Stuart Weitzman, the luxury footwear brand known for mixing fashion and function, featured a seductive Keke Palmer in their “Life of the Party” holiday collection that launched on Nov. 6. Featured wearing an an array of pieces from the launch, every photo of Palmer is breathtakingly fabulous. She wears Weitzman with effortless elegance. The campaign itself is sophisticated and tasteful — blending quiet luxury with the smoky, sultry allure of a jazz club — and the addition of Palmer is a genius marketing strategy. The collection itself is a different story, with only a few pieces being worth a comment.
The collection’s only accessory, a shoulder bag, is composed of satin and radiant-cut crystal. The Italian-crafted bag flirts with the sparkle of youth but is nonetheless underwhelming. The underside of the strap awkwardly resembles a seatbelt — a detail I detest — and the crystals are so haphazardly sewn on that they look like they will fall off after minimal wear. With this being the only bag featured, a more versatile and less bulky nightlife accessory would have been more appreciated in its place; instead, the ’90s-inspired silhouette is what we’re left with. Considering the hefty $695 price tag, I would personally would opt for the Staud Ollie Bag in black, which sells for a fraction of the cost but is just as spacious and complementary for the holiday season with its mixed-metal strap.
Moving on to the shoes, I was truly surprised to find myself liking the platino gold slide heels after initially hating them; the leather seemed itchy and the heel shape felt odd, but on Palmer they read sharp and stylish. In the campaign and on the website, only the vamp — the front of the shoe — is showcased, leaving the chunky heel largely hidden. While the shoe presents a unique silhouette, the leather still appears a bit stiff. With a thinner heel, these shoes might have had the potential to garner as much attention as the iconic Stuart Weitzman Boot.
The only other shoes in the entire campaign that caught my eye were the red pumps and velvet t-strap heels. The red pumps resemble a wine glass more than any martini — which the shoe is named after — with a heel reminiscent of a delicate stem and the rosewood hue lending the shoe a deep sophistication. This is a heel I can picture being worn throughout the entire holiday season, not just for New Year’s. The color invites thoughts of Christmas while the silhouette is still appropriate for a work holiday party or a New Years Eve celebration. This shoe encapsulates the versatility I’m looking for, and I wish there was more of that in this collection.
As for the velvet t-strap heels — I adore them. They are very fitting for the holiday season, though a tad toddler-esque, as they’re oddly reminiscent of that one Christmas dress we all seemed to have growing up. The shoe comes in two colors: all-black or a mix of ballet pink and black. Pink isn’t a traditional holiday color, but since this is a brand that channels affordable luxury, I appreciate that they provide versatility.
At the risk of sounding too negative, the platform Mary Janes are, well, a bit unpleasant to look at. Nobody — and I cannot stress this enough — nobody is wearing this shoe to any club or event that a turkey isn’t served at. The style is simply too restrictive to party in. So why is the heel nearly four inches high? Mary Janes are timeless, but this rendition is too appalling to support. Somehow it’s even worse in platino gold. I would have loved to see this style of heel in a color similar to rosewood. Maybe with less straps and a different-shaped toe, the shoe could potentially have been worn to some kind of New Year’s party, though it’s still not suited for a serious club outing — more of an office gathering one is required to attend.
Generally speaking, the heels were nothing new, and a lot resembled any other shoe. So while Palmer was not enough to sell me on the entire collection, I still applaud her and the company’s fetchingly elegant attempt. I’d like to see Weitzman continue to embrace the aesthetic of the younger audience they serve — an approach the “Life of the Party” campaign nailed flawlessly. For now, entrusting Palmer to be the face of this project adds a spark to the tired brand, lending the shoes a fresh, polished flair.
Daily Arts Contributor Maryam Tobya can be reached at tobyam@umich.edu.
