Flashy Fabrications

• Batik fabric, distressed satin and straw have been included in contemporary fashionable footwear. In past collections, designers such as Belgium-based Dries Van Noten have mixed batik fabrics with beads and wood to create a new take on ethnic-inspired shoes. Italian-based Dolce and Gabbana reinvented a classic shoe from the Mediterranean, weaving the espadrille completely out of two-toned straw. Other more subtle fabrications include Galliano, a French label that incorporated distressed satin and ribbon trim to create a new interpretation of the evening stiletto.
  
  

Multiple Straps

• Multiple straps have been popular in evening shoes since the 1930s. In modern fashion, the popularity of strap footwear, such as gladiator sandals, has influenced even the chicest of shoes, from pumps to stilettos. Blumarine, a design house based in Italy, produced a satin peep-toe pump with straps that extended up to the lower calf. In a decadent play on the stiletto, Italian-based Sportsmax's slender pointed-toe shoes have straps that crisscross over the vamp and around the ankle.
  
  

Modern Platforms

• Sleeker than the 1970s platform shoe, modern heels are taking shoe fashion to new heights in more avant-garde styles. French powerhouse Yve Saint Laurent has combined the stiletto with the platform in past collections, designing a refined crocodile-leather shoe that is both substantial and dainty. Pop star and designer Gwen Stefani has showcased innovative platforms in her clothing and accessories collection, L.A.M.B. The past styles included a cross between a ballet slipper and a platform heel, fabricated in distressed leather.
  
  

Edgy Embellishments

• From spikes to Mohawk, shoe embellishments are edgy and urban. Prada, an Italian fashion house, has featured a new take on the classic "Mary Jane" in past collections, incorporating a Mohawk-like fan, accented with metal studs, down the center back of the shoe. Other contemporary shoe designers, such as French-owned Cuchnie et Ochs and Italian-based Guillaume Hinfray, have included metal spikes and piercing rings on their stylish stilettos and sandals---accents that can give a severe look to otherwise classic shoes.