BEYONCE GIVES 25 SHOES FOR 25 YEARS

It's no secret that R&B singing sensation Beyonce Knowles loves her shoes but how many of us would love a sister that procured us our age in shoes for our birthday?

According to the New York Post that's exactly what Beyonce did, splashing out on 25 pairs of designer shoes for her sister's 25th birthday.

The 'Run The World (Girls)' songstress arranged for the huge haul of luxury shoes to be collected from department stores Saks and Bergdorf in New York and delivered to her younger sibling Solange on her special day last Friday (24th June 2011).

Knowles, 29, is known for her generosity towards her loved ones, last year she treated her rap star husband Jay-Z to a $2 million Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport car - the world's fastest road vehicle - for his 41st birthday on December 4.

Adoption anyone?

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BURBERRY CRUISE 2012

Burberry Cruise Collection 2012.

Young and fresh. Love!

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DID SOMEBODY SAY SHOE SALE?

If you've spent the weekend visiting pop-up sales you may think Monday is your day of rest. Not so, online designer forum Net-A-Porter is on sale.

I'm loving these Valentino studded leather and rope wedge sandals. With a heel that measures approximately 140mm and 1 inch platform, these studded forest-green leather and rope wedges are an edgy take on the classic summer sandal. Let them take center stage by teaming them with a barely-there palette.

Love! Were £370.21 / Now £259.15

Go to Net-A-Porter.

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ICE LOVES COCO - COCO LOVES SHOES

I am the first to admit that I am an E! reality show tragic and cannot wait for their latest offering 'Ice Loves Coco.'

How does one even begin to explain Coco? She’s married to rapper and Law & Order: SVU star Ice-T and she has one seriously out there backside. Her Twitter account is not for the faint hearted but is one of the most hilarious and fascinating accounts I follow.

Coco is also a self-professed shoe addict who only wears heels. Even to the gym. Having posted pictures of herself lifting weights in lucite platforms (bless her little cotton socks). There is no questioning her commitment to shoes given the evidence above (posted on her Twitter account). The best part? Coco says that’s only one wall of her collection.

In the debut season of Ice Loves Coco, the over-the-top platinum blond is seen recording a dance number called Shoe Freak.

In the preview, Coco lists off the names of shoe designers like Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin and Alexander McQueen before repeating the chorus, "I'm a shoe freak."

Can hardly wait. For more, visit Coco's World.

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ARE YOU 'IN' FOR ZEGNA?

I grow more in love with this stunning Men's design house every day.

This week in Milan Ermenegildo Zegna launched the digital experience, “Zegna in_STORE”, an immersive 3D digital portal where visitors can enjoy a real life spatial and visual shopping experience.

For the first time fashion connects with Hollywood visual effects, revolutionary website design and video games: it is a cooperation of 4 industries working together to create a revolutionary concept of online shopping, an innovative shopping environment where technological invention is the support structure to storytelling.



Designed by James Lima, (of Avatar fame) who also directed the Ermenegildo Zegna “LIVE-D” Fall/Winter 2011 fashion show, “Zegna in_STORE” offers a completely new way to shop online.

Upon entering the store, customers are greeted by model and actress Milla Jovovich, who explains the easy functionality of the site. A launch film shows the architectural context of the floating building which offers several floors for customers to navigate. Directional control arrows allow shoppers to travel throughout the store as though they are walking. Like a real store, everything is for sale.

Like all good, socially responsible corporate giants, “Zegna in_STORE” will also support the charity Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ), an organization where Milla Jovovich sits on the Advisory Board.

“Our passion for technology and innovation,” comments Ermenegildo Zegna, CEO of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, “has always been the signature of our brand. In the first 100 years of our history we established the industrial platform and built our global retail network. Now we are in a new century and it is all about brand building and the digital frontier: thanks to the new technologies it is now possible to offer a unique online experience that matches the one we strive to ensure to our customers entering all our stores. With “Zegna in_STORE” we are at the forefront as an immersive and interactive brand and with this launch we are proud to celebrate our leading position in the digital world”.

Love! For more info go to Zegna.

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A NEW RESPECT FOR ARETHA

I have a whole new respect for singing legend Aretha Franklin.

The Queen of soul is recovery after falling over a Jimmy Choo spiked heel in a hotel room and breaking her toe.

Apparently 69-year-old Franklin did not obtain medical treatment initially, but after the pain persisted she made the dash to Community North Hospital in Indianapolis a few days later, where she learned from an X-ray that she had a fracture.

"It hurt like heck for a minute, but seemed to subside,” Franklin said in a statement. I'm so grateful it wasn't my right piano peddle foot, I have a gig on July 27 at the Jones Beach Theatre in New York!"

Now the woman who gave us all a lot more R.E.S.P.E.C.T. is heavily strapped up but finding humour in her injury.

She joked: "How am I supposed to match my new Marc Jacobs gown with this wooden blue hospital shoe?"

The dangers of a killer heel.


(Image Credit: Splash / Daily Mail)

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CHANGE YOUR LOOK, NOT YOUR SOLE

I love a good, strong girl-power story, especially when it involves shoes.

Meet 26 year old Lindsay Phillips. This energetic and inspiration entrepreneur came up with a simple (yet brilliant) shoe innovation that is now a 30 million dollar a year concern.

