This Week in Shoes

- The New York Times interviews up-and-coming fashion designer Christian Siriano.

- Marcus Jordan’s loyalty to Dad’s shoe brand causes University of Central Florida to lose it’s Adidas sponsorship (LA Times).

- In more positive Adidas news, Adidas has announced a plan to make €1 trainers in an effort to make affordable shoes available to those worldwide who would otherwise be without footwear (UK. Telegraph)

- Collections are ongoing through November 23rd for  Samaritan’s Purse:  “Operation Christmas Child“; a UK-based charity that collects Christmas gifts packed in shoe boxes to be shipped to children worldwide. Packages can be tracked online to their destination. Dropoff locations (By postal code) are available here.

- Jimmy Choo line goes on sale at select H&M retailers with some locations passing out wristbands in an effort to head off fights or violence. Shoes are already appearing at markup on online auction sites such as ebay – a predictable sign of the times. More here. (Market Watch, The Telegraph, NY Daily News & Shanghaist)

- It’s official, both the NY Times and Chicago Tribune are writing about this fall’s continuing women’s footwear trending toward ‘extreme shoes’; super high heels and statement shoes are still going strong.

- Minnesota-based shoe brand ‘Red Wings Shoes’ will be laying off 200 employees at Kentucky and Minnesota locations due to the continued economic downturn that continues to affect their blue-collar customer base (Kansas City Star).

- Popsugar has a chance to win a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes….all you have to do is be willing to sign up for shopstyle email alerts to be entered.

This week in shoes

Okay, so this one is from several weeks back:

- Hundreds of shoes from Imelda Marco’s infamous collection were rescued from rising floodwaters by dedicated museum workers at the Marikina Shoe Museum.

- In shoe-throwing news, a shoe is thrown at the former Australian Prime minister John Howard, while Sikh shoe-throwing journalist Jarnail Singh is honored in Canada.

- Jimmy Choo is interviewed by Roya Nikkhah – c/o NY Times

- Shoes continue to sell well despite recession. Apparently shoes are a luxury many of us refuse to do without c/o NY Times.

- A touching and Stars and Stripes article about two shoe bins marked ‘Left’ and ‘Right’. A story that brings home a sense of immediacy that although we are able to medically save many more military lives than we were able to in years past, the price is often a missing limb.

- Also touching, a Saks Fifth Avenue shoebox ‘full of New York’ care-package arrives in Afghanistan:

Lastly, and on a much lighter note:

-Cracked.com has the best version of the “women’s shoe-shopping dilemma” flowchart that I have yet seen. The after-commentary is also wickedly funny. Especially note the differences in the flow charts for men vs. women (as caught by Shoes N Booze)

Jimmy Choo: Project Pep 72-hour preview

Sometimes email is just plain fun to open.

Case in point:

Note that Jimmy Choo is launching the “Project PEP” Collection in which 25% of the net sales will be donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Also note that you can preview this collection online now or at the 72-hour ‘pop-up shop’ – if you are lucky enough to be living or travelling in the UK and in range of the Jimmy Choo concept store located in Selfridges, London.

In my case, I’m pretty much stuck with the online preview of this very colorful Choo collection.

Here are my quick faves:

The ‘Pep Loop’ sandal ($975):

Or, this cute little wrist cuff ($245):

And, because I’m really more of a wristlet than huge handbag gal, this little ‘Filipa’ wallet:

Which one is your favorite?

Jimmy Choo for H&M: A first look

We have all been waiting for photos of the Jimmy Choo line that will be sold in select H&M stores on November 14, 2009.  Here are some of the latest, released shoe and handbag photos.  There is lots of sparkle and shine for the holiday season, priced around $129.

General reaction has been mixed.  Some say that the only reason they will be purchased is because they are Jimmy Choos, some say these styles are just more of the same, others say they are fab.   What do you think?

You, your Shoes and 72

Jimmy Choo has launched an online photo competition called ‘You, Your Shoes and 72’ to support Project PEP, a charity collection that donates 25% of sales to the Simelela Rape Centre in South Africa. The money goes towards providing the HIV-preventative treatment PEP (which must be taken within 72 hours of exposure to HIV) and counseling to victims of rape in South Africa. The grand prize winner receives 7 pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes and 2 handbags, plus there are 100 exclusive Jimmy Choo runner up prizes.

Here are some of my favorite entries so far:

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I was pretty blown away by everyone’s creativity.

Entries can be in any format (photograph, artwork, drawings, paintings) and winners will be picked from a shortlist of entrants whose photos have the highest rating. On that note, here’s a shameless plug for myself.  Keep in mind that I do not have an artistic bone in my body.

There are two deadlines for the contest.  The first is 26th October 2009, if you want your photo to be considered for exhibition at the Project PEP launch event at Selfridges in London. The final competition deadline is 7th December 2009, when overall winners will be announced.

So have a little fun.  Tap into your inner Picasso by taking part in this very worthy social contest and spread the word about this vital 72 hour time window.  I’d love to see what your creative juices can cook up.