All posts filed under: Shoes

I want – I got’s ALDO Rise Spring Summer 2012 Top Picks

Aldo partnered with six designers for the Spring Summer 2012 collections. The collaboration was nameless previously but now it has a name, Aldo Rise. Participating for Spring Summer 2012 is JW Anderson, Preen, Faster Mark Fast, Libertine, Christian Cota and Cushnie et Ochs. Aldo created a great tumblr blog for the collection and enlisted the help of  Tommy Ton and The Coveteur to take lots of photos during fashion week. They captured a  lot of great images to see and the Aldo Rise Tumblr archive is a good place to start. I’m a big fan of the collection.  Here are my top picks.  It’s going to be hard to decide which pairs to pick up. Preen Faster Mark Fast > Libertine JW Anderson Christian Cota Aldo Rise hits stores March 8 , 2o12.  Watch this space for more details about availability. images: aldorise.tumblr.com

i want: Beau Coops x Karen Walker Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 Shoes

Daniela, owner of Chasse Gardee, is an accessories pusher. I was in the store one day and she showed me samples from the Beau Coops x Karen Walker Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 collection. They are now my newest obsession and I can’t wait till the shipment comes in so I can get myself a pair of the white leather brogues.  Shush now, I know I already own a pair of white derby shoes by Rokin.  Hmm, the Rokin’s were from Chasse Gardee too. Beau Coops is a London based footwear label designed by Carrie Cooper. Cooper’s designs are influenced by unisex dressing, menswear and androgyny. The label produces sculptural platform wedges, lace-up brogues and contrast toe ankle boots. I’ve always known Karen Walker for sunglasses. I’m going to own my first pair thanks to Moda Operandi sometime this fall. Karen is more than just sunglasses as she produces a ready to wear line and accessories. images: stylebistro.com

Hermes Spring Summer 2011 Shoes

This editorial for the Hermès Spring Summer 2011 collection is wonderful. I scanned the images from the Le monde d`Hermès magazine. Normally, the only Hermès shoe I obsess over is the riding boot.   However, the last few seasons have been pretty fun for shoes and these are very colourful ones. images: scanned by me

I want- I got’s H&M Conscious Collection Fall Winter 2011- 2012 Top Picks

I’m liking the new H&M Conscious Collection Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 collection. I picked up a few pieces from the Spring Summer 2011 collection and I see a few fall pieces that I like. This season the H&M Conscious Collection takes influences from romanticism and Swedish folklore.  The collection features recycled wool and organic fabrics like cotton , linen and hemp. The Conscious Collection collection uses embroidery and lace this season and I’m hoping they look good in person too. I’m never into H&M shoes but I love, love, love these booties. The Conscious collection will be available staring October 6, 2011 at the Eaton Centre, Yorkdale and Bloor Street locations in Toronto. Other Canadian locations are Downtown Montreal, The Pacific Centre and Metropolis at Metrotown. images: courtesy of H&M

i want: adidas Originals x Star Wars Wampa Sneakers

The adidas Originals x Star Wars collaboration always gets me excited each season. I’m so curious to see what new combinations they will come up with. I love the Wampa Sneakers from the adidas Originals x Star Wars Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 collection. Total Wookie action. They are even made from faux pony hair. You can see the rest of the sneakers in the adidas Originals x Star Wars Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 collection on Highsnobiety.com images: Highsnobiety.com

I want – I got’s Aldo Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 Top Picks

