Am I Too Late?

It's still technically Cyber Monday and I've just finished posting some designer heels on my ebay store. Go check them out!!

MY EBAY STORE

including...

MARNI

D&G

GUCCI

...and more :)

Cyber Monday!

I can't say that I know where a ton of great deals are but I'm going to research it right now! I'll continue to update this post as I find goodies for us :)
This is a pretty good start though... The very popular Jessica Simpson Dany (I just ordered the grey snake and already have and love the black version) is only $69.99 today!! They have purple velvet too!!! And free shipping! So many exclamations!
If you want some boots I have a half off coupon for you too... 50BOOT
I got the Alfie in "Dust"

Endless.com is one of my favorite online shopping resources and they're having a buy more save more event. Spend $100 get $30 off, etc. Click HERE 

Another favorite, Net-a-Porter.com just started a huge end of season sale with some really great shoes and lots of sizes. No code needed.

Solestruck.com is offering 50% off sale items with code FP72HMPZF awesome!

And though I haven't officially announced it, I am the new designer for bebe footwear. So I'm sneaking this news in here so that YOU know if first. haha. They are doing a Cyber Monday deal...
bebe.com 20% off plus free shipping

Over at Vintage Shaun (super cute vintage goodies) you'll get 15% off with code: SHAUN


Enjoy! And leave me a comment with your favorite deals of the day :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday! I love hanging with my family and pigging out. :) I also love the excuse to be cheesy and say what I'm thankful for. Not that I really need one...

I'm thankful that I don't have shoes that remind me of a turkey. Sorry Givenchy, you got it all wrong.

Or these scary beasts...

I am thankful for shoes that use feathers tastefully. Like these by L.A.M.B.

But more than that, I'm thankful for my health, my AMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZING husband, my family and friends (including all of you of course!) and my cutie little puppies that are trying really hard to reach the turkey on the counter top. Not gonna happen guys.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

xoxo

Your ShoeGirl, Celine



Lanvin ♥ H&M

Tomorrow!!! It's finally here tomorrow. Who else is excited!!??

Unless you live under a rock, you know that Lanvin is doing a collection for H&M.
Former collabs include  Stella McCartney in 2005, Roberto Cavalli in 2007, Comme de Garcons in 2008, last year's collaboration with Matthew Williamson. They also did a shoe line by Jimmy Choo that brought insane crowds and overnight campers. Or crazies as I like to call them.

Here are some of my favorite pieces!

Amazing, right??? These dresses are SO Lanvin but at a price we can afford! Well, sort of. They're still a little pricy but compared to the designer line, they're a bargain. 

This top is so cute! I mean, it's all about the shoes!

Here's a better picture of the red dress I love

I can't get over how much these shoes look like their designer line shoes!

This yellow dress is classic Lanvin!

Such an adorable print/color combo

Are any of you crazy enough to camp out tonight??? I know my friends at Miu Miu are planning to sleep in the store and then go to the H&M store at the butt crack of dawn to get in line. 

Good luck!! 

xox

Elephant Legs

 I love high waisted super wide leg jeans and am always glad when I feel like they are fashion appropriate. Why? Well, cause honestly they make my legs look longer and therefore skinnier ;)

The only downfall to them is that they totally hide your shoes... Hi shoes! I still love you.

And what great shoes they are! I love them. The bows are actually raw edge snake tied into a bow. Very cool. Plus I love the stitch detail on the platform...

(pants- Dittos, tank and cashmere sweater- J Crew, bag- YSL, glasses- Norma Kamali, shoes- Prada)

What do you guys think? I know these types of jeans can sometimes go into mom jean territory a la Jessica Simpson... haha

Big Hearts and Wedding Bells

I'm back!! Ah, it's so good to be home. 

I got back Thursday and then hit the ground running. This weekend was crazy busy. I went to a wedding Friday night where my childhood best friend Mark married a really lovely girl named Carlie. Hi Carlie!! :) 

Then yesterday I hosted a baby shower for my best friend Christie. I'm so excited to be an auntie to their beebee.

I broke in my Alexander McQueen red heart shaped peep toes... finally! I mean, what better reason to wear them than to celebrate love.

(dress- LaRok, necklace- Van Cleef, bow- Urban Renewal, shoes- McQueen)

I wore them with these adorable tights I found in a shop in London.

Wearing tights to help you break in a new pair of pumps (especially when you buy them a half size too small because they were the last ones and you know you won't find them in your size anywhere... eh HEM) is really great. It makes it a lot less painful. Just a little tip ;)

Also, please excuse the roots. I know they look terrible. I'm in the process of this look-

(images via http://christiewalkerhair.wordpress.com/)

Long roots, light ends. I think my appointment is tomorrow so we'll see how it all turns out. ;)

Q and A

There were a lot of good questions about my last post so I just want to take a minute to answer them...

(a shot of past samples in our sample room)

Angela said...

Now, is this the design process for all shoes? Or just better made shoes? Because I've wondered why there's such a discrepancy in fit. I'm sure each company has their own way to come up with the right last, but I wonder why some leave way too much room between the shoe and my toes and others are perfect.

