Guys, throw on your Louboutin's.

Yes, gentlemen, you, too, can now buy the shoes from the famed red-soled designer that your girlfriend loves.  And if you have been clueless to how much your chica has been spending on her shoes, the men's spring/summer 2010 collection from Christian Louboutin certainly will let you know.  These studded sneakers run for $1200 a pair and have been a favorite of Pharrell and Swiss Beatz.  There are some other offerings from the collection, including a men's gladiator sandal and shiny gold oxfords that I actually enjoy.  I am still on the fence about this small collection from Louboutin, but I have a feeling that they will sell, and future seasons will offer more fantastic kicks that I will eat nothing but ramen for.

On the Fringe

We've seen leather letting its hair down for the last several seasons, all in varying degrees, and for some reason I haven't grown tired of it.  This Spring is no exception, with Mulberry (above), giving the ladies a sexy moccasin to wear with frilly mini dresses and daisy dukes.  It brings to mind sexy girls from the 70's in their aviators, hanging out at slightly low-brow burger joints in the deserts of California (think Gaga's Telephone video and D&G's Spring Show.)  The look can seem trashy, yes, although i prefer to call it "dirty opulence" and I  enjoy a little dirty opulence after such a doozy of a winter.

Mulberry

Jimmy Choo

D&G

Go beyond the fringe at www.mulberry.com

www.jimmychoo.com

www.dolcegabbana.com

Happy New Year!

Cheers to a new year and a new decade my cyberland fashionistas.  It will definitely be interesting to look back at the aughts and be dissecting what fashion trends and tribulations we were wearing during the decade.  But let's look to the future, and no better to do that with than Nicholas Ghesquiere for Balenciaga.

Jason and I were spending some time in the OC yesterday, and we stopped by the Balenciaga store at the famed South Coast Plaza.  It wasn't until we were leaving the store when Jason insisted that I go back to see the video screens previewing Spring 2010.  The shoes made me gasp out of sheer joy (plus I was so proud of Jason identifying the importance of these shoes in my life).

The whole collection brings to mind devochkas going to the moloko bar, mischievous and sleek.  These girls are ready to forget the aughts (and the bad economy), and party like its twenty-one hundred.

(mc)Queen of Hearts

And my heart, Alexander McQueen has right now.  Many of you may wonder whom or what I decide to write about in my blog.  Usually it's an event that triggers excitement for a style or designer or brand that makes me swoon, and in that swoon moment, I realize that I need to share it with my online friends.

Just a couple of days ago, I saw the brand spankin' new video for "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga, and nearly passed out by it's brillance and even more so by the fabulous pairs of Alexander McQueen platforms and the head-to-toe straight off the Spring 2010 runway undersea outfit that Gaga wears during the bridge of her song.

And let's look back (or currently) at the Fall 2009 clutch in red leather with a detachable fingerless glove.  MJ would be proud.

But it's the baby pink platforms for this spring that really have me going gaga! 

Run away to wonderland at www.alexandermcqueen.com

I can't HARDY wait!

No, I am not referring to that sparkly t-shirt brand.  I am referring to the artistic stylings of Pierre Hardy. He is definitely a Parisian man that you need to put on your designer radar.  Hardy, who once was a dance student, started his fashion career designing shoes for Christian Dior.  He has done shoe collections and fine jewelry for the famed Hermes house, and in 1999, he unveiled his first collection under his own name.  His collections are a fabulous mix of funky and high-fashion.  For his Fall 2009 collection, I have simply fallen in love with his paillettes sandal (seen above).  They are simply stunning, and all you need is a little black dress!  Gentleman, you haven't been left out.  Pierre Hardy has a cult following for his sneaker collection - check out the brilliant checkered high-tops he has for Fall.

And, ladies, if you aren't quite ready for the high prices for his shoes, Mr. Hardy is once again creating a small collection for The Gap this fall.  Check out the three exclusive styles below.  The suede ankle boots are going to blow out of the stores.

 

 But my favorite collaboration, the reason why Pierre Hardy became one of my personal favorite shoe designers, are his visionary shoe collections that he creates for Balenciaga.  Hardy has been working with Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière since 2001, and it has truly been a genius marriage of talent.  Ghesquiere's futursitic, chic collections, and Hardy's keen, cutting-edge, and sometimes quirky, designs, make for a perfect blend of footwear that the fashion press, and customers, go wild for.  Take a look at his Fall 2009 designs for Balenciaga below.  They are sheer insanity, and I love it!

Go wild at www.pierrehardy.com and www.balenciaga.com .

The [bal]Main Attraction

Balmain! Balmain! Balmain!  What Christophe Decarnin has done with his Balmain collection for Fall 2009 simply makes you want to party, and he has made me obsessed with this fashion house.  His take of the 1980s silhouette, mixed with 70's disco chic, is not only wildly fun, it is also quite wearable.  This is what girls want to be seen in at the hottest clubs in the world's chicest cities.  Micro-micro mini skirts, high-shouldered boyfriend blazers, harem pants, and that traffic-stopping electric blue he used throughout the collection, Decarnin made pieces that you want right now and you want to wear tonight.  And we musn't forget those boots...oh those boots with the straps, they were made for walking.  The Balmain girl is getting down and dirty to Benny Benasi and David Guetta tracks, and she is not coming home 'til 10 in the morning.  Even in Madonna's new video for her single, Celebration, (posted below), she is wearing one of the micro-mini dresses from the runway collection.  We may be living in a recession but the clothes from Balmain make you want to forget all that.  They make you want to Celebrate!

 

 

Come join the party at http://www.balmain.com/

Jolly Ole' Saint Nicholas!

It is never too early to start looking for that hot pair of shoes you'll be wearing to all those holiday fetes you'll be attending, and Nicholas Kirkwood is the man to find the perfect pair.  The British designer, who used to make hats, launched his label in 2005, and has already won several awards, including Footwear News Designer of the Year Award in 2008.  It is easy to see why he is getting the accolades.  His designs are jaw-dropping, with his wild architectual designs, and intense mix of textures (as seen in his Fall 2009 collection).  He also collaborates with Rodarte (strappy over-the-knee boots), Alberta Ferretti, and Pollini (which is a whole other blog in itself - I love the new Pollini!)  You can see for yourself why you must own a pair of his gorgeous shoes...or if you are nice this year, the other Nicholas in the sleigh might give you a pair.

 See more at http://www.nicholaskirkwood.com/