
• Higher rises: I love their “girdling effect”.
• Bright colours: There’s nothing like a pop of saturated colour to get you through a cold Winter’s day. I especially enjoyed red, fuschia, yellow, and turquoise because they are my colours. But jewel tones reigned supreme with several of my clients and I’m glad that they were available this season.
• Textured hose: Self-coloured patterned black hose makes me smile. They completed my skirt ensembles by adding fun and texture to the look. I wore everything from micro-fishnets and geometric patterns to animal prints and polka dots. There was an excellent assortment this season and I’m thinking of stocking up.
• 80’s influences: We’re entering our third year of 80’s fashion inspiration and it’s loads of fun re-living and actually re-wearing the looks.

Another fabulous fashion season. I say that every time because there’s always something to like if you’re open to trying something new. Your turn ladies. What were your favourite trends this season?