SJP Shoes

A lovely fashionable friend of mine alerted me to the announcement of sjp - Sarah Jessica Parker's new shoe line to be released on 28th February. She had an exclusive reveal with a series of photos where she shows the shoes to Gayle King and here are some of the images. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of some of the shoes for the price point (we're talking $400 USD) but I do love some of the imagery.

This pair is actually uber cute, but I can't see any of the collection being anything particularly new. It all feels quite derivative of some of SJPs favourite designers (think Manolo). Her collection also includes the trenchcoat being worn here and comes in navy too.

The pair on the right has her 'signature' grosgrain ribbon - I have a pair of Dior shoes which are quite similar!

And is this not the most beautiful shot? I wish I had a living room that looked like this! And came with a closet full of shoes ;)

What do you think of the new collection?

Images thanks to O magazine.

New Louboutins!

Late last year I found out that I was getting a bonus at work, to my surprise! I didn't think I would be eligible since I had only just started working there. It also coincided with the start of the Christian Louboutin sale so what better place to drop some cash, right?

The 40% off sale at Louboutin turned out to be great for me because they had a) classic styles and b) items in my size! I am the most common shoe size too so that shocked me.

So here I present my newest babies:

I couldn't resist these grenadine pink Simple 70s - one of my all time favourite Louboutin styles and 70s are so comfortable. Personally 85 are my holy grail, but they're so hard to find that I in fact have never been able to get my hands on a pair. Can you believe the day after I bought these bright pink ones, I went to Bondi Junction where they had just sold the same pair in classic red in my size! =o In any case, I have a pair of red peeptoes so these are probably a better fit for my collection. I happened to wear these last night and they're super bright and fun!

These were a little more pricey but as soon as I put them on I was in love. The platform and T bar style of these Lagoulas are so comfortable I practically felt like I was walking on air. I couldn't believe it! And these come in black too, but the red are just something a little special. I've since discovered these have been worn (in black mostly) on the red carpet by a tonne of celebrities including Cate Blanchett. I feel I am in good company :)

What is your newest Louboutin purchase?

Louboutin Patent Black Simple 100s

I had been looking for black patent Louboutin black patent simple 85s for the longest time, but they're perpetually out of stock online and in physical stores around the world (trust me, I've tried looking every country I visit!). When I randomly chanced upon my size at David Jones recently in 100s I just couldn't say no. And with a pile of vouchers to spend, these basically cost me nothing and were a welcomed present to myself :)

Welcoming to my shoe family, my holy grail shoe!

So perhaps I have too many black pairs of Louboutins that practically look identical? I am planning to sell one of the pairs...but for now I look like the crazy person obsessed with black.

Holiday Shoe Haul

So I've been back for a week and I've unpacked in that haphazard way I always do to just have things 'out of sight, out of mind'. Well now I've got some time to actually sort through it so I thought I would do a post about some of my shopping.

Shoes have and always will be my weakness. Whenever I go into department stores, chain stores or really any store, I'll always go straight for shoes. Something about browsing shoes is just so much easier and better than browsing racks of badly hung and merchandised clothing.

Anyway this pic includes shoes my sister purchased but yes we carried back all these shoes back on our trip, plus all our other shopping goodies. We travel with quite small suitcases (most would call them the medium sized ones) so the amount we managed to stuff into our suitcases is quite a feat!

My shopping on this trip was very low-mid end range, rather than focusing on the high end as I normally would. Partially it is because I was looking for some fun fashion purchases to just colour my wardrobe without wanting to spend too much as I am meant to be saving at the moment!

The best purchases would definitely be these Marc by Marc Jacobs - they were having 70% off shoes! Even with the prices being more expensive because they were in GBP, 70% off still made it a good deal comparable to sale season in the US.

The other good buy was the Melissa for Vivienne Westwood orb flats from Liberty London which I ended up having to get a size up because they had sold out. Nevertheless, at 50% off they were a must buy for me! I would have liked them in black, but I do wear and own far too much black.

Oh I must mention I also love the T bar Zara pink and black suede shoes in the middle. I'm usually wary of buying Zara overseas because we do have it in Australia and everyone wears it. But these were love at first sight.

Shoe Watch - Nike Studio Wrap Pack

I saw this new pair of 'shoes' from Nike in a travel magazine recently and just fell in love - they were spruiked as a good alternative to packing runners when you're on holiday and I can see why.

These Nike Studio Wrap Pack shoes are claim to be light weight and able to be worn for yoga, dance, barre and all sorts of other exercise. At $110 they aren't cheap but certainly not expensive either considering the amount of gear you get - look at the pic below!

These are definitely going on my lust list!

Shoe Watch: March 2013

With all the rainy weather lately I've spent a lot of time at home internet researching for my upcoming holiday as well as online shopping.

Its been a while since I've done a shoe watch post...here are some shoes that I came across on my website hopping adventure

Christian Louboutin V-Neck

These have been around for a while but I keep on going back to them - they look boring there but amazing on. I love the sexy but demure traditional style and these happen to be 120s, but they come in 100s which is perfect perfect perfect for me! I tried them on at David Jones and wanted them immediately...and actually the price point was decent (600 from memory!)

