V&A Exhibition- Shoes: Pleasure and Pain

Christian Louboutin once famously said: “A shoe is not only a design, but it's a part of your body language, the way you walk. The way you're going to move is quite dictated by your shoes.” At The Amazing Blog we could not agree more.  From June this year all the way through to January 2016, the V&A will be home to a very special fashion exhibition exploring the transformative power of extreme footwear, our fascination and obsession with shoes as well as their agonising aspects.

 
In this exciting exhibition, there is an unrivalled collection of more than 200 pairs of historic and contemporary shoes from around the world. Some are as old as 2000 years and have never been seen before.  The collection includes shoes worn by high profile figures including Marilyn Monroe, Queen Victoria, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kylie Minogue and the Hon Daphne Guinness.  There is footwear for men and women by 70 named designers including Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo and Prada.

Exhibition curator, Helen Persson, said: “Shoes are one of the most telling aspects of dress. Beautiful, sculptural objects, they are also powerful indicators of gender, status, identity, taste and even sexual preference. Our choice in shoes can help project an image of who we want to be.”

In addition, the exhibition reveals the evolution of shoes and how little style, material and shape are so much more symbolic than you realise.  This exhibition is a must for any fashion lover or someone passionate about history.  You can find out more about it here.

Marion Ayonote - The Ultimate Red Carpet Shoes

When we caught a glimpse of the stunning shoes that Olga Kurylenko was wearing on the recent tour of Oblivion; as you can imagine we at The Amazing Blog had to investigate further… regular readers of this blog will know we like to search out any unusual and comment-worthy British brands. And gosh have we got one for you.

It turns out that Kurylenko was wearing Marion Ayonote's Conqueror Gladiator Pumps  (which by the way are a part of Ayonote’s new Cruise Collection). We have been lucky enough to preview part of this collection (which incidentally will be live on their 'Gallery'on Friday 19th April) and let me tell you, this collection is STUNNING. OK, so the price tag of £550 for this particular pair of shoes might make you faint,  but  the quality is nothing short of exceptional. Each pair is handcrafted in London, made up of the most  luxurious leathers  and are most definitely designed to make a statement. The above pair that Kurylenko showcased are in a versatile pewter colour and made of the softest calf leather, which  has been printed with a subtle  lizard pattern on the tongue. This delicious combination makes them the perfect complement for any day or evening outfit and is sure to make a few heads turn. Many of Ayonote's creative inspirations come from her childhood in Africa, where her parents nurtured her talents from an early age, thus making her shoes original and unlike any other current designers.

For those of you who are lusting after these stylish pumps but cannot quite afford the price tag, Marion Ayonote will be releasing a more economical line, MA Diffusion Line, in a couple weeks. These will be in sizes 36-42 and are priced between £55 and £150. We suggest you revisit her website for this range in the middle of May.

The above Cruise Collection comes in sizes 37-41 and at present is available to view and buy, By Appointment Only. The showroom is located at 2 Munro Terrace Cheyne Walk Chelsea London SW10 0DL tel (+44) 0207 352 4088. We are very excited to have made  the discovery of our Chelsea neighbour. And who knows, maybe we'll  see some of her shoes making an appearence shortly on the latest series of Made In Chelsea?

Head to Toe

Love shoes, fancy hats? Then we at The Amazing Blog have got the perfect event for you to visit. Head to Toe is an exhibition hosted by Craft Central where you can explore the craft process and skills behind the creativity and drama of the hats and shoes design world. The work comprises of a diverse group of 20 designers who will be showcased there.   You’ll be able to see their unique designs, and discover some really exciting creations with lots of innovative sculptural themes.

The event is held in celebration of London Fashion Week at the new galleries of Craft Central to show off its new facilities’ with great effect. So for all fashionistas who haven’t managed to get their exclusive invitation to LFW, this is the exhibition for you.

