Sole Spotlight: Iron Fist's Spring/Summer 2014 Line

Iron Fist, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways!!  You manage to make me love you even more every season since I discovered your brand a few years ago.  I already have half of the new spring and summer shoes on my wish list.  The wonderfully unique themes of your footwear always keeps me wanting, and these are my top 3 "wants" so far...

Note: Iron Fist shoes only come in whole sizes.  I am a usually a 6.5, and their size 6 fits me perfectly.

"Lollipop Lorelei Wedge" in pink, $70.00

Check out these wedges.  I have said it so many times, I do NOT like wedges but these are just oh-so-cute!  From the fish and mermaid theme to the bubbles to the summery pink background to the shell like applique on the heel - they have sold me through and through.  I love the final touch of the skull charm on the ankle strap.  They're my favorite from all the new shoes I've seen and most likely the first I'll be adding to my collection.

"Sweet Tooth Strappy Super Platform" in black, $65.00 -and/or-  "Sweet Tooth Peep Toe Platform", $50.00

I downright adore this sugar skull inspired print.  The black background makes all the colors pop.  I am in love with the mary jane style, but I also find myself so drawn to the open toe and pink bow on the heel.  It even comes in a wallet this season...  Decisions, decisions!

"Skin Crawler Heel" in multi, $45.00

I have the purple edition of their signature zombie stomper peep toe platforms, but I find myself really drawn to these shoes as well.  It must be the color scheme as well as the sinister teeth across the toe area.  I'm happy to see that Iron Fist is embracing the single sole pointed toe style (my fave!).  The Skin Crawler also comes in a super platform (multi) version and a peep toe platform (turquoise) which has a much smaller platform and a black bow on the heel.

Sole Spotlight: Shoe Themed Jewelry From "Zoe's Barbie Shoes"

Raindrops on roses and fluffy orange kittens,
Da Bears and Tim Burton and SHOES make me smitten,
The packages that the mail carrier brings,
These are a few of my favorite things!

★

One day a few months ago I sat down to look for some shoe jewelry on Etsy.  I had a purple Barbie shoe bracelet that I purchased several years ago and I wanted to find one in a different color scheme.  My search kept bringing up one shop in particular: Zoe's Barbie Shoes.

It was shoe jewelry heaven and I thankfully had the time to leisurely go through the shop.  Besides the bracelets I was searching for, there were earrings and necklaces, and even more - wine charms, keychains, brooches...  all made with shoes!  And some were not just shoes, but, for example, a bracelet with my beloved Chicago Bears and football themed charms mixed in with orange and blue shoes.  Squee!!!!!  When I found that I knew it was kismet.

The jewelry is made by Matthew "Zoe" Gladkowski, a Barbie fanatic (yes, the photo below is him in his amazing Barbie room).  He played with Barbies as a kid, encouraged by as he says "the BEST Grandmother EVER!!!"  Today with the start-up help of his Grandmother, he has over 1000 Barbies total, ranging from the 1960s dolls to those of today.  Besides his extensive Barbie collection, Matthew also knows REAL women's shoes.  He has done drag as "Biter Ann Jaded" and now can appreciate a well made heel.  That is something I appreciate as well!

Over the years when a friend would gift him Barbies for his collection, he would always make them a keepsake bracelet with the shoes.  In 2012 a friend found her bracelet from back in the 80s and posted it on facebook.  When the requests from others wanting one began to flood in, the Etsy shop was born.  With his 500+ listed creations being incredibly popular, today in just over 2 years he's almost at his 1000th sale.

When playing, he would dress his Barbies impeccably, obsessed with color coordination and making sure outfits, purses and shoes all matched.  This skill is definitely brought into his jewelry today.  The pieces are made with different yet coordinating shoe styles and colors, charms and vintage beads.  A lot of the materials used for his pieces are found while thrifting, and seriously, can you think of a better way to upcycle?!   Matthew makes his jewelry in his Barbie room and will often take a few dolls from the shelf that match to keep him both inspired and focused.  Making the items for his shop also gives him the most perfect excuse to spend more time with his collection enjoying it.

