This Week in Shoes

(AP photo @ Telegraph.co.uk)

- Christian LaCroix’ fashion house has begun Bankruptcy proceedings (c/o Telegraph.co.uk & thetimesonline.co.uk).

- In a contrasting bright spot of economic news, cobblers, whose numbers have been dwindling for lack of interest by the new working generation, are weathering the current financial downturn as customers turn to cobblers to stretch their shoe-dollars. (c/o jacksonville.com)

- The BATA shoe museum in Toronto, Canada, has opened a new exhibit: “On a Pedestal: From Renaissance Chopines to Baroque Heels“. The exhibit opened this November and will run through September 20, 2010.  and features about 70 pairs of shoes dating from the 16th and 17th centuries with many on loan from museums in Italy, Britain, Sweden, Austria and the United States (c/o The Canadian Press).

Britney Webb’s softball prowess, including a .403 batting average, six home runs, 40 RBI’s and 55 stolen bases earns her this year’s Adidas “Golden Shoe Award“. (c/o the NAIA website)

- Victoria Beckham’s devotion to fashionable footwear comes at a painful price; bunion surgery is recommended. (c/o dailymail.co.uk)

(Image @ gallery at link below)

- Kim Kardashian goes shopping with Mom in NYC. Kim asks, “What do you think of those turquoise boots?” (c/o kimkardashian.celebuzz.com)

- A quick reminder: Jimmy Choo’s Project Pep “You, Your Shoes, and 72” is down to the last 5 days for accepting contest entries if you are feeling creative.

Olsen Mania

On Tuesday, the Olsen twins did a signing for their new coffee table book, Influence, at the Barnes and Noble in Union Square. To hand it to B&N, more than 2000 people showed up in hopes of getting their moment with O squared, and the corporate bookseller did a good job of keeping the mayhem in check. They did less well with the outside mayhem which involved members of PETA wearing “Trollsen” masks and carrying signs to protest the Olsens’ use of fur in their clothing lines, The Row and Elizabeth & James.

The event was huge! There were tons of people and a full-on media pit in front of the desk where the twins did their signing, In order to attend said book signing, you had to follow a very strict list of rules that included a “buy the book or you don’t go upstairs” clause and a definite ”no photos” clause. They were seriously kicking people out for using their camera phones. So, in order to make sure I had something to report on, I kept my camera in check and have pulled a very nice image from the Internet. Though the girls did not read from their book or take questions, they were very nice as each person approached, trembling, book in hand. (And to be quite honest, my ears are still ringing a bit from the screams that erupted when the ladies first took the stage. Think *NSync concert in a high school gym circa 2000). Each fan placed their grail in front of the ladies of the hour and received a smile and signature that will last forever in the heart of each teenage girl and rampant celebritista.

But what were the famed twins wearing on their feet?

 
(Photo courtesy Getty Images)

Well, honestly I don’t know exactly what these are. They are comparatively simple for the ladies in question, but crazy high. These ladies are teeny-tiny little-bitty creatures in real-life, so I get the insane heels, but Damn! they must be tough to walk in. The Hollywood types must take promenading lessons with Victoria “Her Stiletto-ness” Beckham. Cute cute cute. I have some guesses as to the make and model.

Option 1. They are the aforementioned Christian Louboutin Hidden Platform pumps described in my earlier ”Hard Days Work” post. OK, obviously they are not, but the Olsens describe good ‘ol CL as a close personal friend that they see on a regular basis in their book, so this would be a reasonable guess. Obviously, there is an obvious lack of a red sole on the Olsens’ version, so I guess it’s close, but no cigar with this one.

Option 2: They are the YSL Trib Two Platform Pump. These are appropriately sky-high, have a perfect pedigree (YSL is the dog and pony show champion of the fashion world) and current season. See Saks Fifth Avenue ($795). This is certainly a better guess and almost certainly correct.

Overall the event was worth attending and the book is…interesting. There are photos of the twins through the ages (cute babies in the Full House years) and some fascinating interviews with people I have idolized for a long time. My favorites are Diane Von Furstenberg whose clothing and fabrics are beautiful and Karl Lagerfeld who is crazily fascinating in everything he does. His interview is no exception.

I will leave you with a final image:

With love,
Mary-Kate and Ashley 

Bright and Beautiful at Christian LaCroix Spring 2009

The Spring 2009 Christian LaCroix show was amazing, extravagant, playful, feminine, and most of all, beautiful.

Everything was adorned with bold and unashamedly feminine details from the clothing, to the jewelry, the handbags, and the shoes.

Oh yes, the shoes – delicate chain and ribbon creations that stand as jewelry all on their own. This was candy for your feet. Delightful, delicious and decadent sandals that will make you feel like a princess every time you wear them, whether paired with an evening gown or denim. The attached anklet ‘strap’ nicely manages to avoid being cliche. In addition to this bit of sparkle, I am particularly fond of how the graduated coloring of the ribbon straps bring a subtle and stylish ombre look to the whole shoe. These certainly fall under the category of Art to Wear.

[Photos Via Style.com]

Lacroix Look-alike

Christian Lacroix knows how to do feminine footwear. Often the sparklier, the better.

But I am drawn to these natural woven leather heels, which for Lacroix, are downright conservative.

Zappos is down to it’s last size: 38.5 (US which certainly isn’t going to fit my foot. Perhaps a Lacroix fan could pick it up at the clearance price of 46% off its original price of $719.

Like the style but not the price tag? Oh Deer has their ‘PB&J’ which is a cork-styled shoe apparently inspired by the LaCroix original. At $120 it is a bit more appealing to the budget-conscious.

Available in most sizes from both Shoebuy.com and Shoes.com, among others. Don’t forget to check out our Deals and Steals area to see if there are any current coupon codes available.