Nicholas Kirkwood Exclusively for Liberty
| Summer 2010 sees Flower Power blossom in the heart of London as Liberty celebrates its famous florals with a year-long program of activity and events championing creativity, rebellion and love. The most flamboyant and sensational in this Flower Power is an exclusive and limited edition capsule collection by Nicholas Kirkwood using Liberty fabric. |
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| The shoe designer presented a series of gorgeous and creative shoes among which are Santa Maria Platform Sandals, Santa Maria Peep Toe Shoes and Bounty Platform Sandals. Santa Maria Peep Toe Shoe is a classic peep toe pump featuring a rose lacquer heel made in Liberty print. Santa Maria is a herringbone repeat Rock n’ Roll tea dress print from the early 90s with a crepe de chine finish. Personally I love floral print that makes the peep toe stand out much. And it is available for £410.00. |
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| Santa Maria Platform Sandal is a cut out detail sandal featuring a buckle strap and cigarette heel and the ubiquitous platform made in Liberty print. This season not a single designer can do without buckles. The motto of the season is The more buckles, the better. The platform sandal is sold for £560.00. |
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| And the last shoe in the line is a so called Bounty Platform Sandal that also features a trendy buckle strap and cigarette heel. The ubiquitous platform is made in Liberty print. In this shoe I love numerous straps. That always looks stylish, elegant and sexy. And the price for this work of art is as much as £560.00. In comparison with other shoe novelties by famous designers, the price for every item in this line is quiet reasonable. |
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| Nicholas Kirkwood is known for designing unusual shoes. By the way, recently we could see his masterpiece described in Top 5 Creative & Extravagant Shoes where his Illuminated Shoes are included in the list of the most striking shoe designs. |
Celebrities Choose Leopard Shoes
| You might have noticed that the catwalks were awash with leopard print for Fall –Winter 2010. Christian Louboutin, Balmain, Roberto Cavalli and Jimmy Choo all presented their updates on this classic print. Now the leopard print is everywhere from ballet flats to fur boots. In fact, some fashion experts say that animal prints have become virtually timeless, especially in accessories such as shoes. Some even judge them just like basic black shoes, something that is timeless and matches nearly everything. |
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| Leopard print shoes for women seamlessly shifted from trendy to iconic. However there is a huge risk that makes it tacky instead of glamorous. The trick to wearing leopard print shoes effectively is to know your limits. To start with, you might wear only one printed item, for example an animal-print belt, scarf, handbag or shoes. |
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| Another option is to wear two different animal prints at the same time, like a lovely pair of leopard print shoes with a zebra-striped handbag. But this seems far more difficult to do without looking excessive. |
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| The little black or red dress goes perfectly with the classic leopard print pumps. Besides, the type of fabric should complement the finish of your leopard print shoes. And remember to keep accessories to a minimum. Wear classic pieces in platinum or white gold. |
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| As you can see the majority of celebrities own at least one pair of animal print shoes as wearing them women look more confident, vivid and seductive. Worn in the right way, leopard print can ooze luxury and add instant sex appeal. |
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| Kate Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Kate Moss, Kim Kardashian, Paloma Faith and many other famous singers and catresses have been showing us how it’s done by brightening a plain outfit with a splash of print on their shoes. From trendy to classy, leopard print shoes have become an icon for femininity in fashion. |
Futuristic Shoe Designs by Andreia Chaves
| Andreia Chaves is a footwear designer whose approach to shoes differs a lot from what we have got used to see in life and even on runways. Every shoe created by the designer is a work of art full of diversity and contrasts. By the way, I mentioned one of her works in Top 5 Creative & Extravagant Shoes lately. But I think that Andreia’s work is worth far more attention. Below are some of her extravagant works. |
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| The Invisible Shoe has a mirrored surface, creating a deceptively obscured optical effect with every step taken. Its chameleon-like façade blends in perfectly with any environment. |
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| The Prism Shoe is a fascinating structural design that by itself looks like an intricate work of origami – casting beautiful kaleidoscopic shadows against the ground. This shoe clearly shows us Chaves’ chaotic - yet orderly concept coming to life through her shoe design. |
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| The Form & Texture Shoe reveals a beautiful mixture of form and material while keeping just enough chaos to stay interesting. The contradiction here is the seemingly indestructible framework combined with the disorderly arranged leather and sycamore wood cubes. The silhouette creates a theatrical impressive statement. |
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| Chaves finds it thrilling how each particular material has the power to completely change someone’s vision about a design. An example for this, she presented a sandal made from ordinary Velcro strips that hold the foot. It is curious that you can easily change its shape, redesigning it and creating sculptures in air. |
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| The Twirled Sandal is part of Andreia’s study of optical effects. The shoe is made of PVC and metal. Looking at this sandal it becomes clear that the designer loves to provoke and shatter common concept created by the society during many centuries. According to Andreia Chaves beauty can be found in chaos., and she really finds it! |
Top 5 Creative & Extravagant Shoes
| One of the best ways to stand out and even shock is your footwear. If you put on any of the shoes listed below, you will definitely be in the centre of attention and discussions. If it is what you need, choose the best option for you, if not, just enjoy the pictures. |
| • Form & Texture Shoes. This is the shoe designed by Andreia Chaves. It exhibits a disciplined study of form and material while keeping just enough chaos to stay interesting. The contradiction here is the seemingly indestructible framework fused with the disorderly arranged leather and sycamore wood cubes. The contours create a theatrical statement nothing short of impressive. |
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| • Illuminated Shoes. London based famous shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood is known for extravagant approach to fashion. Recently he has created a series of illuminated high heel shoes for Rodarte’s Fall – Winter collection 2010/2011. |
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| • Flower Shoes. While these are definitely not everyday shoes, they would be lovely for a bride or brides maids. They were debuted as part of Scherer Gonzalez’ 2009 Spring collection. The ultra-high heels have had the clear hollow space in the platform bases stuffed full of blossoms and petals. Additional fresh flower stems and leaves decorate the ankles and wrap up the models legs. |
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| • Candy Shoes. Sarajevo designer Belma Arnautovi? has created a collection of shoes including these candy-filled heels. Inspired by candies and cakes, these conceptual shoes for girls are completely wearable. The designer aimed to produce eccentric unique pieces that bear symbols of fun, dreams and candy perfume. |
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| • High Tide Heels. The best option for the sexy scuba diver. The high tide shoes appeared on catwalk show for Mercedes Australian Fashion week 2002 at Bondi Iceberbs. Nice idea actually. Great for crazy fashionistas who don’t want to be seen without heels even at the beach. |
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