His charm bracelets are the most popular, with the rainbow, tropical, pastel and goth (made with deep red, purple, navy, forest green, silver, and black shoes) themed ones being the frontrunners.  Matthew also gets a lot of custom orders, such as a recent necklace and bracelet set he made to match actual John Deere themed heels, or the one I requested from him.  Besides my Chicago Bears, I am a huge Tim Burton fan.  I requested a "Nightmare Before Christmas" themed bracelet with black and white shoes.  I couldn't love it more!!!  The shoes are all my style sexy high heels, and mixed in with them are with vintage beads, Jack and Sally charms, a few pumpkins, a few skulls, and some spider webs.  I've already got my next custom request picked out.  It will revolve around Catrine DeMew, a Monster High doll I consider my alter ego...

Lately Matthew has been trying to expand his shop and make a larger variety of jewelry.  He has been adding many cameo styles (such as can be seen in my bracelet above), some with shoes and some without.  He has also been starting to use more clip art and customer photos to make truly personalized jewelry and gifts.  His creations come very nicely packaged, perfect for gift giving or better yet, a nice present for yourself (as mine both were).  Speaking of gifts, I have one just for you.  Go check out Zoe's Barbie Shoes on Etsy right now.  And the gift - use coupon code CUPCAKEDEB during checkout to receive 20% off your purchase.  Happy shopping! =)

Decadent vs. Deal: Louboutin, L.A.M.B. and Zanotti

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a "practical" shoe addict.  I love a bargain priced yet well made edgy shoe.  If it's designer inspired, it's an added bonus because I don't actively search out knockoffs.  Here's a few more of my "decadent vs. deal" shoe finds.

First up we have Christian Louboutin's "Pivichic" from last year (found at Saks Fifth Avenue but sold out, around $800), a shoe I fell in love with when I first saw it worn by Emma Watson.  I was thrilled to find one so similar in design (currently on final sale $29.95 VIP, $45.95 non-VIP from ShoeDazzle).  I have the "Teya" shoe and I would say they're true to size even with the PVC and the pointed toe.  The heel being a bit shorter and thicker than the Louboutin's also gives it a bit more stability.  Want them to look more like Louboutin's?  The bottom is black but could easily be painted the Louboutin signature red.  Act fast though as Teya is currently on final sale, but for a few pennies less than $30 how can you go wrong?

 

Next we have a shoe I had no idea was a L.A.M.B. doppleganger when it joined my closet.  I loved the mesh and the unique cap toe of each of them.  L.A.M.B.'s version, called "Sandy" ($224.99 from heels.com), also comes in a black on black version.  However, what sold me was the cobalt blue and black version of "Davina" from Beau+Ashe (currently on final sale $29.95 VIP, $45.95 non-VIP at ShoeDazzle).  I also like the smaller mesh on "Davina".  Although I love a good pair of fishnets, I prefer them to be on my legs and not necessarily my shoes.  As a 6.5 I would say "Davina" is true to size, although some might prefer to size up with the pointed toe since it is ever so slightly tight.  It's also another fabulous shoe on clearance at ShoeDazzle, so grab them while you can. 

My last share of the day caught my eye because last summer I purchased a bargain priced sandal from Paper Fox called "Lenny" - which sold out in a matter of days.  After receiving them I noticed they were pretty damn close to a Giuseppe Zanotti creation ("Lace-Up Scalloped Sandal", found at NeimanMarcus.com, $1195.00).  While perusing this spring's new offerings, I've found two more incredibly close designs.  The first is one from Piperlime.com, "The BlondeSalad x Steve Madden Trome" priced at $130.00, and then the even cheaper "Vernon" from JustFab ($39.95 VIP members, $49.00 non-VIPs).  All three are suede (although JustFab's is faux), and styled in both the lace up and laser cut trends.  The Madden shoe also comes in a blush version, but Justfab added both a nude and a red one to the mix.  I prefer the black in these, but you could get all 3 colors for less than the price of the Madden pair.  Three is better than one, right? ;-)

Simple Tweaks: Writing a Helpful & Informative Shoe Review

I spend a lot of time on shoe sites looking at shoes.  When I find a pair of shoes that I am interested in purchasing, the first thing I look to is the description from the seller.  Sometimes information I am looking for is not listed - such as calf measurements on boots - so I will seek out reviews to hopefully find out those missing details.  It seems to me that reviews are getting less and less helpful; they're only an opinion of how much the wearer likes a given shoe and maybe one other detail.  I am very happy to read that people like their new shoes, but PLEASE help the undecided by giving us some much needed specifics: sizing, comfort, your personal style, ease of walking, and quality.

