Oh, Hush! Depending on the Style, Puppies Are Still Popular
Dear Fashion Police: Hush Puppies: In or out?
--MY DOGS ARE
BARKING
Dear My: In, if we’re talking about some of the brand’s newer retro and casual styles that have done a 180 for the company’s image. Hush Puppies used to be synonymous with fuddy-duddy, and no hip soul would be caught dead wearing them.
That all changed in the mid-1990s, when the Rockford, Mich.-based company revamped its line, adding retro lace-up styles in two-tone colors, in addition to loafers, that became all the rage. They began showing up on New York runways in collections from John Bartlett and Anna Sui.
The brand continues to evolve and expand its horizons--there’s a Hush Puppies store in the tony Ginza shopping district in Tokyo. Today you can find styles for men and women that emphasize comfort and compete with trendier labels such as Kenneth Cole and Steve Madden.
The HP 360 line for men includes the Blaze, a slip-on with a thick contoured sole and sculpted upper in leather or suede that retails for about $75, and the Lunar, a sleek leather slip-on with side elastic gores for about $70.
For women there’s the Streak, a flexible, sporty clog that sells for about $65, and the Mega loafer, a cross between a skimmer and an athletic shoe. That’s about $60.
Gary Ramey, vice president of global marketing, says for fall, expect more loafers and two-tone lace-ups, both with square toes. They’re also introducing shoes and boots with a concealed heel--sort of like lifts.
Hush Puppies has sent pairs of special Swarovski crystal-studded red and black suede loafers to several Hollywood stylists for their clients to wear on Oscar night this year (those high heels start taking a toll after a while). So keep your eyes on the red carpet--literally.
For those of you who covet the more traditional-looking Hush Puppies, don’t worry--they’re still around.
Old styles and new can be found online at www.hushpuppies.com, or call (800) 545-2425.
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Dear Fashion Police: I bought a great pair of lightweight wool pants at Loehmann’s. They are unfinished at the bottom.
The question: If I get them cuffed, will they look weird by next winter? I love cuffed pants, but when they’re out, they are so out.
--WEARING SKIRTS IN THE
MEANTIME
Dear Wearing: You are so right. The good news is that come fall, cuffs will be back. They were spotted on runways in New York’s recent fall/winter shows.
Actually, both cuffed and uncuffed pants will be in, but cuffs were seen on the new wider-leg pants, as well as skinnier pants with flared bottoms, and on dressy pantsuits as well as casual looks. The cuffs themselves are getting bigger, starting at 2 inches and going up.
Based on that, if you do decide to get your pants cuffed, the good news is that often they can be uncuffed. According to tailors at Golden Needle Tailoring in Los Angeles, most cuffed trousers can be made plain again.
However, it does depend on how the cuffs were done in the first place. So when you consult with your tailor, let him or her know that you might at some point want to have the cuffs taken out.
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Write to Fashion Police, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, fax to (213) 237-4888, or send e-mail to jeannine.stein@latimes.com.
