Lock Down Your Fabric - Blahnik, Rousseau, Jcrew and Anthropologie

I haven't written on this blog in ages but I had to make this post because I was so appalled and amused by this fabric situation.

Designers! This is why you lock down exclusivity for your materials!

To start with - these are all current season and currently available for purchase shoes.

First up are the Manolo Blahnik BB's in this great embroidered floral fabric. $765 at Saks.

But I also found these JCrew Ankle-wrap slingback heels in the same fabric. $228

And then I found two shoes from Jerome Rousseau - Abelline Sandals for $595 and Booties in a black version of the floral for $895.

I also found the black version in an offering from Anthropologie - the Ouigal Pearl Block heels $228

Obviously, it's a popular fabric, but seeing it all over really dilutes the special-ness of it. It makes you remember the fact that these are produced versus crafted.  And that's not usually what I want in a shoe.

Ready for Ready-To-Wear

My favorite shoe designer, Miss Henrietta "Hetty Rose" is bringing her custom-crafted bespoke shoes to a wider audience by launching her ready-to-wear line.

Hetty has made a name for herself by creating beautiful designs and pairing them with unique vintage kimono fabrics sourced from Japan and antique jewels and embellishments.

I have been lucky enough to purchase several of her pieces - the Ella mary jane, the Love platforms and the Amalie pump - all crafted with the most amazing fabrics ever.

And while Hetty is continuing to create and craft her bespoke lines, she has not created ready-to-wear shoes that have the same adorable style and gorgeous fabrics.   The line is made up of 5 of the top favorite styles and they are all still made using vintage kimono fabrics.  They are manufactured in a small family-run factory in London and will be available in UK sizes 4, 5, 6 and 7 with prices starting from £180.

Yuki 

Haruka 

Mika 

Kiki

You can see all of the styles and detailed images here.

Pre-ordering is starting now for deliveries in October/November so make sure to drop her an email to get the process going and reserve your pair today!

Tapestry Textures - Beyond Skin Trixie pump

Have I mentioned how pretty I think the shoes are from Beyond Skin? They have great shapes and great materials... and are animal friendly!

I personally am smitten by these brown tapestry Trixie pumps.

The bow is sweet. I think these would be pefect for my woodland Fall fantasy wardrobe.

Trixie pump - £151.00 from Beyond Skin

Back to Bespoke

Vintage Kimono Fabric from Hetty Rose

Almost a year ago I told you about my experience having a pair of bespoke Amalie heels made for me by the incomparable Henrietta of Hetty Rose.

At that time Hetty had done her first Kimono collection featuring twelve styles that could be custom made to your specifications from a selection of vintage kimono fabrics. Now Hetty is back with a second collection which has all new designs and includes adorable clutches as well. She's also received a ton of press coverage as well. Be warned, this post is very image heavy!

What I love about the whole process is getting to interact with the creator on a personal level. When I got back in touch with Henrietta she was on a buying trip in Japan, searching out new fabrics. She was also in country for the cherry blossom festival and sent me some surreally beautiful shots from there.

One of the first shoes in the new collection which caught my eye was the adorable Ella mary jane. It's just super cute and has a great chunky heel with front stitching down the toe. If you go to the press page you can see if has already been featured in several magazines.



Well I had to have it. As was done the previous time, Henrietta sent me a variety of fabrics to choose from and I decided on this very intricate and metallic phoenix pattern.













I like the way each shoe is individual. And, of course, the riot of colors!











They are just so cute on that I can't get over them!

As I was reading through all of the new press coverage Hetty Rose had received I came upon these articles: one, two, three. It seems Henrietta paired with theatrical wig designer Yuki Saito to create a special display for Valentine's Day and created these amazing "Love" shoes for the pairing.



Well, I fell for them. Hard. I especially love the platform element. And although they were not a part of her regular line, she agreed to make them for me.



I was lucky enough that Henrietta still had some of the same fabric that she used to create the original pair. I did make one change to the design. Knowing that I'm not going to get many opportunities to wear these with the ties wrapped up above my knee, I asked for them to be just long enough to tie around my ankle.







Oh, yes, they are super tall, but given the platform and that they are made to measure, they are very easy to wear.







I like the heart-shaped peep-toes too!





What's also cool is that the straps are not attached to the shoes. So I can wear these with and with out the leather ties. The beaded hearts just clip on, so I can adjust where they go, either on the shoes or on the ties.



A-dor-a-ble!









I know I've said this before, but she does amazing work. If you have the opportunity, drop Henrietta an email and work with her on a pair of shoes. She is a true artist. Not only will you be supporting her art, but you will be avoiding the the huge manufacturing machine and preserving a small piece of history.

