You know guys, I really try to sneak my camera in with me at every event that I work. I am toiling for YOU! I am shifty and spy-like as I take pictures for you guys. Hard at work, night and day, I am here for you!

So this is my way of saying that I did not get as many pictures of the Van Cleef and Arpels “Les Jardins” collection showing that took place recently at the Plaza Hotel in New York. I did get a few, and I will try to convey just how beautiful it all was. (Side note here: are you all familiar with Eloise, the little girl in the story books who lives at the Plaza? If you are, I would like you to know that there is a portrait of her hanging in the hotel. I think that is very cool).

First of all, for the uninitiated (and by that I mean unable to afford $50,000 bracelets), Van Cleef and Arpels is a classic French jewelry brand that has been in business since 1906. They make many of the bejeweled baubles that the stars wear to the Oscars and other such red carpet affairs. In the jewelry world, they represent class, elegance, and luxury. Few jewelry brands can afford the kind of show that they held for their latest collection, which is entitled Les Jardins (translation: “the gardens”)

Twelve models and four Parisian performers strolled around a silvery, candlelit garden that was created, petal by petal, by the Van Cleef staff. The ballroom at the Plaza was carpeted in emerald-green grass. Orange and lemon trees stood overhead and at least 20 kinds of flowers seemed to grow out of the ground itself. The scent of the flowers filled the air. Were it not for the ceiling, rightly strung with twinkling lights, the Plaza ballroom could easily have been a real garden.

Sadly, I do not have photos of the garden that Van Cleef built, but I do have photos of the 4 Parisian performers (and their footwear) that were brought in to perform at the show. Two were opera singers and two were dancers. All were lovely and charming and beautiful ,of course.

Each performer represented a type of garden.

Kristina Jovanovic and her dainty ballet shoes represent Le Jardin Francaise (the French Garden). If you want an art history lesson, you will notice that the pattern on her gown is representative of the way the hedges at Versailles were trimmed. Thissharp symmetry and control in landscape architecture was beloved by the Sun King, Louis XVI. Every element in the French garden should look as if it is under strict human control. Beauty is found in order and control. The theme of designed beauty is also visible in the necklace she wore in the show, the aptly titled “Necklace of Versailles.” Click to learn more about French Gardens.

Karine Godefroy represents the Jardin Romantique Anglais. This is a much softer garden. Unlike the French Garden, it is intended to look natural and pretty. It often has low shrubberies and plenty of roses. She sang beautifully! That tiny girl has amazing lungs. Click to learn more about English Gardens.

Deborah Torres wore jewelry that represented the Jardin d’Extreme Orient (Garden of the Orient). Her costume and hair clearly suggest classic themes from Asia. The jewelry she wore brought to mind traditional Chinese Serenity Gardens which typically involve water and stones. They are meant to be calming, places for reflection and meditation. In the earrings, the diamonds and emeralds represent the leaves and trunk of a maple tree and the large opal in the ring represents to water in a still pool. She wore some cute trendy wedge heels too. Click to learn more about Chinese Gardens.

The last performer, with whom I didn’t get a chance to speak, represents the Jardiin Italien de la Renaissance (Italian Renaissance Garden). You can see from her gown that the Greek and Roman influence is very strong here. These gardens were places where people could lounge, be outside, see beautiful flowers, and eat delicious fruits. They were for luxuriating in the bright colors and looking at the urns, fountains, mosais and other architectual motifs that were plentiful. Click to learn more about Roman Gardens.

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I freaking love the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Yes, I know that, as stated in the title, it happens on Thanksgiving. And you may be muttering yourself, “Hey twinkletoes, get on the ball, that was weeks ago!” Bear with me though, because I have always associated it with Christmas, dates and times be darned! This year I worked at the parade, getting the marchers ready to go. All the people in the parade who march in costume are known in Macy’s-speak as “clowns”. If you are wearing a giant star, you are a clown. If you are one member of a 12-person dragon, you are a clown. If you have giant floppy shoes and a bright orange wig, then you are a pirate. Just kidding. You’re a clown.

All 5000 clowns are Macy’s employees or related to them or something of that nature. They come from branches all over the place to be in this parade and walk the 2+ miles of the parade route, which begins on the Upper West Side and moves on down along Central Park toward the giant Macy’s Flagship store in Herald Square. And whether you come from Jersey, Maine, or Florida you better be at the staging area at 4:30AM. You don’t have to be bright, but you gotta be there early.

Here are some pre-mayhem shots:

Pretty Packaged Costumes all in a Row

The untouched "patriot clown" costumes

And then came the people!

Struggling Into Costumes

Most of the costumes did not have specific shoes that went along with them though many had some….interesting….heavy duty socks that folks had to pull up over whatever pants they were wearing.

 Check out the Hot Socks on this Raggedy Anne Clown.

And this Patriotic Gentleman has them on too, they are just barely visible. 

The fabulous footwear also included the delightful inventions know as “bootcovers.” I think these things are hilarious. Especially because I occasionally see normal people wearing them in the street. It cracks me up every time. But they did wonders for the Pirates and the Leprechauns in the parade. They were the perfect finishing touch.

  + costumes =

                      Piratitude                              and                   The Luck o’ The Irish!

And let’s not forget clowns’ traditional footwear:

This was a really great experience. It helped get me into the holiday spirit and the intense sleep deprivation combined with a wee touch of the good stuff made me extra fun at Thanksgiving dinner. I wish I could convey how funny some things are at 4:30 in the morning. For example, several of the costumes are made of solid, rigid foam. Macy’s has muffins, letter blocks, stars, and spools of thread among many other. You have no idea how hilarious it is when a woman wearing a giant foam spool of thread sloooooowly falls over, then rolls back and forth on the ground since she totally can’t get up. By the time we got her upright she was laughing hysterically as she solemnly advised her posse of spools and needles to remain upright for the duration of the parade.

