Friday, September 30, 2011

In Fashion We TRUST

Last time I checked STUDS were a thing of the past! Designers like Marc Jacobs, Ungaro, Steve Madden, and Chanel flooded runways and street fashion with studded and spiked shoes, garments, and accessories in 2009. Well this 80's trend gave me every thing I needed when I viewed the Christian Louboutin Mens 2011 Fall Collection of shoes. After seeing photographs of celebrities like Swizz Beats and Pharrell Williams wearing the Louboutin Studed sneakers on different occasions I just knew they were vintage. -->

Caught by surprise and a little suspense I thought that the studded season was over, but obviously not! The 2011 Fall Men's Louboutin Colletion is absouletly breath taking, edgy, and most certainly bombarded with studs. I think that men's collection is more about what Louboutin wanted to design rather than what was trending for the fall. Do you think that studs are a thing of the past? Whether you think so or not Louboutin is one of Fashions most prominent trendsetters and we have to trust the designers who set the trends for the season! It takes a bold man to wear a STUDED or SPIKED out shoe that could be mistaken for a late 2009 Fall designer collection! Would you take the RISK? 


Stay Levitated Until next time!
Sincerely Yours, The Shoe Guru Javia Lavette

Top 5 Shoe Designers to Look Out For!

In the fashion industry trends, seasons, styles, and fabrics change consistently! However, there is always a great demand for the NEWEST HOTEST designer labels because everyone wants to be the first to wear whats NEW. MSN Lifestyle Beauty & Fashion suggested that we shoe guru's:


"Forget about them striking Jimmy Choo's, Carrie Bradshaw's Manolo Blahnik's red shoe
 soles of Christian Louboutin's as we celebrate the entrance of the following up and
coming shoe designers. From bold cut out designs to skyrocketing avant-garde heels, there are no challenges that these artisans have not taken on."
Apparently, there are a few designer labels that us shoe gurus, fashion stylists, and fashionistas must look out for when shopping for an endearing new high fashion shoe design. The top 5 shoe designer labels that will soon take the world of fashion by storm are Alegandro Ingelmo, Aperlai, Camillla Skovgaard, Casadei, and Charlotte Olympia. These shoe designers have signature styles that range from old-school glamour to architectural platflams. Celebrities like Kanye West, Kim Kardarshian, Beyonce, and boho-chic Vanessa Hudgens have already become fans of the designer labels.
       
Far from relatively new some of the designers of the labels have won Swarovski Awards for Accessory Design like Alegandro Ingelmo and Camilla Skovgaard. While other designers have been born into the world of fashion like designer Charlotte Dellal owner of Charlotte Olympia who is the daughter of the famous ex-Brazilian model Andrea Dellal. After viewing a few of the designs I can tell that Levitation and Gravitation are two things that can be achieved from all five of the labels! Why don't you be the judge...

TOP 5 DESIGNER SHOE LABELS ON THE RISE!

                                      1. Alejandro Ingelmo 
  

                                      2. Aperli

                                        3. Camille Skovgaard
Camilla Skovgaard(trineswardrobe)
                                                           
                                      4. Casadei
casadei(intheircloset.com)
                                                    
                                       5. Charlotte Olympia
charlotte olympia

The prominent features of these five collections are enough to make a shoe lover have a shoegasm! They are High quality, High priced, and High heels that makes a woman feel six feet tall. You can check out prices and other shoe designs by clicking on the highlighted designer labels above the collections. Don't be late this season with those same old designer labels in your closet. Take a risk and make a statement with these 5 up and coming shoe designers!


Stay Levitated Until next time!
Sincerely Yours, The Shoe Guru Javia Lavette

Friday, September 23, 2011

It's Always Good to Pay Less! (Shoe Review)

One of the most fustrating things that a fashionista can encounter is shopping on a budget and looking for an edgy, glamourous, designer shoe to create a wow factor when stepping out the door to sieze the day! The last place most females would go to shop for BIG DESIGNER NAMES is PayLess. Set with the idea that PayLess shoes are cheap, classic, and far from fashionable they walk right pass the store not knowing that they're problems have been solved! The Christian Siriano Shoe Collection for Payless has set the bar high for all you fashion shoe lovers on a budget :)

DON'T BE AFRAID GO CHECK THEM OUT.... oh yes i did!