Christian Louboutin Dos Noeud

I love classic - so these are just stunning and droolworthy in my opinion! The peep toe, ankle strap, bow on the back, and that pinky nude colour. Delicious!

Ferragamo Saphir

I know its weird that I would like this, but I think its kind of a cute twist on the standard Varas which can be pretty boring. But the gold bow and heel are a nice touch for everyday practical wear.

Now for a hideous pair...

I hope I don't offend anyone here, but can someone please tell me why anyone would buy this pair of Valentinos?? I mean I usually love his stuff, but this is just too eurotrashtastic for my liking. Its got everything going on - studs, perspex, ankle straps to oblivion. 

Any other shoes I've missed recently? I've been too busy to internet shop until more recently so I'm on the hunt!

Gianvito Rossi

I recently came across Gianvito Rossi shoes online - Gianvitto is the son of the one and only Sergio Rossi, so clearly shoemaking runs in the family!

There are a few pairs which are beautiful and lots of really wearable pump styles. So far I haven't found anything I am head over heels in love with, but I'm definitely keeping my eye out on him as I can foresee him really becoming a shoe idol in his own right.

I love the delicate grunge look of this gold pair above. I have to say, a lot of the styles are very...Italian. What do I mean by that? There's a very European sensibility to the designs - delicate, elegant but with a sense of personality. I wish I could describe it better but I can't so I'll stick to showing more pics!

I believe net-a-porter stocks his shoes but you can also see more at www.gianvitorossi.com

Nicholas Kirkwoods

I want, no need, these Nicholas Kirkwoods. They're amazing and on sale! I'm really loving this collection of Kirkwoods <3

P.S I survived my first day back at work for 2013! =)

Jimmy Choo shopping

A few weeks back I went to the Sydney Family & Friends Jimmy Choo sample sale, which was very similar to the one I previously went to in NYC (read about it here). The only difference was that the crowds were much more tame as this was not advertised but all through word of mouth.

Personally I found prices not to be as good as NYC, but items were all in ridiculously good condition with 95% of items coming in boxes and all pristine. Those items which had sign of wear or were press items were priced as such, however I found similar semi-scuffed Press items were also cheaper in the US.

Anyway, I was naughty and bought two pairs that weren't amazing but were very well priced and in my size. I'm a very common size so it can be hard to score, though on the plus size I am 'sample' size. This particular sale had only one of each item, and sizes ranged from 35 to 41 so not strictly in the traditional sense of sample sale. I worked out most shoes had been display stock before, hence not truly 'sample'.

The pair above may just be a boring low heel black court shoe, however its in suede with a croc patent kind of finish at the toe. They just look elegant and looked perfect with the sheer black hosiery I was wearing. I can definitely see these being easy to wear!

The next pair I bought are very Jimmy Choo and the perfect mix of fun with classic, due to the suede finish and the peeptoe front. The red isn't quite the favourite red I would usually wear but they're definitely a style that I can see myself wearing quite regularly with denim or to dress up a boring black dress.

Unfortunately they told me they probably won't be running this again anytime soon, but it was good to get my bargain shopping in now!

New kid on the block: Richard Braqo

I was URL hopping and reading blogs the other day and came across some commentary on shoe designer Richard Braqo who is being hailed as the next 'IT' man in the shoe design circuit.

With training at Parsons NYC and experience at Acne and Helmut Lang, I can totally see these design houses influencing his shoe designs.

The shoe above is the 'Benedetta' - I love the pearl and gold detailing for a bit of a fun twist to what is otherwise is such a wearable and classic shoe.

And the shoe on the left above, the ankle detailing is actually like a cuff! Cool, right?

If you visit his website, his collection is quite small but I'm definitely keeping my eye out for his future collections. He might just be the next Jimmy Choo or Louboutin!

All images courtesy of Richard Braqo's website

Shoe Watch: October 2012

I was procrastinating from doing work the other night so decided to look at new hot shoes - it always makes me feel better!

Anyway, here's an edit of some awesome shoes I've seen recently:

The Bergdorf Goodman shoe catalogue was a good start - I love the photography and the way it has been put together. See for yourself!

And aren't these bow crystal heels by Giuseppe Zanotti amazing?

And while these are really wintery (coming into Northern Hemisphere's colder months), I could see these Alexander McQueens being practical and pretty

As for these Roger Viviers...stunning, absolutely stunning! I love the style and the strong vert hue and delicate bow as a touch of girliness to the shoe-boot

#17: Louboutin + Milly!

This is a bit delayed, but a few weeks ago I finally got my hands on a pair of my holy grail Louboutins and I'm hugely excited!!

This was the only order I made during the net-a-porter.com half-yearly sale and of course the Louboutins weren't on sale but it didn't matter seeing as I've been waiting for a pair of black everyday pumps to come back in stock in my size!

And here they are... Pigalle 100s in black patent!

