Jitterbugbaby is a bit occupied right now with her move ‘across the pond’.  As a result, I am filling in to highlight this weeks episode, and of course, shoes.

Has it been eleven episodes already? Wow, time really does fly.

Kenley angers Suede by stealing Suede’s model. Suede talks in the third person: ‘Suede is going to win this challenge and get his model back’ (Paraphrased).Kenley treats Tim with disrespect, angering hordes of viewers who love the Silver Fox. LL Cool J is the guest judge. Hip Hop Kenley is in the deep end without her floaties.

On to the Challenge.  Kenley doesn’t get to use her stolen model, the designers are also the models for the challenge.  They must design an outfit for their ‘model’ according to a particular musical style: Rock, Pop, Punk, Country, and Hip Hip. 

Trying to remember who’s doing what makes my head hurt.

Quick Chaotic Visual of the fitting Conga Line:

[Project Runway photos all courtesy of Bravotv.com]

Korto’s model is Suede and the theme is Punk Rock. Suede totally sells this look on the runway. Korto wins the challenge with well-made bleach distressed jeans and chain-detailed top.  Korto was right-on for this challenge; this outfit would sell like crazy if it were on display at Hot Topic. 

As for the shoes, they appeared to be black leather and nylon tennis-shoes.  Since Korto bleached these as well in order to match the jeans, you need to find a comfortable pair of black tennies and channel your inner craft-guru to get this look.

Jerell’s model is Kenley and the theme is Pop Music. Jerell does a respectable job of making Kenley over into Brunette Brittany.  The judges love the mesh inserts and spangly attached bra (which I find distracting since the sparkly inserts look unintentionally asymmetrical to me). However, the judges do not love it enough to outscore Korto’s winning look.

Kenley is wearing a metallic knee-high boot that appears to be the Stuart Weitzman ‘Crushable’ Tall boot but could also be the Charles Nolan ‘Tara’ Wedge boot; both are currently available at Bluefly.

Leanne’s model is Korto and the theme is Country-Western. This is a play it safe outfit that luckily did just that.  Happily, none of the judges seemed to notice the Wonder Woman vibe from the gold chevron hip-yoke on this otherwise simple skirt. Hey, Leanne, I’m expecting you to step up and win this thing; I know you have the skill to own this competition.

Korto’s footwear is almost impossible to see. It is most likely a simple low-heeled knee-boot. So, instead I am offering here a few footwear options by Prada that fulfill the Western sensibility of this challenge and are currently available at Bluefly.com: a brown floral detailed pump, a cocoa floral pump with ankle strap, and a bronze western-wingtip pump.

Kenley’s model is Leanne and the theme is Hip Hop. Leanne is painful to watch on the runway. This outfit is so off the mark and poorly fitted that many viewers are crying ‘Suede was Robbed’. Kenley is a one-trick pony who will probably do well designing for the niche retro-swing crowd.  Yes, she has a chance to make it to the final three, but only if Jerell really messes up.

Leanne is wearing the popular Prada cut-out ankle-cuff fairy boot that we have seen used in several other challenges this season; still available at Bluefly.

Suede’s model is Jerell and the theme is Rock and Roll. Apparently his history of time ‘at the bottom’ combined with an outfit the judges found boring, led to his being Auf’d.  Both he and Kenley are overdue. Maybe the judges tossed a coin? Bye Bye Suede.

Jerell’s boots are a classic guy’s industrial-goth style that you can find made by T.U.K. ; pictured here are the T.U.K. A6215 and  A6072.

Two episodes plus the fan favorite episode left to go.  Time to check the cupboard and make sure the popcorn is all stocked up.

5 Comments »

So maybe the real answer to the title of this post is a resounding “Both!” The question was inspired by her recent attire at the launch of the Beckham Signature Fragrance Collection at Macy’s Herald Square in New York City this weekend.

The Evidence:

I’m sorry, perhaps you did not get the full impact of this here photo. Take a closer look.

The Trial:

Defense: As you will see, Lady Posh has lifted an outfit entirely from the Antonio Berardi Fall 2008 runway line. It’s fits beautifully, because let’s face it, Posh can wear the hell out of outfits! And she is all about the crazy high heels!

Prosecution: But she isn’t wearing any heels! Those rubber stockings/boots (yes, they are connected!) have platforms, but are completely heel-less, giving the impression that Posh is balancing all her weight on her tippy toes. That’s not high heels; that’s just crazy.

Def: We of the defense are not the first to laud Miz Beckham for her courageous footwear choices. Let me draw your attention to her Elle editorial from 2008. Here are the shoes that she wore in the highly discussed spread:

Pro: Yeah…those were pretty cool. But wait - they have HEELS, albeit ones that don’t actually touch the ground! The point we are making here is that heel-free shoes are against nature.

