Sophia Webster Boutique

Yes!!!! the day has finally come, a brand spanking new boutique in the heart of London, on Mount Street mews near Bond Street station - the store opened to the public on Friday. The store looks stunning - exactly what you would expect of a new store for Sophia Webster shoes - it's beautifully decked out with bespoke furniture by Stuart Scott and cute little finishing touches. This store is worth a visit even if you aren't buying shoes! I can imagine the next few weeks and months will be super busy with new visitors but I would definitely take a look around since the first few months are usually when all the promotions and events take place, you may even be in for a surprise!

Lineapelle - Trade Fair

The footwear event of the year for London - Lineapelle, was my first time at this type of trade show yesterday; hosted at the quirky and full of character, Ham Yard Hotel. Almost every footwear designer would have attended this expo at some point of their career, whether it was in Bologna or Paris. The trade fair had conferences running through out the day and had three rooms full of leather traders from Italy - some of the best quality leathers I have ever seen. They also offered an array of fixings/fittings for footwear and leather accessories with studs in different shapes, colour and sizes which were beyond divine! For budding designers and shoe makers this was the place to gain as much knowledge and understanding about the forthcoming trends of next season. so for those of you that missed out (for the next trade show in London ill try and give you a heads up!) here are some shots of the slides at the conference and a little round up of the moods and colours that were depicted for  summer '17.

1)

Contemporary pop (think pop art and you are on to a winner!), digital colour world, an ethno (ethnic) - pop approach that mixes cultures and their colours, comic books and video games. 

2)

Think of the mood and colours relating to the Mad Max theme, sand, metals rusting surfaces, neutral colours that have a dark mood.

3) 

The tones of meditation, pastels, well being, light and airy tonals and lots of pale pinks and pastel greens.

7 Heels to get you through your Christmas parties

Ahhhh christmas, the month of festivities, eating and partying, and if your anything like me there is always more of an emphasis on the partying (and eating too). Christmas parties can seem never ending so I've put together a collection of heels that will help you get through this merry season. The trick is to pick out chunky heels (your in luck as they are totally in season) and to choose something that wraps around your ankle elegantly as well as keeping sandal straps as thick as possible. Ive also added a few little tricks and tips to help you get through the parties in style.

Zara - £39.99

Now this is everything you need in a christmas party shoe, a sensible but stylish heel height, ankle strap that keeps you secure and a whole load of sparkle!

Tabitha Simmons £485

These gorgeous heels are sexy and elegant, the laser cut flowers are totally in season and the heels are super chunky, and of course all secure with the beautiful barely there ankle strap ready for you to spend hours on the dance floor.

ASOS £40

Metallic and Christmas go like turkey and gravy. A combination of pure heaven these are! Thick chunky heel and bang on trend lace up fronts! what else could you want?

Tom Ford £780

I love these shoes, if you are looking for the wow factor and still looking for comfort these are for you. The straps are wide enough to be comfortable and the heel is still chunky even though they are high and to top that super secure around your ankles.  The autumnal tones will go with what ever outfit you decide.

Topshop - £69.00

Again the metallic is an essential for the christmas season and these do everything to keep you going for a whole night on the dance floor. Thick straps, sparkles for miles and chunky heels. With these heels i would suggest using Scholls sticky foams, which stick to the length of the insole ensuring comfort all night round!

Miu Miu - £550

You can't have christmas without its most symbolic colour - RED! I mean these are just divine! The shine on the silk screams luxury and the thick heel shouts comfort if you are looking for a splurge this is your ticket!

Miss KG - £52.50

Black shoes are just essential, but why not jazz them up with a platform and chunky heel. The capped toes and cute ankle strap reveal just enough skin to make them sexy but comfortable. Always look for shoes with a platform especially when they have heels, they are always way more comfortable!

Hints and Tricks

Pack a pair of fold away ballet pumps - you'll thank them for it when you are stumbling around the streets of London looking for the 'after party' Sinderella Flats do some awesome fold away ballet pumps - they even come with their own little bag!

Scholl do some amazing comfort cushions that could end the pain and keep you dancing the whole night. On that note party feet are another place you could head to for shoe accessories to keep your feet pain free

Primark have started to do a selection of shoe cushions that are pretty good and at such great prices so be sure to pick some up before your party.

For other hints and tips head my blog post on how to walk in heels without being in pain!

