One of the biggest, most fashionable  looks that came from the late 1960s and early 1970s was tie dye.  This homemade look was created by the hippies who dyed tee shirts, dresses, socks, hats, or whatever other cotton materials  they could get their hands on.  Manufacturers eventually picked up on this trend and started producing tie-dye clothing themselves.  Over time the outrageous colored clothing has become more refined, muted, and elegant and has expanded to be part of designer runway collections.

One of the most interesting and unique ways to wear tie dye for spring and summer 2011 is with a pair of tie dyed shoes.  There are not too many choices when it comes tie dye shoes but the ones that are out there are trendy and will most definitely make a statement.

80% 20 is a brand you may not have heard of but the meaning of the name should resonate with you. The designer of the brand, Ce Ce Chin, believes that we wear our favorite 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time and that it is this small percentage that makes the biggest impression. For Spring 2011, the inspiration of the shoe collection is “surfer in the city”. These shoes are ones that are going to be fashionable for the city girl but with a twist of a laid back surfer vibe. One of the biggest patterns for a laid back look is tie dye and 80%20 has two great tie dye shoes. The Georgie Tie Dye Leather Concealed Wedge Open Toe Boots are a tie dye open toe leather ankle boot with ruching at the front and a bow at the side. Hidden in the shoe is a wedge heel so it appears as a flat but in reality you get some lift in height. These are great shoes to wear with a pair of shorts and a shirt or with a maxi dress. The other great tie dye 80%20 shoe is the Dawn Tie Dye Cork Wedge. This shoe is a leather peep toe shoe with a bow at the front and open sides. A 3″ cork wedge gives this shoe height and style. This is a great shoe to wear with a midi or maxi dress as well as with shorts.

80%20 Georgie Tie Dye Leather Concealed Wedge Open Toe Boots

80%20 Dawn Tiedye Leather Cork Wedge

Another great tie dye shoe is the Loeffler Randall Yumi Sandal. This black tie dye shoe is classic and timeless in style but given a bit of an edge with the tie dye pattern all over. The Yumi even carries the tie dye pattern to the heel of the shoe.

Loeffler Randall – Yumi (Black) – Footwear

Since tie dye shoes are so visual, it is best to wear them with a simple outfit that does not compete with the shoes. You will want the shoes to grab the attention, not compete.

Cork shoes are nothing new, they have been around since the 1970s and are well known among comfort shoes and sandals such as Naot and Birkenstock. They were also very popular as big chunky oversized wedges and platforms. Today’s fashion trend of cork shoes though are a lot more stylish and tapered.

The benefits of cork shoes have always been because of the natural cushion support they offer your feet. Cork is almost naturally bouncy and maintains its shape very well. It is also very green to use natural products such as cork instead of synthetic soles such as polyurethane.  Another benefit of cork is that they naturally porous and breath well in the summer.  Keeping your feet dry and comfortable.

This spring and summer cork is back . They are infused into many styles of shoes such heels, wedges and sandals. This is a definite trend of shoes to own this summer for they go great with flare and wide pants and jeans along with skirts and dresses. This is the perfect accessory for a fashion season that is all about going retro.

Here are some great styles of cork shoes that we love. There are many options for many designers have created their own version of this beloved classic style.

The Stuart Weitzman Image is a gorgeous wedge sandal cork lined shoe. Great color and style.

Stuart Weitzman – Image (Flame Aniline) – Footwear

Aldo Himel is a very cute cork heel, very stylish yet still cork. They come in 3 colors shown below is light pink.

ALDO – Himel (Light Pink) – Footwear

BCBGeneration Crespo is a fun platform wedge that will go with those flare and wide legged pants.

BCBGeneration – Crespo (Panna Stone/Soft Brush) – Footwear

Enzo Angiolini Cantone another fun wedge sandal.

Enzo Angiolini – Cantone (Black/Black Fabric) – Footwear

SoftWalk San Fran comes in multiple colors but the denim I think is going to be a big hit.

SoftWalk – San Fran (Denim Kid Leather/Linen Textile) – Footwear

Jessica Simpson Cougar in yellow. This is one sexy shoe in one of the hottest colors of the year. A definte buy .

Jessica Simpson – Cougar (Magic Yellow) – Footwear

There are so many more styles and colors of all these shoes and then some. View the whole line up cork shoes by click on the image of each shoe or link. Tell us what you think .