Jimmy Choo for Hunter

I'm very very excited! On Friday night we booked a trip to Ireland in December. I'm so excited in fact that, realizing I ONLY HAVE FOUR MONTHS to plan I immediately started to think about what shoes I'm was going to need to pack.

It doesn't help that I already know that I need new black boots - flat ones and heeled ones. But then I thought, welllllll...... it will probably be raining some of while we're there.

I must get new wellies!

And there just happened to be a pair that I was smitten with a few months ago but had no really valid reason (excuse?) to get....

Ummm, hello Jimmy Choo for Hunter.



If you are not familiar, Hunter wellies are THE wellies. We're talking iconic. Classic. Royal Warrants for providing footwear to HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

But why just settle for standard Hunter wellies (although I like them too) when I can get a fancier limited edition pair (those words are like crack to me, I KNOW!)



Fancy, huh?

To quote:

The legendary Hunter silhouette with natural rubber construction has been embossed with signature Jimmy Choo crocodile print and branded top bind. Gold buckle hardware, metal rivets and an extra long eyelet strap add attention to detail. A leopard print lining provides a contrast against the black glossy rubber of the boot. Presented in the original black Hunter box and lined with leopard print, the boots have a unique identification plate, uniting the logos of these two iconic British brands.

The boots will be sold exclusively in Jimmy Choo stores in the United Kingdom and the United States and online at www.jimmychoo.com. A waiting list will be available for the boots from 1st May on www.jimmychoo.com.

"I was inspired by images from the festivals of the hip Brit girls in their wellies. This led to our collaboration with Hunter to produce a sleek interpretation of the British classic". Tamara Mellon, Jimmy Choo President and Founder.

Peter Mullen, Hunter Chairman, comments: "We are delighted to work with Jimmy Choo to create a superbly sophisticated incarnation of our original Wellington Boot. Both brands have a strong visual identity which works well combined - the resulting Boot has a unique DNA of luxurious practicality."




Luxurious Practicality. I likey.

Anywho... waiting list, smating list. So what if they're either on back order or gone or amazingly overpriced on ebay.

SHOE HUNT!



By the way... I love love love the buckle element.

Okay, this is going to be a bit mean. I apologize in advance.

I found a pair. In my (small) size left in a store. Nabbed 'em. Quite possibly they were on sale too. I'm trying not to chuckle evilly.

Kind of.



Now, what else do I need for this trip??? I need to start planning what I'm going to pack too!

Well Shod for a Good Cause

If you are a fan of Louboutins, you will remember the zippery Rodita sandals that came out not so long ago. They're all sold out most places although I've seen a few here and there.

What you probably didn't see, however, were PINK ones!

Aren't those pretty?

Well, not only are they beautiful, they are limited editions (my favorite words)... and part of raising funds for a great cause.

You may be familiar with Footcandy - an online (and offline too) store featuring a ton of great designers. Well, when When Carolyn and Perry (the owners of Footcandy and vintners as well) visited Four Seasons Tented Camp last fall they immediately fell in love with the resident adopted elephants and were looking for ways to contribute to the Camp's charity project.

The Tented Camp forms one part of the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant foundation (GTAEF) which aims to rescue elephants off the streets of Thailand and provide them with a humane and natural environment in the jungles of the Golden Triangle.

'Carolyn and I watched a mother elephant and her baby weaving in and out of traffic on the streets of Bangkok with their mahout begging for money so they could all eat .The Elephants were under nourished and stressed. We could not stand to see these gentle giants and their families in such poverty .We decided to help, getting them all off the street and to a camp where they would be treated with respect and love.' Perry said.

Not satisfied with a straight forward donation, Perry decided to introduce a special Juslyn Vineyard 'Rescue' label in support of the Foundation.

Carolyn took her idea literally a step further to create exclusively designed shoes for her select female clientele. She approached world renowned designer Christian Louboutin to design a shoe for the cause, and as an animal lover himself, he agreed. Carolyn is proud to offer the Rodita Rescue style, exclusively available at Footcandy stores and online. Only 50 pair were made, making this an opportunity for shoe lovers to own a collector's item.

Again, all proceeds are being donated to the GTAEF rescue mission, specifically towards the upkeep of the Butler's adopted baby elephant Nam Chok, a five year old who has become the adoptive surrogate sister for another baby, Tong Suk. The shoes can be purchased at any Footcandy store in California or shipped worldwide.