How can anyone not feel festive after a look at this Happy Little Tree! (Anyone catch the Bob Ross refernce? Anyone? Bueller?)

I will leave you with one of my favorite costumes from the day, The Queen Bee, who completely lived up to her name. After the 2+ mile march and hours of bee-ing unable to sit down, she kept begging for 5 more mintutes in her costume when she got back! She’s got the spirit!

I wish you the best of holidays, shoeblog readers! If you were not already there, I hope this post has helped to get you into the holiday spirit!

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Valentino. Icon of the fashion world. Highest echelon of beauty and glamour. Purveyors of class, elegance, and the most painful shoes ever.

I am not speaking generally, of course. Generally, I can only assume that Valentino’s footwear has both the looks and the comfort, or at least some semblance of it. But specifically, there are a certain style of stilettos that torture the wearer.

The Valentino showroom in midtown Manhattan is a veritable fashion Mecca. This is where the brand holds showroom appointments. These exclusive meetings allow potential buyers to view the new collection on models, up close and personal. Models are booked to show the entire collection in whatever combination the boutique and upscale department store buyers choose. For the models, the involves racing back and forth from the Valentino closet to the showroom hundreds of times over the course of a few days. This is where the footwear comes in. Usually the designers choose a fairly neutral heel from their own line so that buyers will not be distracted by the shoes.

Here are the shoes that the models wore at Valentino:

Valentino

They may look innocent, but the rare Valentino Python Pump is a fearful creature. It surrounds your unsuspecting foot with it’s rock-hard leather and unpadded instep. You will flinch as your toes are squeezed in an inhuman toe box! You will scream us you realize that the extreme height of the heel makes your toes carry all your weight! You will cringe as the sharp edges bite into your foot. These models had to cover a lot of ground in these suckers and each of them was literally bleeding by the end. I considered including photos of their mangled feet, but I thought some of you might be eating.

It just goes to show, a lot of these shoes that we covet when we see them on stars are really for photos and premieres ONLY. They just ain’t built for walking.

Here are some photos of the other shoes in the showroom (just for fun). These were much more comfortable, but not used for this season.

Valentino Patent Bow Shoes

 

Valentino Lattice Shoes

Valentino Gold Disco Ball Shoes

Why does the pretty always have to come with the pain?

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Last weekend, I worked at a very interesting Teen Vogue event called Rock Meets Runway. This is apparently an annual event where 3 bands are chosen from the legions that apply to come to New York and compete for a record contract courtesy of Teen Vogue. There was also a fashion show and the whole thing was hosted by well-known model Chanel Iman.

Here are some things I learned at this event:

1. Teenagers have, like totally different concerns than I do. At this event, I received a goodie bag containing a magazine that featured articles like “How to Deal With Interfering Parents” and “Should You Get Paid For Good Grades.” Apparently, teens have a lot on their plates!

2. I am SO one of those people who will say “Kids Today” and am rapidly approaching “Get Off My Lawn” territory. Though I don’t have a lawn. Because I live in New York, people!

3. Chanel Iman and I have a mutual friend!

Here is a photo of Chanel’s ensemble at the event:

Do you SEE those boots? Do you? Those are Christian Louboutin Donjon boots. (They are no longer available, but retailed for $2350.00. Yes, in dollars) They are so drool-worthy. I am quite sure my eyes were falling out of my head. The man in the picture above, is Chanel’s media coach and an old friend of mine. He introduced me to Chanel and I had trouble tearing my eyes away from her feet so I could politely smile at her face.

I’ll be honest. When I think Loubou, I think stiletto. I do not think awesome rocker flat boots, but apparently the man can, in fact, do it all. He had one other studded celebrity favorite, the Ariella studded boot (shown here on Rachel Bilson), but these are more in keeping with the shape we all have come to expect from the master.

I still can’t get over Chanel’s boots. They were just so incredibly cool and she is a very sweet girl.

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Winter in the city is not an easy time shoe-wise. Right now, it’s about 35 degrees out. We’ve had the first ice of the season, but the real tragic weather has not even begun. Being chic and warm and still able to walk on New York’s treacherous streets is pretty tough. There are some women who pull this off with seemingly no effort at all. I am always baffled (and impressed) when I see these women. Now, to be clear, I am not talking about the glamour girls, or the ones who look like a single designer threw up all over them, I am talking about the ones that have a strong personal style that is all their own, but is appropriate for the season and city they are in.

This young lady, photographed in Think Coffee, a very popular (and usually crowded) coffee shop in the NYU area, has all that and an awesome pair of boots. Take a look at her cute outfit and rockin’ footwear.

These photos do not do these boots justice. First of all, the grey suede is totally in for the season, but these are a very unique incarnation of this type of boot. The contrasting textures of the leather and the suede give the boot a very edgy vibe and the pinky buttons give the leather wrap strips a very different look. Paired with the lace tights and the cute white coat, she is a total IN.

These Juliana Jabour boots are available at shopbop.com for the slightly painful price of $760.00. No one said looking effortless was, in fact, effortless. They come in a nice beige that is almost as cute as the grey in the photo (but only almost). The beige ones are actually very Narnia Ice Queen to me, but in a good way. There is also a black variety, but I think those are kind of blah.

For those of you who are not familiar with the designer (as I was not), Juliana Jabour started her eponymous label in 2004 with a small, but bright fashion show in her home country of Brazil. She primarily designs whimsical, yet edgy dresses and and accessories. You can check out her website here.

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