Supermodel Liu Wen's Shoes Off and On the Runway

If you don't sit around watching FTV late at night when you can't sleep (like I do), you may not be familiar with the name, but Miss Liu is currently one of the most-booked runway models and is considered by many to be one of the new breed of supermodels. Born in Yongzhou, China, the former tour guide became part of fashion history by being the first Chinese model to walk the Victoria's Secret runway. She's set to become the face of Estee Lauder, making her the first Asian woman to achieve this. Vogue has recently named her as one of the people who influenced fashion in the year 2010. Now that's something to put on a resume!

Wen (her last name is Liu) has more than just good looks and great clothing - she has fantastic taste in shoes! Having walked the runways of Jean Paul Gaultier, Maison Martin Margiela, Chanel, Roberto Cavalli, Louis Vuitton, Chloe, and countless other purveyors of haute couture, she's had plenty of chance to test-drive the latest shoes out on the luxury goods market. For her first ever Vogue cover (for Vogue Portugal), she wore a pair of smokin' hot Christian Louboutin Fifre ankle boots in fire-engine red. When I saw these boots, I figured that if I could only buy one pair of shoes for the entire fall season, I'd probably invest in a pair of these boots: they channel military style with a sexy edge, thanks to gold-tone buttons and loop fastenings, a 4.5 inch heel and a concealed platform, and of course, the signature red sole. Pair them with anything and you can go anywhere. Lucky, lucky Liu!

A self-confessed shoeaholic, Wen's favorite song is "September High Heels." However, Wen often wears flats and boots, especially when she's out running around doing errands or heading to appointments and shows. Her black leather Jimmy Choo York motorcycle boots are nearly flat, with inch-high heels, and are generously embellished with gold and silver-tone studs and rivets. These boots look seriously tough, and Wen rocks them like she's supposed to, in a grunge-meets-high street ensemble consisting of a tailored jacket, plaid shirt, and black skinny jeans. Wen has also been photographed sporting awesome trainers by Jeremy Scott x Adidas. They're trainers… with wings!

I'm going to have to add the entire contents of Liu Wen's shoe closet to my list of celebrity shoe collections I wish I had!

Alexander McQueen’s Armadillo Shoe

Armadillo shoes 

Sometimes, couture shoes can be just plain spooky for the faint of heart. These days, shoes are becoming more and more edgy, not to mention their heels are also towering more and more. The weirdest/most beautiful shoe that has ever graced our planet is the Armadillo shoe. Count it on the late great McQueen to make the most eye-stirring, heart-pounding, killer shoes that might just literally kill you too.

The lobster-heeled Armadillo shoe made its debut on McQueen’s Spring /Summer 2010 collection and instantly got a flurry of attention. More than the typical “oohs and aahhs” heard on the rows of an Alexander McQueen runway show, fashion-forward enthusiasts scurried to find out what on earth this new creation was. Were these a gift sent by the avant-garde gods of fashion? Is this Lady Gaga and Madonna’s baby? Nope, they are simply Alexander McQueen artwork.

Only a few bold/bordering-crazy people have been able to walk in these shoes. Of course, Lady Gaga is on top of the list. Demi Moore was also photographed wearing them for a cover of Harper’s Bazaar. Note that she was just “photographed wearing them” and we don’t really have evident proof she was actually able to walk in them. Lady GaGa, on the other hand, was even able to dance like crazy in them for her Bad Romance video.

The aptly named Armadillo shoes are not readily available for those interested. It isn’t mass-produced, you see (fortunately). If you have spare $10,000 though, and willing to wait (years), then maybe you can have your own pair too (I wouldn’t count on it).  This obviously impractical footwear is impossibly hard to walk in and equally impossible to get unless you are a popular celeb or an iconic plastic doll – Barbie. Yes, she owns a pair too.

