High Heel Shoe blog

I thought I had seen just about everything, but surprise, something has pooped up to make me think again! High heels dipped in elephant dung?!? Is this pushing the natural material idea a little far? Since when has crap had a place in fashion or art? And since when has “that looks like crap” been a good thing? I guess now…

London-based designer INSA, who is already known for his joint venture with shoe designer Ruth Shaw with the label INSA HEELS, is responsible for these 10" platform heels dipped in elephant dung. These high heels are part of a new art exhibit at the Tate Britain. This piece is entitled “Anything goes when it comes to (s)hoes…” which will be included in a larger exhibition of work where several artists respond to Chris Ofili’s controversial The Holy Virgin Mary made from elephant dung. INSA is a fine artist and designer who has established himself from a graffiti background through extensive street level work and gallery shows around the world.

To the left you can see the exquisite bead work that has gone into this piece of art. This crap work is anything but crap!! Just like the collection of heels available from INSA Heels. Their styles are far from ordinary. Each unique style is a piece of art with prices that start around $250 per pair! Just as much as one would pay for a pair of heels designed by Chanel, Leboutin, or Vuitton. This could be one heck of a conversation piece for those who like to shoot the sh*t!

The fashion industry has been calling out for more designers to design and create eco-friendly fashions. Yet another designer, Jean Paul Gaultier, has stepped up with his design for recyclable plastic high heels. Gaultier has partnered with Brazilian eco footwear brand Melissa, to produce a stunning, chiseled-heel plastic stiletto that is not only 100% recyclable, but sexy and stylish as well. It will be available in black, caramel, tangerine, lime and beige, and is expected to be available this June for around $320 a pair.

French-born fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier never received formal training as a designer. Instead, he started out by sending sketches to famous couture stylists at an early age. Pierre Cardin was impressed by his talent and hired him as an assistant in 1970. Afterwards he worked with Jacques Esterel in 1971 and Jean Patou. He later moved on to designing his own label. His collections have been based on street wear, focusing on popular culture, whereas others, particularly his Haute Couture collections, are very formal yet at the same time unusual and playful. Gaultier produced sculptured costumes for Madonna during the nineties with her infamous cone-bra, and has caused shock by using unconventional models

Unlike the process of producing plastic, the process of curing leather involves the use of a very toxic compound called Chromium 6 (hexavalent chromium), which makes leather soft and easy to work with, but results in one of the most noxious pollutants known to humans. Exposure to Chromium 6 can cause gene mutations, cancer, and skin and lung irritations. As for some other accepted vegan footwear materials,
harsh chemical solvents, toxic glues, petroleum products, polyurethanes, PVC, and other harmful ingredients that can off-gas, affect factory workers’ health and contribute massive amounts of eco-toxic waste.

The fashion world has been saddened by the news of Alexander McQueen’s death on February 11th. The 40 year old British fashion designer was found dead in his luxurious London home by his housekeeper. No official cause of death has been reported, but it appears that it may have been suicide as he had been grieving the loss of his mother, who died 9 days prior.

Born Lee Alexander McQueen, he was well known for his unconventional designs, shock tactics and for earning the British Designer of the Year award four times. McQueen dressed several stars, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Nicole Kidman. He opened stores in New York, London, Milan, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, licensed his name for fragrances, created a lower-priced line called McQ, and made collections of sneakers and suitcases for the athletic company Puma.

Like when most artists die, this will probably increase the value of the pieces which he designed: clothing, sexy shoes and accessories. His contribution to the industry will be greatly missed.

Last spring’s hot design for high heels was Chanel’s gun heel which was worn by Madonna to a movie premiere in 2008. At a price tag of over $2000 a pair, many people went looking for a look-a-like.

This spring is to see the release of Alexander McQueen’s ‘lobster claw’ heel. I’m sure most everyone has seen them and heard the stories about models refusing to wear them on the catwalk. There is mixed reaction from the public, ranging from they are to die for down to they are completely hideous.

Like normal there is expected to be a release of what one may call a look-a-like, or possibly an improvement on the original idea.

We thought it would be of great interest to our readers to get some input from professionals in the fashion industry regarding their experiences and opinions about current events / happenings in the field.

