Ethics.  It’s the current trending issue on every magazine cover with plenty of hysteria (see major athlete’s current  debacle).  These kind of events make you wonder just a bit more about the brands and people that we ‘buy’ into.

Elizabeth Olsen and her namesake brand, Olsenhaus are going far beyond the cursory  and often temporary 'goodwill'  label to which  many in the fashion industry seem to be susceptible.

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Retro. Glamorous and daring with just a bit of flash. Charlotte Olympia Dellal and her namesake label Charlotte Olympia both hearken to days of bygone glamour and simultaneously flash forward with daring combinations of fabric, height and styling.

Charlotte’s exotic Brazilian/English family tree reads like a classic recipe for an exotic beauty with brains, talent and a couture touch. Born to Brazilian beauty Andrea Dellal a 1970’s muse for Valentino, it was almost destiny that Charlotte become a designer, her sister Alice a model and brother Alex the owner of an art gallery.

Graduating from Cordwainers in 2004, Charlotte took only two years to launch her own label in 2006 and capture the attention of fashion mavens such as Kate Moss and Daphne Guiness (source).

So what inspires this exotic femme fatale of footwear?  The signature gold ‘web’ that appears on the sole of every Charlotte Olympia shoe gives an indication to the playfulness and quirky personality of the designer.  In an interview with Voge.com Charlotte explained her unusual signature insignia “Spider’s webs are often thought as being quite Halloweeny and dark but they can be delicate and pretty….which is what I like about them.”

Of course, an inventive mind wouldn’t be able to have an ordinary fashion show.  Inspired by the beauty of nature, a recent fashion show at the Langham hotel in the UK featured shoes encased in glass, enclosed as if they were a rare specimen of flowers.  One pair of sandals was shaped as green ivy leaves that snaked up the ankle with a delicate tie.(source)

Texture and fabric are used as trademarks of every designer.  Charlotte takes design a step further an immaculate attention to detail, evidenced by the intricately textured heel on the Ziggy Ankle Boots; a notion so precise that most would overlook it.  Combine this intimate detail with a bold and exaggerated floating platform heel and what could have been an ordinary and quickly forgotten black boot becomes a bold and adventurous statement.

Retailers such as Browns and Harvey Nichols feature the best and most promising of designers.  Charlotte Olympia has an ability to take the basic black pump and make it heart-stopping.  Take the platform pump, with its six inch heel, is not for the unsteady!  The suede inset and chunky rounded platform toe invokes the 40’s glamour and adds a welcome and unexpected twist.

Charlotte Olympia may be a young designer; but she has the pin-up style creativity that has long been missed. Forward, flashy, understated and unexpected.  What can you expect?  A long career and many gorgeous designs from Charlotte Olympia Dellal.

Just who is the creative genius behind the success of the Loeffler Randall brand?

Born and raised in Worcester, Mass., Jessie Randall demonstrated a penchant for design tendencies early in her teenage years.  Carrying a pair of  “cheap really ugly” shoes to her mother (not something one would expect of a future fashionista, Jessie took a letter opener to the offending cheap gold trim and voila! A designer was born (sourceboston.com).

It’s not the mere act of ‘fiddling’ with a pair of shoes or just removing a piece that you don’t like that gives you the potential to be a designer.  What made Jessie Randall different, even at a young age was her ability to create something classic and beautiful from a less than spectacular exterior. Jessie impressed even her mother with her innovative tendencies (and come on, who hasn’t secretly harbored the desire to wow their family with their entrepreneurial prowess).

As a graduate of the University of Virginia, Randall moved to New York to pursue a fairly standard career in advertising.  It wasn’t long however before Jessie realized that this corporate life wasn’t right for her.  What was right for her however, was future husband Brian Murphy; an art director at the firm. Brian proved to be a partner in every sense of the word, now her husband and partner at Loeffler Randall (source).

Coursework at Parsons and FIT provided Jessie with the skills that any successful business owner needs; meaning learning from the ground up.  Learning the most basics skills such as how to source trims, work with offices overseas and filling out a cut ticket are the smallest and yet most essential building blocks to understanding how to build a successful fashion company.  The learning curve of Jessie Randall was not limited to the practicalities of fashion production during her assistantship at Ketene Adeli and Gap Inc.; she also learned to fine-tune her artistic and creative tastes, finding her own sense of style. (source) The style, she admitted that she could find nowhere else.

