Definitely one of my favourite footwear designers is Nicholas Kirkwood. I’ve always admired his ability to create shoes with interesting shapes and silhouettes that speak to the imagination and architectural side of design – it also helps that his stuff is stunning too!

His spring/summer 2012 collection is a visual delight with all sorts of styles that incorporate pearl detailing, lace, bows and rosettes. However, out of all of them, my absolute favourites are these printed stain pumps – please and thank you to the return of prints to fashion!

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, satin
• Colour, multi
• Heel height, 10 cm

Why I chose this shoe: I was struggling for a few days to express, in words, how much I L-O-V-E these printed pumps and still I find it a little difficult to rely my feelings; it’s very rare that a particular shoe style renders me speechless, this is probably the first time I’ve experienced this.

The collage of multi-coloured patterns placed onto these heels is unforgettable with its vibrant shades and use of images such as birds and flowers, utterly symbolic of spring and summer.

So far Bergdorf Goodman is the only retailer selling these heels online, but I’m sure other stores will have them in stock soon. The white and turquoise pumps are on my list of shoes to acquire for spring.

How would you describe these shoes? What about them do you like/love?

Images from Nicholas Kirkwood

At one point I steadily posted a series of blog entries called, Fashion in the News where I would collect articles that caught my attention and what I thought would make for an interesting read. The last Fashion in the News post was back in July 2011 which means I’ve been a bad blogger – oops!

For 2012 I want to switch things up and instead of gathering general fashion articles I want to turn my focus more towards shoes, after all this is mainly a footwear blog. These new entries will be simply titled, Footwear in the News and I aim to publish these posts at least once a month. Read on and enjoy!

How I’m Making It: Rem D Koolhaas, Creative Director of United Nude (Fashionista) – “"In terms of design aesthetic, the brand (United Nude) has become known for producing conceptual, innovative designs that probably wouldn’t be possible without Koolhaas’ architecture background. In a way, he told us, his lack of accessory design training was an advantage.”

Rem D Koolhaus, Founder and Creative Director, United Nude

How Crocs Moved from Fashion Trend to $1 Billion Phenom (Forbes) – “The company whose fugly footwear has been the foundation of its business just announced it expects its full-year revenue to exceed $1 billion for the first time in its 10-year history.”

Little Red (Litigious) Shoes (New York Times) – “Last summer a federal court denied Louboutin’s request that YSL be stopped from selling its red shoes... Now, the shoedown escalates to the appeals court."

20 waiting list worthy shoes for spring 2012 (Telegraph UK) – a listing of 20 must have shoes for spring 2012, break out the bank loan.

Worker stitching L.L. Bean duck boots in factory 

L.L. Bean boot gets a kick from retro trend (USA Today) – “L.L Bean's familiar duck boot with leather uppers and rubber soles — designed for slogging through mud and snow — has become something of a fashion statement owing to its newfound popularity on college campuses, the company says.”

Indonesians Protest With Flip-Flops (Wall Street Journal) – “Indonesians have dropped thousands of old flip-flops and other footwear at police stations and a child protection group to protest the heavy-handed treatment of a 15-year-old boy accused of stealing a policeman’s sandals in the northern state of Central Sulawesi.”

I’m not going to hide the fact that I’m absolutely dying (in a good fashionable way) over OBJECT’s spring/summer 2012 collection. I’ve professed my loved over this clothing and accessory line in several blog entries in the past and really can’t get enough of George Antonopoulos’ designs.

OBJECT’s latest lookbook images appeared online just last week, this is his second season partnering with DANIER, and I’m counting down the days for when the blue leather pants and suede pieces are available in March... just one month and six days to go.

Now, I’ve seen and reviewed a lot of designer collections, both in Canada and overseas, since starting this blog and there are a dozen or so designers who really speak to my aesthetic and style, Antonopoulos is one of them.

There’s a connection you feel deep inside when you see your favourite designers’ clothing on the runway and in a lookbook; the excitement and anticipation bubbles, and if you can afford the pieces you make a mad dash to the nearest store which sells it. There’s no use in fighting the pull you feel and the urge to splurge when it comes to your favourite designer, resistance is futile. So I might as well hand over my credit card to Antonopoulos and DANIER now, you think I can also send them the bill?

The first day of spring is on March 20, 2012, which is two months away. I keep giving myself positive reinforcement by saying phrases like, “spring is just around the corner,” to get myself through a blue January especially with all the snow on the ground and today’s temperature falling to -10˚C (14˚F).

