Giveaway Johnston & Murphy Shoe

See what a mean?  It’s tough to decide which pair of shoes you’d like to win.  But don’t take my word for it, have a look at the Johnston & Murphy website and choose a pair that fits your own personal taste.

Other contest details: Only one entry per person will be accepted. Contest is open to US residents only. Entry must be submitted by March 15, 2010  11:59pm PST.  The winner will be chosen randomly based on the qualified applicants.  If the shoe style or size is unavailable, winner will be asked to select an alternate pair or shoes.

And for everyday wear, there’s the Carmen wedge made of cork, Noelle tortoise slingback,  Kristen espadrille wedge, Laura espadrille, Shannon T-wedge, and even a Tod’s-like driver shoe(price ranges from $138 – $198).

For the hardworking sole, wouldn’t you like to stroll around in the office in the Emily Mary Jane ($228) or the high heel tortoise platform pump ($198)?  What I love about these two pair of shoes is that two very classic and wearable styles have been updated to give them a fun but still elegant look.

For the beach lover, the Ruth Gold Ring Thong ($128) and Lisa Tassel thong ($98) are sure to keep your toes pretty but cool on the hot sands.

Spring is only a few weeks away.  To celebrate, the generous folks at Johnston & Murphy are giving one ShoeBlog reader a pair of free shoes to jump start their spring wardrobe.

Entering this contest is simple – just leave a comment on this blog post telling us which pair of women’s   spring shoes you would like to win and why.  To view the shoes,  just visit the Johnston & Murphy website.  The only hard part is picking out the shoe you’d like to win. Even though Johnston & Murphy just launched their women’s footwear line a few years back, they have hit the nail on the head because there are shoes for every occasion and the styles are quite timeless.  To help you narrow down some options, here are my personal favorites.

Fashion Critic Congratulations

Catherine was just included in the US Vogue March 2010 Power Issue in an article and photo shoot of bloggers who’s blog shapes and influences the style world.  We just wanted to offer our congratulations to Fashion Critic because she does a fabulous job and the recognition is well deserved.

One of our favorite websites is called Red Carpet Fashion Awards.  The fashion blog is run by an amazing woman named Catherine.  On the blog, Catherine uses her super fashion sleuthing to id the designer each celebrity is wearing, critiques red carpet events, shows us where we can purchase the same look of ourselves, and gives opinions on the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  Folks, she is good.  It’s a great blog.

Fall 2010 Prada

Ms. Prada knows what she is doing.  I bet in September, 10 of the 18 shows will target women rather than girls.   These dresses are wonderful.  The shoes are wonderful.

I realize runway is not real life, so the thick stocking thing doesn’t bother me all that much, but I like the shoes without the stockings so much more.  So elegant.

The following is a nice evening, party shoe.

The shoes did not follow a single trend, but had several silhouettes.  Pointy toe stilettoes, reminiscent of 2000. Chunky heels square toed. Strappy sandals. Not a boot in sight. Not an extreme platform in sight (remember the models falling off their Prada platforms last year). All in wonderful colors, all worn with tweedy stockings.   Let’s have a look.

Notice these dresses are made for women who have breastesses.

The fabric prints remind me of the fabrics my grandmother used in the late 1940s and 1950s.  There were a couple of dresses that I would LOVE to have in my closet.

How much fun is this dress?

There has been an on-going issue about models and their weight and curves.  Runway models have been notoriously thin with absolutely no curves, while the curvier models are banned from runways, Prada’s included.  Incidentally, the age of these models have become younger – because a 14 year old can stay curve-less easier than a 21 year old can.  Anyways, this year Prada used older (21-ish) models this year with a line that celebrated the curves of women.  I for one, am glad to see this happen, however I doubt it is a permanent mind-set.

Spring 2010 Runway to Retail Christian Siriano

Which brings me to more questions:

Are you happy with the often pared-down  translation of shoes from fashion week to Ready-to-wear? Or do you feel that too much is lost in bringing original runway styles to a widely affordable price point?

I would have liked to have seen the paper-bag, bloused, booties show up at retail, but at $79.99 I can see why that may not have been possible to achieve.

