Miu Miu of 2010

It seems almost pointless to covet a collection two years after it's release and when all skerricks of pieces online have long since gone, but Miu Miu and Prada have been releasing some of the best collections within the last few seasons and my favourite needs to be recognised. Fabulous fashion blogger, American teenager Tavi Gevinson has sported a few of their pieces, especially the Miu Miu silk shoes with sweet girly intuitive style such as the above photograph. Above is one of the sweeter combinations of vintage printed skirts and American Apparel lace socks worn with the iconic shoes. I myself had a lovely pair of cat silk shoes in a similar fashion, but alas they were too small and instead I sent them back to the online market to be re homed and find someone to wear them more than I did.

I adore seeing the candid photographs of fashion-hangers-on and models walking glamorous streets in amazing clothing such as these daisy Miu Miu silk pumps in tandem. While my legs may not be as glamorous and stick thin as a models, I would still love to see what they look like while wearing a good pair of Miu Miu shoes. It's sort of rare to see a pair of shoes that looks as good on their own as this collection did, but I think the little wall chart above of all the shoe designs proves my point rather nicely. I never imagined that something with such distinct structural shape and chunky heel would appeal to me in such a manner but the combination of 1960s flowers and Mary Jane shoes just seems so right.

Two years ago there was a wonderful array of knock-offs and copies abound in stores across all the common shopping centres. While I turned my nose up at them then and there was also a shortage of shoes in my size I wish I had been a little more persistent in my pursuits. The usual pallet of colours included variations among black, gold and baby pink but it's the wonderful and simplistic patterns that really impressed upon me the importance of design and simplistic collars and satin pumps.

I've managed to track down some leftover copy-cat Miu Miu shoes, including the high zipper boots pictured on the left in a glorious dark blue satin material and white daisy pattern. I'd prefer a size 40 to choose from and some of the reviews state the the sizes run small so I am a little skeptical, but at just $30 a pair plus postage I wonder if the gamble would be worth it. I had a precarious pair in size 36, a far stretch for my long feet but alas, they've run out of the favourable feline pumps. To further channel a hippie, moon-child vibe I can imagine them being brought to their full fashionable potential with a flowing, but sheer maxi skirt and a casual singlet top with a nonchalant and offensive slogan. That's one of my favourite combinations of clothes at the moment, it's a little hard to feel like you're working it going in to university everyday, the days splatter together and it all feels like a blur.

I have reserved opinions at best about wearing gold and yellow- it needs a certain skin colour to be able to pull it off as well as confidence but with this golden pair of swallow covered pumps I dare say a pale complexion would give them a heavenly glow. As well as the use of floral headbands and garlands amongst ghostly looking girls, I've seen a stunning semi-precious stone crown slung around the forehead from Opening Ceremony. Pair that with a translucent sheer white dress and some definitive pale pink undergarments and you have the making of a god walking amongst mere-mortals and forever trapped in a photograph.

There hasn't been as many mass-produced copies of detachable shirt collars in the stlye of Miu Miu butan armada of crafty and resourceful fashion bloggers at the height of the trend were determined to join the action and contribute their own styles and interpretation. I think my favourite of the collars is the naked lady, and yes, the original collar did have celebrated and pointed nipples on supple curves and marble-like complexion. With Winter fast encroaching on the Southern hemisphere realms of the world, I think detachable collars are a great piece to wear with a casual jumper for extra class and something provocative can give people something to talk about wherever you are.

Pyjama Style

It seems that casual slippers as well as cute knitted boots are becoming increasingly popular as the line between what wears around in bed or after getting upis getting fantastically blurred with day wear. I'm a big fan of casual slippers of this style and have a pair of plain black ones but I love the little Victorian style clips on these fuchsia slippers and there's a whole smorgasbord of velvet shoes and goodies on vintage reseller stores as well as on Etsy.

I live for comfy and cosy knitted jumper as well as sweaters to hide in when the weather turns cold and bitter and I adored this leopard print cardigan from Opening Ceremony but it seems that there will no longer be any put up on eBay. It's a good thing that there are a few stores who will imitate celebrity fashion such as this and recreate them for cheap- although the cardigans I've been looking at are without the warm and soft mohair effect as the original Opening Ceremony cardigan.

Another Etsy online obsession of mine are hand knitted Turkish slippers- now I already have a pair of all material made Japanese sandals that won't survive if I wear them out of the house and while I fear the same fat rests with these hand knitted boots I can't help but admire the craftsmanship for them as well as the cute little rose detail on the top. They've been made in that loafer/ slipper style as well with contrasting yellow and black and I quite like the combination.

I've never bought a pair of clogs and although there's a definite decline in demand for them I can't help but think these would be a cute pair of shoes to wear on Valentine's day or to a fancy dress party. All I need is to work my little butt off tonight as well as checking out postage being available to my country and the size and we may just be in business... Oh if only my foot was a little smaller to fit into all the glorious vintage shoes!

 

The suede/ velvet bracelet in deep violet is part of the new Deadly Ponies range that will be launching very soon and I can't wait to see what other magenta/ purple coloured accessories will come from their newest collection! Today I received my parcel from online store Good as Gold which included a Stolen Girlfriends Club ring in the shape of a silver bow as well as a Deadly Ponies Mr Lure in peacock. My Lure is a fabulous fox tail charm that's actually made of wool and looks great with my satchel! Eagerly anticipating more leaks of the new collection and pyjama styled clothing too in the coming weeks and months.

Clog Boots and Wooden Heels

If someone were to tell me two years ago that clog inspired boots and wooden heeled creations were to be the toast of the town for fashion collections such as Chanel and Missoni (just to name a few), I would tell them to get their head checked. But it did happen, and it did happen in a spectacular fashion. Some of the most spectacular boots of that fashion come from Jeffrey Campbell who has been around for about ten years now, hailing from Los Angeles but the popularity of the brand has picked up speed within the last year or two. Another brand who made some of the best clog boots were Opening Ceremony, although that brand has been a little more elusive on online auction site eBay. There's been some spectacular variations on design; studded circles along the bottom of the shoe connecting the heel, different shapes of heel as well as different curved lines of the toe as well.

The trend is winding down though, marking the end of a golden era in which stability of heel achieved height and colours and textures seemed to have an infinite amount of combinations. Take the pair of shoes pictured above as an example, they're made in light blue suede with a more squarish cut toe and a platformed heel adorned in pink and orange jewels. I love the dreamy photography and the soft focus which sort of softens the strong lines and design. This is the kind of stuff I really live for, imaginative pieces beyond what I can even think to comprehend. The two pairs of shoes pictured above are my favourites, it's a shame I don't know what brands they are.

Tapestry was also a popular combination with platform and heeled boots alike; combining the best of what was the newest trend in footwear with vintage inspired material. I have a soft spot for the fabric as well, I lust over a pair of vans in that type of material as opposed to high heeled boots which aren't that suitable for working in. I still admire the shape, structure as well as the material chosen for the clog boots; from the photograph above it more looks like a sculpture with those smooth lines rather than something you would wear on your feet.

Who knows that the future will hold for fashion footwear? Creepers as well as brogues have been popular for a while now and the creation of platformed flats dubbed 'flatforms' is something I hope will gain popularity. I can only hope that there is more exciting variation on design for the next trend of footwear as there was for clogs, wooden heel boots and other shoes that had a gypsy flair to it.