              Me in my Christian Siriano Noir Strut's
I purchased my first pair of Christian Siriano Shoes for Payless in 2009. This was a major fashion moment for me because I watched him conquer his dreams in fashion, starting with Project Runway! I was excited and in shock beyond disbelief that I was actually about to purchase an afortable designer shoe of my own. The Christian Siriano Fall 2009 Collection of shoes  were well wraped in an all black golden scripted shoe box and they were visually STUNNING!
       
Suprised that they didn't look cheap I wanted them all, but my pockets only allowed me to choose one! So I decided on the all black patent leather Noir Strut shoe! The shoe was priced at 39.99 with no tax and it was a well constructed 4 1/2 inch pump! The body of the shoe and heel was textured with a very small snake skin print that was unnoticable unless you closely looked at the shoe in the light. The heel was an odd unique cone shape that complimented the shoe from a side view! It's round toe had three small gold chains that flawlessly sat on top of the shoe, hanging, where your toes would typically be. The Noir Strut was a perfect comfortable fit, looked very expensive, and made me feel like I had on one of the best designer shoes in the world. The only issue that I had was that the heel became unstable after a while. Leaning to left and right I would find myself unable to walk properly, dance, and strut like I typically would.

The minor heel setback didn't stop me from checking out Christian Siriano's new  2011/2012 Fall Shoe Collection for Payless! I walked into the store with high expectations about two weeks ago after viewing the commercial several times. Looking with big eyes I noticed that Siriano's Payless collection is now called the "GOLD COLLECTION." There were  a total of seven pairs of shoes for the PayLess Collection; two pumps, two ankle boots, two flats, and one bootie.  The pumps, boots, and bootie were refined platforms with a 5 inch heel. All of them were black with the exception for one olive green snake skin pump and one flat. One of the ankle boots were cover with fur and a bright gold zipper ran from the front of the shoe to the top of the anklet. The furry ankle boot had a pencil skinny stilleto heel unlike the rest of the shoes in the Gold Collection.  The second ankle boot was all leather with a small snake skin print. This ankle boot was edgy because of the buckles and straps that wrapped all around the boot with touchs of bright gold buckles and studs.
       
The flats and the platform heels had a square toe that had an edgy gold strip that wrapped vertically across the vamp of the shoe. One of the flats and one pump had a  rough snake skin feel to them. After trying on all of the shoes I noticed that the insole of the shoes were padded and extremly soft and comfortable inside unlike the Nior Strut's that I had brought back in 2009! The heels were very sterdy and the platform made me feel like I was not standing 5 inchs high in the air. I was disapointed that he didn't stick with his odd cone shaped heel because it really made his shoes stick out as Christian Siriano's. Personally, the shoes are very edgy and fashionable, but I am not a fan of either of the ankle boots in the collections. The fur boot looks very cheap, tacky, and fur all done wrong. However, the overall collection outside of the ankle boots seems very conservative for a woman dressed in a three piece suit or a dress whos headed to work! I can't image a young fashionista purchasing any of the shoes to go with a sassy dress that says GLAM! The flats were priced at 49.99, the bootie was 54.99 and the heels were priced at 69.99! A little more pricer than his last PayLess Collection, but less expensive than the average popular shoe designers shoe.
       
You be the judge for yourself just by the view below.  How do you feel about the collection? Do you think the ankle boots are wearable? Despite what you think about the shoe design as a whole Christian Siriano should be given credit just for taking PAYLESS to a whole other level interms of providing a great designer shoe! People who have never shopped in the store are making their way in to see, try on, and even purchase the shoes. These runway shoes have made it to the NY Fashion week and yet they are being sold in Payless for less than 100.00.