It remains to be seen if the Payless budget-shopper demographic will accept higher-than-normal (at least for this retailer) prices for such designer exclusives. I wonder if even these under $100 offerings may be a big gamble for Payless  and their traditional family-on-a-budget audience.

Oh, and if you like a retro-accessories shoe-purse match, there’s always this (previously available) Siriano for Payless handbag for your consideration. (It also matches the previously available & less expensive  ‘coast printed satin pumps’ which have a more traditional heel style if ‘the claw’ is not for you.)

Anyway, you might want to hurry if any of these styles have you crushing hard. You never know whether they will sell out;  leaving you desperately trolling the online auction scene for a pair in your size – at painful and ridiculous markups,  to boot

In this case, it’s probably better to go with my husband who has paid enough attention to price increases  over the last decade to be more realistic about these things. He understands and occasionally notes, ‘That’s not a bad price these days’ on anything under $150.

And now, a big thanks to Racked NY, who noticed that the Ready-to-Wear versions of these ‘magically popped up’ online yesterday. If you are interested a review, Racked NY also hunted them down in-store and took them for a  trial run to test for comfort and walk-ability.

So, if you loved the Christian Siriano spring 2010 runway looks, now is your chance to own a pair.

At $80 each, they are a bit pricier than your average Payless offerings. But then again, I fondly remember being a much younger me and grabbing a pair of cute black pumps at Payless for $6.99 after I had finally worn my last pair into the ground.  The most expensive items in the store in those days topped out at $21.99.  So, I may be a little bit skewed in my price comparisons.

Just in case your memory needed a little push…here’s a quick reminder of the Christian Siriano claw-heeled shoes from his Spring 2010 Runway Collection:

Wear by Studio Jellyfish Art-to

If you are one of those (not me) tall gals who can wear high boots, these won’t be around forever. Truly a statement shoe if ever there was one.

Oh, and about the name; why Studio Jellyfish?

(Politely interrupting each other)

“That goes back to when we first met. We both loved, still love the ocean.  There was this South Beach hotel with a jellyfish tank in the lobby. It reflects our love of the sea and has a lot of our past and memories in it.”

So, writers block defeated.  Plus, there’s even a small positive to come from it;  Studio Jellyfish is now holding a spring sale which ends on March 30th.

So, who are their favorite designers or other influences?  Ferragamo was immediately mentioned for classic appeal and style. When I mentioned how much their visual style reminded me of the bold simplicity of Patrick Nagel’s works – but with a hint of Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Girls, Philip agreed, saying, “You pretty much nailed it on the head.”  He also noted in a separate comment that “We have twelve years working as graphic designers. We love what we do. We wanted to do something for ourselves and it seemed like a natural transition to move that onto shoes and fashion.”

According to Philip, one of their goals is to bring fine art into everyday accessible fashion. “all day, every day”.  And it looks like they have a growing consumer fan base that agrees.  In fact, in the just over 4 months that they have been operating their various websites (online shopfront & etsy.com), they have had orders ranging from the United States to Ireland, London, and Saudi Arabia.  They also have plans in the works to expand into more mainstream fashion which will include denim and shirts and will continue to feature their signature ‘girls’.

These painted ladies all have their own personality – and names.   Names like ‘Golden Goddess’, ‘Blueberry Girl’ and ‘Bubblegum Girl’.  You won’t find any generic style numbers here.

Of course, with every pair carefully embellished by hand, would you expect anything else?

Per Courtney, each ‘girl’ has been designed prior to appearing on a shoe or accessory, and is then free-handed onto the fashion canvas using a paint pen medium. The handmade nature of the creative process makes each pair of shoes subtly unique.

When asked if she had a favorite, Courtney answered without a bit of hesitation, “Bubblegum Girl, and some new ones that are in the works.” (Bubblegum Girl is on the second row at the left.)

Last month I had a short telephone call with Courtney and Philip Mason, the owners of a young art-to-wear brand named ‘Studio Jellyfish’.  Call it  a mini-interview, if you wish.

And, despite the writer’s block that has been for some reason confounding me on this article (this is at least the 3rd draft I have worked on thus far), I am determined to finish this today.  Luckily, the hand-painted artwork of these shoes and handbags is striking enough to speak for itself, so I’ve decided to start with a few images to ‘get the conversation going’.