“Love” The New Ballerina Flats From YSL

Yes, that blissful sigh you just heard did in fact emerge from your own throat. Yves Saint Laurent has expanded their Love Ballerina line just in time for the holidays – wise for them, diabolical for the friends and family of shoeaholics. Originally, the flat only arrived in the standard black and beige, but now a multitude of unconventional yet subtle shades have been added to the lineup, including fuschia, salmon, indigo and forest green.

Made of patent leather to give it a sheen, YSL brings back the true meaning of the shoe with a square toe like traditional ballerina flats. Subtly incorporating the brand's quirkiness is the oversize logo on the insole and the tiny heart cutout on the toe box. With such cute details,  even staunch supporters of the heel would be tempted.

There are now twelve new flavours in the Love Ballerina collection, available at YSL boutiques for $485 a pop. Try to limit yourself to just one, or know how it truly feels to be a man and blow three months salary buying up every colour.

Coleen Rooney Opts for Louboutins

Style icon and footballers wife Coleen Rooney showed off her peep toe Louboutins at the annual Christmas bash for designer boutique Cricket. The fashion hot spot Cricket boutique is located in the heart of Liverpool and it’s regularly frequented by local celebs wishing to stock up on their designer labels.

Coleen opted for her classic Christian Louboutin No Privé 120 patent leather sling backs. The fabulous footwear offered a chic edge to her outfit with the signature red soles providing the perfect anecdote to Coleen’s muted colour palette.

Thank goodness Coleen is back on track in the shoe style stakes after being photographed wearing a less than flattering pair of studded toe cap boots last week it’s refreshingly reassuring to see that she has come to her senses  and is once again heading the fashion pack in her trusty Louboutins.

And Mrs Rooney isn’t the only celebrity opting for Louboutins; right now these shoes seem to be flavour of the month with Heidi Klum sporting a pair at an Astor cosmetics promotional event and Gossip Girl Blake Lively stocking up on multiple pairs whilst attending an invitation only sale in New York City.

Teva Takes A Second Stab At Reinvention

If you're into that kind of thing...

Known for their velcroed sports sandals, Teva is desperate to reach new markets. Remember that puke-worthy stiletto that they had the gall to charge $330 for? Perfect for the kind of girl who goes mountain hiking in a Vivienne Westwood dress.

That particular collaboration with Grey Ant received no love from the fashion or the sporting community – it even got skewered on the Conan show. A dismal failure, but it did get people abuzz about a brand that was pretty much on the brink of obscurity. Bad publicity is better than no publicity, I guess.

Now that the world is eager to pounce on whatever they come out with next, Teva has introduced the “Gnarkosi.” It's a mash between two of their existing shoes: the Gnar, a closed-toe sandal, and the Syrkosi, a water resistant slip-on that resembles a wetsuit for your feet. Though the company have made closed-toe shoes before, never have they done an actual, proper sneaker. With the sudden aggressive reinvention of their look, the brand seems to be targeting affluent city living professionals, wanting to abandon what they call a “granola” association.

Perhaps this was Teva's plan all along; to hustle us into paying attention to them with a feint, then rolling out a shoe that actually makes sense when we're all watching. It's still not the prettiest sneaker, arriving in some pretty garish colours like ultra violet and bright turquoise.  The Gnarkosi will probably cater well to their market, even if they are trying to reach less hardcore outdoor enthusiasts. According to Teva's Marketing Director, Joel Heath, the Teva sneaker is “aimed at people who live in urban areas and but takes advantage of public parks or other green space. The Gnarkosi was designed to be a shoe that transitions from athletic activity to street or workplace without sacrificing style.”

The Gnarkosi by Teva will be in stores February 2011 and retail for about $100.

The World’s Most Expensive Shoe

Hear ye, hear ye shoeholics! A great treasure has been found – Stuart Weitzman’s Rita Hayworth Heels. Now, I’m sure several other designers retail their shoes at a high price but nothing could beat this mother of all shoes. Stuart Weitzman’s Rita Hayworth Heels are currently the most expensive shoes and it is worth, drumroll please… a whopping 3 million dollars and it’s not even that pretty. Sorry to burst your bubble Mr. Weitzman.

