P.S.

Did you notice that I changed the name of my blog from "The Shoe Girl" to "Confessions of a Shoe Girl"?

Well, I did. So don't be confused. 

;)

A Shoe Storage Suggestion...

These clear plastic shoe storage boxes are my new favorite way to store my shoes. My old favorite way was my 300 sq ft shoe closet in my condo, but that is obviously not an option anymore.

These are easy to stack and see-through, so it's easy to see what's inside without digging. 

You can get them in packs of 20 for $35.80 (or 1.79 a piece) which is a great deal! 

Please ignore the totally heinous shoes they photographed inside the box. They obviously aren't "shoe people". 

Interesting...

I saw these RUPERT SANDERSON boots while browsing net-a-porter and thought they were very interesting. They remind me of like, a black opened up shirt with a white shirt underneath. Is that weird? haha

I think these would look really sexy on the foot and the effect of the two layers would probably make an ankle look smaller. I love this trend of oversized booties, a-la-YSL. I think its a great silhouette for Fall and I want to try one out.

I went to the YSL store and tried their oversized shaft bootie and it was to DIE for. Too bad the price would cause me to miss a mortgage payment. They are super sexy as well.

*ysl image thanks to theshoegoddess.com

Oh Posh...

She'll do anything for fashion. Check out these crazy heel-less boots!

When reader Elaine sent these in I thought maybe they were a joke. Maybe someone photoshopped the heels out?

Nope. These Antonio Berardi PVC boots are the real deal. $6,000 worth of PVC in fact. (PVC is a type of plastic- not leather- sometimes called pleather) I can't imagine that wearing over the knee PVC could in any way be comfortable. There's NO breathability to this fabric at all. Maybe she uses them as a weight loss tool? Who knows. If you look closely though, you can see "fog" on the outside of the boot from her sweaty sweat. Ich.

Crazy?? I think so. I can walk in some pretty high heels, but these? I kind of doubt it. Point, set match- Posh. Congratulations bitch, you have David Beckham and crazier heels than me.  

High Heeled Art

Happy Saturday people! I'm super exhausted from last night and I have no idea why. I didn't have as much as a sip of alcohol! We went to Detroit Bar and this little gay bar called Tin Lizzie Saloon. It was a fun night that ended in greasy Mexican food.

ANYWAY-
So a while back this guy Mark Schwartz sent me a link to his website that features his artwork, and then last week fellow blogger Tokyo Bunnie sent me his link. I figured it was time to talk about him. His website is called highheeledart.com. There are some really interesting paintings in there, all of shoes and boots. Check it out! This one on the left is on of my favorites.

The Dangers of a Sushi Lunch...

My friend Sheva and I just went to my favorite local sushi place, Full Moon, for some yummy lunch. We also got our IQs knocked down a few points. I am now stupider because of what I heard.

SO there was this loud mouthed lady sitting near us at the sushi bar talking "politics"... LOUDLY. She was one of those obnoxious people who compensates for her lack of knowledge on a subject by projecting her voice as loud as possible so everyone around her is forced to listen. 

She started her conversation off with the traditional chiché statement "You have to get out and vote guys!" (talking to the two men she was eating with)

With that remark Sheva and I rolled our eyes at each other and laughed a little.

Then she want on with more blanket statements like "All I know is I'm not voting Republican!" and "We need a change. Obama is all about change"

Ya lady, I have a TV as well. 

Then came the killer. "If McCain was going to have a woman vice president why couldn't he at least have picked Hillary!? At least her daughter isn't pregnant!" 

to which her friend replied "Well, they're from different parties, so..."

and SHE said "Well that would sure make a statement!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! From that point Sheva and I just couldn't take it anymore. We rudely laughed out loud and finished the rest of our lunch as fast as possible, loudly quoting the Miss Teen USA speech. "Such as the Iraq and everywhere such as." (if you dont know what I'm talking about PLEASE check this clip out- it's amazing.)

Just thought I'd share. 

Guess What I Did...

Well is that a hint? hahaha

That's lucky pair #13. Let's see if it brings me any luck? If nothing else they'll make my legs longer and any outfit sexier.

I knew that having a Louboutin boutique so close would be a problem... I just didn't think it would affect me so fast. 

C'est la vie! The life of a shoe girl.

Wow!

