All posts filed under: Shoes

Eighth Generation x Chinese New Year

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Louie Gong, the shoe artist I featured a few weeks back is celebrating the Year of the Rabbit. You will remember that Louie`s background is Nooksack, Squamish, Chinese and White. Although my family always lived on a reservation, Chinese New Year was one of our favorite holidays because it involved things that were implicitly “Chindian” – fireworks and food. – Louie Gong Learn more about Louie Gong and his shoes at the Eighth Generation website. image: courtesy of Louie Gong

United Nude Spring Summer 2011

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United Nude makes drool shoes. I’m constantly pining about these shoes and this has been going on for years. I’m really surprised I don’t own a pair of United Nude’s yet. It’s sad but true and I blame it on my resistance to order footwear online, I like to try them on first. They are architecturally driven shoes that are bursting with colour. My next NYC trip must include a visit to the United Nude store and more importantly a purchase too. The hardest problem will be trying to decide which ones to buy. I want them all. United Nude is available at Little Burgundy in Fairview Mall but they tend to carry the most boring of styles which doesn’t help me much. Edit: I`ve been told that the Balisi on Queen Street carries United Nude too. images: courtesy of United Nude

Kenzo Spring Summer 2011 Shoes

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These are crazy geta inspired shoes from Kenzo this season.   My first reaction was pretty but I would never wear them but that has changed with time.  I also have a lot of ridiculous platforms why am I judging these.  I could see myself wearing the top two pairs.  I love the prints. Geta (下駄) are a form of traditional Japanese footwear that resemble both clogs and flip-flops. They are a kind of sandal with an elevated wooden base held onto the foot with a fabric thong to keep the foot well above the ground. They are worn with traditional Japanese clothing such as kimono or yukata, but (in Japan) also with Western clothing during the summer months. Sometimes geta are worn in rain or snow to keep the feet dry, due to their extra height and impermeability compared to other shoes footwear such as zōri. (source: wikipedia.com) I found a great link that talks about the different types of geta found in Japan. Traditional Japanese Footwear at wafuku.co.uk has lots of photos and descriptions. …

Diesel x Adidas 2011

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Adidas is a collaboration monster. They’ve paired up with Diesel again to come up with a limited edition sneaker collection. Diesel and Adidas first joined forces with a denim collection in 2008. The Diesel x Adidas sneaker collection features five classic Adidas styles re-designed by Diesel. They were launched on January 20th 2011 and there is only 10,000 pairs available globally. Thus Stefano Rosso, responsible for Strategic Brand Alliances of Diesel (and son of the company’s founder): “I am a huge fan of adidas, they inspire me and they were my myth when I was growing up. After the amazing denim collaboration, when Diesel’s know-how was infused by adidas’ spirit, we are now starting a new chapter of the partnership: the heritage of the two brands will come together applying our spirit on adidas classic kicks!” An adidas spokesperson commented: “Our two brands continue to share a great relationship built on our mutual respect and admiration for each others business and expertise. Following the recent collaboration in which we used the Diesel expertise in denim …

OPI x PUMA Canada x Browns Shoes

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I like hearing about Canada-only collaborations. This time OPI, PUMA Canada and Browns Shoes have teamed up to bring exclusive products to the Canadian market. April marks the spring/summer 2011 launch of exclusive PUMA ballerina flats for Browns Shoes and B2. To celebrate this, PUMA Canada teamed up with OPI to create a special gift with purchase at select Browns Shoes and B2 locations. Limited to only 50 bottles per participating store, PUMA Red by OPI is sure to go fast! (while quantities last, some restrictions apply.) So Brown Shoes and PUMA Canada have teamed up to create a set of exclusive ballerina flats not sold in any other store. In turn PUMA Canada called on nail giant OPI to come up with the PUMA Red nail polish. I’m not into ballet flats so the shoes do nothing for me. I’m intrigued by this retail move. Technically over collaborations but I cant help but get excited by ones that involve the Canada market like this. images: courtesy of PUMA Canada

Louie Gong, Shoe Artist

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I discovered this fascinating video of an artist, Louie Gong, whose medium is sneakers, typically Vans and Chuck Taylors. Louie’s work is very beautiful. I don’t think I’d even want to wear them outside, just put them in a glass box for display purposes. His aesthetic has resonated with people because he’s currently not taking any more orders right now. Business must be booming and I can imagine each pair of shoes takes a lot of time. images: Custom Coast Salish/ Northwest Coast style shoes by Louie Gong Facebook

i got: Solvang Clog by Jeffrey Campbell

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When clogs came back into fashion I dismissed them. I’ll never wear these. It’s something I say to myself often and the opposite is usually the result. My thirst for platforms has brought me to Jeffrey Campbell and the Solvang Clog, which I bought at Chasse Gardee on Boxing Day. It’s a very comfortable shoe and gives me that extra height.

Burak Uyan Spring Summer 2011 Accessories

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I’m liking the shoes and handbags from Burak Uyan’s first solo collection. Architecture, organic shapes and the work of Swedish sculptor Eva Hild are among designer Burak Uyan’s inspirations for his first collection under his own name. “I like to work with overlapping superimpositions and organic shapes, mixing round and geometric shapes and different textures,” said the 31-year old designer of Turkish descent. “There are no specifically evening or day styles. The styles are meant for all day, every day.” The debut collection, unveiled in a Saint Honoré showroom in Paris, includes flats retailing for around $650 and high heels that will be priced up to $1,500, depending on materials. With experience designing for Givenchy and Giambattista Valli, in addition to his most recent stint at Aperlaï, Uyan said he is thrilled to be working under his own name. “It was the right time,” he said.(source) images: style.com