       









Overall, Christian Siriano Payless Collection of shoes are extremely eye-catching and very polished FOR THE CONSERVATIVE FASHIONABLE MATURE WOMEN! They are everything but simple and subtle, yet they give off a dazzle of drama and volume! Despite the fact that they are bulky, the shoes speak SIRIANO and every bit of faboulosity that he stands for. BOLD, ENDEARING, CHIC, and VOLUME! The specified details from the distinctive teal green bottoms to the gold encrusted shoe pad just makes a girl smile knowing that she has a KILLER designer shoe for a reasonable price! I am anxious to see what he comes up with next season...

Stay Levitated Until next time!
Sincerely Yours, The Shoe Guru Javia Lavette


Last Season's Boot BUZZzz...


Last fall/winter (2010-2011) there was a fashion buzz with the well acclaimed designer Ugg Australia Butte and the Polo Ralph Lauren Tenard Leather Boots. When the temperature dropped on the East Coast most men and some women stopped to ask themselves should I go for the Ugg or the Polo? So, with the winter rapidly approaching I felt the need to ask if these trendy designer boots will be as popular as they were last fall.
The Ugg Australia Butte

For men, the Ugg Butte was priced at 240.00 on the official Ugg Australia website while the Polo Ralph Lauren Tenard went for 159.00 on the Ralph Lauren official website. However, these designer boots can still be found in most department stores like Nordstrom, and your local sneaker stores as of today.  

ON THE OTHER HAND...

Similar in style but not in cost, both were seen in lounges dressed down with jeans and a sweater or collared shirt. These designer boots were also seen being stylishly worn in some of winters most coldest and wet weather by men, women, and children. However, Ugg provided more of a variety when it came to color options while the Polo Ralph Lauren Tenard only came in basic colors like black, chestnut, and grey!


The Polo Raph Lauren Tenard

Depending on how they were styled the Ugg and the Polo Boot made  major statements of their own because of their simplistic yet detailed design. With all the stired up fashion  controversy regarding whether or not the Polo Ralph Lauren Tenard had a more appealling boot design than the Ugg Butte sales rocketed for both companies. People were making decisions, purchasing their decision, and fashionably showing off which boot they preffered!


I don’t know about you, but I am an Ugg lover and I definitely admired the comfy sheep skin incorporated on the inside of the Butte boot last fall! They have the ability to make me feel like I was spreading my toes through a soft rug, but in reality I was walking in dirt, snow, and on wet pavement! The Ugg Butte created an illusion of levitation! I was not in my six inch heel, but I was fashionable styled and fit for what ever the winter weather had in store! So my question to you is what will you be wearing this Fall to keep your feet worm…Ugg, Polo, or something other than the two? Always remember that in the world of fashion you always have a say in what you prefer, so just becasue something was buZZzzing last season doesnt mean it can't be relevent in the following!


Stay Levitated Until next time!
Sincerely Yours, The Shoe Guru Javia Lavette

Friday, September 16, 2011

Put your money where your SHOES are...

 Everything futuristic inspired is not always successfull or a jaw breaker as I would typically say. Most of the fashionable futuristic garments and shoes have been easy to classify because of things like there odd shapes and forms! I sometimes think of these garmets and shoes as things that robots and people out in space would wear!! Right now I can picture a moon man or a some one in space allowing gravity to pull those neakers to right off off of their feet! I think they are extremely UGLY!



The 2011 Nike Mag (in the upper right corner) is a very unpleasant sneaker design created by Nike. After viewing the Nike Mag commercial, the futuristic inspired look is not very appealing to the eye with an exception to the well coordinated colors. More effort and thought in terms of style design could have been put into the sneaker to make it more appealing. So my question to you is... are the 2011 Nike Mag sneakers appealing and would you wear them? Ladies, would you encourage your boyfriend, husband, brother or cousin to wear them to make a statement? Not everyone feels the way I do about the sneakers apparantly! I asked a total of nine guys how they felt about them and 6/9 stated that they are dope and would wear in a heart beat. Unfortunatley, I beg to differ but that doesn't mean I would style a client in them if that's what their look calls for o_O.

