The Shoe Expert&#039;s Blog

Bella Swan’s Bridal Shoes: What Do You Think? (news.instyle.com)

Spring/Summer 2012 Shoes: Trends Show at GDS

29 Oct 2011 2 Comments

by The Shoe Expert in Fashion, Shoes Tags: designer shoes, flats, Footwear, high heels, Shoe, shoe expert, shoe lover, shoe trends, shoes, wedges

Upcoming Shoe Trends for Spring/Summer 2012

Spring/Summer Shoes 2012: Clarks Show at GDS (theshoeexpert.wordpress.com)
Spring 2012 Shoe Trends: Buckles and Gold (shoeblog.com)
Spring 2012 Shoe Trend: White on White (shoeblog.com)
Trend Alert: Nude Shoes (fabsugar.com)
Spring 2012 Fashion Week: Trendspotting (fabsugar.com)

Spring/Summer 2012 Shoes: Upper Style Show at GDS

30 Sep 2011 1 Comment

by The Shoe Expert in Fashion, Shoes Tags: designer shoes, fashion show, Footwear, GDS, heels, high heels, hot shoes, Platform shoe, pumps, runway shoes, Shoe, shoe expert, shoe lover, shoe trends, shoes, stilettos

Upper Style Shoe Show, featuring Elite Model winner 2002 Ana Mihajlovic at GDS in Dusseldorf, Germany in Sept. 2011

: Upcoming Trends 2012 Fashion Show at GDS

…

Ana Mihajlovic

More fahion show coverage from GDS coming soon and more upcoming trends for Spring/Summer 2012!

Spring 2012 Shoe Trend: White on White (shoeblog.com)
Spring 2012 Trend Alert: Floral Prints, Extreme Edition (marieclaire.com)
Big Four Fashion Weeks (poisedconcierge.wordpress.com)
56 New York Fashion Week Spring 2012 Collections – From Leather and Lace to Over-the-Top Tulle (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)
The Daily Shoe | Gucci (tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com)
The Daily Shoe | Prada (tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com)

Spring/Summer Shoes 2012: Clarks Show at GDS

23 Sep 2011 3 Comments

by The Shoe Expert in Fashion, Shoes Tags: ankle booties, comfortable shoes, designer shoes, Dr. Michele Colon, flats, Footwear, heels, hot shoes, sandals, Shoe, shoe expert, shoe lover, shoe trends, wedges

Clarks is launching their Spring Summer 2012 shoes campaign with “British by Design” and some awesome Beatles music blaring in the background at the fashion show.

What do you think of her low purple suede pumps?

Flat ankle booties with a little bling bling to add some sparkle

I like the look of this one!

Color blocking in sandals is still hot for next year!

Wedges, wedges, wedges…they’re not going away anytime soon!

More fahion show coverage from GDS by yours truly coming soon and more upcoming trends for Spring/Summer 2012!

Christian Louboutin Back in Court Today!

19 Aug 2011 1 Comment

by The Shoe Expert in Fashion, Shoes Tags: Christian Louboutin, designer shoes, expensive shoes, Footwear, high heels, hot shoes, red soled shoes, red soles, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City, shoe trends, women's shoes, Yves Saint Laurent

Christian Louboutin Very Prive: oxblood glitte...

Image via Wikipedia

The case is not over yet!

Christian Louboutin’s lawyers urged U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York not to convert his earlier refusal to bar Yves Saint Laurent from selling its own red-soled shoes into an outright cancellation of the U.S. trademark. The judge said today he will delay a ruling while Louboutin appeals his decision.

“The better course is to simply allow the appeal to proceed and halt any further proceedings till we get guidance” from the New York-based federal circuit court, Marrero said.

The judge on Aug. 10 rejected Christian Louboutin’s request for a preliminary injunction to protect the trademark while the case proceeds, saying it’s not likely to win its fight for a trademark for a color.

“Color serves ornamental and aesthetic functions vital to robust competition,” Judge Marrero said, and “Louboutin is unlikely to be able to prove that its red outsole brand is entitled to trademark protection.”

Louboutin, a Paris-based fashion company, said in the lawsuit, filed in April, that Yves Saint Laurent’s red-soled shoes “threaten to mislead the public.”

Lee C. Bromberg, a lawyer for Louboutin, argued today that the company needed more time to show why the trademark shouldn’t be canceled. “We need an additional opportunity to marshal evidence,” Bromberg told the judge. He said he seeks evidence on how the fashion industry operates, how designers select colors and whether Louboutin’s trademark would be a “hindrance to competition,” as the judge indicated in his ruling.

Jyotin Hamid, a lawyer for Yves Saint Laurent, argued that a search for evidence would be time-consuming and costly.

