Back in October the Bay hosted a spectacular reception to celebrate the one year anniversary of The Room titled, “God Save the Queen”. A day later, I had the great opportunity to interview footwear designers, Charlotte Olympia Dellal and Nicholas Kirkwood.

I’ll be publishing my interviews with these designers in two separate blog entries; Dellal in this post and Kirkwood next month. The questions I’ve asked these designers are based on the Proust questionnaire with a few personal adaptations.

You’re probably asking yourself, why I waited so long to publish these interviews. To put it simply, it was a matter of timing; wanting to bring in new content for 2011, as well as tying the interviews to London Fashion Week’s fall/winter 2011 shows.

Charlotte Olympia Dellal’s designs are whimsical and tell a mirage of stories taking inspiration from the likes of Carmen Miranda and E. B. White’s novel, Charlotte’s Web. Upon meeting her it was apparent where these designs come from, Dellal’s natural charm, sense of humour and easygoing personality are key indicators. She is captivating and my moment with her spoke volumes about the love she has for her craft.

What inspires you as a footwear designer?

Many things, I have a true essence of my brand so I’m inspired by people, whether they’re alive or dead, different fabrics, textures, a bunch of things. There’s always a starting point for things which inspire me whether be a person or interior or a colour.

What are your criteria for a well constructed and well designed shoe?

Being a woman, I actually wear the shoes so I know what they feel like, whether they’re comfortable or not comfortable. The design obviously comes first but then it’s trying to make it practical at the same time, because it’s not just about designing a pretty shoe. At the end of the day it’s still a business and I want to sell shoes that are wearable.

Do you have a shoe motto?

The higher the heel the better I feel.

Charlotte Olympia spring/summer 2011 collection  

Can you tell me about a shoe you will never forget?

Probably the first pair of shoes I saw was my mother’s which appeared to be fantastically high at the time; they were a pair of gold Gucci platforms with an ankle strap.

What styles of shoes do you like?

High heel with a platform, but I like my flats – I’ve only started recently doing flats, so they’re always a low version of the high shoe. I like my flats to be somewhat simpler and easier to wear because a flat shoe for me is about being a bit more practical.

Flats are essentially what I wear mostly in the summer and I think it’s a natural way for me to introduce a flat shoe in the form of a summer sandal. As much as I love my high heels, in the summer or by the seaside I am not one to wear high heels; that’s not practical I tend to wear flat shoes if not Converse.

What styles of shoes do you dislike?

It’s pretty hard to say that because I might say that I dislike it a shoe and then in a few seasons I’ll make something similar with a different interpretation, a better way of doing it. However, I’m not into UGG boots, they’re ugly.

What footwear projects do you have planned for the future?

I’d like to do more collaboration with other designers. I have a few plans but I’d like to plan more.

What is your present state of mind?

Excited, it’s been a fantastic couple of days. I’m leaving Canada excited.

Charlotte Olympia fall/winter 2010 collection

Spring/summer 2011 and fall/winter 2010 images taken from Charlotte Olympia’s Facebook fan page