Christian Louboutin Zipette Ask the Shoeblogger

We hope that his helps Jenn out in her quest for her perfect high-heeled cage gladiator.

One word of caution for Jenn if she decides to go the auction/aftermarket route:  There are numerous Louboutin counterfeiters out there these days.  If you find something in your size claiming to be the Louboutin Zipette at auction  online, please be sure to have them authenticated, so that you can be confident in your purchase.

The original Louboutin Zipette has long since sold out of luxury retailers such as Saks and Neiman Marcus. So, now it’s up to Jenn. Does she wants to pursue a Louboutin aftermarket shoe-quest? Or would she prefer a to look at similar, but not identical, offerings that are currently available from several other brands?

I have rounded up several alternatives if she is looking for a style to wear this spring, since a Louboutin quest can take months or years.

Unfortunately, these are past-season shoes which will make purchasing an original Louboutin style a challenge and test of personal patience (which can pay off, if time is not an issue for you).

On a positive note, there are several designers producing similar, zip-front, caged gladiator sandals for the upcoming spring 2010 season.

Luckily for Jenn, this shoe was tickling my memory.   It is definitely similar to styles that we saw being produced by many designers last spring; blending cage and gladiator sandal styles with a zip-front and high heel.  After a little bit more investigation to jog my memory, these are eerily similar to the (now out of stock)  Christian Louboutin ‘Zipette’ that was available for sale last spring and the prior fall (2008-2009).  That double platform has been favored by Christian Louboutin for several seasons now.

A recent email request to Shoeblog had me searching my memory this weekend:

I’ve searched high and low for the attached shoes and I’ve come up empty handed.  I don’t know what else to try…so I’m trying you all!  I joined your forum and love your blog…it’s given me several ideas to date.

Do you happen to know what makes these shoes and where I might find them?

Patrick Cox Happy Birthday

In 2008 he sold most of  his company to “Fast” Eddie Davenport because the recession hit the business hard, then in 2009 there was talk about litigation.  I hope Mr. Cox is able to salvage his company.

He designed the prototype for Vivienne Westwood’s shoes that tripped up Naomi Campbell on the Paris Catwalk  in 1993.

Here are more Patrick Cox shoes for you, via PatrickCox.com.

Patrick is a Canadian born designer who at 19 produced his first pair of shoes for Loucas Kleanthous, a Toronto based designer.  Loucas encouraged Patrick to go to design school.  Not one to let his studies get in the way of his education, Patrick, through his partying,  made friends with Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano who were rising fashion stars at the time. Vivienne had him design the shoes for her Clint Eastwood collection in 1984 and designed the shoes for Galliano’s Fallen Angels collection in 1986 and continued to work with Galliano for six years.  I tried to find photos of those two collections but failed.

Shape-Ups Test Try-On Skechers

And those health claims? As of yet, they’re unsubstantiated.  The four studies Skechers claims substantiate its claims were commissioned BY SKECHERS.

Readers, what do you think of Shape-ups? Were you as unimpressed as I was or do you see personal results?

But no matter how many pairs there were, none of them looked appealing to me.

Skechers now has Tone-ups to rival FitFlops.

But alas, it was time to try on another, less padded version. This shoe was less comfortable and equally unattractive.

I got up, walked around the store about 18 times, and tried some of the exercises on the video that you get with your purchase. I was not convinced. If you need a shoe with really good support, you should get an orthotic with arches. If you need a training workout shoe, I think you should get a cross-trainer. This shoe is neither.

Sadly, as comfortable as these were, I felt a bit unsteady. The extra cushioning makes you work harder, sure, but it also makes you feel slightly unsteady. In the streets of New York, who needs any more unsteadiness or perils in walking? And can you imagine wearing these while driving? You need to feel the gas and brake pedals through your feet.

The Shape-Ups seemed to be neither to me, but rather a sacrifice in both appearance and walkability. So I decided to put them through a test drive. While I don’t know whether they improve blood circulation, strengthen the back, improve posture, tighten the abs and butt and reduce cellulite (seriously doubtful), I wanted to test the comfort and walkability, as well as how cute or horrendous they looked on me.

