Thomas Le 

Nike Lunar Relic Concept

Now I think its pretty obvious that my heart will always lay with heels. SO when I am on the hunt for sneakers for myself or people to write about for these posts the sneaks have to either be super classic or extremely well designed. Now I'm no pro on why certain sneaks make better sales than others (apart from of course great marketing and celebrity endorsements), but I can tell you or rather show you why Boston based designer Thomas Le's exploration of the upper with weaving and braiding as a concept for Nike is sure to get your approval. Below are Le's thoughts, sketches and working process.

Birthday Shoes

It was my Aunty's birthday the weekend Andy and I went to Reykjavik, she loves handmade things so I thought what's better than making her some handmade shoes for her birthday? My aunts style is very relaxed and figured from shoes i've seen her wear I would have to design something that would securely hold her feet into the shoes. So initially I designed a shoe with one ankle strap and in brown suede, from recollection many of her shoes were in this tone (because its a colour that matches her wardrobe) I figured she could probably wear them to work for important meetings if she needed too or for nights out. As always practice makes perfect so I took pictures of the progress as I went along. These are by far my best attempt, there's still lots of room for improvement, mainly making sure I keep the uppers as clean as possible, glue is used in most stages of the process and with some leathers you have a little leeway especially with patent leathers to remove glue if it finds it way on the uppers, however with suede its almost impossible unless left completely alone and removed once dry. (the glue comes off better when it's dry, rubbing the glue off when its wet stains the leather and its impossible to get this stain out) The positives however was that I managed to get the tension right on the stitching for the uppers, the lasting process was faster and overall the whole process was a lot quicker, mostly because each stage felt more natural in progression. Here is a quick video of the whole process!

Zara high heel boots - DIY (upcycle)

I bought these boots about 2 years ago, in fact I bought two pairs of the same boots from Zara simply because (as I mentioned in Mondays post) I find it so difficult to find boots to fit my ankles. Its safe to say these boots have had their time, I wear them practically everywhere because they are comfy have a thick enough heel to wear them for the day - I just can't let go of them UNTIL I find a new pair. My search however for new boots however has been less than fruitful. So I thought hmmm I work with leather and shoes all the time there must be something I can do to bring them back to life. I assessed my boot situation and figured that with a bit of the right polish and a little touch up with the right leather at the front they could look as good as new. I figured that I also wouldn't be the only person with this problem, so I took pictures along the way. Heres how I did it...

1

I found some leather I had laying around from my mountain of leather that I've collected over the last year - I chose something quite thick to brave the wear and tear. I decided where the boot needed a cover up - the leather at the front of my boots had worn away so I decided that would be the best place to start. I measured the width and length I'd need to cover and cut the leather accordingly.

 2

I wanted a curved finish on the ends of the piece of leather so that when they are placed on the shoe the overall look felt whole, to do this I marked half way through the piece which was approximately 3cm along and then I marked 1 centimetre from the end. From the one centimetre mark I drew a curved line to the  bottom corner. I then cut this with a clicking knife. (a craft knife works just as well) I then folded this over at the centre mark to make sure I have the same curve on the other half. Remember to make a second one for the other shoe!

3

Using the centre marks on the two pieces of leather, with a silver pen lightly draw around the leather pieces on the shoe, so you know where they are going to be placed and where you need to put the shoe glue. This particular glue is used especially for shoes and is a contact adhesive so remember to glue both surfaces to get a solid bond. Before sticking them together, leave both surfaces to dry for 10 minutes so that they can get tacky, then just simply attach the leather to the shoe using the silver markings you made earlier to guide them into the right place.

 

...and there done, a clean with a suede brush and polish will finish them off perfectly!

SHOE of the WEEK

SAM EDELMAN - YATES

I have been crushing over these shoes ever since I pinned them to the High Heels High Hopes 'Prints' Pinterest board. I love a good print on shoes as its a quick way to jazz up any outfit. Olivia Palermo my all time favourite style icon does this regularly not with just her clothes but her shoes too - be it ballerina pumps or high heels. The Yates are very versatile and I tend to find tribal prints  stay as a classic staple for the summer wardrobe. Embellishment and beading always adds the touch of luxury and authenticity. I just love them!

SHOE OF THE WEEK

Aquazzura - WILD THING

These beauties are just exquisite. With such classic design its no wonder that they have been crowned shoe of the week. I love when shoes add that certain 'je ne sais quoi' to an outfit and these do just that. Available in some really great bold colours they completely command the floor. Initially I saw them in a beautiful bright red and slowly they started cropping up in bright pink and most recently in a cobalt blue, which looked absolutely amazing. Aquazzura knew exactly what they were doing when they came to design these - they are just divine! Go on have a scroll and see how bloggers, fashionistas and celebs have been pairing them up with outfits.

www.aquazzura.com

F - Aquazzura

T- @aquazzura 

I - @aquazzura