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.”

How can anyone resist the beautiful footwear designs of Monsieur Christian Louboutin? Not me. His latest collection for spring/summer 2012 recently arrived on the famed designer’s online boutique and Canadians have the opportunity to preview the latest creations, as well as place advance orders in preparation for the next bout of warm weather... which will be three to four months from now.

After browsing through the website and its various collections, it’s hard to say which shoes are my favourite, but I can’t get my mind off of the reincarnation of the Daffodile 160mm pump.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, Panama
• Colour, black
• Heel height, 16 cm with 6 cm platform

Why I chose this shoe: I first encountered the Daffodile style back in May when Louboutin produced it in a chartreuse colour. Seeing the evolution of this heel morph from a bright colour into something more artistic is evidence on how shoes can be reworked and updated to reflect a different mood. The black body with its white and yellow geometric print calls forth the memory of the art deco period in the 1920s.

Image courtesy of Christian Louboutin

If you’ve been following my blog for a while you’ll know that I’m an amateur collector of fashion books and documentaries; my personal collection is modest, but it sits proudly on my bookshelf.

Just in time for the start of the holiday season, I’ve compiled a list of fashionable footwear books that any shoeaholic would love to own. Majority of the books can be purchased online through Amazon.ca, Indigo Books & Music or through the publisher themselves.

Blahnik by Boman

For all the Sex and the City fans, Blahnik by Boman would make any woman who lusts after the legendary designer’s shoes salivate. Published by Chronicle Books, Blahinik by Boman contains over 200 pages depicting Manolo Blahink’s shoes in photography settings that reference the designer’s eclectic influences, from flowers to the world of cinema.

Hot off the press is the Christian Louboutin book published by Rizzoli; this is Louboutin’s first book and it coincides with the celebration of his 20th anniversary in fashion. Christian Louboutin contains over 300 pages of artful photography of his life and iconic shoes, and weighs a ton – I recently purchased the book and can tell you that one can do some serious arm curls with it.

The book was launched in September and a video was created to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this printed work of art. Favourite line in the video, “mammogram” – hilarious!

Roger Vivier

In 1954, French designer, Roger Vivier created the stiletto heel and changed the direction of footwear and fashion forever. Simply titled, Roger Vivier, this 80 page book is published by Assouline and documents the designer’s work and the women who wore them.

The title of this book says it all; The Seductive Shoe: Four Centuries of Fashion Footwear takes a sweeping look at footwear over the last 400 years. With over 200 pages, this historical account is organized chronologically and looks not only at footwear design but the historical, social and economical influences that affected it.

It’s been a really long time since I’ve posted a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes on this blog and without a doubt, the first thought that popped into my head when I saw these were, “Holy s**** these heels are high!”

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, suede
• Colour, chartreuse (half green/yellow)
• Heel height, 16.5 cm with 6.3 cm platform

Why I chose this shoe: after getting over my initial shock of the height of these Daffodil suede platform pumps I took notice of its colour, chartreuse. Chartreuse is an unusual colour choice not often seen in stores or online; however, with the return of neon for the next few seasons these shoes fit right in with the bright and bold statements not often associated with fall and winter clothing.

Images from Net-a-Porter

I’m taking a break from Shoe of the Moment blog posts for this week and thought I'd share with you a video which features footwear designer, Christian Louboutin who dances for an ad campaign for Fashionair called, Dancer in a Daydream. It combines the elements of classical Hollywood musicals – which are my favourite type of movies – with a updated fashionable twist. Louboutin can really move and his dance style is very endearing. Enjoy!

Christian Louboutin "Dancer In A Daydream"
Uploaded by le-pere-de-colombe. - Explore international webcam videos.

We all require a little colour in our shoe closet, but there needs to be a balance between footwear that is fashion forward and eye popping with ones that are subtle and can be worn with multiple outfits and on multiple occasions.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, panama straw-covered leather
• Colour, neutral beige
• Heel height, 12 cm

Why I chose these shoes: recently, I was out with several girl friends and our conversation turned towards the topic of footwear. We all agreed that a good pair of high quality, practical dress shoes is hard to find. For me, I’ve always had a difficult time looking for a pair of nude/neutral coloured heels – I still do. Therefore, when I saw these Christian Louboutin Titi 120 Panama straw pumps my jaw dropped opened, they are a dream. I love how Louboutin paired the neutral colour with the textured straw-covered leather, and his signature red sole puts this almost normal looking shoe on the edge.

What about you? What type of shoes do you have a difficult time looking for?

Images from the Net-A-Porter

The first thing which comes to mind when looking at this shoe is Christian Louboutin must have been inspired by a rainbow and then went nuts (in a good way) when using his bedazzler on this shoe to recreate the meteorological phenomenon.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, blue spechio with all over multicolour jewels
• Heel height, unknown but it’s high!
• Peep toe with a hidden platform
• Made in Italy

Why I chose this shoe: I’ve been in a colourful footwear mood lately (as seen in last week’s Shoe of the Moment) and the Jewel Platform Slingback by Christian Louboutin is an indicator that it's time for spring to start. This is a fun statement shoe that should be worn with a very simple outfit, all black or with a pair of dark jeans and with minimal jewellery. If you have $2,830 USD in your back pocket to spend at Bergdorf Goodman then go nuts and buy this shoe.

Images from Bergdorf Goodman.

Today marks my one hundredth blog post for The Souls of My Shoes. It’s hard to image since I started this blog in July that I’ve written 100 posts to date. I won’t go into too much detail about the how and why since I already mentioned the reasons here.

I just want to say thank you to my readers and for those of you who are new to the site welcome and enjoy – here’s to 100 more reasons to love fashion.

Best,

Kimberly

Shoe pictured: Christian Louboutin, Carnaval Nodo Satin d'Orsay Pumps from Saks.com

I can't get these Christian Louboutin platform pumps off my mind. Saks Fifth Avenue why do you have to tempt my credit card so?

Shoe specifications:

• Suede with hidden platform and gold chain detail at the toe
• Self-covered heel, 5¼" (130mm)
• Platform, 1" (25mm)
• Leather lining
• Signature red leather sole
• Padded insole
• Made in Italy

All the components of the perfect shoe minus the four figure price tag (le sigh).

Welcome to The Souls of My Shoes I’ve decided to join the blogging community of the world after careful thought and consideration, conversations with friends who blog, and online research.

I first thought of blogging a few years ago but decided against it at the time because I didn’t know what to write about. Would people like what I have to say? Would I bore anyone? So I chose to be a reader and commentator on many blogs since I could input my two cents and be done with it.

Present day – What finally drove me to start blogging are recent changes taking place in my life: career, relationships, outlook, and a need to express myself creatively.

Changes in my life = It’s time to start something new (I’m sure a lot of you can relate to this)

At The Souls of My Shoes, I’ll provide my insights and thoughts on fashion and the retail industry covering everything from couture to street fashion, customer service, campaigns, and hopefully interviews with some influencers. Fashion makes my heart beat faster and eyes light up, it is my passion and first love.

I’m really excited about sharing this new project with you and look forward to reading your comments, remember to please play nice,and for those of you I know personally – I know where you live… Just joking!

Special thanks to Corrinne, Chris C., Jess, Lava, Uncle Roderick and my parents for helping me pick out a blog name and for the support.

Kimberly

(Image Above: Christian Louboutin black leather pumps)

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