Meanwhile, in rich-people world, a pair of Marie Antoinette's shoes, circa 1790, were auctioned off in Toulon, France recently. Guess how much they went for. No, guess.

• Hôtel des ventes de Toulon
• To be fair, they are still pretty cute.

Continue reading »

This morning on the bus I was reading Twitter when I came upon a Nylon post about the incoming saddle shoe styles from Swedish Hasbeens:

• Swedish Hasbeens

• Swedish Hasbeens

• Swedish Hasbeens

• Alder & Co.

• Alder & Co.

I had occasion over the weekend to drop into a party thrown by the Solestruck staff, where the booze flowed and the karaoke performances were met with appreciative enthusiasm by its platform-heeled attendants. Apparently they had a righteous good time too, because they've decided to throw another karaoke party in the much smaller confines of their store. Billing it as a pre-Valentine's Day event, you can call your shoe shopping what you want, but the bottom line is they'll be pouring you sake and beer, handing you a mic, and enticing you with new arrivals from brands like Acne (unfortunate name, yes, but a favorite nonetheless) and See by Chloe. Plus, a trunk show of jewelry by One Two Three and Product of Play. Stop in to get raunchy on Friday, February 10 from 7-10 pm, then go out and get 'em, tiger.

• Solestruck

• Solestruck
• Penelope and Coco

• Solestruck
• Sam Edelman

• Solestruck
• Senso

• Solestruck
• Vagabond

• Solestruck
• Lasskaa

Yet again innovations in sneaker design have scrambled my brain:

• Highsnobette

Continue reading »

Hopefully you didn't spend all your money today, because tomorrow marks day one of one of Halo's hotly anticipated end of season sale. Mark my words: Unless you have particularly small or large feet, you will want to get to this thing ASAP. If you think you can't afford to shop at Halo—well, you might not. But if you'd spend $100 on a pair elsewhere, do not miss their sale rack of pairs all priced at a Benjamin, plus other markdowns storewide. Get it!

• Halo Shoes
• A Luciano Padovan boot I think I might be in love with.

[I'm still sort of bewildered by the fact that I turned an internship at a newspaper run by a then-anti-fashion Editor-in-Chief into a job where I get to write about fashion every day. Nice move, me. The only thing that could be better than that would be to work for a newspaper that only covered shoes. So for this week, I'm going to count down the four most significant shoes I blogged about in 2011. Not necessarily the best mind you (that's a different list), but the ones that served as indicators for important events and changes on Portland's shoe landscape. As a bonus, I'll add a new favorite to each related category for us to consider moving into the new year.]

Undoubtedly, the biggest influence on shoes in Portland over the past year has been Solestruck. They opened a flashy new spaceship-looking shop in the Blackbox building and began taking the city by storm, throwing and showing at events, and getting everyone super excited about really tall, really flashy shoes. That's great! Portland has long needed a source for more experimental shoe designs. I always bemoaned the fact that (well, when Saks was still around) Saks always bought conservatively for the Portland market. I felt like we were being underestimated and stereotyped by shoe providers, and Solestruck has kinda proven me right—girls around town have taken like ducks to water for Solestruck's extreme shapes.

My big hope for Solestruck in 2012, though, is that they'll shake out some new lines that aren't made in goddamn China. They are, however, shaping up an excellent vintage selection, and they do carry Rachel Comey's shoes, whose vetted production in her native Peru passes muster with my scolding attitudes. This pair, by Finsk, which they tweeted and I posted on June 24, is impressively radical even for them:

New favorite:

• Solestruck
• Rachel Comey Magpie

[I'm still sort of bewildered by the fact that I turned an internship at a newspaper run by a then-anti-fashion Editor-in-Chief into a job where I get to write about fashion every day. Nice move, me. The only thing that could be better than that would be to work for a newspaper that only covered shoes. So for this week, I'm going to count down the four most significant shoes I blogged about in 2011. Not necessarily the best mind you (that's a different list), but the ones that served as indicators for important events and changes on Portland's shoe landscape. As a bonus, I'll add a new favorite to each related category for us to consider moving into the new year.]

Unlike apparel and other accessories, it's a rare thing indeed to come upon (non-swooshy or tri-striped) shoes that are designed out of Portland, but lo: On Feb 21, I posted the Holoholo by Nom&Ada—a two person design team, one of whom lives in Portland and the other Japan (the shoes are physically produced in Japan). Checking back nearly a year later, they still haven't added any new shoe designs to their collection of one. But fuck it—they're still cute, and my favorite color (white) is even on sale:

Since there aren't really any new shoes to play favorites with, but I'll go ahead and give a shout-out to the cute tote they designed to benefit disaster relief efforts in the wake of Japan's devastating tsunami:

• Nom&Ada

[I'm still sort of bewildered by the fact that I turned an internship at a newspaper run by a then-anti-fashion Editor-in-Chief into a job where I get to write about fashion every day. Nice move, me. The only thing that could be better than that would be to work for a newspaper that only covered shoes. So for this week, I'm going to count down the four most significant shoes I blogged about in 2011. Not necessarily the best mind you (that's a different list), but the ones that served as indicators for important events and changes on Portland's shoe landscape. As a bonus, I'll add a new favorite to each related category for us to consider moving into the new year.]

What gets people passionate about vintage and thrift shopping is the exhileration of finding something you love amid a sea of mediocrity. All my favorite vintage finds have felt accidentally stumbled upon, and when you see your perfect match—it's no longer available, it's special enough that a series of people made a series of decisions not to let it become landfill, and holy crap it fits you—it feels like the stars are aligned.

