Spring 13 Inspiration:

Inspired by the cult classic film Edward Scissorhands and the concept of "suburban perfection," the Loeffler Randall spring collection comes alive in graphic black and white mixed with bright hues, feminine details and romantic motifs. New silhouttes like the Amelie wedge and the Alana mignon wedge incorporate sculptural swirls in an homage to Edward's gardens and styles like the Heddie sandal and Evie stacked heel sandal feature straps and buckles that reference Edward himself. Optimistic glimmers of metallic symbolize ideals of status and perfection. Bold prints by collaborator Tucker by Gaby Basora on silk/linen fabric adorn the new Dahlia platform, Tamsin pump, Odile sneakers, Lock clutch and Mini Rider. Spring styles communicate a playful contrast in material and an exuberant shattering of conformity.

"I wanted a floral print (by Tucker) to signify the "perfection" of the suberbs in the movie. For example, how everyone uses their lawns to communicate and keep up with appearances with the outer world. Edward's pruned trees become a status symbol for the women. The bright, overly cheery colors of the suburban houses in the film became a basis for our palette. Edward's hard-edged frankenstein straps and buckles were juxtaposed against the feminine prints, colors and details."

Jessie's favorite spring shoes:

"I love mixing feminine and masculine pieces. The Heddie sandal is going to be my main staple for spring. There's a good mix of dressy and casual going on in the collection. I never want to look too dressed up. The new addition of the kitten heel (the Roxy sandal and the Robin sandal) are perfect for summer weddings coming up. The Dahlia platform is a "wow" shoe that I'll wear with silk pants for the day. The silk/linen printed fabric by Tucker means it's a wear anywhere kind of shoe."

Jessie on spring's newest handbags:

"Softening the Rider bag is something I was excited to do. It's the more relaxed sister to the hard Rider bag. I love them both! The new Lock wallet came about because I have those occasions where I want to just run out with a credit card and phone. Thus the wallet on a string was born."

This year marks the 2nd installment of our collaboration with the fashion savvy pupils at Chicago's New Trier High School. Students enrolled in the school's Marketing and Merchandising in Fashion course taught by Melissa Duffy gain valuable industry experience through real world assignments that match their classroom curriculum.

Our brief to students: Concept, style and direct a distinct "street style" photo story using Loeffler Randall Resort 2013 products, focusing around notions of escape, vacation or fantasy.

The work that resulted was inspired, quirky, playful and unique. In teaming up with these young ladies LR sought to achieve a fresh take on the Loeffler Randall product as seen through their eyes. 

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Coco, Caroline, Hine and Sara

"We were inspired by the idea that this was a Resort collection. With that in mind we used colors and nature to achieve our goal of taking pictures that captured that vibe of a resort."

Ella, Katherine, Emma

"We decided to use the school pool as a backdrop because it represents a sense of escape that vacations can offer."

Grace and Courtney

"Our inspiration was the outdoors and we used colorful backgrounds to make the accessories pop."

Lexie, Tara, Eliza

"The Pouchette is cute and petite so we wanted to show that it was a fun accessory to pair with anything"

Mikayla and Katherine

"Our inspiration came from the idea of paradise. Here in Chicago, our beach getaway may not be a tropical location, but it's sure a beautifil place to showcase these bright pieces."

Sarah K and Sarah S

"Our inspiration was using warm tones because Resort is a vacation themed collection"

Sydney, Sophie, Gretha and Claira

"To achieve a tropical feel during the winter we took a trip to the Chicago Botanical Gargens and highlighted the shoes with tropical flora and fauna backdrops."

Tiffany Crystal and Abi

"We used a bouguet of flowers in order to emphasize the shoes and handbads; the colors coordinated with our concept of a tropical vacation."

Loeffler Randall Resort 2013 shoes and handbags have arrived! This collection reflects on European beach holidays of the past with designs inspired by the vibe of SanTropez in the 1920's. A palate of sunfaded pastels, ice cream colors, and a dash of neon evokes the optimistic, fun energy of young flappers.

This season's eye-catcher is the Starett sandal, which references the clean attitude and minimalist pattern-play of the art deco period with the confident ease of a platform.

Resort introduces new handbags silhouettes like the flirty Pouchette and the Mini Rider, a smaller but equally detaild version of our now classic Rider bag.

Resort 2013 Inspiration

The Loeffler Randall Resort 2013 collection reflects on the sun-faded beach holidays of the past - inspired by european vibes of San Tropez of the 1920's, a time when men's styling was incorporated into the flirty wardrobes of optimistic young flappers. Bright neons and colorful embossed lizard prints add a dose of excitement to casual raw materials like natural wood and woven raffia. Mirrored metallic leathers and crackled gold leather capture the diffusal of summer light. These designs are clean and unfussy, ready to escape into lazy beach days and evenings dancing under the stars. 

Jessie's motive for the collection:

"Our resort collection is emotional, designed to signal a shift in the seasons. There's something innately emotional about mixing color and print - it grabs you. My favorite example is the Lolly sandal with the haircalf printed insole - they're a perfect play on color, print and texture. I also love the color-block on the new Rider bag and our Lock clutch - a mix of bright cobalt and neon orange takes me away to a sunnier climate even if I'm stuck in cold NYC." 

