December 26, 2012

Holiday Cheer Courtesy of Charlotte Olympia

Dear Readers,
Hope you are all having a lovely holiday surrounded by family, friends, good cheer and loads of prezzies!!

In honour of this most wonderful of holidays I bring you sky high festive heels by British designer Charlotte Olympia. If you are not in the holiday mood, these will surely get you there!

Her 2013 Cruise collection entitled "Glamazon" is also to die for and perfect for that holiday escape to the sun.  I can smell the coconut oil and ocean air now...

"Jingle Bell Dolly"—Limited Edition
The ankle strap is detachable so you can use all year round for your party needs

"Kiss Me Dolly" Limited Edition
Mistle toe Clip is detachable

"Bahia"—2013 Cruise "Glamazon" Collection

"Miranda" in the Ipanema Print


photo source: charlotte olympia.com

November 20, 2012

Trend Spotlight: Wedge Sneakers

I don't normally wear sneakers/trainers as I am quite small and therefore prefer to be teetering on heels as often as possible! So unless am off to the gym, sneakers do not figure into my wardrobe.

A while back I started to see celebrities in Hollywood running around with these wedge sneakers by Isabel Marant and ever so often I would think "hmmm maybe, but am not convinced they looked a bit too clunky for me"  Well, it seems the trend has caught on as many a brand are making the wedge sneaker and I figured it was time to jump on this bandwagon and get a pair! I bought the 'Thelma' by Ash (see below) and completely love it!

Below are my picks for the best non-clunky looking wedge sneakers out there.

Enjoy!
XO,
AMUSE

Guiseppe Zanotti, Wedge Zip Sneaker 


ASH 'Thelma' Wedge Sneaker Back

See by Chloe Leather Wedge High-Top Sneakers










Isabel Marant Internal Wedge sneaker
photo credit: barneys.com









Leather Crown Wedge Sneaker
photo credit: farfetch.com











Jimmy Choo 'Panama' Wedge Sneaker


photo credit: nordstrom.com


October 12, 2012

Love Affair...With Valentino

I seriously cannot get enough of this collection. Last night I was doing a bit of internet "window shopping" which is basically where I shop my brains out online by placing items into a shopping cart but then I don't actually buy anything.  This is what I do when I am low on funds but still need a shopping fix. Pathetic I know, but at least it helps quell the urge in the moment and helps me relax.

Anyway, I came across the ankle boot (shown below) and literally fell in love! I cannot stop thinking about these shoes so I decided to do a post on Valentino.

Here are the shoes from the "Rock Stud" collection.  I plan on putting some funds aside to buy these lovely boots and if I could would buy every single one of these lovelies.

Enjoy!,
XO
AMUSE

Yummy! I can imagine a million outfits for these.


oh! it is so hard to choose, what a beautiful tone of Nude.

This combination of Red and Nude with the studs is just too AMAZING

I mean really, am at a loss, just too too lovely!


I would wear these everywhere, The perfect flat!





photosource: http://www.valentino.com


October 1, 2012

Spotlight: Andreia Chaves

Continuing on the theme of shoes as collectible art, I would like to introduce you to Artist/ Designer Andreia Chaves.

Andreia hails from Sao Paulo, Brazil and has been capturing the attention of the fashion world and art collectors for a few years now. She graduated from the Polimoda Fashion Institute in Florence, Italy in 2010 and in early 2011 launched her well known and much spoken about series entitled "Invisible Shoe".
Andreia challenges and melds the worlds of art, fashion, industrial design and architecture in her studies of shoes and creates these absolutely beautiful pieces that I personally would be equally proud to display in my home or on my feet!

Here are a few examples of her work. I recommend you keep this designer on your radar as I expect we will see many more great things from her and she will continue to challenge and surprise us.




Shoes are made in goat leather or lambskin and all of the structures are 24K gold plated.

Leather Portion of shoe is handmade in Italy and the Gold is done in Ireland

The "GoldSculpt" series comes in 3 different styles, this is the 3rd in the series

Beige Lambskin, High Polished Bronze and 24K Gold Plated Structure

The "Invisible Effect" is the result of s study on the Optical Effect applied to Shoe Design

The Naked version of the "Invisible Effect"

This shoe is all Leather on the inside and the Outside structure is a 3D printed Nylon

photosource: http://www.andreiachaves.com

September 25, 2012

SPOTLIGHT: Kobi Levi...Shoe Art at It's Finest

I love it when shoe designers get really creative and shoes truly become a work of art. Kobi Levi has to be the most creative shoe designer I have ever come across. I don't know if I would wear these or just simply display them, they are just too fun and unique to wear and risk ruining in any way.

