Shoeblog’s love for Dries Van Noten has been well documented.

The spring 2009 Dries shoes are beauts, and no mistake.

Love those slightly curving heels!  Adore the Dries trademark combination of patterns and materials.

But, dare I say it?  Does this look a little tame for this normally exuberant line?  I mean, they’re gorgeous, no doubt, and a lot better than some of the things we’ve seen down the Parisian catwalks (just wait for the upcoming post about Givenchy), but when I think Dries, I think COLOR COLOR COLOR!!  And this… well… this just didn’t have it.

Since there’s no Shoes of Project Runway post this week (long evening gowns make it damn near impossible to figure out what shoes those models have on), and in fact, since there will probably be no more Shoes of Project Runway posts for season 5 (since we’re off to Bryant Park next), I will sum up my feelings to this Dries Van Noten collection with a typical Nina Garcia response.

Dries, I just wish we could have seen more from you.

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My dear and darling Shoeblog readers!

How I have missed you!

I have been involved in preparing for and then accomplishing a move from New York to London, and I’ve been at the mercy of a million things to do, spotty internet access, and a jam-packed schedule.

But I’m back now.  Settled into my place in London and ready to resume shoe coverage from this side of the Atlantic.

What better post to start with for this inaugural post from the land of tea and crumpets than a comparison of the fantabulous shoes in the windows of two retail giants: Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC and Harvey Nichols in London Town.

Saks, before I left, was displaying a neat little thing.  The results of this charity project.  Yes, every Wizard of Oz lover’s dream: designer versions of Dorothy’s fabulous ruby slippers (incidentally, the subject of my very first ever Shoeblog post).

Here are a few snaps from the super clever window displays out on the street.

The other designers’ efforts were in glass cases on the shoe floor upstairs, but the star of the show was this pair of alternate ruby slippers that were screen-tested, but never made it into the film.

Pretty glam, no?

What a lovely farewell to the shoe world of New York.

And one transatlantic flight and a lot of running around later, here’s a welcome to the shoe world of London.  And it’s for sure nothing to scoff at.

Because the windows of London fashion mecca, Harvey Nichols, are also brim-full of gorgeous designer footwear.  To wit:

Pretty fab, right?

And then, around the corner in the windows on Knightsbridge were these GORGEOUS Louboutins:

All that blue and black feathery divine frou frou business had me at hello, as they say.

Oh, and before I forget, the Chanel store down the street had a familiar pair of pocket pumps prominently put forward.

And so, welcome to Shoeblog’s bi-continental era.  Stay tuned for more glam shoes from London.

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OK, so my Shoes of Project Runway isn’t nearly as exciting as Twinkletoes’ up-close-and-personal tale.

But nevertheless, there was PR this week, and I aim to find those Bluefly shoes, just like every other week.

So, first up, let’s look at Jerell’s winning outfit.  A) Deserved to win.  B) Totally perfect for the girl.  C) I WANT THAT CARDIGAN!!!  And shoe-wise, those feminine patent peep-toes are what would happen if the Stuart Weitzman Expump and the Kate Spade Lara had a secret love-child.

Ironically, the best shoes of the show last night were the ones worn with Joe’s Auf’d outfit (which was really atrocious).  Don’t know if the client girls brought their own shoes from home (which I suspect they did, actually… since none of the shoes from last night seem to have shown up on PR before), but that red patent pair of booties (although not on Bluefly that I can tell) is sharp!

My girl Leanne made an outfit that was, yes, perhaps too matronly for her client’s job as an elementary school teacher, but it really did respond to the request that she make something that’ll bestow an appropriate teacher-as-authority-figure aura.  The grey shoes are super cute and an excellent professional wardrobe option.  They don’t seem to be on Bluefly, but either the Christian Dior CD pumps (if you want to splurge) or the Stuart Weitzman Portal (if you want a more affordable option) would be fairly close.

