The New Glass Slippers

One of the first shoes we grow up with is Cinderella’s glass slipper.  It’s an icon, a cultural phenomenon, the shoe every little girl dreams of.  (Also impractical.  Glass?  C’mon.)

You can’t blame shoe designers for wanting to take a crack at it.  And fortunately, to coincide with the opening of the new live-action movie Cinderella opening today, Disney asked nine famous shoe designers to give us their best glass slipper.  And boy, did they.

Nicholas Kirkwood gave us these pointed toe pumps.  The bow at the back is covered with rhinestones, and the heel and toe are capped in silver.  The zigzag cut at the toe isn’t my favorite, but I LOVE the sort of iridescent-lace-over-PVC he used for most of the vamp.  GENIUS.

Paul Andrew gives us this pair.  Another pointed toe, capped in metallic silver and adorned with two rows of pointed aurora borealis rhinestones.  PVC up to the heel, which is covered in glittering silver stones.

Jerome Rousseau sort of went in a different direction, almost taking inspiration from the night of the ball: a midnight blue glitter sandal, with a clear toe strap dotted with silver and gold balls, almost reminiscent of planets in the heavens.

René Caovilla gives us a shoe that looks more like Elsa than Cinderella, perhaps, but I bet it would look like glass on-screen.  Light blue fabric covered in sparkling crystals peaks around the heel and cap toe, and icy mountains of PVC dotted with crystals make up the rest of the vamp.

Salvatore Ferragamo goes very structural with his heel, like the Eiffel Tower, or the antenna on top of the Empire State Building.  His heel and toe are capped in black velvet, and the vamp is clear.

Oh, Charlotte Olympia, I’d know you anywhere.  She goes the all-clear route, which I give her major props for.  Can we also appreciate for a second how well the heel is done?  Usually with clear heels there’s an enormous screw at the top that ruins everything, and she made it so tiny.  Also, the heel looks nice and stable, without the need for one of the metal spikes that usually supports heels.  Well done.

Stuart Weitzman is the only one to give us a bootie.  His cap toe of crystals comes to a slight point up the front of the foot, then sprinkles out to only a scattering stones up the rest of the mesh vamp.  For the heel, he goes white satin.

Alexandre Birman gives us two colors of glitter: silver on the wavy strip encircling the foot, and light blue down the back of the heel.  The rest of the vamp is simple white satin.

And the winner?  (This wasn’t a contest, except in my brain.)  My vote goes to Jimmy Choo.

OH. MY. GOD.  Just look at it.  Take it in.  It’s…phenomenal.  The vamp and heel are covered with silver crystals of varying sizes, and at the pointed toe is this crystal explosion.  (Major kudos for actually including glass.)  Words fail me.

The sketches themselves are also things of real beauty, and worthy of hanging on a wall.  The shoes will be displayed at an exhibit at the Berlin Film Festival, and will also be on display in early March at Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store in New York City.  The only way to get a pair for yourselves, however, is probably via fairy godmother.

Sales this weekend:

Sorry ladies, I'm away on a business trip.  You'll have to search out the sales for yourselves!

Birds of Paradise

We’re in the final week of Birds of Paradise: Amazing Avian Evolution at the Academy of Natural Sciences.  These are not your mama’s sparrows and robins—these are birds-of-paradise, native to New Guinea, and some of the most extraordinary birds on the face of the earth.

Nothing can compare to those feathery beauties—though these feathery shoes come close!

Like a flamingo!  The Amazon Feathered Sandal by Paul Andrew has a vamp of fuchsia suede, two ankle straps with delicate gold buckles, and two rows of pink feathers.  The heel is 4.25 inches high.  Don’t you love?  On super sale at Barneys Warehouse for $459.

The Feather Trim Sandal by Apple Bottoms is simple in silhouette, but fun in details!  The purple color is so refreshing, and the feathers on the front and tiny jewels on the buckle are nice touches.  Also available in pink and blue; the purple will run you $11 from Dr. Jay’s.

A tuft of red and black feathers adorns the peep toe of the Tweety by Mojo Moxy.  The body is printed in a feather pattern too: red, nude, and turquoise.  The heel is 5.25 inches high, but the platform is 1.5 inches high, so that helps!  Available in a few other color combos as well; check them out at Aberrant Sole for $43.

The Best of All by Irregular Choice is one giant chunk of a shoe: a solid five-inch heel, and a 1.5-inch hidden platform at the toe.  But look at the glamour on this: the metallic purple outer.  The eighteen peacock feathers.  The enameled peacock.  It’s a little crazy!  Yours for $221 from Heels.com.

Birds of Paradise runs through Labor Day.  Fly on over before they’re gone!

Princess Grace

Just opened at the Michener Museum is a new exhibit all about the life and times of Philly gal Grace Kelly.  From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly Beyond the Icon traces the unique path Grace Kelly took from Philadelphia to Monaco, inviting viewers to discover the life of Grace Kelly (1929-1982) beyond the fairy tale. This exhibition brings us up close to the stage and screen legend, fashion icon, princess, United Nations advocate for children, and international spokesperson for arts and culture.

Did I mention fashion icon?  Because she didn’t mess around, fashion-wise.  “Romantic simplicity” is a term I’ve heard used for her style, so in her honor here are some shoes she might have enjoyed:

Romantic and simple!  The Malika2 by B Brian Atwood is a pointed toe pump of nude leather overlain with black floral lace.  The 3.25-inch heel is solid black—nice contrast, I think!  Yours for $325 from Bloomingdale’s.

The Jewelery Couture Bow d’Orsay by Valentino uses the same nude and black palette as the Malika2, but in a very different way.  The body is covered with black satin, and the peep toe is adorned with a gold and crystal bow.  The heel is 4.25 inches tall, and there’s a half-inch platform as well.  Also available in all gold; your choice for $995 from Nordstrom.

The Davida by Badgley Mischka is a vision in blue.  (Or black, or white, or gold, or silver.)  The satin outer finishes in little folds above the peep toe, bound on either side by beautiful jewels.  The finishing touch is the 3.75-inch heel.  Love!  Find them at Macy’s for $225.

If the Zenadia Soir Jeweled Velvet Cutout Pumps by Paul Andrew isn’t fit for a princess, I don’t know what is.  The red velvet outer is meticulously crafted (look at the pointy shaping!) and decked out with rhinestones and sequins… these are just too beautiful.  Find them at Saks for $1295.

From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly Beyond the Icon runs from now until January 26.  Tickets are $18 for adults ($16 for college students with ID) and include admission to the rest of the Michener.