Another way I help to beat the January blues is to, of course, shoe shop online! Images of these gorgeous Mary Jane pumps by Stuart Weitzman landed in my inbox the other week and all I could think about was how good this shoe would look on my feet.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, leather
• Colour, pink or mint green
• Heel height, N/A (but I’m guessing its between 7-12cm)

Why I chose this shoe: Stuart Weitzman’s version of the Mary Jane really threw me for a loop; this is not your grandmother’s shoe but one that is young, fun and fashionable! The design is a simple shape but with updated elements such as the use of pastel colours (a returning trend this season) and silver tipped toe; both elements present a lady-like heel with a hit of edge. This shoe costs $365 USD and will be available in February.

Images courtesy of Stuart Weitzman

On Thursday evening I attended the third annual DANIER Design Challenge award ceremony where third-year students from Ryerson University’s Fashion Design program showcased their talents by creating an original women’s leather garment.

Jeffrey Wortsman, DANIER CEO, announced the three finalists and awarded prizes to Brie Reid for third place, Jayson Araja for second place and Meagan Johnston for first place.

Johnston’s winning design is titled, Ace of Scarabs which takes a “black lamb leather jacket inspired by Ancient Egyptian beliefs and the concealment of truth. It can be worn in at least three different ways and is a statement piece that is extremely easy to wear.” She incorporates a lot interesting elements into her jacket such as a belt, straps, multiple buckles and a harness fitted on the back.

Winning top spot in this yearly competition is a pretty sweet deal for Ryerson’s fashion design students; it’s accompanied by a cash prize, paid internship with DANIER and their design will be sold in select DANIER retail locations across the country, Johnston’s will appear in-stores for fall 2012.

This was my first time attending the DANIER Design Challenge award ceremony and I have to admit being on campus and seeing all the student creations momentarily brought me back to my university days – very nostalgic.

Check out Johnston’s video presentation of her final garment which won over the judges and public.

Image gallery #1 and video courtesy of DANIER

My eyes, shopping habits and, of course, wallet are turning towards gathering clothing to build up my wardrobe in anticipation for spring 2012. Fun pieces and bright colours are usually what I gravitate to and these sandals by Vionnet fit the bill perfectly.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, suede
• Colour, black with multi-coloured studs
• Heel height, N/A

Why I chose this shoe: two words popped into my head when I saw these sandals, “young and fun” which is what spring is all about; it’s a time of rebirth, newness and change.

The black suede underneath and the studs on top provides colourful contrast instantly livening one’s mood the moment you look at the sandals. Vionnet does a great job with developing footwear that remain true to its house’s founder, Madeleine Vionnet who said that "when a woman smiles, then her dress should smile too" – and why not her shoes as well.

Images from Net-a-Porter

Remember when I wrote about my frustration with online shoe shopping last summer? Well, I’ve come to another mini-fashion crisis with something many women dread experiencing, shopping for the perfect pair of jeans – dum dum dum!

I’m not looking for any regular pair of low-rise boot cut jeans because, god forbid, that would be too easy!

Over the past eight months I’ve been hunting for the perfect pair of high-rise skinny jeans. I have a very specific style, cut and wash in mind; they have to be in a dark blue wash with brown/golden stitching, made from real denim (not jegging-like but some stretch would be ok) and have a rise of over 10.5 inches – I’m talking belly button height or above.

It’s been a frustrating and exhausting search to find the perfect high-rise skinny jean. I’ve scoured online websites and pretty much called the best denim stores in Toronto: Holt Renfrew, Jonathan & Olivia, Net-a-Porter, Over the Rainbow, Shopbop, SSENSE – everywhere!  

I’ve also gone straight to the popular denim brands themselves such as 7 For All Mankind, Citizen of Humanity, Paige Demin and Levis in hopes they would have something in stock = outlook not so good.

Everyone I’ve spoken to at these stores have been super helpful answering my questions, but when my search turns up with zero success I can’t help but feel despondent; it’s like I’m Indiana Jones searching for the holy grail, but there’s no holy grail.

Throughout my search I’ve discovered that the majority of jeans in stock were either a low or mid-rise. And can I tell you that I’m sick of low rise jeans! Unofficially it’s become the new standard for jeans.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I have a few pairs of low rise jeans but as the times change so do I. Call it old age if you will or that I’m foreseeing that the jean trend will be moving towards a higher rise within the next few seasons; however, I’m an impatient person and I don’t want to wait several seasons to find the perfect pair of high-rise skinny jeans.