Kobi Levi hails from Tel Aviv, Israel and started designing shoes as a teenager out of cardboard!
He graduated from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in 2001 and then started freelancing as a shoe designer. As his own creative outlet, he started creating his own designs that really challenged the norm in shoe design and uploading these designs to a blog he started in 2010. He gained quite the following and his business has now grown to include a shop in Tel Aviv where he designs and makes all his shoes by hand. They are made in limited quantities and of the highest quality materials.

Kobi has a Website where you can purchase his shoes: KOBILEVI.

This will definitely be a designer to watch for shoe collectors everywhere!  Tip: Lady Gaga is already a fan, she wore his double boot design in her "Born this Way" video.


Here are some of Kobi's lovely creations below:




"Flamingo", I think the shoe says it all

"Orca"

"Swan", elegant and graceful lik a swan itself

"Contemporary Chinese", The inspiration is a fiery dragon

"Miao" Like a Cat about to leap out in front of you

"Banana" Kobi envisioned Banana as a slipper, oh the irony...

"Coffee Porcelain" Coffee dripping out of a cup forms the heel

"Blow" Imagine what you will

"Mother and Daughter" Meant to depict the special bond between mother and child

"Blonde Ambition" Madonna and her famous cone bra


September 24, 2012

Best and Worst Dressed at the Emmy's

Hello Everyone,

The Emmy Awards were held last night in Los Angeles and as usual I was glued to my TV eagerly awaiting the arrival of all of Hollywood's best and brightest in TV.  Here is my take on who really shined and those who missed the mark. This list could be endless (more so on who made the worst list), but for the sake of this post I have tried to keep it somewhat short. Also this being a shoe blog and all, at the very end of the post is an Honourable Mention for the two top pairs of shoes I saw on the red carpet and am coveting!


BEST OF THE EMMY'S


By far by far, my favourite of the evening was Ginnifer Goodwin. I absolutely love love LOVE this Monique Lhuillier Dress for it's colour, craftsmanship, cut, and originality. Alot of these dresses tend to look the same to me and this one just really stood out. It was also styled to perfection!!

Ginnifer Goodwin in Monique Lhuillier



Sofia Vergara always makes my best dressed list! While I am not completely in love with the dress itself she makes the list due to how well this dress fits her. A lot of stars will wear a dress that is absolutely stunning but the fit isn't quite right. It is the opposite in this case. the dress isn't incredibly different or spectacular but it fits perfectly and the colour looks incredible on her. Let's face it with a body like that, how can you not make the best dressed list!

Sofia Vergara in Zuhair Murad


Jessica Pare just killed it in this stunning Jason Wu gown. She is the epitome of classic hollywood and exudes elegance.

Jessica Pare in Jason Wu








I am not usually a huge fan of Versace but this is another example of a dress that was perfectly tailored to a celebrities' body. Lucy Liu looks amazing in this gown!


Lucy Liu in Versace


This dress just really stood out to for me and I had to mention it because I felt it went really well with Ariel's complexion and the textures were just incredible! As I mentioned before I am an advocate for originality in design and I believe Katherine Kidd did it really well with this gown.

Ariel Winter in Katherine Kidd


Okay, the rest will be a run down of the stars who I think really looked stunning at the Emmy's this year and made the best dressed list in my books. I must say the ladies from E!'s fashion police never disappoint. 

Allison Williams in Oscar de La Renta

Emily Van Kamp in J Mendel

Guiliana Rancic in Romona Keveza


This was not my favourite of dresses but I had to add it as I think this is one of those dresses that only Heidi Klum could pull off!  This woman just looks amazing in this colour and cut. With all this skin showing only Heidi could makes this look sexy and elegant at the same time.


Heidi Klum in Alexandre Vauthier



I think Julia Louis-Dreyfus has never look this elegant on a red carpet. This is definitely the right style dress for her and the colour really suited here. Very elegant choice!


Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Vera Wang


I mean wow!! Julianne Hough just dazzled in this gown! The colour was bang on for her skin tone and really made her eyes stand out. Beautiful!

Julianne Hough in Georges Hobeika

Julie Bowen in Monique Lhuillier

Kat Dennings in J Mendel





I just love Kelly Osbourne in this Zac Posen Gown! The colour looked perfect on her, especially with her hair! To die for! so beautiful!!

Kelly Osbourne in Zac Posen


It's difficult to find age appropriate gowns for the younger stars and I think Zac Posen designed a beautiful dress for Kiernan. She looked so pretty!

Kiernan Shipka in Zac Posen




This colour is just amazing!! and am so happy to see this tone of tangerine and fiery red-oranges showing up everywhere.



