I was reading my WWD Accessories guide this morning and was completely taken by the beautiful two-page spread on Alexander McQueen's outlandish and awe-inspiring shoe designs.  As an avowed and unabashed Shoe Whore with an almost fetishistic footwear adoration, Mr McQueen's creations have been near and dear to my heart since the first time they strutted into my comprehension.

From his whimsical, romantic flats to the iconic Armadillo shoes, every single example has been beautiful in some way, even if not exactly 'wearable.'

But, today, the world lost a genius.

The post I was going to write early this morning on his dark, kinky-lovely designs was completely overshadowed by the news that Mr McQueen has passed away at the age of 40.

Lately, it seems that the world has lost a great many artists, and all far too young.  Maybe it's because I had met one of these electrified, talented people personally, and saw the impact of his death on his friends, family, and art itself, but either way, we're all losing out as a result.  Writers, sculptors, and now one of fashion's most daring, thought-provoking designers have all left their mark on the world, and what's more, have left an even larger hole in our collective conscious, as we know there was more to come.  So much more.

So, with a mere few days left before Valentine's Day, I'll leave you with these sweet pumps.  Not his most macabre work, but the man was a master at hopping from Dominatrix to Diva seamlessly.

And that, my friends, is an art form in an of itself.

 

 

Long live the McQueen.

(RIP Alexander McQueen, 16 March 1969 - 11 February 2010)

More Christian Louboutin...

Yes, Ladies... it's all about Sole Searching in 2010. Many designers are getting to the soul of the matter and colouring up to make their mark in 2010. My silver Betsey Johnson's have her trademark bright pink, printed soles, along with a cute medallion on the rise. I love Betsey's whimsical designs, and always smile quietly when I see a fellow girl with adorable kicks and flashing a hot pink sole. My most recent acquisition is a pair of Dolce & Gabbana pumps with leopard-print soles. The red, patent leather shoes make a statement on their own, but when I pick up one leg and cross it over the other, I love that I have that zesty hint of leopard print underneath. I don't care if no one ever sees it -- I know it's there, and knowing that my soles are as fun as the shoes themselves gives me an extra boost of feistiness. So, are the Red Soles worth the price? To me, yeah. To everyone? No way. I do think that colouring the soles of shoes will catch on as a trend, but eventually the novelty will wear off, and Payless Blue-Grey will be as prevalent as Sears Greenish, or Joe Fresh Aubergine. I already found one store in Toronto's Eaton Centre that was selling zebra-print shoes with reddish/maroonish soles for $19.95. The pumps were cute enough, but when you add in the knock-off bottoms, I just couldn't do it. I mean, my wheelchair is the colour it is for a reason: the frame is Louboutin Red. And, unlike many busy career women, I won't wear the red -- or pink, or leopard -- off my delicious shoes. I love that the ones I have are awesomely fun and decorated, but I'm anticipating that it'll get harder in the near future to differentiate between D&G Leopard and JC Penney Wild Boar bottoms. Unfortunately, those ADORABLE Barbie by David Dixon shoes may have hot, HOT pink soles, but I can guarantee there will be a zillion knock-offs in Chinatown in no time. Touché. At least we'll all be cute from head to toe.