If you’re after the pointy-toe ankle-strap look that Suede chose for his outfit (and frankly, the shoes are just about the only nice looking thing in that picture… except, of course, for the girl herself, who’s a total charmer), you could… well… Bluefly doesn’t really have anything super close to this to offer.  But they have tons of other black pumps to peruse.

If you want a fun pair of maryjanes like Korto’s model (whose jacket I totally covet), the Brighton by Dolce Vita or the  are nice-looking options.  And for only about $65-70, too!

And last, but not least, is Kenley.  *sigh*  Kenley, it is time for you to put up or shut up.  Actually, how bout putting up (as in, making something that DOESN’T come straight out of a 1950s pattern book) AND shutting up, because I can’t even begin to tell you how ridiculous you sound talking about how you’ve experienced hardships in your life by coming to New York with no money.  Honey, that’s not hardship.  It’s just poor planning.

The dress was cute.  I’ll give her that.  And the shoes, likewise.  Kudos if you can find em, because Bluefly doesn’t really offer up anything in the ballpark.  But the low heel and the little bow on the toes are both adorable touches.

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New York Fashion Week has come and gone for another year (though we still have a few more things to say in this corner of the internet… stay tuned), and before we get into the London shows, I’m jumping in with a Runway-to-Real-Life shoe story.

I recently encountered a co-worker whose fashion is top-notch.  Clothes-wise, jewelry-wise, bags-wise, and of course, shoes-wise.

First off, there are these flats from Angelo Figus (a designer who was new to me).  They are both adorable and edgy at once: a combination not easy to come by.

See… adorable.  But wait for it…

That’s the bottom.  See that metallic edginess?  Need a close-up?

Yep… it’s got a cloven metal plate on the heel.  That is my kind of shoe.

But this style maven’s real passion when it comes to footwear is Dries van Noten.  Dries, the love of Shoesense’s heart.

Take note of that second link there.  Take particular note of the second picture in that post.  Because that’s the pretty baby I giddily got try on when Ms. Fashion Forward brought them in to work.

Now, those shoes are MUCH higher than anything I’d wear myself, but I have to say that when I put them on, they were startlingly comfortable for how high and thin that heel is.  But the heel’s smartly located more sturdily underneath the center of your heel, and there’s a bit of hidden padded platforming under the ball of your foot that lifts it up just a bit.  And, of course, those shoes are gorgeous, which never hurts.

But I’m much more of a flats kind of girl, so the white ones (which are also Dries) really sucked me in.  You can’t see it from here, but the crinkly flaking look is actually because these shoes are made out of a malleable metallic material that I’d never seen before.  They have a beautiful sheen to them and are just interesting enough texture-wise that they keep from being too girly.

So there you have it, shoe fans.  A non-runway post that, come to think of it, did actually refer to the runway.  But it was last year’s runway and this year’s actually purchasable shoes.  That counts, doesn’t it?

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In the madness of Fashion Week and its attendant glories, my Project Runway viewing was delayed this week.  But never fear.  The magic of TiVo prevented it from being lost altogether.

Although, you know what?  It almost didn’t offer up anything at all for a Shoeblog post.

I mean, Kenley’s hideous Aquarius-inspired (though I can’t see it for the life of me) design made use of the Theory Sacha booties we’ve seen before.

And other than that, well… if you can find the shoes with the rest of those outfits then you’re a better searcher than I.

Some we just couldn’t see, like Jerell’s Sagittarian winner (hooray for my boy!) or Joe’s gorgeous fiery Aries gown.

Some were repeats of shoes used before, like Blayne’s Libra outfit, which caused Michael Kors to hysterically say, “She’s pooping fabric!”

And some had shoes that were visible, but seem to be hiding somewhere in the depths of Bluefly.com, like Leanne’s sexy femme fatale Scorpio dress or Suede’s nearly-eliminated Libra pajama set.

Can any of you find these shoes?  Those adorable ankle-strap platforms with Leanne’s outfit are… well… adorable.

Stay tuned for next week, when the previews promise to show us Leanne working with the Nanette Lepore peep-toe pumps that I loved so much back here.

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