Category: Shoes
Espadrille Competition!
Calling all fashionista’s (particularly those with a young child within) for our inaugural Pimp Your Kicks Design Competition! this is your chance to play, glue, dye, make..bake! accessorise and bling-o-rize a classic pair of espadrilles into a thing of beauty worthy of a street style photo shot (See here for more inspiration – seriously – the only limit is your imagination!)
The details:
- Sign up below and send a photo of your finished shoes to contactkatebentley@gmail.com by midnight gmt on Friday 23 May
- The winner will be announced on Monday 26 May with pictures of all the entries (can’t wait!)
- You can enter as many pairs as you wish..and high heeled espadrilles also accepted.
- There will be an external judge and a little prize for the winner..
I’m off to scout the internet for the cheapest pair of espadrilles I can find…and if I can find children’s sizes Bella and Charlie will be entering too!!
Laters, Kate x
I spy…
(Penelope Chilvers)
Espadrilles! Perfect to wear with the new trouser length, their artisanal chic shouts style-without-even-trying.
(Dolce and Gabbana)
In the Season of ugly shoes, the espadrille walks in the shadow of the Birk, never quite leading the way…but always there.
(Fendi)
But from it’s humble position on sea-side kiosks and dusty holiday shops, it’s now been elevated to celestial heights and given the full make-over.
(Stella McCartney)
I can’t help but think – if what’s special about them is they’re colours and added bits….surely they make the ideal canvas for a DIY project?
(Tory Burch)
Cheap as chips to buy, easy to accessorise – no great financial risk if it all goes tits up – the only real limit is your daring and imagination with the end result equalling a stunning, original piece of your summer wardrobe…
(Missioni Mare)
Makes me think – shall we have a DIY Espadrille Competition????
Laters, Kate x
Penelope Chilvers x
Penelope Chilvers is an independent shoe shop based in Notting Hill offering some seriously lovely kicks to swoon over..
Founded in 2005 from the front room of her house, Penelope Chilvers, the driving force and Designer, passionately supports dying crafts and traditional methods for manufacturing in the twenty first Century. She believes this is the beating heart of the Brand and what keeps it authentic..
Her shoes are always impeccably crafted – she endeavours to source each and every component in a design which is then crafted by hand..the result is the addition of that intrinsic quality that’s impossible to fake: Love.
Each shoe is designed to walk into your life. And stay there.
Quietly rocking inspiration.
Me likey..
Laters, Kate x
Agnes and Lola x
This is one of my secrets. The website Agnes & Lola, originally born of a love of two things: independent fashion and the diverse cultures across the African continent.
It’s the perfect browse if you need a bit of spice.
Re-defined classics that offer a ready-to-wear alternative to the cloning of the High Street. And sensible prices too..I’ve just ordered these, reduced from £55 to £25…
I look at these, and all I can think of, even though I have never met her is my blogging friend Fashion Mayann! They just have her name on them!
Let colourful be your personality. Why should the men have all the fun? I want these trousers..
Just accessories with a smile!
Laters, Kate x
Serendipidy..
Sometimes worlds start to collide..like today! Two of the lovely brands I’ve discovered on my Blog travels have taken their visions further: The dynamic Claire from Air & Grace has just launched her website! Yay!
Find out exactly why I think her shoes are so special..
And meet Grace..the urban, kooky, stylish muse of the Brand! You may also recognise a bit of the style of writing on the Website..Claire was here last week to crunch some words together..
And the charismatic children’s label the Fableists? They’ve just launched a Kickstarter Project…
Making it the ideal time to invest in a classic canvas Chore coat..(in my size please!!)
Or the smock dress I’ve been meaning to get..and check out that Blue chambray shirt..divine..
Buy knowing you’ve helped the people who want to get it right…it’s about great clothes for kids that are beautifully made with love, design and sustainability…which ticks every box in my book.
But at the end of the day..it’s not the buying that really matters… we can do much more: We’re all plugged into that cyber-energy that runs like a river between us and the world…send out a post, a tweet, an email – spread the word. If each one of us sent off little paper boats of information out onto the current, the result would be incredible…these are now the little people starting out with new Brands in a dog eat dog world….but with the thought and attention to detail these guys have, they really should be the Companies of the future…and they will be, with that kind of support behind them.
Sometimes it’s the little things that really matter: Let’s do it for the good guys.
Laters, Kate x
Stud Star! x
Look what walked into my house last night…a genuine pair of Rockstud Valentino’s! Such a greatly, brilliant bit of inspiration. We all felt the power, that special bit of magic..and we all tried them on..and they were FABULOUS..the heel height is divine, the ball of foot is softly padded, cankles distracted, the colours magical. It goes to show – find a way to own the best because it’s worth it – and if it takes a bit more pain, then it makes the treasure even greater. Choose carefully, choose wisely – choose once if you have to – and you too can walk with fairy feet…
The latest Rockstud offering is the studded textured-leather espadrille…but choosing carefully, I know where my heart belongs…
Laters, Kate x
Ugly Shoes?