Let's take a look at some actual reviews to see what you should and shouldn't be doing when you are writing one.

Example #1: Unhelpful
I come across reviews like these the majority of the time.  These particular reviews are for a shoe that could possibly have sizing issues for my small ankles (the ankle area is non-adjustable).  The shoe came out in January and this is pretty much all I've got to go on so far:

I am thrilled these ladies love their new shoes, but not one of these reviews tell me anything helpful.  I would assume that they fit because they love the shoes, but are they comfortable and are they easy to walk in?  Are they well made?  Does anyone have any suggestions on the ankle area?  Why doesn't my husband think the shoes in question are "man bait"?  Unfortunately I still don't know most of these details, so I have to continue to wait for more reviews that might or might not give me the answers of what I'm looking for.  As I said before, this is very frustrating and unhelpful.  In the future, please make sure that you are not leaving reviews like the above.


Example #2: Somewhat helpful but needs work
The shoe that was reviewed is a high heel with a pointed toe area which sometimes means you have to go a half size up.  I was waiting to read a review addressing this and these are two that do talk about it:

The girl who wrote the first review and I happen to be the same size and this was extremely helpful in answering my personal sizing question - but that's it.  The second review let me know it's comfortable so check that point off my list.  She addressed the sizing issue as well but she had the exact opposite issue as the girl in the first one.  She also did not state her normal size so I won't take her word for it.  In both reviews I would have liked to see more information about the shoe, but at least I've been able to get some questions answered.  These are a great start, but the next review is what they should have been aiming for.


Example #3: Optimal - helpful and informative
This is how I write reviews, and this is an example of one I wrote for ShoeDazzle for "Chiyo", a shoe I just received today from the gx by Gwen Stefani line (it was posted on their website before they did their update on 3/15/14):

As you'll notice I covered each of the 5 points:
- Sizing: 6.5 and true to size
- Comfort: not enough, needs gel inserts
- My personal style: I wear stilettos
- Ease of walking: easy to walk in
- Quality: incredibly well made, worth the price
I only had 500 characters to write all of that information into a nice paragraph, but was able to do it with a few characters to spare.  I was also able to squeeze my love for them in there.  If you're already taking the time to leave a review, why not spend a few more minutes giving us the best review you can give?

So what have we learned?

A good review makes all the difference between me buying the shoes in question and me deciding to wait - only to find out that I have to go down a size and they're sold out already.  I have created a checklist in infographic form for the next time that you are in the position to write one.  Please refer to this to help out your fellow shoe lover by writing a helpful and informative review the next time you are in a position to do so.  Thanks so much in advance!

Throwback Thursday: Vintage Shoes

If there's one era I tend to gravitate towards, it's the mod 60s. My decor is very graphic and retro in nature, and I do like a lot of the clothes and accessories from that time too, such as Emilio Pucci's designs. From time to time I will check out eBay to look for some vintage finds. Several years ago I happened to stumble upon these purple and lavender cherry heels, one of my most treasured pairs.

They were "deadstock" (merchandise that was never sold to or used by consumers before being removed from sale, usually because it was outdated) and in pristine condition.  The original sticker price tag of $12.95 was still on them and the brand stamped inside says "Inspired by Mr. Alfred".  I don't remember what I paid for them, but I know it wasn't much, maybe $20 + shipping.  A very short while later I found a vintage dress that couldn't match these shoes more perfectly, again for just a few dollars.  I did have to take it to a tailor to be shortened a few inches, but otherwise it was another terrific find.

When looking for vintage shoes on eBay, I would recommend looking for barely worn or deadstock as those will be in the best condition for a new person wearing them.  More worn in shoes might not be so comfortable as they have already conformed to someone else's feet.  I would search on color and size for starters, and then style if you are looking for a particular one.  Also, sign up for the daily emails of your searches to keep tabs on what's out there without having to spend a lot of time actually being on eBay.  Last but not least - be patient.  Fabulous finds like these come to those who wait.

