FENTY x PUMA

So this happened!!! On Monday in Paris Riri released the next instalment of footwear of her collaboration with Puma, and in true Rihanna form it totally KICKED ASS!! Now my favourites had to be the boots worn beautifully by one of my fave models Leomie Anderson, against a library scene and locker backdrop. Rihanna was sure to be playful with her plaids and school uniform collection and she couldn't have pulled it off any better. This collaboration has been going for 3 seasons now and shows no signs of stopping, FENTY X PUMA is a match made in heaven. Go on have a scroll!

Chanel Slingbacks

I'm obsessed! I love these heels by Chanel, I have seen them all over fashion bloggers instagrams and I have recently noticed them being filtered through to fast fashion stores too.  Kitten block heels are totally on trend, and have been for the last season and Chanel have totally nailed the style. Sling backs and squoval (square and oval) fronts are totally in too, so there is no wonder the fast fashion brands are quick to emulate this trend. I think this will be an iconic shoe for Chanel, one which will be perfect for the summer paired with cropped jeans.

P A R I S

Paris is ALWAYS a good idea, its one of those places where there is something always going on. Luckily I made it to Premier Vision the footwear and accessories edit. It was bloody amazing - cloud 9 for footwear designers. I loved it, I went a year and a half ago for the September expo with my cousin and I had an amazing time looking through the fabrics, however with no direction for myself (I had really only gone for the know how) but this year felt less over whelming and more go goo GOOO there was so much to look at that you ended up walking and looking aimlessly. (its important to have an idea about who and what suppliers you are visiting at these expos before hand - its easy to get sidetracked with the reams of other suppliers) We had an intense look around mostly at heels and soles and once we were happy with that we went on to look around at the Leather and Manufacturing halls - instantly you can suss out whether its going to be useful to you or not. Most of the leather suppliers were whole sale so for me that wasn't very useful, I prefer buying single hides of leather but not ruling out the Leather hall completely - it was good to see what was out there in the market since technology is always changing. After a heavy morning looking around we grabbed something to eat from a aptly named restaurant at the expo called "Fauchon" (say it out loud - sounds like Fashion) the eclairs were out of this world!! After the mini sugar overdose we headed straight to BHV a department store were given a heads up about by one of the students we had taught. The section we were directed to inevitably was for footwear and even though we only came out with a crepe rubber sheet it was so nice to see a department store of its size dedicating a whole area to leather footwear and tools.

A trip to Paris isn't complete without A) a sighting of the Eiffel Tower and B) a trip to Galeries Lafayette. Of course we did both, even though we had done it a thousand times before. The epitome of Parisian chic both visits fulfilled us with the french spirit. A short walk on from the Eiffel Tower we found a slightly plush but slightly tacky bar where we took selfies and had cocktails (well a mocktail for me - 6 weeks strong with no drink! - and no i was't an addict before either!) and from there headed straight to dinner before we took a short cab ride back to Gare du Nord for our journey back home! With a lot accomplished during the day, a snoozed filled ride home was definitely on the cards!

SENSO

Last year, like most people in the fashion industry, Premiere Vision was the place to be. Paris is one of those amazing places, and even though I had been several times before, this was the time where I completely fell in love with the city. At this time I had already packed in my job and completely immersed myself into footwear. I wanted to know the ins and outs of the industry and part of getting to know the industry was watching trends and styles that were becoming popular. Then came the unthinkable, (mostly I'm a shy girl - I'm loud around people I know or only with some dutch courage, would I ever think of doing the following..) my cousin encouraged me to ask people where their shoes were from if I said 'ooo her shoes are nice'. This was a completely mortifying concept especially in Paris, where it quickly became a game of charades, since my french is terrible. In came the Senso shoe brand. A  name that repeatedly cropped up when I asked where the interesting shoes were from. (Parisians are in a league of their own when it comes to effortless style and class) I have been following them on Instagram for some time now, and its safe to say they're here to stay. Their story consolidates just how much longevity the brand has. Starting from a husband and wife duo in the 1980s in Australia, to injecting some fresh and youthful designs by the input of their daughters, they had one main goal of branching out into boutiques all over the world. They have completely turned the business around but have stayed true to their roots with style thats  classic yet obscure with a subtle sense of luxury - What else could you ask for?

I leave you with some of my favourite shoes from their current season!

'Penelope'

'Quarry III'

'Riley - V'

'Riley IV'

W - www.senso.com.au

F - Senso

T - @senso

I - @senso