From avant-garde headpieces to shoes that we'll all be ooh-ing and ah-ing over, Head to Toe is definitely an event we'd be willing to skip our couch-hanging afternoon for. With astonishing pieces from the established milliner Stephen Jones, as well as the newer recruits Noel Stewart, House of Flora and Emma Yeo.   However, not forgetting to mention the inspired shoe creations from the likes of Marloes ten Bhömer, Hetty Rose and London College of Fashion Cordwainers, to just name a few.  This fashion exhibition is something you won’t want to miss. The show is from the 18th - 28th of February (open Monday - Friday) and best of all… entry is FREE.

Leather Love

So a couple of weeks ago I found myself wandering around the shops looking for a new pair of black ankle boots - I came across a fantastic sale on the most amazing black leather ankle boots: they fitted perfectly and were completely my style - so perfect. I was more than pleased when I got home and tried them on again, 'the best purchase ever' I thought to myself. However, I didn't really think about protecting them - until I wore them out in the pouring rain on my way to work on Monday morning. I arrived to the office and Edwina, our Executive Editor, told me off and gave me a rather glamorous jar of what looked like a face cream (!) " Go ahead, this is new and probably one the best shoe polish you'll ever use, Lara." So I tried Leather Love's Shoe Polishing Cream... And I must say that my boots (and recently my handbag)  really love it. It has a light creamy texture with a very pleasing smell (and yes, I have to say in haste that could easily be mistaken for an face cream!) Leather Love is inspired by the beauty counters - leather is skin that needs to be cleansed and moisturised just like ours does, so why not have a skincare routine for our leather products too? Leather Love uses a blend of the finest and natural ingredients to create their nourishing formulas and cleaning sprays without being harmful to your leather products or the environment. One of their ingredients is the rather unusual Carnauba Wax that comes from the leaves of the Carnauba Palm grown in Northern Brazil - it's widely used in all forms of polishes and cosmetics, AND even food. In this case it's mixed with Beeswax to treat and waterproof many leather products where it provides a high-gloss finish and it increases the leather's durability.

When it comes to their packaging, it really looks like you're dealing with skincare - the design of the jars is quite exquisite; black with elegant white details (something you wouldn't expect from a shoe polish!) As Michael Davies the co-founders of Leather Love said "We want take our leather care products from being hidden under the kitchen sink to being displayed on the pages of Vogue." The smell is very pure and fresh - it doesn't smell chemically at all, a fact that impressed us all  at The Amazing Blog.

Love Leather gently cleanses and moisturises your prized shoes and bags. Edwina's Temperley bag  after being 'moisturised' by Leather Love survived an express visit to a cold and wintery Glasgow, coming back to London safe and unmarked.  We at The Amazing Blog we can't recommend Leather Love enough to make your precious collection of shoes and bags last forever and ever...

Hetty Rose Workshop

We've all been there. You find a pair of amazing shoes, hopeful that they'll go with every outfit you have or will ever own, and then they fall apart the first night you wear them. Or they'd be the perfect shoe if the heel wasn't so high, or the bow was in a different place. If you've ever felt like you could be the next Christian Louboutin, or if you just want a unique pair of shoes that are so completely you then the Hetty Rose Workshop is the place for you.

At the Hetty Rose workshop you'll be guided and tutored by Hetty herself to make your own pair of designer heels. You get to make your very own 'Mika' slingback heel, which are made using vintage kimono fabric. They'll be your exact size, and whatever kimono fabric you'd like.

The Hetty Rose workshop is definitely an investment at £195, but how often do you get to design and make your own perfect pair of shoes?! The experience alone is enough to make you want to go, and you won't believe the amount of preparation and work that goes into making one pair of shoes.

Perfect for a tame Hen Do, birthday, or a special treat for the leggy lady in your life, the Hetty Rose Workshop is a fun day out for any girl. The next workshop is on the 7th of July at Hylands House Chelmsford from 10am-4:30pm, so book your place with Hetty asap!