Shoe History Corner: Louboutin’s first red sole

This year marks the twentieth anniversary that Christian Louboutin has been painting our soles in red.  So, isn’t it fitting that we do a Louboutin post?  Today’s shoe of the day is Christian Louboutin’s “Pensée”.   This  60s inspired pop art flower has the unique distinction of being the first to feature the the red sole that has countless admirers worldwide.

To celebrate Louboutin’s 20th anniversary, a special collection is being released that consists of recreated versions of the brand’s top styles and personal favorites.  The collection is limited to approximately 25 department stores and boutiques in the United States.  If you are interested in learning more about the collection, please contact our SA Greg Grady at Nordstrom.  He can be reached at greg.grady@nordstrom.com or 206-478-3552.

The Paul Smith Mancini Flowered Loafer

You can’t find this loafer online very easily, especially on sale.

But you can find it on sale for $223 at the Paul Smith Sale Shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

It pays to read your ShoeBlog. Call them ahead to see if they have your size.

This loafer really caught my eye while I was out shopping with friends. It’s feminine, comfortable, and just a little showy with the gold panels.

Made with white and pink nubuck, contrast vintage gold panels, and beige leather soles, this is a 100% leather shoe.

Nicholas Kirkwood Springs to Life

The weather outside couldn’t get any drearier, but Nicholas Kirkwood’s spring line instantly breathed some life into this shoe blogger’s life.  The spring 2012 footwear collection is said to be inspired by florals and tropics from Kirkwood’s trip to Bali.  While this is certainly a 180 degrees departure from his sexy, fierce style of past collections and collaborations, these botanical beauties are pieces I’d love to see growing in my closet.

Left: Nicholas Kirkwood Leaf Pump Preorder for $925 at Nordstroms

Right: Nicholas Kirkwood Botanical Pump Preorder for $720 at Nordstroms

The Perfect Black Pump

Finding the perfect black pump is like finding the perfect black dress.   Great in theory, but difficult in practice.  My perfect black pump would have a 1/2 inch platform, smooth leather, a 3 inch heel, an almond toe and, at most, a $200-300 price tag.   I don’t want any annoying spikes or studs.  I have had my fill of them.  Enough is enough.  Christian Louboutin has a great basic pump, as does Gucci and Valentino but those are simply out of my price range.

These Platswoons by Stuart Weitzman are gorgeous, I own them in Red Quasar.  They are a little high in the heel at 4 inches but a 1/2 inch platform makes it 3.5 and at $300 they are a little high in my price range.  In truth, I have these in my shopping cart.  I may end up purchasing them later on this month. We’ll see.

The  Charles David Piza on sale at $175  are a good choice,  but they don’t have the platform needed for stability AND much time in a 4 inch heel is paralyzing.

Some of our readers have posted their shoes and it is wonderful to see what shapes you are attracted to.

So tell, what do your perfect black pumps look like?

Twilight Wedding Shoe: Blahnik’s Swan

I have seen about 20 minutes of one Twilight movie.  The one where she can’t decide between the vampire and the werewolf.

Just between you and me,  the werewolves seemed to be lots more fun than that morose vampire.  They got to run around the forest, jump off cliffs into a lake, ran around without their shirts, and were better looking.

So in the last Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn, the girl marries the morose vampire.  Anyways, I have seen several articles about the wedding outfit.  I gotta tell ya, the shoes are gorgeous.

Swan by Manolo Blahnik $1295 at Neiman Marcus

These are available in white, black and cranberry.

Blahnik hit a home run with the blue satin shoes Carrie Bradshaw  wore in SATC. I expect these to be just as popular.