I’ve lost count on how many jeans I’ve tried on and the feelings of frustration that comes with it, it’s literally become a pain in the ass; getting blue dye all over my hands, squeezing and contorting to get into a pair of jeans, having to go up two sizes and going down two sizes – can’t denim makers just stick with a standard sizing?

And that’s just getting the pants on then the fun part comes, when you look at yourself in the mirror and scientifically analyze the jeans you’re wearing; the material was too stretchy, rise isn’t high enough, the wash looks horrible and the cut flattened my bum. Who wants a flat ass?

There are only three pairs of jeans which have come close to meeting my criteria. They are (pictured in order above):

• J Brand’s Maria jean – I’ve tried the Maria, the rise isn’t high enough and it’s basically made out of a jegging material
• ACNE’s Needle Soft Raw jean – none to be found in Toronto and I don’t want to chance dropping $200 on these jeans without trying them on first
• Notify’s Tulipa high-rise skinny jean – none to be found in Toronto and I don’t want to chance dropping $200 on these jeans without trying them on first

So there you have my rant to start off the New Year – I know it’s been long one but desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m not completely giving up hope, I’ve been told to keep my eyes out for new stock coming into stores at the end of January/beginning of February; however, this means I have to make another dozen calls and search online to find what I’m looking for – ugh!

I know I can’t be the only one looking for the perfect pair of high-rise skinny jeans. If you know of any dark, high-rise (10.5+ inches) skinny jeans please let me know – will love you forever!

Happy Monday! Today is my first day back at work after taking a few vacation days off and I’m slowly easing into the normal routine of life again, sadly no more staying up until 2:00 a.m. and getting up at 11:00 a.m.

To restart my blogging juices I want to share another beautiful fashion book with you released by Rizzoli in November titled, Dior Couture. I only just heard about this book when information about it arrived in my inbox during the holidays and it’s a stunner.

This book contains over 200 pages and photographs of “over one hundred incredible gowns from the entire era of Christian Dior haute couture, including dresses designed by Dior himself;” all shot by the legendary photographer, Patrick Demarchelier.

I’ve included a few images below to give you an idea of the visual artistry exhibited by Demarchelier. This book can be purchased online at Chapers.ca, Amazon.ca or through the publisher itself. Cost: $125 CAD/$115 US.

Images and information courtesy of Dior

As with my first blog post of the year, I struggled a little bit with picking out a shoe to feature as the first Shoe of the Moment pick for 2012. I wanted my choice to set the right tone, of exciting and news footwear designs to come; part of me wanted to showcase a heel from a designer’s spring/summer 2012 collection, but I’m not quite in the warm weather mood yet. Therefore, I decided to go with my gut and feature this stunning heel from Rupert Sanderson’s fall/winter 2011 collection.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, leather
• Colour, plum
• Heel height, 11 cm

Why I chose this shoe: found on Far Fetch and on RupertSanderson.com, the deep plum colour and its metallic shine make this a luxurious yet versatile shoe. It’s the type of heel that can be worn during the day at the office and transition easily to an evening outing with a few tweaks to your attire. The black bow increases the shoe’s feminine feel and softens the look of its pointed heel design.

Images from Far Fetch

Welcome 2012! It’s a bit odd saying and writing those numbers because my internal clock still feels like I’m stuck in 2011 or later.

This past weekend I spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to write for my first blog entry of the year. Do I write something funny, recap my favourite moments of 2011 or write what I want to achieve in 2012?

To get some inspiration I revisited the first blog post I wrote in 2011 and after reading it I immediately said to myself, “Well that was a bit depressing I’m usually optimistic. What was I thinking?”

2011 was good to me; I had a lot of great opportunities come my way, such as writing for Globalnews.ca for LG Fashion Week, appearing alongside Canada’s top bloggers on FLARE.com and making my TV debut on Much Music. I also had the chance to attend a multitude of fashion events and met world renowned designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Barbara Bui – it’s definitely been a good year.

• Introduce new and exciting content to The Souls of My Shoes
  
• Make smarter shopping choices (a.k.a.: refrain from buying on impulse)
  
• Buy shoes that fit properly and don’t hurt my feet (a.k.a.: refrain from buying on impulse)
  
• Save money towards buying my own place
  
• Practice more yoga

Finally, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year filled with positivity. Thank you for all or your support throughout the past two years and I look forward to a great 2012 with you that includes fun, fortune and shoes!

Sincerely,
Kimberly

Image gallery #1, picture #2 taken by Sharon Ng, Backseatstyles