Sales & Shopping
- Previous Wear Your Walk of Shame On Your Chest With Beatrice Boyle's T-Shirts
- Vintage Architecture Book Set Next
- March 18, 2009
- Shopping Roundup
Natural High
This spring, cork swaps its earthy rep for high fashion. By Christene Barberich & Piera Gelardi

When speaking chic, cork hasn't always stacked up. Maybe it's all those decades being inextricably tied to the free-loving-vibe of a certain earth-bound sandal. Well, as much as we love a good sensible summer shoe, we're delighted to see cork growing up a bit and being turned out in a number of glossy glam ways. Spotted everywhere from the runways at Miu Miu to the latest collection of R29-approved label 80%20, a new class of cork is amping up the typical summer footwear menu. And if you thought you had to swap support for extreme height? Think again. Casadei has crafted a seriously staggering—and comfy—platform sandal to rival any of your sexiest stilettos. Read on for more of our top cork-chic picks starting under $100.
Above, from left: Miu Miu T-Bar Platform Sandals, $635, available at Net-A-Porter; 80%20 Sadie Cork Wedge Sneakers, $98, available at Urban Outfitters.

Above, from left: Casadei Cork Platforms, $820, special order through www.casadei.com; Topshop Willa Cork Platforms, $110, available at Topshop.

Above, from left: Belle by Sigerson Morrison Lace Up Cork Sandals, $290, available at Bloomingdale's; Pedro Garcia Peggy Suede Sandals, $395, available at Net-A-Porter.

Above, from left: Casadei Cork Platforms, $820, special order through www.casadei.com; Miu Miu Suede Platform Sandals, $595, available at Net-A-Porter.
Eight cork shoes for a spring lift.
You need Flash 8 or higher to view Refinery 29
- Huffington Post Style
- Coolhunting
- Racked
- MySpace Fashion
- Cafe Mode
- V Magazine
- Portfolio/Fashion Inc
- Chictopia
- Style Will Save Us
- We Are the Market
- Stylelist
- Garance Dore
- Sartorialist
- Street Peeper
- Fashion Trend Digest
- Stylesightings
- This is Glamorous
- Mode et Utopie
- Fashion Minute
- Queerty
- No Good For Me
- Seamsters
- Cool Chiq
- Second City Style
- Karin's Style Blog
- Frugal Fashionista
-
Fashion
Tina Kaliva's Printed, Folded, Stunner of a Collection Has Us Going Gaga
Much too often, the tribal trend means slapping an ikat print on a dress and calling it a day. But when it comes to traditional aesthetics, there's tons of material to love and draw inspiration from. Aussie designer Tina Kalivas'...
-
Pipeline
Men's Musts: 9 Things Every Guy Should Buy and Wear
9 things every guy should buy and wear.
-
Shopping News
Get A Leg Up On Fall With Our Favorite New Hosiery
Get a leg up on fall with our favorite new hosiery.
-
Style and People
Party On! Librarians Get Futuristic at the Annual Library Lions Gala
The Internet may very well be our home turf, but there's nothing quite like turning the monitor off and spending some time with a good book. Yesterday, we met our literary heros up close when we attended The New...
-
Travel and Guides
The Best NYC Boutiques: West Village & TriBeCa, Part I of Our NY Shopping Guide Series
New York boutiques keep the shopping drug alive. Check out Part I of our top picks, this time from Tribeca and the West Village.
-
Music
Supposedly influenced by black metal, Mount Eerie (well, it's just Phil Elverum after all) release an emotionally direct album of quiet songs soundscapes...
