It's All Ancient Greek To Me...

All photos by LN-CC

Practical summer sandals usually make me weep from boredom.  I've acquired my fair share of gladiators, and various other inexpensive iterations of the necessary basic, which I usually wear into the ground before unsentimentally tossing them in the garbage by the time fall rolls around.  Sometimes, it's worth paying a little more for something that you'll be spending so much time in, and this summer, I'm planning on picking up a pair of Ancient Greek Sandals.  Recently launched by former Balenciaga shoe designer, Christina Martini, the sandals are inspired by bits of Greek mythology, and are hand crafted from vegetable dyed leather.  Even though Vivienne Westwood and Jeremy Scott have both made recent versions of Hermes's winged shoes, I think that Martini's version takes the cake: simple, minimal, but winkingly cute, much like the messenger god himself.
 

-Tiffany

Put on a Pedestal

Scandinavia has been well known since the midcentury for its innovative and forward thinking architecture and furniture design.  Within the last decade, Scandinavian fashion has also gained traction and become increasingly influential, and is similarly aligned with a minimalist design approach.   Still, I have never seen midcentury modern so fluidly applied to apparel as with FINSK, the line of architecturally structured, extremely high heels.  It makes sense.  Finnish born and London based designer Julia Lundsten was born to an architect father and an interior designer mother, and cites furniture and buildings as major sources of inspiration for her shoes.  Set on elegantly carved wood platforms, they look a bit like Constantin Brancusi's sculptural pedestals. I personally can't imagine a better thing to stand on.

-Tiffany

South by Southwest

All photos by Saga Sig 

I first came across Miista at Urban Outfitter's last year, and was immediately taken by the unique, well crafted styles, available at a reasonable price.  Unlike many other shoe brands in the same price-range, which often traffic in the business of designer knock-offs, Miista creates styles that are truly their own.  Their shoes often incorporate tooled leather, woven cords, and novel shapes and silhouettes.  The new spring collection has a distinctly 70's southwestern feel, and includes Ikat print boot-sandals, patchwork leather slingbacks, and high-heel T-straps in a gorgeously Smurfy blue.  I'm particularly entranced by the magical lookbook, shot by Saga Sig, which will definitely serve as inspiration for how I'll be dressing when warmer weather rolls around.

-Tiffany

Sweet Hasbeens

All photos by Swedish Hasbeens

The first time I came to visit Sweden a few years ago, I thought I would pick up a pair of the suddenly, surprisingly on-trend Swedish clogs. They surely would be cheaper here, right? Surprise! They're not! Given their recent resurgence from fashion oblivion to style staple, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the price hike.  Out of all of the clog lines to emerge though, Swedish Hasbeens is probably the only one I would be willing to splurge on given that they're adorable, classic, comfortable, and produce new styles every season.

For Fall 2012, they were inspired by strong women from the 50's, who revolted against the era's constrictive social norms, and took refuge in the great outdoors.  The boot styles and loafers have a vintage "hasbeen" feel, but still bear the imprint of practicality, and can endure many long walks in the woods.  Most importantly, the Hasbeen collection adheres to old-fashioned standards of hand-craftsmenship, and all of their shoes are produced by artisans in small factories in Sweden, using natural materials. Nothing is chicer than keeping things local and sustainable.

-Tiffany

Mix and Mashup

One of the fabulously dressed Kron by KRONKRON sales ladies at the Gallery show in Copenhagen

Iceland is a tiny, but magical place, and even if you do not believe in fairies and elves as many of the locals do, you cannot help but get the sense that you're entering a realm straight out of Lord of the Rings when you visit.  Perhaps this atmosphere is what creates the nonstep sense of revelry in the infamously hard-partying city of Reykjavik.  I also have no doubt that this environment of magical thinking has fostered a culture of magical dressing.  KRONKRON, the unmissable store that peddles clothes from hard to find labels like Gaspard Yurkievich and Henrik Vibskov, has consistently contributed to dressing Icelanders in wonderous attire.

Even with their long roster of amazing designers, I have to say, my favorite offering is their own in-house shoe and clothing line, Kron by KRONKRON.  Their loud, colorful, and pattern-heavy collection is only meant to be worn one way: all mixed together at once, with as many clashing patterns and colors as you possibly fit onto the little canvas of your human body.  You might not think it would look nice, but somehow all of the items harmoniously work together, and you cannot imagine wearing a Kron dress without the mismatched stockings, shoes, and jacket on top (as beautifully demonstrated by the lady above).  As if it couldn't get any better, for Fall 2012, they presented dresses covered in digital print gems, velvet burnt-out in geometric patterns, and transparent silk pajama pants printed with butterfly wings.  These are items I could only dream of. Thank heavens KRONKRON actually went about and made them.

-Tiffany

Walk This Way

I'm always incredibly impressed by the amount of talent some of my fellow bloggers have. While we all have a shared interest in fashion, a few of us are also designers ourselves.  I've known that Monica, a long time blog friend, designed shoes, but she's been pretty shy about showing off all her designs, and has only given us quick flashes of her creations.  I recently did a little more digging myself and found some of her fun, humor filled heels.  Inspired by swinging 60's London and rock and roll, her shoes are decorated with cheeky motifs, including wedges adorned with lips smoking cigarettes and blowing bubbles, giant wire spiderwebs, and golden Pegasus wings.  Having watched my gay husband Brandon fight his way through his shoe construction course, I know how incredibly difficult it is to make shoes, and have an immense amount of respect for anyone who takes on the treacherous field of cobbling.  This whole time I thought the hard part was walking in them.  Anyway, here's a peek at her Spring 2012 collection, which are all, unbelievably, made to order.

-Tiffany

Heutchy x Love

Heutchy (pronounced "hi-chy" rather than "hoochie" as I had previously believed) started as a men's footwear line meant to fill the gap between casual and formal shoes. Following plenty of praise from the boys, they've started to branch out into women's shoes too. For spring, designer Wells Stellberger collaborated with Richard Chai, making shoes for both his menswear line and his Love line. The adorable women's oxfords that resulted come in both shiny patent leather and striped fabric, and display the easy, informal elegance at the core of the line. They're the perfect alternative to sneakers, when you don't want to look shabby, but also refuse to sacrifice comfort--something that I find myself increasingly unwilling to do.  Pair them with the rugged-refined Heutchy backpacks, and you're ready to go!

-Tiffany