New Month, New Shoes: March 2014

It's March already!?!?  Summer hours begin where I live on April 1st, so it's definitely getting close to sandal weather - I'm really excited about that!  This month's new releases for both ShoeDazzle and JustFab are also more geared towards the warmer climate in both color and style.  I've found shoes I like at both shoe clubs again.  Maybe now that JustFab and ShoeDazzle have the same owners, Rachel Zoe's ShoeDazzle influence might be carrying over to JustFab a bit.  Who knows for sure, but whatever it is I'm happy to see some style choice improvements in the last two months at JustFab.  So let's get started with my top 3 picks of this month from each club.

ShoeDazzle: "Sondra" by Madison ($39.95 VIP members / $49.95 for non-VIPs)

What don't I love about these sandals?!!  I am so happy to see a small platform.  I love the ankle strap and the faux black patent.  The whipstitched detail gives it a very edgy and unique detail.  It's a 4.25" stiletto heel but it doesn't look as high as it is.  "Sondra" also comes in brown with red stitching, but I have to say in my opinion that color combination is hideous.  Definitely go for the black version on these.

ShoeDazzle: "Kamryn" by Sophia & Lee ($54.95 VIP members / $64.95 for non-VIPs)

As much as I don't tend to go for the chunky heel, I adore these shoes.  The gladiator styling combined with the silver hardware will turn heads.  I also love the double ankle strap.   I am hoping the ankle strap is somewhat adjustable as my ankles are quite small, otherwise the list of those who will be able to wear these shoes comfortably is going to be quite short.  "Kamryn" also comes in white - not as edgy but I'd consider purchasing it if it were to go on sale.

ShoeDazzle: "Tootie" by ShoeDazzle ($39.95 VIP members / $49.95 for non-VIPs)

"Tootie" comes in a black/white/turquoise version which normally I would prefer as far as color schemes go, but I feel that the red works with these sandals better.  The colorblocked faux-patent upper is nicely simplistic to balance out the graphic nature of the bottom.  And speaking of that, I am incredibly smitten with the retro mod-inspired pattern on the heel and platform - which in this case is a good reason to have a sky-high platform.  At a 5.75" heel height including the platform you'll be noticed in these.

JustFab: "Jeneva" ($39.95 VIP members / $49.00 for non-VIPs)

I know why I am so attracted to these - they remind me of a stiletto heeled version of Faroine (a wedged sandal) from the Truth or Dare by Madonna collection, which I own.  Now I am trying to decide whether or not to put Faroine on eBay and get these instead because I don't like wedges much, but that's a topic for another day...  "Jeneva" also comes in cobalt blue and both faux-suede versions are stunning with their web-liked pattern.  Love!

JustFab: "Darcia" ($39.95 VIP members / $49.00 for non-VIPs)

"Darcia" captured my attention with the single sole, the pointed toe, the v-strap, the ankle straps, the web-like design on the heel upper, and the faux-pigskin texture (pictured in the upper right corner).  Now say that 5 times fast!  I wish there was a better picture of the area on the back of the heel, but the only way I can view it is in the video that accompanies each item.  It's a gorgeous detail and is the icing on the cake on these shoes.  They also come in a black/gray/blue snakeskin pattern which isn't nearly as aesthetically pleasing, so stick with the black on these.

JustFab: "Rynter" ($39.95 VIP members / $49.00 for non-VIPs)

This laser cutout, open-toe, caged bootie is a perfect transition shoe for spring.  "Rynter" comes in purple, red, nude and black.  I like all of them but the nude because it doesn't highlight the cutout details as well as the others on lighter skin tones.  It looks to be made of a faux-suede material, and the heel height is listed at 6".  I believe the platform to be about 1.5 - 1.75" making the actual heel height slightly over 4".   I am also happy to see the back-zip entry to have a color-coordinated zipper with a silver pull, especially on the purple version.  It is refreshing to know I would not have to take the time to repaint the hardware on these shoes if they were to make their way into my closet.  Just saying...