So what makes this otherwise plain satin shoes seem so invaluable? Well, they were created around the earrings of legendary red-haired “Love Goddess” Rita Hayworth. The 40s movie-star icon was known as a great sex symbol and one of the top actors of her time.

Stuart Weitzman crafted the satin peep-toe stilettos with the infamous earrings laden with diamonds, sapphires and rubies. Only one very lucky woman had the blessed opportunity (and guts!) to wear them. Kathleen Bird was an Oscar nominee back in 2006 and she wore the treasured shoes and paired it with the same color satin dress. I personally think her dress didn’t do much justice to the precious pair of shoes. The unbelievably expensive shoes now belong to Hayworth’s daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan.



Wietzman has been known to make over-the-top shoe creations that cost more than a house mortgage. Another diamond-laden Weitzman creation that’s 2nd to the list is the “Cinderella Slippers”, priced at $2,000,000. They are set with 595 carats of diamonds, with one shoe having an amaretto diamond that’s alone worth $1,000,000.
Talk about price tags! These shoes are not just foot-candy, they are walking museum art! Anyone who wears them will sure be guarded by a whole bunch of CIA’s, making sure no one gets near those diamonds. And please for the love of God, don’t trip in them!

Gaga Appears to Have Forgotten her Heels...Again!

In the fashion stakes Lady Gaga has never been a shrinking violet; in fact the more whacky the better as far as this artist is concerned. And it isn’t just her outfits which express her whacky taste Lady Gaga also has a penchant for rather crazy footwear.

The pop star was recently spotted out and about in Milan sporting yet another pair of insane shoes; the black ankle boots had studded soles but yet again they were missing that vital shoe ingredient...Heels! But Gaga, who has been seen in similar heel free footwear throughout the year, seemed to find her balance and walked around the Spanish city with relative ease.

It appears that this bizarre style of shoe is a definite favourite of the Gaga. The heel free platforms were created by Japanese designer Noritaka Tatehana and are inspired by the Japanese historical shoe Kan Pokkuri which is basically a clog that was traditionally made out of cans.

If you’re feeling the Gaga vibe and can see yourself in these heel-less creations then be prepared to pay for the privilege; the shoes are available direct from Noritaka Tatehana’s website ranging from $2,500 to $4000 per pair. Yikes!

Blake’s Louboutin Blowout

sharing her love of Louboutin

Gossip Girl star and all round fashionista Blake Lively is no stranger to spectacular shoes and her love affair with Christian Louboutin’s creations is nothing new. The shoe maestro previously created a shoe style which he named after the rising TV star.

But now Blake appears to be sharing her love of Louboutin with her friends and family. The Gossip Girl was recently spotted stocking up on her favourite footwear in New York City. Miss Lively was invited to an exclusive sample sale for Christian Louboutin and she made the most of her invite spending an estimated $9000 on shoes. Although Blake insisted she was buying Christmas gifts for her sisters and girlfriends the star later admitted that she couldn’t resist picking up a few pairs for herself...Naturally!

Oh and if you’re reading this Blake I would just like to put myself forward as your new best friend or adoptive sister...I am a shameless shoeaholic.

Ruby Slippers

‘Tis the season to be jolly; so get festive and take a tip from the fashion pack by slipping your feet into a pair of red shoes.

‘Dorothy Heels’ are hot to trot and they will give any outfit instant style cred – this is vital with party season coming up – change up that little black dress with a pair of red heels and accessories.

Or wear your red shoes in an unconventional way; you don’t always need to dig out the sexy and sophisticated garments from your wardrobe, mix it up by going casual. Red shoes look particularly divine paired with dark denim.