Check these heels out! They're... well, just heels. I don't know who's runway show this is but I just thought you guys would get a kick out of it. My friend sent me these pics- I'll try to find out who they're from.

I think they look pretty bad ass- although not at all wearable. I think they're meant as more of an artistic statement than a fashion statement. I mean, I doubt the designer expects us to walk the streets sole-less. Right?? haha- then again, who knows. Designers are getting crazier and crazier. 

***UPDATE- These are from the Aminaka Wilmont runway show. Thanks to reader Lindsay for that info!!

I Can't Believe I'm Doing This...

I bought a pair of FitFlops. Let's call it research. I debated on whether or not to tell you guys about it, cause I feel like they're only a few steps up from Crocs, but I just can't keep things from you guys! haha. Plus I don't plan on wearing them out or anything crazy like that.

I bought them not for their claim that they tone and shape your legs, I'll just assume that that's bullshit and if it does, I'll consider it a bonus. I bought them because I've read on many a blog that they do wonders for lower back and knee pain. Pain I have from the sky high heels I wear. Plus, Oprah listed them as one of her favorite things for Summer, and when is Oprah ever wrong? 

So we'll see. They shipped yesterday so they should be here within the next few days. I'll wear them around the house and let you all know if they really make a difference. If you want to try them out or read their user feedback, go to their website, HERE. 

Don't give me too much shit for them either, this was not a fashion decision, it's strictly a "my-back-effing-hurts-and-I'd-like-to-continue-wearing-heels-for-as-long-as-possible" thing.

New Boots!

Looky looky! I just picked up these motorcycle boots by Frye at Bloomies, and I love them. They're a lot more masculine than what I usually wear but they look great with a pair of skinny jeans and a loose fitting american apparel v-neck. They're super comfy too, just slide them on and go. 

The best thing is that Frye is known for their boot making and for their boots lasting forever. So even at $375 (which I think is a GREAT price for a boot) its a total steal. 

They're very Kate Moss-ish don't you think?

Aiken:"Yes, I'm gay!" Us: "Yea, no duh."

Congrats to Clay the gay Aiken for finally coming out. It's not like we didn't already know... but I'm glad he's finally admitted it. He joins Lindsay Lohan in the "recently outed" celeb list.

CSS live @ the Mayan!!

Last night Ben and I went to see CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy) at the Mayan theater in LA. They were SO amazing!! The lead singer was so rad- jumping around in all her neon body suit glory. 

The stage was filled with balloons on strings and at the end they lowered a giant disco ball which got the guy next to me very excited. People were dancing and singing along, gay dudes were making out all over the place... it was quite an event. 

For those of you who don't know about them you should definitely check them out. The singers voice and Brazilian accent is the cutest, and their beats are impossible to sit still to.

Here's their Myspace Page. 

TV Time...

Ok, so I have finally caught up with all my shows on tivo that I missed while I was in China. I have a few things I'd like to talk about.

1- 90210. I changed my mind. I don't like this show. I don't know if it's because it's getting even cheesier or if it's because I now watch Gossip Girl which is SO much better in every sense of the word. Better clothes, better acting, better script. Also, I'm glad US Weekly talked about the fact that these girls are anorexic and need to eat a damn cheeseburger. 

2- Glam God. OK Viv, sweetie? Seriously, what is going on with the wigs?? I took a picture to further illustrate my point. This looks like a dead animal on her head. Yuck.

3- Gossip Girl. I'm all caught up and I am obsessed. Love it!

4- Rachel Zoe Project. I wont watch it. She is horrible and annoying and even watching the previews gives me idiot shivers. 

5- Project Runway. This season is on the boring side I'm afraid. Even with the under talented "Suede" referring to himself in the 3rd person and the tanorexic coke head Blane, there's not a lot to hold my attention. 

6- The Hills. Shoot me please. I know you all saw the salary list. That boring bitch LC is making $75 g's an episode? WTF?

That's it I think. Are there any shows you guys are watching that you think I need to see? 

So I'm Still Kind of a Rookie...

I don't totally know what I'm doing still, so please bare with my ghetto blog. You can now subscribe to my blog and get emails whenever I post new content. Exciting, right?? haha

Its over there on the top left of the blog. I hope you'll do it!

Thanks everyone for reading and commenting and for all the nice emails!!

xoxo

It's coming...

