Fendi boots - Fall/Winter 2010-2011 Collection

It has been confirmed: the next season's "it" shoes will be hybrids mixing and matching unusual materials. In some cases divine, in others anecdotic, these shoes will push the limits of normal aesthetics. It remains to be seen if the fashion aspect of these models will take off in the experimental direction, giving them life outside the magazine pages.

Whether it be the leather and shearling Michel Perry pumps, Azzedine Alaïa shoes in lace and notched soles, or even the Louboutin platforms mixing rope and tweed, these shoes are about the mix of materials. The shoes have mutated, like unexpected patchworks or puzzles. Our reaction to many of the combinations is positive, but the creations by Karl Lagerfeld - whether for Chanel or Fendi - leave us perplexed.

It should be noted that, by deciding to protect these boots in plastic, the Kaiser seems to have given more thought to the consequences of melting ice than to his clients' appearance. One thing is sure: thus protected (by a sort of plastic slipper at Chanel or by a patch of rubber at Fendi), the wearers will have dry feet in rain and snow.

While it is true that the fall/winter 2010-2011 season is pushing for a return to utilitarianism, this does not mean that incongruous mixes - i.e., between luxury and pseudo sporty details - should be risked just to flirt with l'air du temps; yet it is precisely this impression of easy and gratuitous trendiness that emanates from the "rubber" theme at Fendi.

We thus remain skeptical about the bicolor boots with their contrasting soles and reinforcements, or even more so about the satin and rubber sandals. In the end, only the monochrome boots - in licorice black or ostrich leather - have a chance of finding their place in a perfectly conceived wardrobe capable of counterbalancing their incongruity.