Asian elephants played an important cultural and economic role for centuries and once provided the main workforce in the teak forests of Northern Thailand. With the cutbacks in teak foresting, elephants were no longer needed and consequently became a burden to their owners. Many elephant owners resort to taking their charges into big cities to get people to pay to touch, feed or play with their elephant.

Elephant Family (UK) and Friends of Conservation (US) registered charities have added the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation to their list of supported projects and tax deductible contributions can be submitted through these aid organizations.

To buy the sandals, you can visit Footcandy's online store.

I love the shoes and the color and I think this is a great cause. I'm glad that 100% of the proceeds are going towards the elephants. Typically I don't like the "cause-related" items that are in stores because I think it is better to just give the money directly to the group or research or whatever.

For information about the elephant rescue programs in Northern Thailand or to donate funds, please visit www.elephantfamily.org and http://news.helpingelephants.org or contact John Roberts at Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle jroberts@minornet.com .

Super Sneak Peek - Pantone & SeaVees

I thought I would share a cool offer with you all:

You have been invited by PANTONE to pre-purchase a pair of the limited edition SeaVees + Pantone shoes, available Spring 2009 in only the world's most exclusive boutiques.

By special invitation only, you can secure yourself a pair now through our private online store before they are made available to the general public.

Act quick as your order must be submitted on or before Monday, November 24th.

Online Store: www.seavees.com/pantone
Login: pantone
Password: seavees0963

SeaVees, Purveyors of California Casual, has announced an exclusive collaboration with Pantone, the world-renowned authority on color. True to their inspiration, each SeaVees style is named to honor an influential date in 1960's California-cool history.

With the creation of the 09/63, SeaVees celebrates the founding of Pantone, and the release of the first PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM in September 1963. For the first time in their 45 year history, Pantone has allowed an external design team into their hallowed archives. SeaVees has selected seven vintage colors from the original Pantone color guide. The palette, chosen from the only authentic guide known to exist, epitomizes the cool, casual style of California in 1963.

The series production has been restricted to 1,963 pairs.

The shoes are available in Men's and Women's sizes. A 25% nonrefundable deposit will be charged upon checkout. The balance plus any applicable tax and shipping charges will be charged when your Pantone shoes ship February 10, 2009.

On a scale of 1 to 10... They're a 20!

As I may have mentioned, I have a deep and abiding love for two words - "limited edition." And when they signify a truly limited item, not just as a marketing ploy, I get very interested.

That is the concept of the site 20ltd.



Each of the items for sale on the site are unique, special or limited editions. They are sourced by the founders of the site and each are created exclusively for 20ltd. It is a privately owned company and not affiliated with any commercial organization.

The site rotates the featured 20 items frequently and when they are gone, they are gone.



I've known about the site for a while but hadn't checked it lately. Imagine my surprise and delight when I recently visited and saw these amazing Louboutin Mouche Zeppa peep-toe heels as number 14.



They are made of a light turquiose silk and antique lace.



The edition run for these is only 35. That means there are only 35 made like these in the world.

And yes, my heart pined for them. I love the color, love the lace, love the height. I schemed for ways to get them. But, even though they are not priced above a standard Louboutin price, I felt that must resist.

But that doesn't mean that I still didn't desire them...



Imagine my surprise when the sneaky but delightful husband told me he had a surprise for me yesterday. He wouldn't let me know what it was and teased me about it for a day but when I got home he had me sit down and cover my eyes. When I opened them, he had placed in my hands a boxed tucked in a silk bag with the 20ltd logo on it!

It was the coveted shoes! Any they were spectacular. The even came with Certificate of Authenticity documents, also in their own 20ltd bag.

They are the most delicate shade of blue just a smidgen away from a Tiffany blue.

They are a little bit loose but I think I can fix that. The smallest size was a 35.5 so they are just a bit loose on the heel. They are not overly narrow either, as some Louboutins can be.

I had to think of what to wear them with today. It's not like I could hold out!

I really wanted to pair the blue with red, so I ended up wearing my Luella Go International jacket which has a small stripe in the same blue. The denim skirt grounds the brighter colors. I also added a vintage clear rhinestone brooch for some sparkle.

Talk about fancy girly shoes!!!

I am totally spoiled!

BIG smooches to my Sweetie!