So guess what I did today. I went into my garage and pulled out my 7 or so large packing boxes filled with shoes (well, technically my hubby did the heavy lifting) and started taking pictures! 

Yup... that's right, I'm finally getting rid of all my old shoes and putting them all up on ebay. I'll post the link here as soon as I have them up. They're going to be pretty cheap and there are definitely some cute shoes in there. Don't judge me by the ugly ones though... we all had our moments in ugly shoe history.  ;)

OH! and I'm an 81/2 so there are sizes 8-9 in there.

OMG!

So my friend and I were hanging out with our hubbies last night and they decided to watch some Sunday night football. Yuck. We took off and headed over to South Coast Plaza for some shopping. 

It was fun, but we were just killing time. Then it happened...

I saw a sign that said Christian Louboutin boutique. 3rd floor Penthouse.

WTF? How is it that I hadn't heard of this? I felt a strange mix of excitement and disappointment. Excited, because I now have a Louboutin boutique in my very own hometown. Disappointed, because I like to think of myself as an in-the-know kinda girl, especially when it comes to fashion and even more so when it's about shoes! I know... get over myself, right? haha

Anyway, so we ran upstairs and it was true. There she was- big bright and beautiful. The brand new Christian Louboutin boutique in all its glory. I didn't have my camera with me and I can't find a picture on the web, so the pic I took with my blackberry will have to do for now.  Go see it for yourself though- it's so pretty.

I met the manager, Amita Singh, a sweet and sassy fashionable girl who totally gets my obsession. She's been collecting Louboutins for 5 years. I could tell from our brief conversation that Amita and I have a lot in common and when she mentioned "re-merchandising" her shoe closet I knew I found a friend. haha!

So if you're in the area go check it out. They're the only place in South Coast Plaza that you'll find the red-soled wearable artwork. Friendly sales people and great shoes. Perfect.

Y(uck)SL?

I have a problem with this boot. I think the "Y" in YSL stands for yuck. 

First, there's the patchwork, which I hate even if they hadn't used ostrich. Then there's the fact that they DID use ostrich. Yuck. I've never really understood the use of bumpy pimply like leather on footwear. It's weird.

I hate the kabuki-like bottom. Also weird. Leave that to the little wooden shoes the cute little Japanese servers at sushi restaurants. I dunno, I feel like these would make you look like you had monster feet or something. 

Well, I wont back them but if for some reason you DO like these YSL boots,  you can find them at Browns for £1,485... and you can waste your mortgage payment on them. 

;)

Taste of Newport

Ok, so I just got home from the Taste of Newport. The food was amazing obviously, but even more amazing was the people watching!! There were SO many cougs it was ridiculous. 

For anyone who's not from around here, the Taste is this sort of street fair where lots of local Newport Beach restaurants get together and sell sample portions of their favorite menu items. There's booze and live music and rich dudes. Of COURSE the cougs were out.

So normally when you think street fair you think what? Jeans and some cute but comfortable shoes, ya? Nope. Not in Newps. We saw women with minis and heels, shorts and over-the-knee boots, skinny jeans and sky-high heels. It was amazing. Mostly in bad taste of course, but I did see a woman in these amazing Gucci booties. Go girl.

People watching is definitely one of my favorite things to do. Where's YOUR favorite place to people watch??

One more thing...

Reader "Mike" sent this in and it sounds exciting. thought I'd share...

Condé Nast is running a super sweet promotion. The contest is called, “Win the Ultimate Shoe Shopping Experience.” 

The winner will get: 1) An all expenses paid trip for two to New York City, including airfare and hotel, 

2) A $2,000 shoe shopping spree (!!!) guided by a Condé Nast shopping expert who will also serve as personal stylist, 

3) A trip to a posh New York City spa for a pedicure, and 

4) The winner will be chauffeured around from destination to destination in a custom Chevy Malibu.

Entry is simple. Just go here and fill out the form. 

(ENTRY FORM)

Once you’ve submitted your entry, you should definitely circle back to the homepage (http://shoprockandroll.com). You’ll find there are lots of deals on shoes, clothes & cosmetics. Just click the “shop” button at the top of the page and you’ll find that most of the items have codes attached that will get you discounts and free items when purchasing.

How awesome is that!? Thanks Mike. :)

Oh how I miss you...

Hello everyone who hasn't given up on me! I know it's been way too long but I am in China now and our internet has been out. One of the many joys of working here. 

