SOLE AND INSPIRATION WHAT'S AFOOT FOR SUMMER 2000 IN SHOES, SANDALS AND BOOTS.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Fashion Editor

Pink pony-print boots with square toes and heels.

Dainty slides decorated with silk flowers.

Platforms wrapped in denim and lined in red gingham.

Could these cobblers' cream puffs really knock black stilettos off their heels?

Yes, without so much as a scuffed toe.

At the Los Angeles Shoe Market, held this week at the downtown CaliforniaMart, 125 shoe manufacturers displayed their wares for spring and summer, and nobody asked, ``Does it come in black?''

At the sight of so many pink, orange, turquoise and red shoes, hundreds of black-clad fashionistas (otherwise known as buyers and trend analysts) left their urban edge at the door. They clutched wooden slides handpainted with pink and yellow canaries, stroked the mother-of-pearl inlay on highly varnished red wooden sandals and even slipped their feet into sequined mules. They showed no shame, no remorse as they marched past prim-and-proper pumps to ogle the latest trends.

And those trends, says Jeff Yeh, a designer for N.Y.L.A. shoes, which are sold at Nordstrom and shoe boutiques, include mirrors, Asian prints, painted wood and sequins. ``Anything with a novel approach, like our Furby or Chia Pet-inspired shoes with pink fake fur,'' he says, chuckling.

The shoes that are getting the most interest - and orders - he says, are the Ducky wedge, named for the little birds painted on them, and also his evening shoes with floral designs stitched in sequins. These are fantasy shoes, for sure, but their suggested retail price of $70 makes them wearable.

Last year fashion critics claimed the platform style was dead, that flat was phat and stilettos still sexy. But don't believe it.

``People are still jumping on them (platforms) because they're comfortable and because they like being five inches taller,'' says Yeh.

Animal prints on platforms, boots and sandals are the buzz at the Sacha London booth. According to Sacha representative Vince Sorge, we're reliving the days of disco when gaudy was good. And the hot tickets? A pair of hot pink-and-black pony-print ankle boots trimmed in pink lizard- print leather, sporting squared toes and heels. ``Pointed toes are sexier, but the boxy toe is a lot more comfortable,'' he says.

Another detail that's new, says Sorge, is the barber pole or cylinder- shaped heel, done in stripes of color such as orange, pink and red.

Ted Ackerman, a designer for the Yellow Box Shoe Co. based in Westlake Village, said it's the Asian influence that's hot for spring. He's ready with plenty of thongs accented with beads, flowers and dragons. Like other designers, he's carving his shoes out of wood and varnishing them like fine furniture. But it's his Jasmine design, inlaid with mother- of-pearl in floral designs, that's attracting the crowds and getting the orders. As retail buyers for trendy shops such as Madison's in Beverly Hills place their orders, Ackerman explains that the shoes are highly lacquered and then topped with resin like a surfboard, so there's no chance that a bare foot will wear the design off.

More woodworks are spotted at numerous manufacturers' booths, some sculpted from a block of wood to create a stunning profile, others modeled after classic Birkenstocks, all topped with strips of decorative fabric across the toes.

More fabric, less leather, seems to be where shoe fashion is headed - and leading the way are floral prints, followed by denim.

At Bebe, salesman Brad Bailey says his tropical floral shoes are retro-inspired, just the thing for a '50s bathing beauty. And over at the Hype counter are brightly colored slides with big silk flowers on the toes that look like they'd be perfect with those floral circle skirts worn by Gwyneth Paltrow in ``The Talented Mr. Ripley.''

Looking equally fresh is red gingham paired with denim and white leather at NaNa Shoes. Designed for rockabilly music fans, the shoes are platforms, sometimes accented with embroidered flames on the back (think '50s dragster), or beaded with conversational comments such as ``yes'' on one foot and ``no'' on the other.

Those, said the salesman, come in black.

SPRING FORECAST

Shopping for new shoes? These are some of the latest trends, designed to freshen up your fringed jeans, floral sun dresses and basic black ensembles.

--Sequins - These little sparklers are showing up in solid colors and floral designs in dainty evening shoes with sling backs and small heels.

--Animal prints - Leopard is still looking hot, but newer prints are pony, cow and zebra, seen on a variety of fabrics from faux fur to velveteen.

--Florals - Think of Carmen Miranda and the tropics, and look for large blooms in hot-house colors.

--Far East themes - Mystical dragons, Asian-inspired cat prints, Indian sari fabrics and wooden beads with Chinese writing are what you'll find on casual footwear.

--Sculpted heels - Shoes with a profile are back, often carved out of wood with a see-through center like free-form sculptures or resembling wooden clogs. Other heel novelties include balls, cubes and cylinders, as well as stilettos and their shorter variation called a ``Sabrina'' heel after the shoes worn by Audrey Hepburn in the film ``Sabrina.''.

--Decorative shoe beds - In a season of barely there shoes (thongs, slides and mules) the area that your foot rests on is covered in bright contrasting colors, as well as painted with flowers or dragons.

--Loud colors - Hot pink, orange, turquoise and red are now standard equipment in the shoe biz. Some are solid tones, but the newest designs feature contrasting colors in whip-stitching on shoe beds or heels.

CAPTION(S):

9 photos, box

Photo: (1 -- color) On the cover: Confections for the feet; Spring and summer's shoe crop bears a fanciful outlook. Hype sandals with silk flowers on the toes.

Photos by Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) N.Y.L.A.'s Ducky wedge, with a suggested retail price of $70, is expected to be a big seller.

(3 -- color) Red enamel wedges are highly lacquered so a bare foot won't wear off the design.

(4 -- color) Tropical floral shoes by Bebe are retro-inspired.

(5 -- color) Flame-embroidered denim platform, lined with a gingham check fabric, are from NaNa Shoes.

(6 -- color) Greater L.A. Shoes offers these square-toe Moroccan fabric sandals.

(7 -- color) Sacha's hot pink and black pony-print boots, left, and turquoise zebra-print boots are hot tickets for spring.

(8 -- color) Beaded sandals from Bebe.

(9 -- color) Sun Valley-based G.S. Studio slides feature a sculpted platform.

Box: SPRING FORECAST (see text)