First Fashion: Our Favorites from What's New

Often my fashion taste leaves its comfort zone for something at which I would not normally yell YES! when I first lay eyes on it. Here are a few items in today’s What’s New that have seriously grown on me.
	With soft leather and an embossed heel, the Green boot from Robert Clergerie is equal parts elegant and edgy.
	In signature LaROK style, the Navajo Chain top embellishes jersey with unexpected, slightly punk details.
	Luxury rebel Jean-Michel Cazabat has won me over with the girly cutouts and muted red suede of the Calabra Sandal.

Let Them Have Fashion

On the anniversary of the most famous prison break in western history, I thought it would be appropriate to pay homage to some of France’s best exports.
	In 1981, Robert Clergerie set up shop in the small French town of Romans. Approaching shoe design as he would sculpture, he created his famous women’s oxford and a parallelogram heel now known as the “Clergerie heel.”
	Sophie Albou honed her design skills at Azzedine Alaia and headed the family fashion business, La Garage, in Paris, before giving birth to two sons, Paul and Joe. In 1995, Albou launched Paul & Joe, an irreverent, colorful take on Parisian chic.
	Born in Grenoble, France, Catherine Malandrino strives to blur the line between dreams and waking life; to “enhance a woman’s femininity while cultivating an edge.” She says, “I want to design irresistible clothes that make a woman desirable, clothes that a man just wants to discreetly take off, clothes to keep as a secret, clothes that stay darling to you forever.”
	In 1927, Hubert de Givenchy was born in Beauvais, France, and by age 17 had arrived in Paris, ready to begin his career in fashion. Decades later, the Givenchy name is legendary and conjures images of sophistication à la Marlene Dietrich, Lauren Bacall and, of course, Audrey Hepburn.
Find your mode à la française, at shopbop.

Just for Kicks

They're the things fetishes are made of, the things we reserve prime real estate in our closets for, the things we find ourselves admiring more than anything else we're wearing. They're shoes, and they've been the source of many a fashionable daydream. The point to all this gushing? It's our way of telling you the hottest pre-fall styles have arrived. Cutout oxfords by Claudia Ciuti, suede boots by Robert Clergerie, studded sandals by Report Signature. We've got them all and a whole lot more. So indulge your obsession and find your new precious pair today, at shopbop.

A Flare for the Dramatic

Famous for its hip-slimming, leg-elongating properties, the flattering flare has attracted a devoted following since its arrival on the denim scene in the groovy '60s. Though often associated with a laid-back, guitar-strumming brand of cool, the flare's inherently dramatic silhouette also plays well with spring's fashion-forward trends.

Put an uptown spin on hippie chic by pairing a light wash flare (try Seven's Super Flare Jean) with a flowy floral top (we love this one from Nieves Lavi) and a sleek, peep-toe heel (like Robert Clergerie's Japons d'Orsay Pump) in an elegant neutral. Take the standard-isse tank-and-jeans into stylish new territory by teaming a dark wash flare (this pair from People's Liberation is a shopbop exclusive) with a boldly colored tank (like this brilliant one from Bop Basics). A bikini top (Rosa Cha's is gorgeous) peeking out adds a breezy sexiness, while a bright sandal (these are by Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti) pulls the playful-yet-sophisticated look together perfectly.

Break that all-black-for night habit. Style a color-saturated flare (we adore this retro-cool Dittos pair) with a slinky top in a standout print (this pretty peacock piece is by MLH) and a major heel for a look that's certain to set you apart from the fashion pack.