Foot Prints

Happiness this spring is a pair of really new shoes. Endowed with more personality than they have had in years, these predominantly ‘60s-inspired shoes expose the foot, flatter the leg, act as conversation pieces and revive thoughts of women as diverse as Cinderella, Marilyn Monroe and Twiggy.

The bright new footwear comes with a torrent of adjectives: feminine, adorable, capricious, sexy . It is seen as a backlash to all those black shoes and black tights women have been wearing since the revival of the miniskirt four years ago. And it is considered essential to add zest to the simple A-line shapes of summer clothing.

One of the sexiest silhouettes is the sling-back. In some cases, it anchors heels so high they are sure to draw complaints from podiatrists and feminists. Women who don’t want to suffer for their slings can buy lower versions. Many of them are equipped with baby Louis heels--tiny sculptured shapes that curve sharply inward.

Along with straps that cradle the ankle or the instep, there is an abundance of color and texture. Fabric shoes are printed with faces, florals, dots, stripes and kaleidoscope swirls.

Shine is found in metallics and patent leathers, rhinestone-sprinkled mesh and in transparent vinyl--resurrected from the past by Giorgio Armani. Suede, no longer just for winter, comes in fuchsia, lime, royal and red.

Flats and sandals are as much fun as higher heels.

For Wilmer Weiss, a senior vice president for I. Magnin, “the ballerina is the shoe of the season.” And at Ecru on Melrose Avenue, manager Caz Kirton says shoes are either “really high and sexy or low and chunky. There is no in-between.”

The low and chunky include Robert Clergerie’s nod to the ‘60s: ankle boots in patent leather or satin that go nicely with hot pants, short skirts and stirrup pants.