We recently conducted a brief interview with Diana Nesbitt, a fashion model / modeling teacher in the UK. Born and raised in Russia until 2002, she then moved to the UK and received her masters in teaching. Just some of her experience consists of working as a TV presenter and journalist, modeling for a number of fashion and retail companies, TV ads and brochures and has often been employed for catwalk fashion shows.

Below are our questions and her answers.

Q. Due to your profession we understand that you wear high heels just about all day. Outside of work how often do you wear them and what heel height do you prefer?

A. “Outside of work I don`t wear them at all. I might wear some 2-3` heels that are square or wine glass shaped if I go out and very seldom(like once or twice a year for Xmas party and a holiday night out) I`ll wear stilettos.”

Although Diana does not wear high heels often outside of work, we must say she looks good when she does.

Q. With top high heel shoe designers designing heels that reach heights of 6 inches or more, do you think that the shoes themselves are becoming too high and very hard to wear?

A. “I don`t see any practical use for heels this size. They don`t even look elegant or feminine but rather aggressive. The only place they look harmonious is high fashion catwalk which is nothing to do with real life.”

Q. Not that long ago Chinese models refused to wear  Alexander McQueen’s 12-inch high heels due to the risk of injury. In your opinion do you think we will see more of this in the future and do you believe that it will make designers create high heels with a lower heel?

A. “I am sure that we`ll see extremes like that in the future although I do anticipate some law suits from the injuries. Designers will inevitably  be experimenting with the shape and length of the heels because that`s what the have  to do to keep the shoe-making industry going.”

Q. Do you find it difficult modeling with your son or do you think it brings the two of you closer together?

A. “I never had any problems modeling with my son. In the actual fact I would like to have more opportunities to do so.”

Q. If the opportunity arises, can you see yourself doing commercials or runway, or would you prefer to stay a photographic model?

A. “I would love to do all sorts of commercials and runways. I enjoy this sort of thing even more than still photography.”

Q. In your own words, what would you say was your favorite shoot?

A. “It was a shoot modeling fashion clothing and accessories.”

Q. Outside of modeling, what are your favorite things to do?

A. “I enjoy singing in a band and taking photos in my home studio.”

We would like to thank Diana for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer our questions. We wish her all the best in her endeavors. If you would like to check out her website, the address is http://www.diananesbitt.co.uk/

Best Fashion Trends

1. Leggings. They have been a great fashion addition from this last decade, allowing women to keep their legs covered, yet shapely, in all sorts of fun fabrics and colors. You can pair them with any length dress, or wear them under pants as a way to keep warm.

2. Classic ballet flats. They are comfortable and can be dressed down or up depending on what you pair it with.

3. Uggs. They are great to wear as house-shoes and to go around town.

4. Crocs. They are great for outside wear, remarkably sturdy, and an essential summer fashion item.

5. 80’s colors / clothes.

6. The casual woman in all of us loved the sweat pant as a must-wear.

7. Making high fashion accessible and popular for the masses.

8. For those not want to commit and wanting to experiment, fake tattoos.

Worst Fashion Trends

1. Harem Pants: Looking Aladdin-chic lasted about a hot second.

2. Hobo-Chic: Roll out of bed, throw on a cloak, and add some Louboutin heels to the mix.

4. Leggings as pants: Tron-inspired leggings, sequin-adorned, "jeggings."

5. Destroyed Denim: At what point did it ever make sense to drop hundreds of dollars on a pair of jeans that already look like they’re 10 years old?

6. Uggs: From trendy to just plain Ugg-ly.

7. The Juicy Tracksuit: Reaching its height in popularity around 2003, the Juicy Couture tracksuit now serves as the base of many Halloween costumes.

8. Visible Thongs: Now teenage girls think it’s hip to let their thongs hang out of their lower-than-low-cut jeans.

9. ’80s Re-Revival: How many times will we hear "the ’80s are back"?

10. Jersey Everything: Draped jersey everywhere in 2007 and 2008.

11. "Ironic" Hipster Fashions: Granny glasses, mustaches, acid-wash jeans, plaid, Arab scarves, and pretty much anything American Apparel ever produced since 2000.