However, when the Nike Mag's do launch in 2015 the market for them will be at an all time high because only a 150 of them will have been sold. In terms of marketing for the Nike Launch Mag the company is brilliant, but the bulky futuristic look is a major fail in my eyes. The sneaker in particular, has not been available in stores because they are apart of an auction for the Micheal J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research! According to Nike, 150 pairs of the sneaker will be sold each day for 10 days. The bidding started 9/8/2011 and it will end on 9/19/2011. As of today bids are as high as 3,200.00 for the sneaker. As a shoe or sneaker lover would you bid that high for the Nike Mags ? Sometimes when it comes to living in a SHOEnation us girls and you guys have to put your money where your shoes are...



Stay Levitated Until next time!
Sincerely Yours, The Shoe Guru Javia Lavette

People change... Trends remain!


There should never be an END to any Fashion trEND! The chunky shoe heel was once classified as the 70's fashion junk, but now this heel has found its way into car trunks, shopping bags, and shoe shelves.The disco era flourished the seventies with chunky block heels and platforms, but obviously it's no thing of the past.



Shoe designers like Jeffery Campbell, Calvin Klein, Balenciaga, and many others have launched their 2011 fall lines with yesterday’s trends. Some shoe lovers feel that the block heel is dead to the fashion world and should have stayed in that era, yet there are individuals like me who are pushing this trend to change the way FASHION GURUS walk! You ever see a flawlessly dressed working woman walking to the train or sitting on a bus in a dusty broken in sneaker? Well the block heel has replaced that dusty sneaker because of its comfort and stability. This heel speaks volume, comfort, and edge! Every woman should flawlessly strut to work in an edgy, comfortable, trendy chunky heel. No trend of the past should stay in the past, but rather take the fashion industry by storm with innovation. It's fashionably convenient to walk in a stable block heel rather than an out dated skinny dangerous stiletto and a dusty old sneaker!

      2011's Fall Block Heel Spunk
       


          <--- --- ---  Jeffery Campbell's "Lita" Shoe
"Lita" is a perfect example of a 70's block heel inspired shoe! Jefffery has transformed the old platform and heel  into a funky "it girl" trendy shoe of the 21st century! It's popularity and high demand speaks for itself...
Jeffrey Campbell 2011 Collection
Balenciaga 2011 Collection
It's imperative that you stay two feet ahead of the game! Therefore, the block heel should be the first levitated step you take to make a fall '11 SHOE statement if you haven't already! To shop for the high end expensive designer block heels that range from 500 - 2,000 you can visit the official Balenciaga website. To purchase a more reasonable priced designer block heel shoe like Jeffrey Campbell, which ranges for 100.00 - 300.00 you can visit the Solestruck official webiste. It's never too late to be apart of the SHOEnation that we live in just make sure that your shoe is just as trendy as the next Fashion gurus shoe! Don't be caught in a stilletto heel because the block heel has made it a thing of the past despite what anyone says!                                          

                                          

Stay Levitated Until next time!
Sincerely Yours, The Shoe Guru Javia Lavette

Friday, September 9, 2011

SHOES so high, yet they're still grounded

Could you ever imagine yourself wearing a pair of shoes with no heel, or should I say an invisible heel? How levitated do you think you would be emotionally because physically you would be approximately nine inches higher than your average height with no heel for support? Would wearing them reflect or boost your confidence level? One thing I am sure of is that you would definitely make a major fashion SHOE statement and a bold one at that!