Jessie's favorite styles: 

"I like playing around with wearing casual items in a more dressy setting. For that reason I love the Felix bootie, it's such a great staple. I'll wear them all season with jeans or a long skirt or dress. I just got away to Miami for a brief time and I wore the Odile sneaker the entire time! Wearing a sneaker with a sandal-y vibe is perfect for the plane, or at the beach - they're casual but also have a lot of visual interest. And of course, the Starrett platform - they're so unique and sure to make a lasting impression."

"My favorite handbag is the new Mini Rider in black raffia mix - I like having all the design detail of the Rider bag in a smaller, take anywhere shape. The pattern harkens back to vintage sun hats and beach totes and it's big enough for all my essentials - sunnies, red lipstick, iphone and keys." 

Fall 2012 Inspiration

The Fall 2012 collection is based on the concept of a "Futuristic Pocahontas." Inspired by the idea of someone from the past transformed and re-imagined in the future, the collection is both modern and natural with a raw edge. This contrast is evidenced by chunky futuristic platform pumps and booties as well as modern takes on traditional moccasins. Prints and patterns have a tribal feel, like a bold, hand-drawn stripe painted along a reptile skin. The palette of silver, black, brown and chamois with pops of crimson is both classic and strong.

Jessie's favorite styles:

"I love the Gerta platform pump in red - it's a wow shoe that truly makes the look. I'll wear these with a short skirt or dress and maybe even some skinny ankle length high-waisted jeans. The Joanna oxford in silver is going to be a staple for me. It's so easy, comfortable and gives the right punch to an outfit. I like the Allie wedge bootie with studs - another wow piece that will make any outfit. I've also been wearing the Gaia platform bootie a lot - love that height with such a low pitch, it feels like I'm wearing flats so it's the best of both worlds."

Jessie's fall essentials:

"The Nanette cap-toe bootie, it's so chic and feminine, it's that wear all the time kind of bootie. I'm I'm also excited about our new Sophie wedge boot. I love that little extra bit of height in the wedge. It's the evolution of our Matilde boot."

For Pre-fall 2012, Jessie Randall looked to the intersection of tough and pretty for inspiration, creating a collection that embraces both ends of the aesthetic spectrum from sweet to punk. The new collection centers on the idea of a hardcore girl wearing something girly or feminine. Polka dot prints inspired leather covered studs, cap toes add toughness to feminine styles while glitter twill brings sparkle to stong silhouettes. Each style is designed to be wearable from summer through to fall.

The Loeffler Randall Pre-fall campaign features four women, our real-life friends and co-workers, whose character and style inspire us every day. Jessie describes how the women around her inspire the design process:

"I design for myself and for my friends. Being real and authentic is very important to me. The modern woman is interesting in her reality - her quirks, the way she is different. We have so many cool, interesting fans who wear our brand and incorporate it into their wardrobes every day. What better way to promote our product than profiling our friends and the real girls who wear our brand? You're seeing this approach throughout all media these days - from street blogging to Lena Dunham - real people, imperfection, uniqueness - these are things that are inspiring and modern."

The Loeffler Randall "Heart LR" collection came about as an extension of the SS12 collection, the kind of styles we wear on the weekend, as Creative Director Jessie Randall describes "something more casual and easy to slip on, comfortable and chic shoes at a great price." We thought these new styles deserved a special touch and enlisted our design partners at RoAndCo Studio to create a fresh logo for collection.

Jessie adds, "The new logo embodies the fun spirit of the collection, we wanted something fun and casual. The heart symbol became part of the logo treatment and that led to us calling the collection 'Heart LR.'" We think the playful design is the perfect representation of the new feminine and casual collection — including the fresh and modern box design.

Click here to shop the entire Heart LR collection.

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Loeffler Randall x NAHM shoe collaboration debuted today at NAHM's fall 2012 New York Fashion Week presentation at Milk Studios. NAHM's design duo Nary Manivong and Alexandria Hilfiger were inspired by strong confident women and the imagery of 1920's glamour. The metallic platforms and retro prints added a fresh flare to the collection's whimsical aesthetic. Below is a quote from Jessie about the collaborative process along with a few of our favorite snaps from the day.

"The shoe seems modern and at the same time from a distant era which worked perfectly with NAHM's inspiration. It's always such a treat to work with people who are as genuinely nice as they are talented. We had such a great time working with everyone at NAHM and it was a true collaboration. I love their beautiful prints and the way the mirror metallic looks covering the wedge. This is a sexy, sultry shoe that's understated and chic." - Jessie Randall, LR Creative Director

Loeffler Randall's Spring 2012 collection is inspired by the idea of turning something not traditionally feminine or beautiful into something that is both. Action / sport materials are combined with natural textures. Sport and hiking references influenced unexpected styles like the Roanne heel and Filippa sandal, both featuring signature mignon detailing twisted on the foot, mirroring the pattern of a sport sandal.  Patterns such as metallic polka dots (Chloe platform and Francie sandal), bright jacquards (Dita pump) and snake prints (Willow flat) provide texture and a dash of excitment.

Color was a driving force for the collection. The palette began with the Fragonard painting "The Swing," which depicts a pink petticoated woman kicking off her shoe while swinging against a backdrop of verdant green. Images of shipping containers basking in the sun convey the essence of summer — the greens of foliage, the tanned nudes and the colors melting like popsicles. Elizabeth Peyton's watercolor embodies the feeling of light in the collection, contrasted with accents of vivid, neon color.