A Shoe Lover’s Dream: Tour Zappos

Recently I learned that you can tour Zappos’ Las Vegas headquarters. There is a free Basic tour, which includes a “special surprise.” Or you can pay $47 for the Plus tour. The Basic tour currently has limited availability, so your only option may be the paid tour. Regardless of which tour you take, it sounds like an awesome time!

ShoeBlog readers, have any of you taken the Zappos tour? Was it the a shoe lover’s dream come true? Please share your experiences!

Here’s a video that gives you an idea of what life is like at Zappos’ HQ:

Phillip Lim Dee Dee Ankle Boot Try-On

Reporting from the trenches, mesdames!

I tried on the Phillip Lim Dee Dee Ankle Boot at Bergdorf 5F recently. It was much higher than I expected! 4.75 inches is a long way off the ground! It makes up the distance between me and my boyfriend, so I’d be as tall as him if I wore these… wait, maybe I will get them!

I know the kangaroo leather caused a bit of an uproar in our previous post on these steep stilettos, but I have to tell you that these were extremely soft. The grommets look really cool, and contrast the soft goatskin suede with edginess. If I had the money, and the heel was a bit lower… I’d do it! Love the color. Love the tassel. The toe was not too uncomfortable, there was a little wiggle space in the box there.

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Gucci Spring 2011 Shoes

For Gucci Spring 2011, many have criticized Freida Giannini for having three different shows in one -  a tribal, a safari, and a Russian/Gypsy gone disco.   Her YSL references were so obvious that everyone pointed them out.  In a word,  the collection was incoherent.

The spring 2011 Gucci shoes were the same: incoherent and un-inspiring for me.   The cage shoes: nothing new, nothing exciting.  The velvet disco shoes: nothing new, nothing inspiring.   The boots: they are new, but nothing I would ever purchase.

In the 80s, Gucci had become so watered down by the style and quality of their product that they went nearly bankrupt.  Tom Ford arrived and essentially saved the design house.   Now that Mr. Ford is gone, I think they are headed back down that road.

What do you think?  Are all the critics, myself included, too harsh or spot on?

Emilio Pucci Spring 2011 Shoes

The Pucci collection stirred both raves and pans.   Some younger reviewers thought it was inspired, the older reviewers thought it was just more of the same.   Peter Dundas has carried that Greeky, beachy, floaty thing another year with blues and whites  being the predominant colors.  I personally loved the majority of the clothing.   I can see several red carpet dresses in this collection, but the shoes are not that unusual.

The boots are a favorite with the reviewers, but they are nothing we haven’t seen before.  The smooth leather is gorgeous (see the last photo).  The braiding on the top is nice.

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Bergdorf Honors Karl Lagerfeld’s Couture Council Award

Karl Lagerfeld has won The Couture Council of the FIT Museum’s Fashion Visionary Award. Congrats Karl!

In honor of that event, Bergdorf has put up a Chanel window, where I spied these beautiful gold and white boots. Sadly, they are not on sale at Chanel boutiques, but hopefully soon. The full ensemble after the jump. I particularly love the gold-capped toes and papier-mache, pressed-flower look. Worth wearing to your own second wedding, wouldn’t you think?

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