Aldo used to be my inexpensive shoe fix years ago and then I discovered the joys of Nine West. For the last couple of seasons, Nine West hasn’t produced styles that I’ve been interested in so I’ve switching my fix to Aldo has once again. Here are my top shoe and handbag picks from the Aldo Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 lookbook.  My top pick is the mustard tassel wedges.  So cute. I tend to like the non-faux leather handbags at Aldo but these ones look good in photos and I love a structured bag.  Lots of animal print choices in this lineup.  It took many years for me to appreciate the style and I prefer to incorporate it via accessories. images: courtesy of Aldo

i got: Black Perforated Leather Sandals by Givenchy

Trolling the racks of Holt Renfrew’s now or never sales is always a Saturday afternoon pastime. I have this uncanny ability to find great designer pieces at great prices. There is one sales associate at Holts that is always amazed at my finds over the years like Dries Van Noten pants, Rick Owens Jacket and Alexander McQueen Shoes for example. This season’s find are these sandals by Givenchy. They were featured in a post back in January called i want: Perforated leather sandals by Givenchy. I liked the white and tan colourway at that time but the black and brown is much more comfortable. I’m not a strappy sandal type of girl but these are Givenchy and the heel isn’t towering. It’s always good to have some versatility in the shoe closet to combat the clunky and platform heavy options.

Geekiviews: Rockport with adiPRENE by Adidas

Earlier in the summer I was sent a pair of Rockport sandals to test out. Rockport isn’t a brand I would normally wear but Adidas has partnered with them and have added the adiPRENE technology to make shoes more comfortable. I’ve had a passing interest in technology like this and wrote about Nike and Cole Haan’s collaboration efforts in the past. The technology has two parts: adiPRENE absorbs shock during walking in the heel and adiPRENE+ pushes on the ball of your foot to create a spring in your step. The selections of shoes presented to me were definitely not my style as they were too tame and too uninspiring. I don’t look at this as a problem for Rockport because I’m really not their target market. The look of shoe usually trumps any comfort aspirations I have. I’m willing to suffer for fashion in many instances. There are many women who can’t wear the heels I do and are looking for something comfortable but not ugly. While I find Rockport’s adiPRENE selection a little …

i got: White Derby Shoes by Rokin

I was looking for a great menswear inspired shoe like an oxford or brogue. Originally, I bought some lovely cork oxfords by Dieppa Restrepo at Chasse Gardee. Unfortunately, they didn’t fit very well and I had to return them. I was distraught as the shoes were made of cork and looked amazing. Shoes need to fit no matter how special the shoe is and how much it breaks your heart to return them. My alternative choice was the white derby by ROKIN Footwear also carried at Chasse Gardee. They aren’t the cork Dieppa Restrepo but they are pretty exciting in their own right and super comfortable. During my shoe search I finally discovered the difference between an oxford, brogue and derby. Oxford: a style of laced shoe characterized by shoelace eyelet tabs that are stitched underneath the vamp Brogue: a style of low-heeled shoe or boot traditionally characterized by multiple-piece, sturdy leather uppers with decorative perforations (or “brogueing”) and serration along the pieces’ visible edges. Derby: a style of shoe characterized by shoelace eyelet tabs …

i want: Yves Saint Laurent Tribute Sandals

I’m totally obsessed with the Yves Saint Laurent Tribute Sandals. Playing in Shrimpton Couture’s Closet has taught me that I need these shoes in my life. A towering platform paired with the ability to match with any outfit, this is perfection. Yves Saint Laurent sandals also come in all the colours of the rainbow. These green leather and coral patent ones are so fun. images: montaignemarket.com

Oliberte Footwear Fall Winter 2011 – 2012

Oliberté, the first premium footwear company based in Africa, was founded in 2009 by Canadian Tal Dehtiar. Tal is a multiple award winning entrepreneur who has worked on many international projects that have helped to build small and social businesses in over 25 developing countries. Oliberté partners with factories, suppliers, farmers and workers to produced the shoes and contribute to the development of industry. Ethiopia, Liberia and Keyna are the countries Oliberté currently operates but there are plans to expand too Cameroon, Congo, Uganda and Zambia in the coming years. Business is booming and the last two years sales have risen from a meager 200 pairs to over 10,000 projected in 2011. I heard about Oliberté shortly after they launched and l’ve been quietly following their progress over the years. I’m glad to see the styles are becoming more sophisticated and stylish. Currently, Tal is focusing on developing the men’s collection to be more sophisticated and stylish. The women’s revamp is expected for the spring 2012 season. The Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 collection features …

