From the Luxury Institute

Limitied Edition Louboutins from 20ltd.com

Wealthy U.S. Consumers Rate Most Prestigious Women’s Luxury Shoe Brands:
Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik and Hermes

High net-worth female consumers rated Christian Louboutin the most prestigious women’s luxury shoe brand in the 2008 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey from the independent New York City-based Luxury Institute.

Respondents who would recommend Christian Louboutin say, “They have shoes that catch the eye and the red soles are something everyone recognizes,” and “they have great styles that make you feel feminine and sexy.”

Manolo Blahnik and Hermes ranked second and third, respectively.

“The women’s luxury footwear is crowded, and it is very difficult to differentiate a brand,” said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. “Louboutin and a few others have managed to break through the sameness with unique
styling and signature features that wealthy women are willing to pay a premium for and to recommend. Our impartial surveys provide a detailed map of wealthy consumer perceptions of this critical fashion category with details as to why consumers are, or are not, willing to recommend each and every brand. Hundreds of luxury firms that buy our ratings surveys tell us this data has had a dramatic impact on their strategies and tactics in recent years.

Following are the 29 luxury women’s shoe brands that were rated (alphabetical order):

1. Bottega Veneta
2. Burberry
3. Chanel
4. Chloe
5. Christian Louboutin
6. Cole Haan
7. Dior
8. Dolce & Gabbana
9. Fendi
10. Ferragamo
11. Giorgio Armani
12. Gucci
13. Hermes
14. Hugo Boss
15. Jimmy Choo
16. Louis Vuitton
17. Manolo Blahnik
18. Marc Jacobs
19. Michael Kors
20. Miu Miu
21. Prada
22. Ralph Lauren
23. Stella McCartney
24. Stuart Weitzman
25. Tod’s
26. Tory Burch
27. Valentino
28. Versace
29. Yves Saint Laurent

To me it sounds as if "status" drove the ranking more than quality or style. I hope that was not the case. Yes, status is an element to the purchase but I don't think that should be all of it. Frankly, given the group surveyed and the trend of "stealth wealth", I would think that the flashiness and obvious id of the shoe would be a negative to some degree. That because every celebrity is wearing them that this may be a turn off.

But, what do I know?

Ensemble du Jour

It's cold and grey and so I'm rebelling by wearing lots and lots of color. I look like I've gone mad and am trying to turn into a SweeTart.

The Outfit
Black cropped pants to ground all the colors and show the cute sockies. Pink argyle sweater, pink patterned tabi socks. Lavender pashmina to keep me warm and black patent open-toe heels from Target. Plus I changed purses from my big brown purse to my orange Hermes.



I love orange for accessories just not for clothes (for me) as much. I want to get an orange Hermes scarf but I haven't found a pattern I'm dying for yet, so I'm using my vintage scarf.



Oh! These are the crazy sunglasses from my other post. I finally took a picture. They're so huge it's funny.



When we were in Orlando I went crazy in the Epcot Japan store and bought all kinds of cute Japanese things including four pairs of socks. They are just so darn cute! I was dying to wear them, so I wore the longer pair today. They are two shades of pink with fat white bunnies. How cute is that?



The Focal Point
I know I'm not twelve or anything, but dang! I love these bunnies. So, my focal point today are my bunny socks (and being pink!)



Wouldn't you want little bunnies scampering across your feet? I know you do!

Designer Focus - Pierre Hardy

So a while back I wrote about how in love I am with Davis by Ruthie Davis and the shoes in the collection (in spite of her being a major contributor to the creation and popularity of Uggs). I haven't had the opportunity to buy any of her shoes but I did have nice conversation with her about buying some because the I love the Barcelona heel on this shoe so much.



I mean, look at it. It's like a shiny cold skyscraper for your foot. I would have snapped them up in a hot minute but I don't like the chain on the front, so I'm holding out for next year hoping she'll do a closed toe, non-chain version with this same heel.



Anyhow, I was all impressed with the architecture of her designs, but again, trolling vintage shoes on eBay I've found a possible inspiration piece for Ms. Davis. Check these babies out:



Umm.... hello! Look at that heel. Metal. Check! Monolithic. Check! Kick-ass. Check! Plus there is the added benefit of the chain attaching shoe and heel.

Who created these beauties from the 80's?

Why Mr. Pierre Hardy!



Now, I'm not going to lie and say, "Oh, yes, Pierre Hardy. I've been following his career for ages, Darling. Why, in grade school all I would wear were Pierre Hardy designs, blah, blah, BLAH!"

No, no, no, I can be honest. I didn't immediately recognize the name, but boy, I should have. Mnsr. Hardy has designed for some of the best of them before heading out on his own to do his own line of shoes and bags (he appears to be a Bag Snob fav-or-ite). He designed for Balenciaga and Hermes and is known mostly in the fashion industry for reviving the House of Dior's shoe collection in the late 1980's - right around the time period of the shoes above.

I went to his site and found an amazing collection of gorgeous shoes that I am instantly coveting. I'm a greedy biotch, I know!



Perfect shape. Perfect color.




More blue suede but with futuristic heel. Cool.



I love this heel. Love it.



How crazy are these? But the black keeps them in line.



Weren't orbs popular this year? I love that these are all gold and metallic-y but in a classy good way, not crap materials.



These are why I knew Pierre Hardy! I totally saw these on Style.com and thought they were awesome- great colors, great embellishment, mod, retro, striking, unique. How many more adjectives can I throw out there. These are like investing in great art - but you get to wear them out and show them off.

Much more practical than some giant painting or sculpture.

Hmm... maybe I should try and track these down.

By the way - I think you should go and get those shoes above on eBay. They don't fit me (damn!) so they need a good home.