However, as often as shoe trends come and go self taught shoe designer Noritaka Tatehana has been setting a more futurist trend that will probably come and go as well. The heelless shoe was first seen in 2010 worn by the pop star Lady Gaga. According to an article written by Sharon Clot during an interview with Noritaka, he stated that "the unique and creative shape comes from "Kan Pokkuri," which used to be clogs made  of empty cans. In the old days, Japanese children used to make these clogs, passing a cord through holes made in the cans. After placing each foot on a can, they tried to walk, holding the cord in their hands." Im pretty sure shoe designers of the 80's and  90's didn't see anything like this coming!
This shoe design definately demands a person to have a bold and endearing style of life for levitation and gravitation to wear the shoe. The gravity defying shoe looks a bit damageing to the foot and a little dangerous, but that didn't stop Gaga or Noritaka from making such a strong shoe statement. 
The shoe screams CONFIDENCE, FUTURISTIC,  MONEY! Despite the fact that Lady Gaga has been the first to wear them numerous times publicly while setting the "heelless shoe" trend, not many indviduals have tried to follow in her footsteps. Standing in a heelless 9.1 inch shoe that ranges from 2,500 to 4,000 is not something the average fashionable women would go for. Most men try to wrap their brains around how women walk in the typical six or five in heel, so imagine what they will think when they see women walking in heelless shoes once they are available to the public on Noritaka's official website.

            The heelless shoe is sure to bring the best out of any individual who wears them. The best can be laughter from falling, a sense of style after making a shoe statement,  indifference for being so bold to wear them, and self gratification! Fashion is more than just a pretty SHOE that everyone wants to purchase and wear, but a way life that is expressed through design! Call me crazy, but personally I'm content with wearing a six inch heel rather than nine inches of no heel! What about you? Even though these fashionable shoes may not be functional for the average person you can look and see how Diane Davis, stylelist editor, and other members of the fashion department felt about them as they tried them on during a work day below in the video!


As you can see, the "heelless" Noritaka shoe can provide a host of feelings, emotions, and a sense of what SHOE fashion is all about when it comes to various individuals. Levitation is not what Diane Davis and her co-workers gained as they went through their day in the"heelless" shoes! Yet, Gaga has been seen wearing different styles of them on numerous occocations. So, despite the fact that a sense of confidence was not the intial feeling for the stylelist department there was something about  the shoe that just make them smile :) ....we really do live in a SHOEnation!

Stay Levitated Until next time!
Sincerely Yours, The Shoe Guru Javia Lavette

SHOES are what I'm up to...

The image I seenw hen I went to phone a friend!
For as long as I can remember beautiful clothes and shoes to die for have made me happy! There's nothing more in life than to get paid just to play dress up, pick out shoes, & put together the most fabulous ensembles. So, when I tried to narrow down my options for a blog focal point my initial thought was FASHION! I’ve been yearning for so long to express my love for it to the world, but Criminal Justice has been the spot light of my life while FASHION has been it's shadow.
     
Being the over analyzing and indecisive individual that I am, I found myself at a DEAD END wondering if i should take the risk to do what I actually LOVE! As a result, I went to unlock my iPhone to phone a friend for advice, and my lustful passion for FASHION had been staring me in the face the entire time! SHOES, SHOES, SHOES! ---  --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -->>



With fashion being more than just a way of life many individuals have fallen for the allure of SHOE logos, brands, and trademarks. Their intricate yet simple details have dressed the modern and traditional men and woman of yesterday and today’s world of fashion. Styles varying from decade trends, colors, shapes, heel inches, and overall design have proven that a fashionable shoe puts a little more confidence in the way we walk. The power of a functional and fashionable shoe can create the illusion of levitation physically, mentally, and literally emotionally. Levitation at its greatest fashion state is when a pair of high heel shoes makes a woman six feet tall and overbearing with poise!

Have you ever worn a shoe that has empowered your confidence so much that you feel lifted off of the ground emotionally? Or are you that individual who wears Christian Louboutin footwear to keep you grounded mentally just knowing how much they are worth? Is it the comfortable cute flat or broken in sneaker that makes you feel gravitated?  Maybe your style requires you to go for a 70’s vintage shoe? Whether you believe it or not your aspirations and style of life for levitation and gravitation are what inspire your shoe for the day!  Make a statement, show your wealth, tell a story, and reveal how bold you are all with a SHOE! So overall, what’s a nation without the power of a funky, chic, vintage, trending, soulful, LEVITATED, GRAVITATED, fashion forward SHOE!?!  

Absolutely nothing because we live in a SHOEnation…you should think about it!

Stay Levitated Until next time!
Sincerely Yours, The Shoe Guru Javia Lavette