Sweet Dreams

* swoon *

ysl.com

Rag & Bone...Shoes

Before moving to Italy I interned as a designer with an Oakland, California-based footwear company, Twenty Two Shoes. Unfortunately they have since closed their doors, but I still admire the co-owners/co-designers' refined rustic aesthetic and use of earthy, worn-looking leathers that make you want to touch them. I also appreciate their focus on casual leather shoes (an often overlooked, but necessary, shoe sector). I stumbled up on some photos of the Rag & Bone shoe collection in Footwear News and was immediately struck by how similar their approach and look is to that of my old company. Take a look...

My favorite - a simply beautiful oxford for women in beige leather and natural linen:

www.rag-bone.com

Georgina Georgina

It's no secret that I love Georgina Goodman. I first heard about her when I studied at Cordwainers (where she also studied), where my teachers referred to her as the recent graduate with most real talent.

I'm crazy for her signature striped soles...

...her fabulously architectural constructions...

...her luxe materials and details...

...and her collection of shoes made on site at her store in Mayfair, London.

I have several pairs of these striped ballet flats - they're my go-to flat and they last forever!

And what's even better than Georgina Goodman? Georgina Goodman for Brian Reyes...I just saw these online and I love how tough and rustic they are.

from georginagoodman.com and style.com

For the Fellas

Sorry ladies, but this one is for the guys...Men's shoe design has been lagging behind in past years, but after perusing the Mr. Hare site, I think that's all starting to change. The London-based company, besides having one of the coolest sites I've seen in a while, has a beautiful collection of classic men's shoes updated in shape, materials, and cut. Everything is super luxe and, as I imagine Mr. Hare himself to be, oozes with cool. He describes one shoe as the shoe he'd design if Fred Astaire came knocking at his door asking for a pair. Another is the shoe to wear "'when you absolutely, positively have to kill every motherf*cker in the room.'" Ladies, even you should check it out...if only to inspire your next designer crush.

www.mrhare.co.uk

Mary Ching

Did my weekly magazine binge on Sunday and picked up a copy of Elle Decor Italia's June issue. In it I spotted a photo of Shanghai-based designer Mary Ching's wacky store...

I did a bit of exploring on her site and I love the massive platforms and metallic snakeskin...

Plus she has the most adorable blog about living in Shanghai and, among other things, how to pick up guys in a sports bar wearing her World Cup ballet flats!

Most importantly, her collection is "proud to be 'Made in China, Created in Shanghai.'" Here in Italy 'Made in China' has a pretty bad reputation, so it's refreshing to see a young designer promoting luxury footwear 'Made in China.'

* check her out online at www.marychingshanghai.com

HWilliams

http://www.hwilliamsdesign.com

My latest shoe crush is on the entire HWilliams spring/summer 2010 collection. I've pre-ordered a couple pairs and cannot wait for them to arrive. I have three pairs from last fall/winter (did I mention that it's a serious shoe crush?), and I wear them all the time... in the meantime I'll be waiting by the mailbox for my sandals to get here!

http://www.hwilliamsdesign.com