The pick the ruby shoes includes; Red Velvet Suwalki Boots by Manolo Blahnik [they’ve been out in blue and pink but are now available in a fabulous deep berry red] and red patent peep toes by shoe master Jimmy Choo.

If you fancy something flat check out Valetino’s red pointy toed sandals that have a studded t-bar and ankle strap, as well as studs all the way around the foot.

If you’re not brave enough to surrender completely to red shoes why not take a leaf out of Miss Beckham’s book and choose a pair of heels with red embellishment or details. VB tweeted “Obsessed with these Prada shoes...” (@victoriabeckham) and I can see why.

So go and be bold – get yourself some ruby slippers.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Her Swedish Hasbeens

Sarah Jessica Parker and Her Swedish Hasbeens

Yet another celebrity shoe trend is born: Swedish Hasbeens. These clogs have recently been seen all over Hollywood, with Sarah Jessica Parker leading the pack of clog-loving celebs. She wore a couple of pairs in the most recent Sex and The City movie and it immediately got noticed by the public. SJP has been revered as a great fashion icon ever since the Sex and the City series. Carrie’s love for designer shoes radiated to the screens and the show’s audience. The result was a rise in the popularity of designer shoes Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik and of course, the Cosmopolitan cocktail drink. We all know how the SATC girls love their shoes and their cosmos.

Recently though, Sarah seemed to have traded her designer shoes for the more subtle clogs. The Swedish Hasbeens are environmentally-friendly clogs that are made of wood and natural grain leather. It has a cute story behind it too. It all started when designer Emy Blixt found hundreds of pairs of wooden clogs in an old factory in Sweden. They brought back the clogs and created the brand Swedish Hasbeens. The name sounds kind of funny, I know, but it totally narrates the story of the clog since they used to be all the rage a few decades ago. The shoes are still handmade in the same factory in Sweden to preserve the history of the clogs. Prices start at $175 and go up to $703 for the knee-high boots.

Clogs have made a big comeback lately and vintage fanatics are loving the trend.  From the high-fashion runways to the streets of Hollywood, these chunky wooden shoes have stormed its way back to the fashion world once again. With SJP acting like an endorser/spokesperson for the brand, I’m sure it will reach even higher heights and spark a bigger Hasbeen revolution.

Kobi Levi's “Real World” Designs

There is such a thing as shoe art, and it spans much farther than your prized red patent Louboutins. Taking inspiration from many decidedly unfabulous elements of the real world, designer Kobi Levi has used these as the blueprint for his unique line of footwear. The epitome of tongue-in-cheek, freelance designer Kobi acknowledges that his creations usually end up as quite “humoristic with a unique point of view about footwear.”

One simply needs to see them to believe them. One of his latest designs, the “XXX Pump,” was aptly named. From the front, it looks like a perfectly respectable shoe, but from the back... oh my! Wear these, and any who follow behind you will be blushing. Similarly, “Blow” is a nude colored shoe with glossy red “lipstick” on the peep toe, and its heels are a pair of shapely legs. Kobi was obviously in a frisky mood when he made these, but his other designs have all of the same playfulness but with a whole different look.

“Dog,” “Miao,” “Market Trolley” and “Banana Slip-On” (there's no need in trying to explain them – with Kobi's designs, everything looks exactly how you think they will) are good examples of the kitsch factor present in many of his shoes. Optical illusions like “Double Boots” to how-do-you-wear-those “Rocking Chair” and “Tulip” will have you making the hard decision of whether to put them on your feet or on your mantle! Not all of his shoes are too wacky, though. Some are just new takes on old classics (“Androgyne,” “Two-gether” and “Twist”) and some are just downright cool and wearable that you have to wonder why no one's done this before. Notably, “Chewing Gum,” which looks like a run-of-the-mill oxford, but has a heel fashioned to look like a string of pink sticky chewing gum stuck to the sole.

Calling them “wearable scupltures” that are alive with or without the foot or body, all of Kobi's designs can be stared at in wonder at his website.