...Right.

Ok, WHY is it that none of you insisted I watch Gossip Girl?? My little sister got the first season on DVD and I brought it to China with me as a time killer and am now completely hooked. I love it! The fashion is sick- it's so right on it borders annoying. I find myself lusting after each new outfit without the budget to back said obsession. I think it's the new Sex and The City as far as being right-on with high end fashion trends and putting them together flawlessly. The costume designer is doing an amazing job. There's a great fashion blog called WhoWhatWear, and they'll actually tell you what the girls are wearing (as seen in the pic above). It's awesome. They talk about other celebs as well. Check it out.

Anyway- so I've been here detailing my Harajuku Lovers summer line and I was feeling like it was missing something... until the fog cleared. I got this (excuse me for tooting my own horn) amazing idea and decided to add 3 new shoes that I think will end up being the best shoes in the whole summer line! I am so excited. I stressed myself out last night racking my brain for new ideas! Glad thats over. 

Today is already my last day here and I have SO much to do.

I look forward to getting home and bombarding you all with tons of posts. I have some good material saved up that I want to touch on... but for now its back to cracking the proverbial whip!

XOXO- Shoe Girl

(Yes- I've watched too much Gossip Girl)

;)

Deep sadness...

I've gone back and forth on whether or not to write about this, but I think it's a good thing to get feelings out in the open. Plus, I want you all to know why I'm not really in the mood to talk about trivial things right now like shoes or gossip.

My best friend's brother passed away on sunday and since then I've been feeling a little bit like a zombie. He and I were in no means close, but he is family to 3 of the most amazing, loving and big-hearted people I've ever been lucky enough to meet. He is and always will be part of the Contreras family. People that I love like my own.

Brandon Conreras died on 9/7/08 and with him died a part, whether big or small, of everyone who knew him. Brandon had a big presence that you couldn't ignore. Good or bad- people that knew him will always remember him. Athough I didn't know him well, I've heard some stories in the past few days that make me wish I had. 

Brandon left behind him a younger sister, my very best friend, Sascha Contreras. Truly one of the worlds biggest brightest personalities. Sascha's infectious smile is hard to ignore, and her personality is impossible not to love.

His mother and father, Mike and Ellen Contreras are two of the kindest most giving people I've met. Mike is the kind of dad that would do anything for his children and even their friends. He's the kind of dad that every kid wants- a strong father and a friend.

Ellen is sweet and loving and gives the biggest warmest hugs! Plus she is top 5 best cooks on Earth, I swear. 

The outpouring of love for them has been so evident, as every time I go to their house there is a new group of people there to talk and share their support. I'm so grateful for all of those people. I'm so glad to see how many good people there are and how in times of need, people show that side of themselves even when it may be easier to just stay out of it. I'm glad that the Contreras family is getting back some of the love they they are always putting out. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience and let you all know what's going on. I'll be back soon but right now I feel like it's a little inappropriate to be talking shit and gushing over shoes. I'm off to China on Friday to work on my H.L. summer collection, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to write then.

All my love,

Celine, the shoe girl.

YAY Ana!

Congratulations to my dear friend Ana (designer for Jill Stuart footwear) and her HUSBAND Remy!!! 

Ana was married in New York last week in this beautiful dress and, in the style of any good shoe designer, fabulous shoes. Fabulous PINK shoes. fabulous pink SPARKLY shoes!!!

hahaha

I love you Ana! I'm so happy for you both. :)

While we're on the Subject of TV...

Are you guys watching Glam God? WTF is up with miss Vivica's janky ass wigs? And her outfits!? Is she dressed by a drag queen?? NOT liking it.

Holy Chanel Batman!

Did you guys see the new 90210? C'mon guys, I know I'm not the only one. I couldn't help but notice the reDONKulousness that was 16 year old anorexic girls dripping in Chanel. At school. One of the main characters (Naomi) wore something Chanel in every scene.

Give me a break- as if kids in America don't already have a complex about not having enough STUFF. I know it's about rich kids, but do they have to be so obvious about it? Besides, aren't rich anorexic girls wearing oversized moomoos with belts and oversized handbags and shades à la Rachel Zoe??

I also noticed that all the little teeny teens were sporting high heels to school. Are kids allowed to wear heels these days? Am I getting that old that I think that's totally inappropriate? haha. 

