Florsheim by Duckie Brown steps into women's shoes

While I was in Paris to see the men's fall and winter 2011-2012 runway collections, I popped into the Capsule show (a showcase for fashion brands that's organized in a trade-show-booth format ) to get an early look at the collections brands would be showing during the upcoming New York Fashion Week in mid-February.

That's where I discovered that for fall, the Florsheim by Duckie Brown men's footwear line would be expanding its footwear offerings to include two styles of women's shoes.

At launch, the women's collection will include a brogue (set to retail around $415) and a saddle shoe ($300), with each style available in about a half-dozen colors. Among the most eye-catching on display were the metallic brogues (pewter or gold) and a black saddle shoe with a perforated lace design.

The collaboration between the Florsheim footwear brand and Duckie Brown designers Daniel Silver and Steven Cox also plans to add a line of brightly colored socks to the product mix for fall and winter 2011.

-- Adam Tschorn, reporting from Paris

Photos: For fall and winter 2011, the men's footwear collaboration between Florsheim and Duckie Brown will expand into women's with saddle shoes (above left, $300) and brogues (above right, $415). Credit: Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times.

A Confederacy of Duckie Brown's Florsheim

A mainstay brand of many an American dad's shoe rack, Florsheim is making a bid for a new generation via New York design outfit Duckie Brown. Your father might recognize Florsheim by Duckie Brown's classic styles -- wing tips, French-toe brogues and loafers -- but this time they're rendered in eye-popping colors including purple and electric blue.

Confederacy's sole control: Duckie Brown/Florsheim exclusive 'til August

The Florsheim by Duckie Brown men's footwear collaboration has been on our radar for more than a year and a half now -- ever since models hit the runway at New York fashion week in September 2007, and the the idea of mashing up the staid, old school shoe brand with the contemporary, sometimes edgy aesthetic and quirky sense of  humor of Duckie duo Daniel Silver and Steven Cox has had me chomping at the bit.