I had only been half-considering what kind of hiking boots I might buy now that Palladiums are hella played out, when on February 10th I tripped on a crack and saw this on the Palace blog:

Overall it's been a good year for Portland vintage, especially with newcomers like Reunion, Half Pint, and Funkytown. I don't have the budget to buy the fancy shoes all the time, and Portland's sparkling vintage community makes it so I don't have to.

New favorite:

• Xtabay
• Rene Caovilla harlequin pumps at Xtabay.

[I'm still sort of bewildered by the fact that I turned an internship at a newspaper run by a then-anti-fashion Editor-in-Chief into a job where I get to write about fashion every day. Nice move, me. The only thing that could be better than that would be to work for a newspaper that only covered shoes. So for this week, I'm going to count down the four most significant shoes I blogged about in 2011. Not necessarily the best mind you (that's a different list), but the ones that served as indicators for important events and changes on Portland's shoe landscape. As a bonus, I'll add a new favorite to each related category for us to consider moving into the new year.]

On January 31 I reported that John Fluevog was opening a store in downtown Portland. I had to overcome some prejudices to get excited about this; I always identified Fluevogs with overly chunky toes and ridiculously wavy and/or bulbous heel shapes, and I wanted none of it. And I was half right; Fluevog still puts out some of the ugliest shoes I have ever laid eyes on. But what I discovered when I actually marched my ass down to the store and saw the selection is that they also put out some of the wildest and most imaginative shoe designs on the market, too. And lots of them. In fact if I stay away from their signatures of extreme wonkiness (which admittedly have won them a loyal market of cult fans), I always find myself developing a crush. They're not astronomical, but they're not cheap either, and while I wish they weren't produced overseas (mostly in Portugal but also Mexico, Peru, China, and Vietnam)—that is, in overseas countries that aren't Italy or Spain, for example—the world frustratingly has not caught up to my combined standards of quality/ethics/economy. Such a bummer.

This is one of the pairs that I skeptically and half heartedly blogged with my announcement, but when I found a gift certificate in my goodie bag at the grand opening party, they're not the ones I bought. As far as the ones I bought, well, let's just say I'm wearing them as I type this.

New favorite:

• John Fluevog

Solestruck just debuted their first ever holiday lookbook, showcasing a fresh crop of holiday hotness. Three members of the Solestruck crew were selected to style their favorite go-to holiday looks, while local shops Frances May, Isaac Hers, House of Lolo and Rock N’ Rose provided the threads. Check out the entire lookbook here, and find inspiration for that age-old question “How to look cute at an ugly sweater Christmas party.” Oh, and speaking of Solestruck these party animals are hosting a Holiday Pretty Factory event tomorrow evening from 6-9 pm. Enjoy a free make-up consultation, holiday beverages, and find those special shoes to ring your NYE in style. One lucky guest will strut out of the store with a free pair of shoes! Could it be you? Solestruck’s flagship store is located on 13th and West Burnside in the Black Box retailers.

• Lavenda Memory

• Lavenda Memory

• Lavenda Memory

• Lavenda Memory

• Lavenda Memory

• Lavenda Memory

• Lavenda Memory

Six cases of champagne and fabulous shoes as far as the eye could see made the Solestruck grand opening party a whirlwind of fashion, friends, cocktails, and photobooth fun. The Blackbox retailer was transformed into the coolest club you’ve ever seen—I think some of the more enthusiastic partygoers forgot they were even in shoe store. Complete with a Lita giveaway to the individual with the juiciest secret about themselves, this soiree was packed to the brim with a bevy of beautiful shoe lovers. If you haven’t swung by the brand new store I highly recommend checking it out for a serious dose of retail therapy — fall kicks are calling your name.

• Nick Wilson

• Nick Wilson

• Nick Wilson

• Nick Wilson

• Nick Wilson

• Nick Wilson

Now that the seasons have decidedly changed, there's an urgency in the air to freshen things up in the looks department. It's a good time to switch up your hair, commit to a coat that can ride with you all winter, and of course, new shoes. Here are just a few of the latest offerings from Portland stores that made me look twice:

• Common Projects

• Feiyue

• Groundhog

• Isabel Marant

• Jeffrey Campbell

• John Fluevog

• Matiko

• Moma

• Rachel Comey

• Sorel

Way back in 2006, I interviewed one Al Cabino regarding his mission (dubbed "Operation McFly" and chronicled on a blog that now appears to have been taken down) to convince Nike to produce and sell the Nike Air Mag sneakers Marty McFly wore in Back to the Future Part II. When we spoke he had solicited over 19,000 signatures on a petition that he planned to present to Nike, and kept repeating, "The objective is to get the shoes." As for Nike, when I contacted them about it, nobody would admit to having heard of him, and the idea "made them laugh." But now... it appears it may have worked.

Even better, the result may be even more than Cabino hoped. At the time, he told me he "realizes that the shoes wouldn't have automatic laces, but is nonetheless confident that they would be popular on the street because of their mix of pop culture cred and quasi-futuristic style." But according to io9, "Just this year, Nike patented a rough design for a light-up shoe with built-in batteries that (somehow) helped automatically secure the shoe onto the user's foot. AKA POWER LACES." As for Cabino, he appears to have dropped out of sight—blog gone, MySpace long un-updated, no recent press... My theory? Nike's got him.

UPDATE: They're real, Michael J. Fox is going to be on Letterman talking about them tonight, and there are only 1500 pairs that will be auctioned off on Ebay to benefit The Michael J. Fox Foundation. That means you will probably never get a pair and that you can't be mad about it either.