Anyway- what did you guys think about the show?? Pretty cheesy, but did you like?

Rock 'n Roll Fantasy

First off- I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL labor day weekend full of fun and sunshine!! I missed my blog, and it's good to be back ;)

*   *   *     

So never in "real life" would I wear these shoes, but I can't help loving them. They are so bad ass and rock 'n roll! Only the baddest of rocker chic girls can pull these off.

Trust me, I'd love to put together a killer outfit and rock these one night, but at a steep $1245, it's not gonna happen unless I win the lotto or something.  Until then I'll continue to put together fantasy outfits to wear to fantasy parties where people will point and whisper, "damn that girl's got style."

For those of you with money to play though- i'd say go for it. You can find them at Barneys, by Chloe.

An introduction... (repost/revised)

I just wanted to repost my intro for those new comers to my blog. I've revised the end since I started doing Harajuku Loves since I started this blog. :)

So, a little about me and why I think I can call myself The Shoe Girl. 

My name is Celine and I grew up in Huntington Beach, California. I like to joke that I was born in high heels, and although that's obviously not true, I was born with the "shoe bug" in my blood. 

My father, a former professional soccer player, came to the US from Morocco in the 70's. He started off as a shoe salesmen (insert Al Bundy joke here) and had a natural talent for it. He worked his way up and eventually co-founded a company called French Follies. They made cute little espadrilles and ballet inspired shoes. From there he went on to Guess and Charles David footwear, where he eventually became President of the company and brought it to its height of popularity in the late 80's.

I was so lucky to grow up around shoes. I was the only girl in the 8th grade wearing the kick ass ankle boots Guess was famous for... and remember those Guess jellies?? Yep. I had those too. And at a whopping hundred bucks a pair, let's just say I made a lot of new friends when I came to school in those! Thats the first time I felt the power of a hot shoe.

In the 90's, my dad left Charles David/Guess Footwear to pursue a new venture... bebe Footwear! It was his first shoe license, and it was super successful. He also started his own line with his namesake, Joey O. From there, he got the licenses for lines like Laundry by Shelly Segal footwear, Antik Denim footwear, Playboy footwear, Zinc foowear, Hale Bob footwear, Badgley Mischka footwear, Betsey Johnson footwear, Betseyville footwear, L.A.M.B. Footwear, Harajuku Lovers footwear, Jill Stuart footwear, and JLO Footwear. Awesome, right!? :) did I type "footwear" enough?

So... like I said, shoes are in my blood! I realized this at an early age, when I would go into my mom's closet and pull out her shoes and clear off my book shelves, fill them with shoes, and put a sign up that said "Shoe Show". I didn't really know what it meant, other than that was where my dad was always flying off to. Shoe shows. I wanted to be a part of it!

I went to design school in Milan, Italy when I was 20. My professors at Ars Sutoria taught me all about making shoes, including sketching, pattern making, leather tanning, and lots of technical shoe stuff. It was intense.

From shoe school to designer! After graduating from my shoe program I went back home and started working as the assistant to the designer of my dad's company, Titan Industries. At the time, we were only making bebe and Joey O Footwear, and were about to go after our second license, JLO Footwear. I was a part of that project and I loved it! It was so exciting putting what I had learned to use. I was off to China and working my butt off. I was the assistant to our head designer for a little over a year when I got offered the job of taking over as the designer for Playboy. It wasn't anything I had ever thought I would do, but it was a chance to be my own designer! No more assisting!!! I took it! Then, a few months after accepting the position as designer for Playboy, I was offered another line; Zinc footwear! I took it!!! I loved working with Zinc. The clothing was cute and the shoes were much more "my style".  

Later still, about a year ago, I was given the job as designer of JLO footwear. I also recently got the job of designing the Harajuku Lovers collection which we launched in August this year. I love this new collection and I can't wait for them to be available in stores! JLO is an international only brand, so I never get to see the fruits of my labor.

I love my job! I get to work with shoes every day. It's my job to look at shoes in magazines, online, in stores, and on the streets. It's a dream job honestly, and I feel lucky every day. My obsession is my job! So cool!

So anyway, here I am. Here's my blog. I hope you've enjoyed reading it so far. It's been fun for me and I hope that shows. :)

Thank you all for reading and for those of you who comment. Every new comment in my inbox makes me realize that I'm not talking to myself. haha