Yves Saint Laurent began selling shoes with red outsoles “long before Mr. Louboutin began using them,” David Bernstein, a lawyer for the company, said at a hearing last month.

Christian Louboutin, the designer for whom the company is named, got the idea for the red soles when he painted red nail polish on the black soles of a pair of women’s shoes. All of Louboutin’s luxury shoes have had red soles since their introduction in 1992, according to court papers. “Louboutin is only in the shoe business,” Bromberg said.

Louboutin’s high-heeled shoes are priced from $535 to $4,645 a pair on the website of department store Barneys. They have been popularized by actresses such as Sarah Jessica Parker in the television show “Sex and the City.”

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded Louboutin a trademark for the red sole in 2008, according to the company’s complaint.

YSL “Winning” vs. Christian Louboutin in the Case of the Red Soled Shoes! (theshoeexpert.wordpress.com)
YSL Wins The ‘Red Sole’ Case… For Now! (rubysview.com)
Louboutin Court Postpones Hearing Until Friday (sartoriallaw.wordpress.com)
Judge Doubts Christian Louboutin’s ‘Red Sole’ Claims (businesslawdaily.net)
Christian Louboutin Can’t Stop the Inevitable Flood of Red-Soled Shoes [Fashion] (gawker.com)
Louboutin Loses Bid to Bar Saint Laurent Red-Sole Shoe Sales (businessweek.com)
Court: Christian Louboutin Can’t Stop Others from Designing Red-Soled Shoes (newsfeed.time.com)
YSL versus Louboutin (chikkapedia.com)
Louboutin fights to keep red sole trademark (cbsnews.com)
Christian Louboutin Loses to Ysl in “Battle of the Red Soles” (femmesdallure.com)
Louboutin could lose red-sole monopoly (cbc.ca)

YSL “Winning” vs. Christian Louboutin in the Case of the Red Soled Shoes!

11 Aug 2011 7 Comments

by The Shoe Expert in Fashion, Shoes Tags: Christian Louboutin, designer shoes, expensive shoes, heels, high heels, hot shoes, Red Carpet shoes, Shoe, shoe lover, shoe trends, Yves Saint Laurent

christian louboutin black patent clichy photo

Image via Wikipedia

This just in: Christian Louboutin‘s request for an injunction to stop sales of red-soled shoes made by Yves Saint Laurent has been denied by U.S. Federal judge, Judge Victor Marrero, who said that Louboutin wasn’t able to prove that its red soles deserve trademark protection.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the judge stated “Because in the fashion industry colour serves ornamental and aesthetic functions vital to robust competition, the court finds that Louboutin is unlikely to be able to prove that its red outsole brand is entitled to trademark protection.”

With the injunction denied, it looks unlikely that Louboutin will win its case against YSL, since it too relies on the association of the red sole only with Louboutin.

Note: YSL claims that the YSL red- soled shoes in question have been selling since 2004.

So what do you think? Do you think you can trademark a color and prevent other designers from using it? Do you think Christian Louboutin should win? Or do you agree with the judge??? Inquiring minds want to know…

Judge Doubts Christian Louboutin’s ‘Red Sole’ Claims (businesslawdaily.net)
Louboutin Vs YSL… (januarysublime.com)
U.S. Federal Judge Denies Christian Louboutin Red Sole Injunction (foxnews.com)
Christian Louboutin Can’t Stop the Inevitable Flood of Red-Soled Shoes [Fashion] (gawker.com)
Art Law Meets Trademark Law in Christian Louboutin v Yves Saint Laurent (copyrightlitigation.blogspot.com)
Louboutin Loses Bid to Bar Saint Laurent Red-Sole Shoe Sales (businessweek.com)
YSL VS Christian Louboutin: The Saga Continues As One Luxury Label Tries To Sue Another (thegloss.com)
FASHION NEWS: Louboutin vs YSL Court Case (rubysview.com)
Louboutin could lose red-sole monopoly (cbc.ca)
Luxury Makers Battle Over Red-Soled Shoe (online.wsj.com)

Red Carpet Shoe Dilemma…

07 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment

by The Shoe Expert in Fashion, Shoes Tags: boots, comfortable shoes, designer shoes, Dr. Michele Colon, foot doctor, foot expert, heels, high heels, hot shoes, podiatrist, Red Carpet shoes, shoe expert

I’m writing this 20 minutes before leaving to go to a Red Carpet event in Hollywood. I just wanted to share some thoughts before they leave me… As I was picking out my dress and getting all glammed up for this party, I realized that in order for me to stand comfortably in long lines, walk the Red Carpet, and then stand for possibly hours more at the party, I was going to have to rethink my entire outfit.