Her uniquely clean lined and gently feminine style finally found a home in the 2004 launch of Loeffler (Jessie’s middle name) Randall.  First launching footwear, Jessie showcased everything she wanted to wear herself; flats, boots and heels with elegant and sassy styling but the clean lines that kept the styling classic.

Sassy and classic, sounds a bit like Coco Chanel, doesn’t it? Design what you would want to wear.  A simple and sound philosophy that soon had major retailers like Bergdorf Goodman and Louis Boston snapping up Loeffler Randall designs with record speed.

Most recently the Loeffler Randall line has expanded its presence to the online retail market, making her fabulous creations even more visible and accessible.

The perfect balance of Yin and Yang, style and class; Jessie Randall creates fun stylish looks from head to toe that are always lovely, always classic, but never dated.

Sergio Rossi. A name that conjures renaissance, couture, avante garde footwear and absolutely gorgeous heels!

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A native New England gal from conservative Massachusetts town, you would never have guessed that Beverly Feldman would turn out to be the globe-trotting, gregarious, whirlwind shoe designer extraordinaire that she is today.

And she’s hilarious. Who else would say something like “The circle of life is to get married, get divorced, and then have a great time with younger lovers.  That is how to stay young and gorgeous” (source)

Well, until Beverly turned 13 and started drawing, sketching and illustrating her way into her eventual creative schooling at the Pratt Institute in New York. Then it became quite obvious where her talent lay. Even before graduating from Pratt with a major in Shoe Illustration & Design, Beverly’s whimsical, bold and glamorous style had caught the eyes of a few very important people at magazines such as Mademoiselle and Glamour.  Shortly thereafter, Beverly found herself appointed as a shoe illustrator for both magazines.

The ability to envision an artistic rendering is a rare talent; the ability to take that illustration and translate it into a functional, beautiful, affordable product is almost unheard of.

Plus, she’s funny. Oh, right. More on that later.

Beverly took these extraordinary abilities illustrating and designing ornate and fabulous shoes to the design houses of names such as Doris Weston, I. Miller and Andrew Geller (source).  At the age of 31, Beverly founded Lucky Lizard Trading Company in Alicante, Spain. An established brand of over 30 years with a distribution in more than 50 countries, Beverly Feldman has proven to be a forced to be reckoned with.

So what is Beverly’s inspiration and just what makes her tick?

First, she is hands-on.  Hands-on meaning she is in the factories in Spain nearly all of the time, overseeing and revising, revising, revising.  She knows and wants to know exactly what is going on with her one-season only exclusive shoes.

Visually?  Beverly “designs to attract attention” (source).  Leopard prints, jewels, ‘bling’ aplenty, there is no such thing as over-the-top for a Beverly Feldman shoe. Not surprising that Hollywood stars like Halle Barry and notorious socialites like Paris Hilton are devoted followers.

Beverly is inspired and follows no one’s inclinations but her own.  Following no trends (can you tell?) Beverly Feldman shoes are unique, like the designer. Beverly creates what she would wear herself and what she believes her customers will love.   She does admit to following one thing-glamour.  Always in the moment, always changing, forever versatile.

Her personality.

She has a blog. As in a real-person’s this-is-what-I-did-today and by-the-way-I-met-a-really-hot-way too young-Spanish-guy. Said Spanish man being taken advantage of-apparently (haha!). This blog is beyond rare.  This is a celebrity blog actually written by the celebrity themselves, not a paid writer.  She wants to lose 10 lbs and admits that being a blonde is a full-time job. She writes about her favorite stores, restaurant, her dogs and latest love exploits.  Beverly’s personality, quirks and passions are clearly seen. Loves: dogs, shoes and men. Probably in that order too, since she also has said “I think dogs are better than men.  They show up on time, greet you with kisses, are faithful.” (source).

She’s also on E-bay. Really, Beverly sells some of personal awesome wardrobe online. Who knew?  Check her out under ‘Vintage’!

A huge appeal of Beverly Feldman is that she is real.  A real woman, with real talent, and a real sense of humor taking on a male-dominated industry.  Creating fabulous, crazy shoes that we have to have.  Talented, creative and real woman creating fun, gorgeous and affordable shoes.  Beverly Feldman the best friend you’ve always wanted with the juicy stories you can’t wait to hear and closet that you want to raid!

