Shoe of the moment: my top five favourite shoe picks of 2011

A belated Merry Christmas all! I haven’t written much on the blog these past few days; with the holidays falling on the weekends all I want to do is vegetate in front of the TV and eat short-bread cookies.

To change things up for my weekly shoe feature, I thought it would be fun to list my top five favourite Shoe of the Moment picks for 2011. Take a look see and find out what rated high on my list for this past year.

#5 – Anais tassel pump by Alexander Wang

In at #5, the Anais tassel pump by Alexander Wang captures the footwear trend this season by incorporating the long-standing boyfriend look worn on the runway and the streets, but with a feminine twist in high-shine silver. The heeled loafer from Wang’s fall/winter 2011 collection has a subtlety tapered toe, a beautifully stacked heel and a playful front tassel.

#4 – Cactus Fluo Nero pump by Ruthie Davis

Nothing spoke more to the return of the bright colour blocking trend than Ruthie Davis’ shoes for spring/summer 2011. Looking back on the blog post I wrote about Davis, I found that my favourite shoe from her collection is the Cactus Fluo. The pairing of bright yellow and pink on this pump hits all the popular colour trends seen on the runway this spring, as well as for 2012. The black heel and spikes also make this a bold and bad ass shoe – look out!

#3 – Lady Bell by Noritaka Tatehana

Every now and then I really like to mix things up with my weekly shoe picks and nothing is more out-of-the-box than the Lady Bell shoe by Noritaka Tatehana, in at the #3 spot on this list. I posted this sky high and gravity defying heelless wonder in September because I was in the mood for change and wanted this to reflect in my shoe pick for that week – I rarely do things half ass, go big or go home is my motto.

2011-09-09-noritaka-tatehan
#2 – Patent-leather and suede ombré wedges by Theyskens’ Theory

My #2 choice in this countdown are these beautiful patent-leather and suede ombré wedges by Theyskens’ Theory. I absolutely love the colouring and material used on these shoes, its seamless transition from black patent-leather to purple suede is almost magical. The soaring wedges elevated it to another level literally because the heel measures 5.5 inches high with a 2 inch platform.

#1 – Dawson pump by Georgina Goodman

My top footwear choice for 2011 is this patterned statement shoe by UK designer, Georgina Goodman. I have a feeling that this pick will come to many as a surprise, but the striped motif on this pump and elevated saucer-like platform is irresistible to me. I love the whimsical design on and underneath the shoe, Goodman’s ability to weave in the DNA of her brand into one print all over the pump is different, refreshing and fearless.

Shoe of the moment: Anais tassel pump by Alexander Wang

The nights are getting cooler – a sure sign autumn is on its way. For the fashion crowd, fall symbolizes massive wardrobe changes and updates. Strappy heels are worn less and seldom appear as the temperature goes down. Coming across this heel by Alexander Wang, it instantly spoke to combining a feminine design with practicality of the weather in mind.

Shoe specifications:

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

Why I chose this shoe: the Anais tassel pump by Alexander Wang has an extremely high quality shine to it, reflective enough to blind a few eyeballs. Priced at $650, this pump merges the classic loafer style with the heel of a standard pump. Its tapered toe and added front tassel details gives this shoe a more feminine look without losing its practical characteristic when wearing it in the cold autumn months.

Jonathan+Olivia present Kate Moss for TOPSHOP, TOPSHOP make-up and TOPMAN collections

Over the last few years I’ve been in a TOPSHOP store in three cities – London, Tokyo and Toronto – and my experiences in each of these locations were very different.

My first encounter with TOPSHOP was in London, England, in 2006. I entered a two storey building and immediately felt overwhelmed; clothes, shoes and accessories were everywhere. I didn’t stay in that store very long and left without purchasing a thing, feeling disappointed that the hype didn’t match my first experience.

That same year TOPSHOP came to Tokyo, Japan. At the time, the space was contemporary and minimalistic. The clothes were carefully selected, however, it was sparse in appearance and didn’t have enough items to choose from – very different from the shop in London.

Earlier this month I was invited by Jonathan+Olivia, the exclusive retailer of TOPSHOP in Canada, to view the “arrival of the last seasonal Kate Moss for TOPSHOP collection, TOPSHOP make-up and TOPMAN” lines in their store. It was my first time visiting the Toronto arm of TOPSHOP and there is a great mix of merchandise for men and women, alongside other brands such as Surface to Air, Rag&Bone and Alexander Wang.

TOPSHOP make-up

The TOPSHOP make-up in store contains basics, such as concealer, lipstick and then some. I was particularly drawn to the cream to powder blushes and various nail polish gift sets.

Of course, any visit to a clothing store would not be complete without being tempted to drop a wad of cash on a few items. Two  things I really wanted to buy was a wool buckle cape with fleece collar and faux leather trim, and a black feather cape – how I walked away without purchasing both beats the heck out of me.

Image gallery three: images #1-3 from TOPSHOP