Save Your Sole

Save your Sole does exactly what it says on the tin. They take care of the red soles that so many of you have spent your hard earned money on. Red soles have become a house hold name and with so many purchased on a yearly basis I can only imagine the damage inflicted on the poor soles. Save your Sole offer a red paint along with a durable and protective red rubber sole so for Louboutin lovers this is an accessory you can't go with out! The whole set including the paint brush comes to £30 which is a small cost to keep your Louboutins looking alive. Save your Sole doesn't only cater for red soles, they have a selection of different coloured rubber sole attachments and also have an invisible grip sticker to keep your soles intact - definitely worth giving them a try!

W - www.saveyoursole.co.uk

F - Save Your Sole

T - @saveyoursole

The Shoe Review

C a m i l l a    E l p h i c k

Elphick's shoes (for me) sit firmly between the quirk of Sophia Webster with very similar hues of pastel colours and the inspiration and influences of Charlotte Olympia which is quite honestly, right up my street. Elphick was mentored and taught by the best while interning and working with the likes of Nicholas Kirkwood, Donna Karan, Paul Andrew and Topshop to name a few. 

So with all of that experience, what better than creating your own eponymous shoe label? launching with her collection for Spring Summer 2015 ‘You got the Luck’ you can see why her debut and graduate collection gained so much recognition and praise. 12 styles are available all inspired by, you guessed it - Luck, all with their own distinctive and catchy names. Below are some of my favourites which are just what you need to brighten up the doom and gloom weather London has had for the last few days. Be aware - they may leaving you felling happy and nostalgic both at the same time!

'Pez Shoe' - (unable to find a stockist for this)

'Clover Heels' - £445 on Avenue 32

'Gold Dust' - £340 at Grazia Shop

'Lucky 7' - £495 on Avenue 32

'Royal Flush'- £460 on Avenue 32

Website

www.camillaelphick.com

Style
12 Styles available

‘Mood- boosting shoes sure to bring you good fortune' - camillaelphick.com

Price

£250 upwards

Stockists UK

graziashop.com
luisaviaroma.com
avenue32.com

Instagram

Camilla Elphick

Twitter

@camillaelphick

Facebook

Camilla Elphick

Exhibition

Women. Fashion. Power.

Design Museum

'An unprecedented look at how princesses, models, CEOs, Dames and designers have used fashion to define and enhance their position in the world.'

Now it's no secret - I absolutely love the Design Museum, it takes me back to my school days when I used to go on day trips with my Art,  Design & Technology classes. I regularly visit their website, which has been improved in recent months making it much easier to scroll through (compared to the old layout they had) to check what exhibitions are being held. So naturally, as soon as I saw the Women Fashion Power Exhibition I couldn't resist another visit. 

The exhibition itself covered one floor, which made going through it super easy and concise (I managed to get through the whole exhibition in 90 minutes) Now the shoes - a small but rare collection from different eras. The fashion just as inspiring and  powerful as the shoes. The exhibition reflects how  taking pride in your clothing can be truly inspirational, especially in today's society where women are equally aspirational and ambitious as their male competitors and counterparts. Amongst some of the examples of power-dressers were Dame Zaha Hadid (an idol of mine simply for her innovation and ambition in a male dominated industry - and the designer of this very exhibition) Natalie Massenet (founder of Net-a-porter), Charlotte Olympia (a pair of her shoes are on my splurge shopping list) and of course who I imagine as the matriarch and a great influence in this exhibition - Dame Vivienne Westwood.

The highlight however for me - a Manolo Blahnik illustration that I have only seen in a shoe book. Now, Blahnik I have always admired because of his very imaginative and elaborate sketches and illustrations. I would like to hope that in the future (with lots of practice) my shoe illustrations could be just as full of character. Fortunately the museum allowed for pictures so I jumped at the opportunity at documenting the shoes. Some of them were real jems, with an air of sophistication from the 20’s/30’s and others from a modern age of which we are more familiar with now, the red bottoms - Louboutin. 

Manolo Blahnik Illustration

If you have a spare 90 minutes laying around and you are twiddling your thumbs with nothing to do take a visit, definitely worth your while for budding fashionistas and would suggest going with a girlfriend. Its location make its all the more easier with lots of cute coffee shops dotted around, including one within the museum its self called the Blueprint. Make sure you check out the gift shop to, there are some great nifty items that you can pick up all with a cool modern element to them.

Time

 90 Minutes

Price 

£11.25 per Adult 

Ticket includes entry to other exhibitions in the Museum. You can also buy the tickets online if you are super organised.

Curators

 Collin McDowell 

Donna Loveday