A Christmas Surprise for R5bales.

Dear R5bales,

This is just a quick note to let you know that you will be getting a smallish box from your mail carrier sometime this week.

Since you were so kind as to send me a lovely fashion-themed cake service earlier this year, I was unable to resist it when my hubby insisted that we pick up this little something for you on a recent trip through TJMaxx (I’ll make a veteran bargain hunter of him one of these days).

Let us know when it arrives!

Happy Holidays!

UGG Art and Sole Auction

UGG Australia recently collaborated with a number of popular designers in the 7th annual UGG Art and Sole (Charity) Auction with proceeds benefiting the St. Judes Children’s Hopital.  According to the St. Jude’s website, this event has raised more than $315,000 for the hospital to date.

From the UGG’s website:

In 2005, UGG® Australia decided to use St. Jude as the primary charity for every annual Art & Sole celebrity boot auction. Each year select high profile artists, actors, and musicians are asked to hand design a pair of Classic Boots to auction off on the brand’s homepage during a fourteen day period in December. All of the proceeds are then donated to further the research for St. Jude. Last year, the 5th annual auction raised more than $105,000. Celebrity participants included: Liv Tyler, Miley Cyrus, Eva Longoria, Matthew McConaughey, Ellen DeGeneres, Martha Stewart, Jessica Simpson, Sharon Stone and many more.
Details

Each participant that agrees to design a pair of UGG® Boots is sent an art kit which includes everything they need from paint to sharpie markers. When finished, each celebrity signs each boot and a headshot before sending back to us. Then the auction begins!
About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fund-raising organization.

This year’s designers included Manolo Blahnik, Betsey Johnson, Reem Acra, Giuseppe Zanotti, Rebecca Minkoff, LaROK, True Religion, Stuart Weitzman, Christian Siriano, Lauren Moffatt, Thomas Wylde, Chrome Hearts, PPQ, Zang Toi, Rebecca Taylor, Erin Wasson, Jenni Kayne, Miss Sixty, Leanne Marshall, Pamela Roland, Carlos Falchi, Eugenia Kim, Chloe Dao, and Rafe New York,

My favorite was the flowers and butterflies offering from LaRok (Final bid $2100)

But, the biggest winner for St. Jude appears to be this strappy, studded boot by Rafe New York which ended it’s bidding at $2750.

Final bids on the boots varied from that just-shy-of-3k high-bid down to a more modest $500 for these Thomas Wylde’s skull-themed boot:

Now, let’s play a game!

How many boots can you match to their designer without peeking at the auction link at the top of this story?

Answers are listed after the break below.

(more…)

All I want for Christmas

…Is not actually shoes, for a surprising change of pace.

Sure, I’m always up for new, fun, flirty shoes. But, my Chrismas list this year is a bit more all over the place.

From the bookstore:

Absolute Death (Hardcover Collected Graphic Novels) $99.99

As a HUGE fan of Neil Gaiman’s particular brand of storytelling (he also wrote Coraline), this hardback anthology of past ‘Death’ storylines by DC/Vertigo tops my list. The Grim Reaper as a cool, philosphical, hippy-chick, goth-girl is not to be missed.

Next,  glimpsed in Vegas, are two evening bags by the sometimes over-the-top, but always exuberantly feminine, Mary Frances:

Mary Frances ‘Conquest’ $174

This is just so girly-rocker-sweet; pardon me while I swoon….Love this.

Mary Frances ‘Urban Nature’ $174

Not quite as Rocker-chic as the black bag, but it just happens to perfectly match one of my favorite pairs of Betsey Johnson pumps, squee! :

Is it any wonder I am totally crushing on the matching bag?

Also on my list is this leather, steampunk, ‘chest harness’ hand-made by Velvet Mechanism ($55):

And this Metal Filigree ‘Kitty’ Venetian Carnivale mask ($138):

So, what’s on your list?

Shoes of the 2009 AMA’s

I am not much of a celebrity watcher. But, as might be expected, I am a shoe-watcher. So, despite my general cluelessness on who’s who these days in Hollywood, I love looking at the fashion photos of red-carpet events like yesterday’s AMA’s.

By the way, it drives me nuts that you can get fashion coverage of what folks wore, but they almost never mention the shoes as a part of this!!!

Am I the only person driven bonkers by this oversight?

Now I am left trying to wrack my brain in an attempt to remember who makes which shoe, etc. It’s enough to give a girl a migraine.

So, a quick rundown of some of the shoes seen on the AMA red carpet along with who makes them…in cases where my memory is actually serving me today. (Celeb photos are c/o Huffington Post & Popsugar)

Kristen Bell in Christian Louboutin:

Christian Louboutin ‘Archidisco’ $995

Colbie Caillat in what looks an awfully lot like a non-platform version of Louboutin’s ‘Ambro’ lace pump:

Christian Louboutin  ‘Ambro’ $825
(A similar budget style is available here.)

Alicia Keys…I should know this shoe & it’s driving me nuts. Somebody help me since my memory has completely betrayed me on these brilliant blue sandals:

Rihanna, sporting the Marchessa cut-out dress we saw recently. Love it or hate it, these white ankle-strap pums paired beautifully with this dress. (No, I haven’t figured out the maker of these shoes yet, either.)

Leona Lewis in chain-bedecked booties.

While her boots are probably not the exact ones I am showing here, these are the closest I could find on at the moment to a match for her booties:

Bakers Shoes ‘Julee’ (Another similar style is ‘Flash’ by Dolce Vita)

And I’ll end this with another shoe for whom I can’t find the maker, but have found a few strappy-alternatives that I would be just as happy to wear.

Carrie Underwood:

If you like these uber-strappy sandals, maybe one of these would also tempt you:

Sigerson Morrison ’9438′

Guiseppe Zanotti Strappy Leather Sandal

Dior Cartagena Sandals

Edited to add: Found the Jimmy Choos at Bluefly!!!!

Jimmy Choo ‘Verity’ $876 $1095

Roper Cowbabies

So, I was down at the feed store this afternoon (and how often do you see shoe-lovers starting a conversation with a phrase like that?!) and encountered these cute little baby slippers. They immediately made me think of fellow shoe-blogger Shomore who is at that stage of pregnancy where I suspect she is just ready for it to be over and meet her baby already.

So, can we get an “Awww”?

Cowbabies pink Hi-top Critters $25.99 at Boot Barn and $26.99 at Sheplers.

Cowbabies tan Hi-top Critters $25.99 at Boot Barn.

Cowbabies pink Cowboy Boot $26.99 at Drysdales.

These are Roper brand “Cowbabies”; retail on these ranges from $19.99 to about $30.00, depending on the retailer. Available in 15 designs and made with soft leather uppers and non-skid bottoms, these are designed for little feet that are not yet ready for stiffer, hard-soled shoes.

And, unlike the perhaps-too-girly and grown-up heelarious slippers, I don’t see these being quite so controversial for potential baby gift-giving.