The founding force behind Lindsay Phillips Ballet Flats and SwitchFlops used her high school art project - ceramic thongs - as her muse. Delighted in the market’s response, Lindsay began designing functional thongs with colourful straps, each adorned by a unique button. The concept evolved when she realized that by using hook-and-loop fasteners she could create one shoe with many straps. This simple innovation was the birth of SwitchFlops and she applied for a patent on her idea before she graduated high school.

Her new range of Lindsay Phillips Ballet Flats are now available right here in Australia in 100 stores across the country - with a vast array of interchangeable snap designs including; flowers, buttons and sparkly snaps for a touch of bling, there's something for everyone. The super cute ballet flats are designed to save you money without compromising style.

I asked Lindsay the questions I like to ask all shoe addicts:


WHAT MAKES YOU A SHOE ADDICT?

In my mind shoes are an accessory and one can never have too many accessories. It's nice having a lot of options when it comes to shoes. They can really make or break an outfit.

YOUR FAVOURITE PAIR AND WHY?

My Tan Jordi's with the Sandra snap (see thong & starfish snap above). I love them because they go with everything!

YOUR SHOE PHILISOPHY?

"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world."


Now for the exciting news. We have a pair of new Lindsay Phillips Ballet Flats to GIVE AWAY! To enter go to the Shoe Addict Facebook Page and ‘Suggest’ it to as many friends as you can. The competition closes at midnight next Tuesday 21st June (Australian Time). To verify your suggestions simply reply to the Competition Announcement Message and let me know how many ‘likes’ you achieved and their names. We’ll verify the winner @ Shoe Addict HQ and announce the lucky recipient next Wednesday 22nd June 2011.

Go forth and ‘Suggest’ people and you could be, as Lindsay likes to say, "Changing your look, not your sole."

Lindsay Phillips Ballet Flats will be available exclusively @ Terry White Chemists. Click here for more info.

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WALK-IN ENVY - KIM CATTRALL

A six square metre "sanctuary with sunlight," concealed with White Lucite, silver-framed doors is how the Sex & the City actress houses her shoe collection.

The walk-in has double-hung racks and endless shelves of shoes and purses. She says the purpose built wardrobe she's created a sort of isthmus between bedroom and bath. "I never had a space like this," she tells InStyle, of the shoe shelves loosely arranged by heel (high or low) or toe (open or closed). "I used to have one tiny rack I shared with my ex, so I used to put my shoes all over the house. They were displayed like art."

(Image Credit: InStyle)

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WALK-IN ENVY - MARIAH CAREY

While I'm not the biggest fan of Mariah Carey's music I am damn sure the biggest fan of her walk-in. Major walk-in envy people.

"I have about 1,000 pairs of shoes. But lots are in storage," says the Grammy award winning singer.

Carey keeps her OTT menagerie of stilettos, wedges and boots uncluttered and artfully on display in her massive Manhattan apartment. With the help of renowned N.Y.C. decorator Mario Buatta, she designed the gold-leaf and bleached-wood floor in the purpose-built shoe closet.

"Like Louis Vuitton luggage," she says, "it will only look better over time."

I now have something to admire her for. Sigh.


(Image Credit: InStyle)

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WEARABLE STILT SCULPTURES

Freelance shoe designer Kobi Levi's creations truly are a work of art.

Collaborating with both Israeli and International companies, he is currently working on his women's shoe line in Tel-Aviv, Israel and has designed commercial footwear in Italy, China and Brazil.

To see Levi's creations makes you wonder how it's possible to teeter on heels inspired by chopsticks, toucans or cartoon characters but the Israeli designer says they're intended to be worn and have been by no other than Lady Gaga, who wore a pair of his shoes in the music video for 'Born this Way.'

Levi says, "In my artistic footwear design the shoe is my canvas. The trigger to create a new piece comes when an idea, a concept and/or an image comes to mind. The combination of the image and footwear creates a new hybrid and the design/concept comes to life. The piece is a wearable sculpture. It is "alive" with/out the foot/body. Most of the inspirations are out of the "shoe-world", and give the footwear an extreme transformation. The result is usually humoristic with a unique point of view about footwear. Another aspect of the creation is the realization. All the pieces are hand-made in my studio. The challenging technical development is the key to bring the design to life in the best way."

Love! To learn more about Kobi Levi visit his blog.

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GIRLY GAP LOVE

Had to share these little girly Gap treats I procured for little Miss 7.

The middle shoes are raffia wedges people. For girls. Only $14.99. The cute little Jelly sandals on either side one in orange and one in navy, were only $11 each.

Love! I heart Gap @ Ala Moana. If you're heading over to Hawaii soon jump onto their Facebook page and 'like' them, they have 4th July sales starting anytime from now through to Independence Day Weekend.

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MIU MIU SHOCKER

Well... If you ever wanted to play out any kind of childhood fairytale in true life Miu Miu has you covered.

I can live with the sequinned, glitter gold peep platforms (despite the fact they are a little Christian Louboutin 3 seasons ago) but oh dear Lord what the heck is with these numbers? The heel of the shoe even looks like something you'd find on a tap dancing shoe.

There are so few words. Epic fail!

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