Skechers Shape-Ups have won quite a few awards and have really cleaned up financially in a tough economic market. But I’ve never been sold on what they are. I think that a shoe should be either decorative (which means it serves an aesthetic purpose and it’s more acceptable if it’s a little uncomfortable) or extremely functional in getting the wearer from Point A to Point B, like sneakers (not to say it can’t be both pretty and functional).

Art-to-Wear by Studio Jellyfish

If you are one of those (not me) tall gals who can wear high boots, these won’t be around forever. Truly a statement shoe if ever there was one.

“That goes back to when we first met. We both loved, still love the ocean.  There was this South Beach hotel with a jellyfish tank in the lobby. It reflects our love of the sea and has a lot of our past and memories in it.”

So, writers block defeated.  Plus, there’s even a small positive to come from it;  Studio Jellyfish is now holding a spring sale which ends on March 30th.

According to Philip, one of their goals is to bring fine art into everyday accessible fashion. “all day, every day”.  And it looks like they have a growing consumer fan base that agrees.  In fact, in the just over 4 months that they have been operating their various websites (online shopfront & etsy.com), they have had orders ranging from the United States to Ireland, London, and Saudi Arabia.  They also have plans in the works to expand into more mainstream fashion which will include denim and shirts and will continue to feature their signature ‘girls’.

So, who are their favorite designers or other influences?  Ferragamo was immediately mentioned for classic appeal and style. When I mentioned how much their visual style reminded me of the bold simplicity of Patrick Nagel’s works – but with a hint of Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Girls, Philip agreed, saying, “You pretty much nailed it on the head.”  He also noted in a separate comment that “We have twelve years working as graphic designers. We love what we do. We wanted to do something for ourselves and it seemed like a natural transition to move that onto shoes and fashion.”

Oh, and about the name; why Studio Jellyfish?

These painted ladies all have their own personality – and names.   Names like ‘Golden Goddess’, ‘Blueberry Girl’ and ‘Bubblegum Girl’.  You won’t find any generic style numbers here.

Of course, with every pair carefully embellished by hand, would you expect anything else?

Per Courtney, each ‘girl’ has been designed prior to appearing on a shoe or accessory, and is then free-handed onto the fashion canvas using a paint pen medium. The handmade nature of the creative process makes each pair of shoes subtly unique.

When asked if she had a favorite, Courtney answered without a bit of hesitation, “Bubblegum Girl, and some new ones that are in the works.” (Bubblegum Girl is on the second row at the left.)

Shape-Ups Test Try-On Skechers

And those health claims? As of yet, they’re unsubstantiated.  The four studies Skechers claims substantiate its claims were commissioned BY SKECHERS.

Readers, what do you think of Shape-ups? Were you as unimpressed as I was or do you see personal results?

But no matter how many pairs there were, none of them looked appealing to me.

But alas, it was time to try on another, less padded version. This shoe was less comfortable and equally unattractive.

I got up, walked around the store about 18 times, and tried some of the exercises on the video that you get with your purchase. I was not convinced. If you need a shoe with really good support, you should get an orthotic with arches. If you need a training workout shoe, I think you should get a cross-trainer. This shoe is neither.

Sadly, as comfortable as these were, I felt a bit unsteady. The extra cushioning makes you work harder, sure, but it also makes you feel slightly unsteady. In the streets of New York, who needs any more unsteadiness or perils in walking? And can you imagine wearing these while driving? You need to feel the gas and brake pedals through your feet.
The Shape-Ups seemed to be neither to me, but rather a sacrifice in both appearance and walkability. So I decided to put them through a test drive. While I don’t know whether they improve blood circulation, strengthen the back, improve posture, tighten the abs and butt and reduce cellulite (seriously doubtful), I wanted to test the comfort and walkability, as well as how cute or horrendous they looked on me.

Skechers Shape-Ups have won quite a few awards and have really cleaned up financially in a tough economic market. But I’ve never been sold on what they are. I think that a shoe should be either decorative (which means it serves an aesthetic purpose and it’s more acceptable if it’s a little uncomfortable) or extremely functional in getting the wearer from Point A to Point B, like sneakers (not to say it can’t be both pretty and functional).