Studded Valentino

photos courtesy of altamiranyc, vanessa jackman

Alexa Chung accents an otherwise ladylike look with a studded Valentino clutch to add just the right amount of edge. Also, she puts her best foot forward with a pair of absurdly adorable Charlotte Olympia kitty flats. Can I just say: I've developed a somewhat-healthy obsession with those charmingly quirky shoes. Santa Baby, do your thing—please & thank you.

London Calling!

I knew it!!! Some great shoes are already coming out of London Fashion Week :)

My homies at Burberry (I use the term homie loosely, it's a one sided friendship) showed some pretty awesome tribal inspired shoes

What a great color palette!

These remind me of something though.........

 ...Just sayin.

I love how the striped jacket is interpreted in this wedge...

 What a great woven shoe! So much work and such rich earthy tones. I love.

Looks like Charlotte Olympia worked with Matthew Williamson on some pretty great shoes. I LOVE the mixes of material and the colored lucite heels.

 They look a little heavy and more like Fall than Spring, but they're great nonetheless.

(all images via Vogue.com)

Excited for what's to come!!



XOX,

My Life in 30 Seconds or Less...

I haven't done a photo roundup in a while. Here are some photos from my Tumblr and Instagram from the last month or so.

Cheetah Lita's

Super high Céline's

Shopping at TopShop

Chloe Sevigny x Opening Ceremony

Glittery Steve Maddens

Bebe glitter wedges in Vegas

The shoes I packed for a weekend in Vegas

Black on black home manicure

I don't know who makes um but I love um!

Interesting handbag from the MoMA store

An image I found that stopped me in my tracks

Flower power!

Ahh!! Me with a French fry shoved up my lip to fake lip injections.

LAMB runway shoes

Charlotte Olympia for Peter Som runway shoes

Maison Martin Margiela 

Shopping at Alejandro Ingelmo. Bottom right is a new member of my shoe family.

The best carrot juice I've had in my life. Organic Avenue ♥

Hope you're enjoying your weekend! 

XOX,

live colorfully

photo courtesy of Matthew Williamson Vogue

I'm not religious when it comes to shoes ( I say 'religious' because I swear, some girls make sure their shoes are devout Christians-- see what I did there? #Louboutin) and would rather splurge on various basic staples or a handbag. However, when I came across this Charlotte Olympia heel, I instantly fancied the neon accents mixed with the print. The woman sporting these heels should be ready to command everyone's attention & have a personality much like these shoes: colorful, daring, & fun !

xo Maria

Knock it Off!

I've got shoe beef. 

Let me preface this post by saying that I think Jeffrey Campbell is killing it. His shoes are often the biggest trending shoes out there and he obviously has a great eye. I practically live in my Litas and that's saying a lot. You guys KNOW about my shoe collection. haha

That being said, I do have beef with these cheesy blatant knockoffs. Knockoffs bug me sometimes, while other times I don't think it's that big of a deal. I get that people want designer inspired styles for less. The Litas are actually "interpretations" of an amazing designer shoe and like I said, I wear them all the time. These shoes however, really rub me the wrong way. 

You can't take a shoe that is literally an icon and knock it off like this. It's super cheesy. 

Above, the knockoff. 

Below, the original by Salvatore Ferragamo...

I don't like either one to be honest but you have to respect a classic. This is one of the most famous shoe designs in the world.

I also have beef with this shoe because the original is so amazing and these just look like bad orthopedic shoes. Yikes.

Above, the knockoff.

Below, the Original by Prada...

And finally this shoe. A cheesy knockoff of a really special shoe.

Above, the knockoff.

Below, the original by Charlotte Olympia.

What do you guys think?? There's a fine line between interpreting and knocking off but these are crossing the line. Does it bother you? Or do you think that all is fair in shoes and fashion?

xox, 

From Sketch to Shoe to Rejection

This shoe is one of my favorites and it's not being made. It happens way more often than I'd like unfortunately.

We rely on stores like Nordstrom and Macy's because without big orders, shoes just don't get made. That means that shoes that don't "fit in" at Nordstrom or Macy's don't usually get bought by their buyers.

Well apparently this shoe didn't fit what they think their customer would like. It's the nerdy shoe with a great personality that nobody picks to be on their team in P.E. cause she's not the cheerleader shoe. Don't worry nerdy shoe, the cheerleader shoe will peak early in life and get pregnant her first year of junior college.

Ummm. Ya.

It starts with an idea-

I saw this vintage lucite heel (that is not my wrinkly thumb) and thought it was so pretty and could be very Betsey.

Then, there was this Charlotte Olympia shoe that was such an amazing shape...

Based on these two things, plus the other ideas I had for a group of vintage inspired shoes, I drew a sketch...

I thickened the heel shape and changed the platform a bit. I added a sweet little bow as a maryjane strap.

Then after a trip to China and a few prototypes, the real deal was finished!

Pretty awesome! :)

Unfortunately... we won't see it in stores. They didn't think you'd like it/buy it. Maybe they're right but I wish they would have tried.