Rene Caovilla.  Ah yes, that ever elusive yet eternally alluring European man. Creative to the core and mysterious to the max.  This curator of couture has celebrities from Beyonce to Heidi Klum singing his praises and donning his stunning footwear everywhere from red carpet premieres to launch parties and commercial sets.

This designer revered across the world for his unbelievably intricate designs has a history. This history, unlike the notoriety enjoyed by some 15 minute of fame celebrities today, is actually steeped in true artistry and talent.

The success and skill in Caovilla's history actually leads back to Boston, Massachusetts. In the late 1800's, Italy suffered from massive unemployment. The only alternative left for many was to emigrate to the United States.  Working in the explosive growth of the shoe industry in Boston, Luigi Voltan, the father of the Riviera del Brenta footwear district in Italy, learned how the mechanization of certain processes in shoes could become an asset to Italy (source).

Returning to the village of Stra, Luigi Voltan brought with him the superior production knowledge and speed from Boston and combined it with Italian artistry.  The combination proved to be revolutionary; cutting production costs and lowering prices for consumers, an enormous help to the weak economy. Edoardo Caovilla, the father of Rene Cavoilla learned the artisanship and master business expertise of shoemaking from  Luigi. Expanding upon this knowledge, Edoardo created an even more elaborate and intense shoemaking business, making it something between handcraft and couture (source).

The 1950's brought the revolution of footwear full circle back to creativity and passion with the involvement of Edoardo's son Rene Fernando.  Rene settled for nothing less than the best of the best, designing artistic renderings of shoes that were really jeweled masterpieces made to wear on one's feet.  Caovilla's collaborations are a wish list of every fashionista on the planet. Heavenly shoes with Valentino Garavani, outstanding creations with the impactful Christian Dior and of course, a  creative bond at Chanel with an eternal genius of design, Karl Lagerfield.

So what fascinates and inspires this husband of Paola and father of two?  According to the man himself "The sources of inspiration can be found everywhere; in a piece of lace, in a precious kimono…in the gentleness of a dance, everything buds from passion and continuous research" (source).  All this is evidenced in the careful creations of Caovilla's design.  Crystals adorn what could otherwise be an ordinary stiletto.  Lace provides the finishing and stunning touch to another pair.

No Rene Caovilla shoe is ordinary.  His shoes are not simply a demonstration of luxury.  These gems represent a refinement and elegance that has been otherwise lost. These stunning shoes are truly an "expression of cultural tradition" (source)

Where to find Rene Caovilla in the U.S., Asia, Africa and Austrailia.

Fear not, some pieces can also be bought online!

"I have no rules at all." (source). Although this quote is taken slightly out of context, it seems to sum up succinctly the personality of one of fashion's most hidden gems: Pierre Hardy.

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Meet Kate Brosnahan, a classic southern belle hailing from Kansas City, Missouri who was a journalism major and formerly employed at a biker bar. Who is this, you ask? This doesn't quite seem like the recipe for someone of prominence in fashion culture.

Indeed, take the simple ingredient of knowing exactly what you like in fashion, and presto: the accessories icon Kate Spade is born.

Graduating from Arizona State University in 1986, took a position in accessories at Mademoiselle magazine (source). After spending five years working her way up to the post of Senior Fashion Editor/Head of Accessories, Kate realized that there was something significantly lacking in the world of accessories: cute, practical, fun handbags.
Although she had no formal design training, Kate knew what she wanted and what she liked. She wanted clean lines, elegant fabrics and practical styling, with a touch of unexpected spunk that mirrored her own personality. (more…)

Brian Atwood.

Some designers choose to veil their talents with a mask of shyness; be it real or merely a façade. The focus is on their designs, they might say. It's on the artistry. Don't let the personality overtake the shoes.

Brian Atwood, well, he's a little different. Not satisfied with a mere cloak of audaciousness; his style is a full-on frontal assault of your senses. (more…)

Rupert Sanderson. A name not known for the shoeing the fleeting glamour of the red carpet. He is instead renowned for unparalleled artistry and a true love for the craftsmanship of shoe-making. Not one to grovel at the feet of Hollywood starlets, he was more excited at the prospect of seeing the film ‘The Other Man', which is about a shoe designer, than he is about any fashion show (source).

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