This is the process for all shoes. There's really no way around it. The difference in high quality shoes and less expensive shoes is not the sample process but the actual production of the shoes. Meaning, after department stores and boutiques have seen the samples and placed their orders it's time to mass produce them in order to fill the orders. Better quality shoe companies have stricter rules and standards do they usually fit and feel better. Also, notice how good quality leather feels on your feet as opposed to man made leather that most lower priced shoes are made of. Check the lining because that's what your feet are actually feeling. If the outside is leather and the inside is faux, you'll definitely feel the difference.

Murderanda said...

What are some of your inspirations when it comes to designing? Do you have.. an 'inspiration board' of some sort or something?

I do make inspiration boards and I can't wait to share them with you guys. I haven't been able to yet because we design so far in advance that the inspiration board and sketches I have are just now coming out in stores. I'm not allowed to show sketches for shoes that aren't out yet ;)

Jessica Alice said...

What are the heel and outsole made of and how are they shaped?

For the sample process the heel is usually hand carved out of wood. We (designers) sketch out an idea of what we want and usually go through a few tries before getting exactly what we wanted. After the wooden heel is confirmed, a mold is opened and it is made in plastic. About 90% of all shoes have plastic heels, the exception being chunkier wood heels and wood wedges. Wooden heels are unstable and can break easily, especially on super thin, high heels. Plastic is more durable and way more cost effective.

Outsoles are cut from thick but pliable leather, based on the last and heel shape. Less expensive shoes may use rubber, plastic, or reconstituted leather to save on price or make the shoe more durable. 

holly in heels said...
...I personally would like to hear how a shoe gets NAMED--what creative elements/what team ideas go into naming a brand's shoe style. 

Every company is different, I'm sure. Smaller companies or Luxury brands can probably name their shoes anything they want but when you're dealing with mass production and distribution, you have to have a system. I can only speak for myself and the company I work for, but we can't repeat names within a 3 year period (so there is no confusion in department stores' systems) and we use one starting letter per season to help our customer service reps to know what shoe a customer is referring to. For example, let's say we're using "C" this season for Betsey Johnson. We'd have a Cassy, Carrissa, Courtney, etc. Usually a baby names book is involved. ;)

BobHH said...
The designer sketch you show is exaggerated in the shape. How is the actual last shape determined? Are there lots of lasts or just one for each heel height? Are they modeled from someone's feet?

I actually visited a last factory this past trip and was super bummed that I didn't have my camera. I'll try to go back again! 

The last shape is usually taken by a standard measurement and then adjusted accordingly. It can be a long process to get the last exactly the way you envisioned. The sketch in the picture was made by a European designer which typically means the drawing is more stylized and exaggerated. In my opinion, more beautiful- but everyone has their own style. My sketches are more straightforward but kind of boring ;)

There are thousands of lasts in our factory. I was trying to find the last room but they may have moved it off site. Every different shoe shape has it's own last. If there is a slight change from another style, it's a different last.

Here are some examples of how different designers sketch completely differently:

(photo: Footwear News)

william said...

When it comes to heel shapes do they simply carve a proto and then make a mold of the final result? I'm always curious with high fashion shoes that don't have acrylic heels, do they have to carve each heel individually? And how do stacked leather heels work.. is there a steel rod down the center for support? I'm always baffled by super skinny stacked leather stilettos because I don't know how such a skinny heel could support weight without added structure.

Ok, great questions!

1- Yes

2- Most high fashion shoes DO have plastic heels but for the rare times they don't, I'd imagine that they'd be hand carved though I can't say for sure.

3- Stacked leather heels are simply plastic heels wrapped in a thin piece of stacked leather, like this...

4- Most heels do have metal rods in them for added support- especially the super thin ones! 

I hope this gives you guys some insight into what I do :)

Behind the Scenes of Shoe Design...

I brought my camera with me to China to take some photos and show you a little bit of what goes on behind the scenes of shoe making.

These are shoe lasts... They are essentially shoe molds. These determine the shape of the shoe, the heel height, and the size.

There are a few different methods of pattern making when it comes to shoes. One involves taping the last as shown here. The pattern maker covers the last in masking tape and then makes a 3D version of the designer's sketch onto the tape.

From there, he removes the tape and translates it to a paper pattern like this-

The paper pattern is then laid onto the leathers or fabrics to be used for the shoe. The leather/fabric is cut and sewn and then "lasted".

This is an example of a lasted shoe. It is carefully pulled and stretched onto the last and heated to fit onto it perfectly.

Some tools of the trade...

Here is an upper sewn and ready to go on its last

And here it is after it has been lasted and had the outsole and heel attached

This...

Becomes this!

Pretty cool, huh? I'll have some more for you in my next post :)

I'm going back to China next month and though I already asked this, few of you answered so I'll ask again... Is there anything specific you guys want to know about the whole design process? Anything about working in China you want to hear about?

Let me know :)

Before I Go...

So I'm off to China to work on my shoes for the next 8 days (boooooo!) but I wanted to share something real quick!

I've posted about my shoe storage before since many of you ask me what my closet situation is. Well, it wasn't pretty.

Piles of shoe boxes...

Piles of shoe storage boxes...

Hot mess status.

UNTIL! Ben and I had a crazy idea...

What if we made our home office into a sort of shoe room. (well my half of the office anyway)

Well, we did it. And I freaking love it.

TAH DAH!! Yay!

And with this post, I must go. My flight to China is taking off. I can't blog from China but I'll try to get Ben to post some stuff for me. :)

xoxo