Travellers with backpacks for wardrobes have been some of the best dressed people I’ve ever seen. What little they have has to be chosen with care – practical and loved, worn-in with just that touch of flair and imagination. And Birkenstocks make the ideal travelling shoe – invincible, hardwearing – slide them on and off – or leave them on – for dodgy showers and floors. So I can understand their growing popularity: over the years they’ve earnt their fashion stripes the hard way (although Birks with fur aka Celine will never have my heart) But sadly the molded Birk sole never fitted my feet rendering them painful, heavy, clunky and useless – it’s not a look I’ll be signing up to any time soon. But these shoes by Tods? Ignore the price-tag and I’d be there like a shot..
Laters, Kate x
The Sapeurs.. xxx
Suave and sophisticated, the title Sapeur comes from la SAPE, an abbreviation of Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes – The Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People. Over the past twenty five years it’s emerged as a brightly coloured African subculture inspired by the myth of Parisian elegance and Dandyism.
Mostly centred around Brazzaville and Kinshasa, the adjacent Capitals of the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo respectively, the Sapeurs cultivate their refined gentility amid their countries war-torn, extreme poverty.
But despite this nations history, Sapeurs are pacifists – for them style is about being respectful with a pure attitude and impeccable manners.
Creativity is paramount – although many will spend whatever they have on clothes, it’s not about the money, it’s about style and being flamboyant in oneself, despite the circumstances.
(All the pictures above by Baudouin Mouanda)
They are ordinary people, with ordinary jobs who break free by transforming their dusty pavements into fabulous fashion runways. But the truth is these characters are teachers, creatures of spirit with a powerful, requisite flair and passion.
(Photo by Hector Mediavilla)
Sharp and sly, like poetry in motion with their hearts turned to the sun, they demand that there can be great riches in small spaces..their irresistible sense of pride says you can be whatever you want to be…and sometimes we all need that fairytale.
(Photo by Hector Mediavilla)
A very short documentary – worth watching! x
To those that say their style is part of a legacy of cultural imperialism and a post-colonial carry-over they say:
‘White people invented the clothes..but we turned them into an art form’
Personally, I doff my bright yellow trilby to them.
Laters, Kate x
Air & Grace x
It was two years ago that Claire Burrows first started talking to me about her ideas to create her own shoe label. She’s always had a thing about shoes and studied at London College of Fashion before going on to create award winning ranges for international footwear brands including Kurt Geiger and Fitflop. With nearly 20 years of experience and insider industry knowledge she has an understanding of footwear that’s second to none. It’s a joy to hear Claire talk about shoes as her passion just pours out – she thinks about every aspect and no stone is left unturned. But that doesn’t make it any easier to escape the security of the 9 to 5 and walk down an unknown road..even if you’re wearing the most comfortable shoes ever.. 
But the lovely Claire is special, brave and courageous and she’s taken that leap of faith, producing her very first range based on her beliefs and intuitive knowledge: As a woman wearing shoes every day Claire firmly believes that shoes should be as comfortable as they are fashionable. 
Air and Grace is Claire’s new baby. Her first range of shoes are a series of ballerina pumps: Luxurious butter soft leathers, modern feminine designs..but most importantly..sumptuous, clever underfoot cushioning in all the right places so your feet don’t have to suffer the knocks of every day life, even when you do. 
With her magic she’s turned the ordinary shoe into gloves for your feet and banned the pain of ‘heel smack’ and ‘ball-of-foot-shock’ forever.
I’ve tried them on..and I can honestly say I didn’t want to take them off!
They really can take the strain out of every day..no matter what life throws at you!!
(And before anyone says ‘congratulations’..this isn’t me!)
Of course this is just the start for Claire – these shoes are literally the first designs hot from the factory – she’s now deep in discussions with buyers and designing an e-commerce site with full social media support, but if you believe like I do that women should support women and that beautiful and practical is a wining combination, please show your appreciation for someone brave enough to set out alone in the big wide commercial world and ‘like’ her Facebook page – every little bit helps. They say the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step..but at least for Claire with her Air and Grace shoes her steps will always be in style and comfort! Go Claire!
Laters, Kate x
Lust Lust Lust..
Maria Grazia Chuiri and Pierpaolo Piccioli are producing the type of Valentino Collections that bleeds my soul.
I tell myself – it’s only clothes…but my heart knows better.
It’s as if they’ve stepped inside my head and cherry picked my favourite things: Blanket coats, proper boots, Doc shoes, loose but crisp, colours on the side of dusky..and handed them to me as a lighter than air, perfectly baked clafoutis.
The proportions make me smile with pure pleasure.
At first glance I thought this was a play on the boyfriend blazer..it is, but better – it’s a cape.
So clever.
How do they get it so right?
And then there is the Butterfly motif, Damien Hirst re-invented.
How understated can this be? And still pack a punch..
I need to lie down.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 