And you can see again this pair has the elasticised heel grip <3 Perfect for me! So I got these in my true to size because I went half a size down for the 120s and I've previously tried 85s and it was a perfect fit. Turns out 100s are a little squishy in the toe box (compared to even 120s) so these are slightly pinching but they didn't have any left in one size up so I had to settle for these. Plus I figured they would stretch after a while (which my decolletes have already started doing and will soon be too big for me!)

I did also order some swimwear which was heavily reduced. I ended up returning two items - a J Crew bikini top and Calvin Klein bottoms but they were hardly worth posting about. I did keep this bright fun Milly bikini - I absolutely love the colour and the style is very resort wear.

So its not exactly for swimming laps of the pool in, but I can just imagine wearing this on a beachside resort holiday! And Milly is usually quite expensive, so I thought 50GBP for the set was pretty good!

Anyway, because I like my photos, here's a few shots of my Pigalle collection :) 100s and 120s together for some Pigalle loving.

#16: Smythson + Louboutin

Though my year of the Ultimate Shoe Subscription ended earlier this year (*sob* so sad it's over!), I had returned quite a few things along the way that turned out to be completely not my style and so I've had some extra credit left over I've been trying to use.

I've tried to be really careful in the last few items I buy because I'm at the point where I have my 'must buy' items and now the items must be amazing for me to order them. Anyway, I made this order recently and am quite in love! <3

I've always loved Smythson, as you might remember me posting about them before, and so when I saw this beautiful card case on sale during their half-yearly sale I just had to order it. It's my one pop colour piece of Smythson :)

Aaaand you know I love Christian Louboutin and when I saw these Chiarana 100s they were a must buy also! These are just like the classic Helmuts (but a new reincarnation of it) and they're not even in store in Australia yet :)

You can only just see it but at the back of the heel there is a 'heel grip' elastic in built. This is definitely a new thing for Louboutin and is absolutely GENIUS! I love it! It's perfect for me because I often find shoes slip from the back of my foot as I have quite narrow skinny ankles so this keeps my foot firmly in place and means when they stretch I can still wear them!

Now I've actually returned these for a half size smaller - I also have skinny feet in general so while these fit me and are comfortable, I think I need the half size down to be a more snug fit seeing as it's got the open cut side.

I know my collection is growing a little too fast and I should branch out but I just love the classic sexy styles Louboutin churns out season after season and his designs fit my aesthetic and style perfectly. 

London: Louboutin Anniversary Exhibition

So my travel posts are all going to be a bit out of order since I can't help myself but excitedly share some of the highlights!

As a shoe lover, it was of course hugely exciting to end my travels with a trip to the Christian Louboutin 20th Anniversary Exhibition at the London Design Museum. It was a bit disappointing that we missed meeting the man himself - he was presenting a talk a mere 18 hours earlier(!) - but we literally jetted into London and spent our last moments there viewing shoe porn, eating Pinkberry and enjoying Pierre Herme macarons (my favourite!).

The exhibition is compact, but beautifully presented, taking visitors on a bit of a visual journey through the mastermind's creative shoe journey. You're not meant to take photos in the exhibition but I just had to capture the breathtaking beauty in some way so snuck in some sneaky (albeit slightly dodgily shot) iPhone photos to share with you!

Shoe trapeze at the entrance

Shoe carousel!

 The shoes are presented in a rough chronological order, but also separated by 'themes' such as the Fetish room (more on that later), original early designs and special one-off pieces.

One of the 'highlights' is a Dita Von Teese hologram performance which playfully appears to be taking place right before your eyes on an elevated stage, with a staircase of beautiful 'performance' type shoes cascading before it.

This pair is one of those beauties and just so happens to be one of my sisters' favourite pairs in her collection!

The famous Anemone <3

Earlier I mentioned the 'Fetish' Room - this was a display setup solely for the David LaChapelle photographic collaboration from 2007. For those that don't recall, Louboutin made a series of purely exhibitionist non-wearable shoes which were provocatively photographed by LaChapelle, a style he is most well known for.

And of course I couldn't resist a shot of the famous patent black Pigalle 120s! I am yet to wear mine, but reading the blurb expresses exactly what this cult shoe is about - beauty and art in something wearable (or perhaps not so wearable, depending on who you ask).

And finally, Dita's very own cabaret strasses. These are amazing in real life - she has such tiny feet - and you can even see where the perspex sections are ripping from wear. Amazing!

So while this may not have been the best fashion exhibition I've been to, it was still beautiful to see a mock setup of his workroom, see videos and understand his long journey to Shoe God. I have a theory that perhaps this exhibition didn't seem so 'WOW" because shoes are so accessible - every season we see these shoes in real life in our local stores and even if we can't afford to buy them we can still for a moment try them on and fantasise over when we might be able to wear them. With other couture exhibitions I've been to (Jean Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino are the few I've been to), you're seeing true Haute Couture pieces worth hundreds of thousands which would never normally leave the atelier so they perhaps have a greater sense of allure.

Even so, if you're in London, I suggest you get your hot little heels down to the exhibition for a squiz. It's well worth it if you're a Louboutin fan and shoe lover!

Visit the exhibition at London's Design Museum until 9 July.