Creatures of the Wind shows off new chunky shoes

NEW YORK (AP) — With a delicious clackety clack on the runway, Creatures of the Wind designers Christopher Peters and Shane Gabier on Thursday debuted their first in-house collection of shoes: comfy platform sandals, slides, low loafers and chunky heels.

Shoes, they said, intended to be friend, not foe.

"We only want to make shoes for regular people," Peters said after they presented their collage of a spring collection in a Chelsea gallery space. "A lot of our outfits are based around shoes."

Paired with sunny yellows, china blues, beachy wide stripes and optimistic florals, the shoes stood out on the winding, white runway.

Some were huarache inspired while others were sportier. They came in bright yellows, rich metallic reds and a touch of blue detailing.

"It's easy to forget about the fact that a shoe has to go on a foot and not destroy a person. You can make difficult clothing but it's not going to physically hurt you. Shoes, they will hurt you, so we really kept in mind that they had to be easy," Peters explained.

There was nothing destructive about their loose silhouettes in jackets, pants and tops, all inspired by fantasy travel to parts unknown, yet somehow familiar, the two said.

"The collection is based on the absolute fantasy of travel, about places we've never been but really no place in particular. It's about this idea of the other, the foreign, the charming and the appealing," Peters said.

They included a mix of embroideries influenced by northern Africa, Mexico and India. Prints referenced the designs of traditional tiling and the soft blue of Delft porcelain.

So what far-off locale would the two like to see?

"For me, it's Japan and Iceland. India. South America," Gabier said.

Peters, who flies a lot but isn't fond of it, has his sights set closer to home: "The most interesting thing for me right now is exploring the states."

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