Showing posts with label armadillo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label armadillo. Show all posts

Sunday, 27 November 2011

Shoes for Show: The Sculptural Art of High Heels

A couple of weeks ago I attended the “Shoes for Show” exhibition in London. It only ran in Brick Lane for a few days and being the shoe-a-holic that I am, I jumped at the chance.  

It all sounded good on paper so a couple of weekends back, I travelled into Central London to go and perve on the pretty shoes. Except the pretty shoes were nowhere to be found. My Google Maps led me to the wrong location – a charming, secluded area where I had visions of being knifed so got back onto the main road ASAP. I finally found the right number but when I got there, the Polish security guy sighed a loud sigh (I guess he had this a lot) and redirected me to another part of Brick Lane. Which I couldn’t find.

I was confused. I was lost. I was smelling amazing Brick Lane food and was damn hungry. I very nearly gave up. But thank goodness I didn't!

Finally found it. It was like a little abandoned warehouse, very simple and minimalist. One thing I’d worried about is that it’d be uber strict with lots of security personnel and photography prohibited. Not the case at all. There was one male “guard” who stayed out of the way and didn’t seem too bothered about anything. And people left, right and centre were snapping away. So I had no qualms about getting my camera out.

Manolo Blahniks. Oh my.


The charm wrapped around the heel, the lattice 
detail and the colour all make me melt a little inside.


These Vivienne Westwoods are not my cup o’ tea but 
they do remind me all of the Creepers all over 
the blogsphere at the moment.


Nikes! Can you imagine Nike Town selling these? I can’t.


Perhaps the weirdest shoes I’ve ever laid my eyes on. 
Not one, but two elevated heels so in theory, quite a 
sturdy pair of shoes. But then check out the weird shape 
of the heels…  And bath shoes? Really? I can’t imagine 
anyone wearing these by the poolside. 
Not even Lady GaGa. 
And that’s saying something.



No explanation needed here! 
Have already shared my thoughts of the Armadillo.


Don’t know about anyone else, but in these I see Litas. 
But really funky, velvety, glitzy / sparkly ones.


These are art. ‘Nuff said.


Simple, classic and yet, no less worthy of interest.


And these? I was lost for words then. And I still am now.


An artsy revamp of the gladiator sandal


A print like this would be amazing on a dress. 



And my favourites:


Alice in Wonderland shoes!
The delicate tea cup charms, 
the key, the fob watch, the 
foliage… all a bit OTT but at 
the same time fabulous 
for this very reason.


Get a load of these! Stunningly beautiful with 
the embellishment detail but just not practical. 
But even those who don't "get" shoes would 
have to admit that these are pure art. If 
Louboutin sell these as flats, I would 
snap these up in a heartbeat,
 no questions asked.


I actually liked these! A good mix of “hard” meets 
“soft” with the glitzy champagne-like colour 
combined with the spiky / studded exterior. 
These would get you noticed!

And now over to you! Do any of these fill you with horror? And which of these are love at first sight?

And for the latter, to wear or to have displayed in your home as expensive-but-totally-worth-it art?

Friday, 11 November 2011

Paws for thought

Animals are huge right now.
With animal print once being seen as "tacky" and a "bit Bet Lynch" (from the British soap Corrie back in the day... ), it is being smiled upon by fashionistas once again. 
The animal theme has since developed even further. Topshop Unique featured show-stopping dalmation inspired designs for its A/W collection. Last winter we saw an abundance of those cute little knitted animal hats where it become possible to have a panda / bear / cat / whatever sitting atop your head. Spirithoods takes it one step further and allows you to actually transition into one of many animals. Be it wolf, fox, owl, husky, leopard, skunk, panda or bear. 
Whatever could be next?
Well I'll tell you...
    
Yes, that's right. Animal paws in shoe form.
And Blake Lively is not alone. SJP has also been sighted with these gracing her feet:
Bit confused about this particular look. What look is she going for? A gender confused wolf that has eaten Little Red Riding Hood and stolen her attire?

You need not an explanation of the designer behind these shoes. The red soles say it all.

Five inches high with skinny heel and studded with crystals, these Louboutins are known as the "Lion Paw" and have apparently completely sold out.

What do you think of them?

I'm undecided. There's something cute about them but at the same time, they are a little weird... Would definitely choose these over McQueen's Armadillos though! 

All images + source: http://www.graziadaily.co.uk

Thursday, 9 December 2010

Perhaps the weirdest shoes you will ever lay your eyes on...

If I were to start with the word "armadillo" what would come to mind first? This perhaps?


Or would you think shoes?

For these of you thinking "eh? shoes?", don't worry - I was the same earlier today!

After a bit of a Lady Gaga fest, I was a little fascinated with the shoes she was wearing in her "Bad Romance" video which for some reason, I hadn't really picked up upon before. It can be found here at 3 minutes 29 seconds in.

Et voilà! I present the Armadillo shoe... 


This is in no way breaking news. I am led to believe that Alexander McQueen first introduced his Armadillo shoe in 2009 where he sent models down the catwalk with them in Paris representing his Spring / Summer 2010 collection:


Other celebrity admirers of the Armadillo have included Daphne Guiness and Kelis:


Apparently the ones pictured here were 12 inches high. Yes, you heard correctly. 12 inches. Scary stuff. It's hardly surprising that some of Alexander McQueen's models refused to don them in one of his catwalk shows this year. Especially that one model who had had several previous misfortunes such as fainting on the catwalk (due to a tight corset). 

Now over to you. What do you think of the Armadillo? Weird? Fascinating? Ugly? If money was no object, would you ever consider owning a pair?

I struggle in heels at any rate let alone 10-12 inch ones! The Armadillo is just not practical in any way and I cannot believe that they'd be comfortable. And they sort of resemble a hoof. Or a trotter (sorry it has to be said!). But yet there is something fascinating about them. You've got to at least admire the creativity behind them. Tradition can be boring.

I oddly like these:
Photo: Getty Images 

The heel and shape are still a total no-no for me but I do love the sparkle of the embellishment. And the nude colour of the shoe itself. Whilst on the subject of unusual footwear, I also found these:

Car shoes! Read the article here.

 Cat walk literally! 

Love these! (but more of a display item)

 What do you think? Would anyone be happy owning any of these? 

Ending this post, I would like to pay tribute to the legend that is Alexander McQueen. 
May he rest in peace.