Padma Lakshmi in Monique Lhuillier






Sarah Hyland in Marchesa





Tina Fey in Vivienne Westwood



AND THE WORST OF THE EMMYS....

Honestly, it makes me sad because I am sure all these ladies left their homes this evening thinking I look amazing!, this is a fabulous choice!!  All I can say is blame your stylists and get new one's and if you don't have one and dressed yourselves, then consider getting one!!




By Far the WORST of the evening was this one. I don't know what Phoebe Price was thinking. I can't even find the name of the designer who created this. I imagine they are in hiding right now!  Please if you know who made this or who her stylist is write a comment! I am actually really curious to know.


Phoebe Price in I HAVE NO IDEA BUT IT'S BAD!




This was an extremely poor choice for January Jones. It was terribly styled and her hair... MY GOD HER HAIR!!! maybe if her hair and make-up had been different this would have worked a bit better. The eyes are way too done up and the hair just looks like she stood in the shower and then slicked it back.  It's a shame to see a beautiful woman this poorly made up.


January Jones in Zac Posen


Oh my, I am usually a big fan of Carolina Herrera but this dress just truly missed the mark! Not to mention how it was styled. This colour looks terrible on Ashley Judd and the hair..oh gosh the hair!! the worst I have ever seen on a red carpet I think.


Ashley Judd in Carolina Herrera


This Dress would be stunning on the right woman but it is not right for Hayden Panetierre. It makes her look matronly and does not flatter her at all. It is not age appropriate for this beautiful girl.

Hayden Panetierre in Marchesa


This Prada dress... Oh my, am literally rendered speechless. There is no reason for her to have chosen to wear a sack to the Emmy's!! She is young and should be wearing something fun, youthful, flattering and well...attractive!

Lena Dunham in Prada


Another one that decided a tent would be a good choice to strut down the red carpet! I have no words for this. The Lena's really misjudged this year!

Lena Headey in Giorgio Armani



I love a jumpsuit, but this a good example of a jumpsuit done way WRONG!! This is just plain terrible.
It  looks like a high-end clown suit!  This woman used to have amazing hair, what is with this terribly choppy haircut??

Portia de Rossi in Maison Valentino


Juliann Moore makes me sad. She is such a gorgeous woman and she decided to dress in something that would have been appropriate for a woman much older than her. This does nothing for her figure at all! I am told it was quite hot in LA yesterday as well, which can only mean she must have been boiling in this!

Julianne Moore in Christian Dior


I would like to say that I liked this but sadly I cannot side with our dear Downton Abbey Starlet. She just looks frumpy and it was not fitted properly to her body at all. It looks like she must have picked it up from LV off the rack with no time to have it tailored.  Sadly Michelle makes my "Worst Dressed" list this year.

Michelle Dockery in Louis Vuitton


I can appreciate someone wanting to be fun, different, and unique and in fact that is something I always look for when compiling these lists but unfortunately fun, different and unique can go way WRONG!

This is a good example of when it simply does not work.

Elisabeth Moss in Dolce and Gabbana



Too Much going on for someone who looks best in understated simple designs. I truly love Christina Hendricks and think she is an absolutely gorgeous woman!  This woman is so naturally beautiful that the more simple a dress is, the better she looks. This dress by Christian Siriano did not do her justice.
The belt plus the amount of ruching and the wrap effect plus the bow etc. was simply overkill on her.

Christina Hendricks in Christian Siriano


Prom Dress Gone Bad
For those of you who have had the pleasure or pain (however which way you choose to remember it) of your high school prom. This dress reminds of the endless sea of bad taffeta, foil fabric and cheap silk in horrific colours that would inevitably appear. This is THE fashion mistake we would all live to regret!

Archie Panajabi in Randi Rahm




and because this is after all primarily a shoe blog, I just had to mention the two pairs of shoes that I am coveting from this year's EMMY's.


Ginnifer Goodwin really rocked it from head to toe and I just had to give you a close-up of these Louboutin lovelies!

Ginnifer Goodwin in Christian Louboutin


Remember with this next one it is the shoes that I mean to call out and NOT the dress.
I didn't love Jena Malone's dress but I think the shoes looked amazing with the dress and the shoes themselves deserved a mention. These gorgeous metallic sandals are from CASADEI. To me these are a "must have" in any woman's wardrobe. You will treasure these for years to come and will become a go-to for evening wear.


CASADEI High-Heeled Sandal as worn by Jena Malone



Well that is all for my take on the red carpet at the 2012 Emmy's. I sadly could have added many more to this Worst-dressed list but I had to keep it to my absolute least favorite or we could be here forever!

Would love to hear your thoughts. Do you agree? disagree? who would you have said were your top best or worst dressed?

Write away readers! 
XO