My comfy 4″ heels that I designed are at the shoemaker’s shop for a slight adjustment and also for the shoemaker to use as a template for the next pair that will be ready soon…so, which shoes am I going to wear now?

Well, that last question doesn’t really matter to YOU. (I found some sexy black boots that will look great!) What matters to YOU is when this happens to YOU! So tell me, how many times has this happened to you? How many times have you had to do one of these things:

(1) Change your outfit to match your comfy shoes so that you are not in pain all night from the shoes that you really wanted to wear but you came to your senses in time,

(2) Wear the ‘painful’ shoes anyway because you are NOT changing your outfit for comfier shoes. Period. And then you suffer all night in pain, practically limping by the time you get home and possibly even getting blisters,

(3) Wear the ‘painful’ shoes anyway because, like in #2, you are NOT changing your outfit for shoes that are comfy…but then you end up taking the shoes off at the party or at least by the time you are heading home, doing the dreaded barefoot walk on your way back home

???

Almost all of us women have done all of some of these due to the comfort vs. fashion dilemma.

So which side do you fall on? Sacrifice your fashion or sacrifice your comfort? Wondering minds want to know! OK, I want to know!

Tonight I tried to compromise with the black boots, but I’m not thrilled about it! I really wanted to wear the heels that are at the shoe shop!

But back to the debate: What I would love to do as a shoe expert and a foot expert is to mix the fashion and comfort into one and give you a shoe that doesn’t hurt your feet! So stay tuned…I’m working on it, ladies!

Oscar Awards Red Carpet, Fashion, Beauty, and Press Room Roundup! (casasugar.com)
Inspired: Oscar Red-Carpet Looks (casasugar.com)
Oscar Awards Red Carpet, Fashion, Beauty, and Press Room Roundup! (fitsugar.com)
People’s Choice Awards Red Carpet Beauty and Fashion Roundup! (fitsugar.com)

Royal Wedding Shoes

10 May 2011 4 Comments

by The Shoe Expert in Fashion, Shoes Tags: Alexander McQueen, designer shoes, Dr. Michele Colon, expensive shoes, high heels, InStyle, Kate Middleton, Pippa Middleton, Prince William of Wales, pumps, Royal Wedding, Shoe, shoe lover, Victoria Beckham

Well, it’s been over a week since the Royal Wedding, and people are still talking about what the royal family was wearing on Kate Middleton’s & Prince William’s wedding day! And as you know, we are only talking shoes on this blog…so here they are: The Royal Wedding Shoes!

For her wedding day, Kate Middleton wore custom-made shoes by Alexander McQueen‘s Sarah Burton and her design team, which were made to match the lace wedding dress (also by the British designer Sarah Burton). These shoes were made with “ivory duchesse satin with lace hand-embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework,” according to the Royal Web site.

And although it’s only a little over a week since the wedding, you can already purchase shoes similar to her pair at the online designer shopping site Net-a-porter, which is offering exclusive lace-covered nude rounded toe satin pumps by Alexander McQueen. The heels are 4 ½-inches high and retail for $995. For more fashion-forward footwear, the site also offers an exclusive pair of 6-inch white silk-satin heels with a bold white and gold resin leaf heel by Alexander McQueen that cost $1,675.

And what about Pippa Middleton’s shoes? InStyle.com has the scoop that Pippa wore the “Lynn” silver leather sandal with diamante detailing by London footwear designer Aruna Seth. “We were truly honored to see Pippa wearing our gorgeous Lynn silver sandals on the Royal Wedding day, a great choice to match her beautiful Temperley dress,” Seth told InStyle exclusively. “Pippa looked truly stunning and was the most perfect bridesmaid for Kate. We hope she chooses more shoes from Aruna Seth as she becomes even more of a global style icon.” InStyle also reports that the designer sent ten pairs of shoes to Pippa before the wedding. The shoes Pippa chose, shown, are available online at ArunaSeth.com for approximately $810.

Another pair of royal wedding shoes that deserves mentioning is the sky high pair of custom-made Christian Louboutins that Victoria Beckham wore…while almost seven months pregnant! (Not a good idea for expectant mothers…in fact, it is quite dangerous!)

Another bit of shoes-worthy talk is the pair of shoes that Kate wore as she departed for her honeymoon with Prince William. These patent leather wedges by London chain LK Bennett are called the “Greta wedge,” but they were recently discontinued…until now! According to sources in the industry, ”The Kate” will return to the LK Bennett lineup in June.

Well, as we can see, both the royal family and their guests were wearing the finest designer shoes (and dresses) to this royal affair…and we just can’t get enough of it, can we? (OK, maybe some of us can!!!) And I’m sure that Kate’s shoes will get more and more attention as she shows off more of her styles.

Dedicated to your foot health and your shoes,