Bernardo Fall Clogs Preview

I never cease to be amazed at the inventiveness of shoe designers. I mean, what does it take to make a clog, really? A curvy wooden sole. A bit of leather over the toes. And maybe some nail heads or other decorative accents for show. Yet somehow every season some footwear designer figures out how to take that handful of basic elements and juggle them together in some new combination of angles and proportions that leaves me dumbstruck and filled with desire all over again. That is, until I realize I'd better stop sitting and staring and get to work placing my order.  

Well, fortunately, today we have the luxury of just staring and none of the anxiety of worrying whether they'll sell out or not. Because quite simply, the images you are about to dawdle over have not been generally released. I don't want to say these shots are an exclusive, but I believe the folks at Bernardo know how much seeing these pics will mean to us, and they've very eagerly sent them my way to share with you before they're generally making them available. And for that a warm nod of appreciation to their social media department.

But before we dig in, a little back story. As a brand, the Bernardo line of footwear has been around since your mother was a kid, though your own memories of the name may come from seeing it printed on her own shoes when you were growing up. Bernardo made a major splash in the '60s with their ubiquitous Miami sandal, and the style is still being sold in infinite variations today.

But while sandals may have made this company top of mind with the fashion conscious, they also were known for their other footwear forays. As this ad from a 1970 copy of Vogue proves, someone in their design studio was flirting mightily with some very clog like styles at the time, too. 

 
Flash forward some 40 years, and Bernardo is out there fiercely fighting for our fashion dollar once more. They're on the verge of releasing their new fall collection with a host of new colors and looks. They're also on the verge of launching a new e-commerce site to enable their customers to purchase said collection from them directly. They've created a dedicated position to help promote their styles through the various internet and social media channels. And finally, by all reasonable measures the most important thing that they're about to do,...is enhance their product line with some very sweet new clogs. 

Now, we're talking news!

"Enough already. Show us the pictures!"

As you wish. May I present, two of the new shoes from the Bernardo Fall 2010 collection. They'll be available in sizes 6 through 11. (Click on any of the images for a full size photo to open in a separate window.) I'll allow Jessica from the Bernardo staff to provide the color commentary:

 

 

The XAM is our clog with the straps across the front that are embellished with metal studs.  It has a wood base with rubber at the very bottom so they won't slip.  The upper is made of our lux calf leather which gives it a little shimmer - that iridescent quality.  It will be available in 5 colors. [Ed. note: these shoes are leather lined.]

 

The X-Ray is our clog that also has straps across the front embellished with metal.  However, these are made from our dusty vintage calf leather or our shadow calf leather and are lined with shearling so they will be warm and cozy, too.

There now! Wasn't that worth the wait?

You're right. I want them now! In more than one color! And the look of that shadow calf is making me even more impatient! But like I said, we have the luxury of just looking now without fearing we're going to miss out. Jessica assures me the Bernardo e-commerce site should be up sometime in July and when it launches, I plan to announce the news here...and provide a discount offer to encourage you to test out the new Bernardo store for yourself!

One last glimpse to treat you to. This from Jessica's own iPhone...taken at Monday morning's fall ad campaign shoot. Pardon me while I go slack jawed again.

 

Comments

[Kelly]

I love them!! I kinda wish they had an ankle strap like that very first photo you showed. Nevertheless, I will be buying them. Do you know when they are available? Thanks for posting!

[Lindsey Cochran]

Arent they fabulous? They should be available sometime in July. And the company rep offered to supply me with a discount code for my readers to use on Bernardos forthcoming e-commerce site, also due in July. Stay tuned!

[Natealine]

I like them a lot! Thanks so much for creating a relationship with the Bernardo marketing folks and securing us a discount! You rock!