I want – I got loves Camilla Skovgaard

I talk about shoe designer, Camilla Skovgaard often on the blog. Last year, I received a pair of Camilla Skovgaard Drop Cut Out Sandal for my birthday. They were the perfect black shoe, I loved them. You can imagine my sadness when I discovered the hell of my sandals snapped. The only thing holding it together was leather. This happened before the Tommy and Anna event at The Room. I mentioned my dilemma in the post and my new shoe purchase to compensate.  It was just a casual mention.  Okay, it was more like a howl of sadness.  The new shoes were quite nice but they weren’t my Camilla’s. A few hours after the Tommy Met Anna post went up I received submission via my contact form. I had to do a double take when I read the sender’s name. It was Camilla Skovgaard. I shook my head a little and opened the message. I checked the address and sure enough it was from the Camilla Skovgaard domain. That’s when I started to do a little fangirl …

Abel Munoz Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 Preview

Toronto based shoe designer, Abel Muñoz held a private preview at Seventy Seven in Yorkville. He invited press, clients and friends to see his upcoming Fall 2011 collection in addition to his spring offerings. Many people, including sales staff and friends were sporting some of Abel’s spring summer 2011 collection.  My favourite spring summer shoe is the top picture.(Thanks Lisa Tant).  I really like the stripe detail on the heel. For fall winter 2011 – 2012 Abel Muñoz continues with staple heel styles but has included a wonderful croc print oxford shoe. I love it. See all my photos from the Abel Muñoz Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 Preview. Abel Muñoz is available at Seventy Seven in Yorkville.

Converse Spring Summer 2011

I’ve been wearing my Converse for the past couple of weekends so I feel like I can talk about Converse earnestly now. It’s Converse weather people. I’m the type of person who wears my Converse in the warmer months as they don’t offer much protection in the winter. So this season Converse teamed up with DC Comics and they have some great choices in design from Batman, Superman, The Joker and Batgirl. There are a lot of great styles for the comic book fan. I also got to see the Marimekko x Converse collaboration. They are a fun shoe that I’m liking for summer. There were some interesting offerings from Converse by John Varvatos this season too. I really like this woven looking pair. See all my photos from the Converse Spring Summer 2011 Preview. Best bet for finding these styles in Toronto is Get Outside.

i got: Calvin Klein Alex Heel

You might remember my little shoe emergency that happened before the When Tommy Met Anna event.  If not, the short story is that I needed to buy new shoes.  Those new shoes are the Calvin Klein Alex Heel from The Bay..  I wanted some basic and black but it had to give me height.  These  platforms fit the bill and they are different from any shoe I have in my closet.  The heel is 5″ with a 1″ double platform.  I predict these will see a lot of wear this summer.

Flare Magazine x Aldo Spring Summer 2011 Shoe Launch Party

The Flare Magazine x Aldo Spring Summer 2011 Wedge is now available. They celebrated the launch with a VIP party at the Bloor Street store that gave attendees first access to buy the shoes.   Ever dreamed of being in an editor’s shoes? Well, try them on! Created in collaboration with FLARE magazine’s wickedly stylish fashion director, Liz Cabral, this style takes spring’s hottest trends in stride. With naturally sexy python, the sleekest wedge and a flash of fluoro orange, it’s a brilliantly of-the-now shoe for style whizzes like you!   The shoes looked really good in person. I heard many people say they were comfortable. It was hilarious seeing how many people were wearing the shoes in the store.  They were like an army. They are available in Toronto at the Toronto Eaton Centre, Yorkdale and Bloor Street locations. Retail price is $135See the website for other locations across the country. I have a short video of Liz Cabral talking about the Flare x Aldo Shoe and the other selections from the Aldo spring …