Target Spring 2008 Preview

Target isn't wasting any time with getting you excited for Spring. They have a ton of new shoes in their Spring Preview. There is a pretty wide variety styles including flats, skimmers, heels, wedges, wellies, thongs and sneakers. You can find some dressy styles and casual ones too.

But on the whole, I wasn't overly impressed, just as I wasn't overly impressed with the Hollywould line that they did for the holidays.

The Bad

Loeffler Randall is their designer line for Spring. And I hate them. I saw some of them in stores today and they look really crummy.

They have these Rosette Ballet Flats in Rose, Gold, Black and Brown - $29.99



I really hate these Cinch Flats which come in Gold, Rose, Black and Brown - $29.99. I think they look like 1960's old lady house slippers.



I also saw these Mossimo Danae Peep-Toe Pumps which come in giraffe, zebra, "natural" linen and black patent for $26.99. These are bad knock-offs of Steve Madden knock-offs. They look clunky and are not well done - they look better in the picture. If you see them in person, let me know what you think.




I don't like these Xhilaration Tera Sandals in black and white floral either. Tacky. $17.99 is too much for them. They come in a multicolor print and a "natural" color as well.



In theory these Merona Amber Chop-Out Flats (nice name) are cute but in reality the material isn't that good and they are kind of clunky. They are $22.99 and come in Pewter, Brown and Black.




I haven't seen these Mossimo Deann Cut-out Flats in person so it's hard to say but the odds are they aren't great. But they're only $19.99 and come in black, white and pewter.



These may be the worst. These Isaac Mizrahi Drew Open-Shank Ballet flats have a horrible shape to them. Ugh! They come in cream, red and black patent, as well as gold and silver "leaf" - each $29.99



These Xhilaration Sable Floral Ballet flats in the red pattern (also in a "ribbon tapestry" style, gold and black) aren't bad, they just aren't as cute as the ones I'm going to show below. They're $14.99.



The Good

But there are a number of shoes on there that I feel are really cute and have a lot of potential. Here are a few of my favorites.

I think these Merona Alice Slingbacks are very sharp. The patent could be tacky but in the picture they have a much higher end look than their $22.99 cost.



They have some cute new moccasins for spring but for a white version I prefer the Isaac Mizrahi Alysia Driving Moccasins in winter white. They're on clearance right now for $14.99 and also come in brown nubuck, black patent, silver, oxblood patent and broccoli patent (broccoli???). These are great to have in your car for driving instead of getting your nice shoes all dirty from the car pedals and mats.



I don't know why I like these Mizrahi Beth Peep-Toe Pumps in cream but I just do. They look very icy and sparkly. They're $29.99 and also come in black satin with black crystals.




I know strappy mary janes have been done but I think the shape of these is so good. I like that the straps are really low on the bridge of your foot too. They are Isaac Mizrahi Chris Mary Jane Pumps for $29.99 and come in cream patent gray, red patent and black.



Didn't I just say that I thought the Mizrahi Drew Print Ballet flats were hideous? Well, they are, but if you like the shape, I think you should get them in this pattern. It is graphic and interesting and hides the clunkiness. They're $29.99 if you like them.



Here are the cute new moccasins for Spring. They are the Mizrahi Gail Leather moccasins and I just love them. Typically I would get the pink version but I already have a pair of pink moccasins from last year (they also come in a great preppy green, a black and navy) but I think I prefer the yellow. They will go really well with my new JCrew Postcard cardigan. They're $29.99.



How designer-y and cute are these metallic Mossimo Daria Woven pumps? Perfect with jeans and sundresses and only $24.99.



I love espadrilles and wedges for Summer. These are so cute and cheap enough to be a seasonal item. They're only $22.99, have a cute floral pattern and also come in a coffee brown with a patterned ribbon. Xhilaration Tiki wedges.



A little animal print can go a long way, as we all know. Wear these kitten heels under jeans or pair them with opaque black hose now for a little roawwwrrrr action. This Mossimo Dierdre style comes in the leopard, brown, black, black patent, silver, gold and zebra print. $24.99.



And last, but not least, my favorites - the Mossimo Deann flats. When I was in high school I had these adorable peachy pink floral fabric flats from Gap. They were so cute and I just loved them. I totally wore them out but kept them for years because I loved them so much. These remind me of my original pair. I have to, have to get them! I'll wear them all summer with jeans and it will be like I'm back in my senior year of high school. Is that a good thing? Probably not, but the shoes were cute!



There you go, affordable but cute options from my favorite retailer. I know I tend to appear biased to higher end shoes but I do think Target (and Gap and Old Navy, etc.) can have some really inexpensive but very wearable styles.

So enjoy!