Def: It’s not like she’s the first. Marc Jacobs sold a ton of those backwards heel shoes last season. (Still available on Net-a-Porter for the low, low sale price of $660)

Pro: Oh yeah - those were so cool. I mean crazy, they were crazy. I must stick to my guns…

Def: And Vogue’s Stephanie La Cava wore these fantastic Dior Couture uber-platforms to the Whitney Art Party in June and people are still talking about it. See how we are still talking about it?

Pro: I WANT those! Where can I get some. Wow - they look a lot like Posh’s Elle shoes. She’s such a trend-setter. I can’t believe you got to me like this. Ok, she’s crazy AND amazing. We should make a movie about her finely tuned sense of fashion insanity. Must…go…shopping….!

The Verdict: After long deliberation the jury has decided that Posh is both crazy and awesome. Sure we knew that already, but the evidence was too good to pass up.

5 Comments »

I am not usually a fan of logo shoes. They are not really my thing; too busy, too ‘advertisy’, among other reasons. I am one of those gals who doesn’t like paying $300 extra on a shoe simply to get a logo.

But, I openly admit that I am really fond of these.  They are a bit more subtle than most logo shoes I have seen.  All of the detail is in the heel, leaving the the classic peep-toe and slight platform in black leather to maintain a classic appeal and nice visual balance.  Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I love a beautiful stacked-wood heel. The addition of the logo in this case hints at leopard spotting from a distance, so the logo lettering seems more playful to me in this instance.

These would look fantastic peeking out under the right pair of black trousers or accompanying a sexy pencil skirt.

(Available at Saks for $640)

I’m growing very fond of the look of this particular shoe. What to you think?

4 Comments »

I had the luck to be working backstage at the Christian Siriano show at NY Fashion Week. What a madhouse! In addition to the regular melee of cameras, models, makeup/hair folk, and stylists, many of Christian’s friends and family were backstage helping the man himself prepare for the show. Among them were Jack Mackenroth and Sweet Pea (who seems to have picked up a gig reporting for MTV news) from Season 4 of Project Runway.

So let’s talk shoes:

Each of Christian’s models wore a pair of 4-inch stiletto heels in gray, acid green, or neon orange. Several had charming flower-like fabric appliques at the front or the back. These high fashion shoes bore no name, so this girl did a bit of detective work. Want to know how to make high fashion runway footwear?

Step 1: Go to Aldo. Purchase 30 pairs of  heels in a light color.

Step 2: Go to an Art Supply store and purchase some heavy duty paint.

Step 3: Whip out the hot glue gun and some bits of leftover fabric.

Step 4: Mix well.

Here are the before pictures in Taupe ($69.98) and Black ($84.98):

And Voila! Here are the the end results:

Pretty cool, no? That right there is a true PR innovation challenge.

Here are some photos of the backstage ruckus just for fun:

Christian makes some adjustments

A Model waits to go on.

This Lucky Shoeblogger stands between two models. They are SO tall! But very sweet. Don’t they look fabulous?

10 Comments »

Having just highlighted the Betsey Johnson Spring 2009 collection, now comes a perfectly timed sale on several of her current-season shoe styles.

Courtesy of Smartbargains.com, today you can receive up to an additional 25% off the site price on Betsey Johnson shoes and accessories. But, to make this even better, if you pay via Paypal, purchases over $75 receive an additional $20 off.

So, for example, if you just so happened to have been drooling over a shoe like the ‘Terra’ (retailing for $205-$211 at Endless.com, Piperlime.com, DJPremium.com, Zappos.com & Nordstrom.com), you can get it today for $59.98(Smartbargains price of: $99.99 -25% -$20 with Paypal). That’s just about 70% off retail on a current season shoe; a bargain indeed. (There is a similar style for $95.98 pre-Paypal in a straight loafer-style pump, the Tinsley.)

(And yes, I’ve ordered this shoe. It’s lovely and, style-wise, will get me close to the Valentino graphique pump that I so love; and all without breaking my budget. I’m loving the little ‘butterfly’ window cutouts; also loving that perforated leather trim at the end of the ombre ribbon-tie. I think it’s really a nice touch.)

A few other Betsey Johnson items where you might score a deal?

Well, there’s the Sassy leopard printed ‘Tobi’ ankle boot ($119.98 prior to Paypal discount) or ‘Tina‘ pump ($79.98 pre-Paypal discount):

Other styles include the more conservative ‘Teresa‘ back-bow pump and ‘Madeline‘ T-strap styles (both sale priced at $79.98 pre-Paypal promotion).

One last mention. If you were interested in either of the current Fringe or Zipper trends that have been written about previously on this blog, you might be interested in these:

The Taylor ($95.98 pre-Paypal) and Tisha ($143.98 pre-Paypal) will cover any Fringe needs.

While the Tayla ($95.98 pre-Paypal) and Tiana ($119.98) will cover the Zipper side of the equation. 

This is a one-day sale. After today, the base price on these items will return to the regular Smartbargains.com price.  The Paypal promotion is ongoing until September 20th, so you may be able to use it after today if something you like goes back on sale.

1 Comment »