Swarovski lends Sparkle to THE WALK

Blair Disbrow

On May 3 the runway in Chicago sparkled just a little more than normal when the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) juniors, including Blair Disbrow, Jordan Kiehle and Crystale Crubaugh, presented their Swarovski embellished collections at THE WALK. 

THE WALK is the SAIC yearly fashion benefit gala, and this year featured over 250 fashions from undergraduate students, and fashions from the school's graduate students. 

Swarovski provided the jewelry and crystals for the show as part of the company's sponsorship of the event, which also included the window display at the Michigan Ave. store that I attended a few weeks prior. 

Crystale Crubaugh

“Swarovski is synonymous with fashion and our sponsorship of THE WALK allows us to work with the runways stars of tomorrow,” said Wayne Page, senior vice president of Swarovski North America. “SAIC produces some of the most talented emerging fashion designers, and it was remarkable to see how the jewelry and crystals came to life as part of the innovative window display and on the runway.”

Jordan Kiehle

Designers featured in the show will sell garments and accessories at a pop-up shop called Su_7 on Block 37 at 108 N. State in Chicago May 10-18. That means you can get your own piece of the budding designers before they become sought-after designers. 

Met Gala Goes Punk - Kinda

Last night was the annual Met Gala, and all the celebs got all dressed up and showed their best "punk." Or at least that's what they were supposed to do anyway, because that was the theme of this year's gala.

She wins in so many ways.

It wasn't expected that the stars would actually be punk (because that would be too cool), but instead some kind of costumed, couture, combining the best parts of punk with the amazingness that only money can get you. 

The fact that only rich, famous people attend the Met Gala should really help with this. 

Unfortunately, rich and famous people apparently have no sense of adventure, costuming or what's punk, and the event was overwhelmingly safe, with lots of gowns and nonsense. A sheer panel or a spiked belt does not make an outfit punk. 

The hands down winner of the evening was Sarah Jessica Parker. She

Casadei heels and perfect punk in two different ways.

wore a Giles Deacon dress, Philip Tracey mohawk headpiece, and a pair of over the knee, plaid boots from Christian Louboutin. Sure gowns aren't really punk, but when you're going punk for the Met Ball, this is how you do it. 

Christina Ricci was also a total win for the evening in a plaid Vivienne Westwood. Because if you're going to go punk couture  do it in something from the women who put punk fashion on the map. She paired this fab dress with a pair of black pumps from Casadei. 

Also in Casadei heels and embracing punk more than anyone else at the gala, was Madonna. Wearing a fishnet bodysuit, plaid, chains, studs and no pants, she was more costume than ball gown, but it worked. Even with no pants. Unfortunately, her pink Casadei heels (while fabulous) didn't really match the outfit. 

Emma Watson. Boring and not punk,
but I love her Brian Atwood heels and the cutouts.

There were other stars who got the punk memo and didn't look like total disasters, and then there were ones who were really just boring as hell.  Some of my favorites from the evening are below.

Elizabeth Banks. This is really all about the shoes.

This is not my favorite, but I wanted to post
another pic of Kim looking like a couch.
Does she not own a mirror?

Beyonce in Givenchy with matching boots.
A bit much, and not punk, but the boots are great. 

DSW Saves Prom

I don't always shop for myself. Sometimes I shop for other people, and a couple of weeks ago I placed an order with DSW for a pair of heels for prom.

Obviously not my prom.

Seychelles off-white Just Because pump, which is satin with a big white flower on the top. The perfect shoes to go with a full-length Calvin Klein dress with white/gold beaded straps. A great combination with large, rhinestone encrusted earrings and large mother of pearl cocktail ring.

The whole thing was topped off with upswept hair and a matching flower (with rhinestone center, of course).

I can accessorize the hell out of things.

The shoes that were sent to save prom. 

It took a couple of days to get the tracking information for the shoes, but I wasn't too worried. Prom was Friday, they showed they would be delivered Thursday. All was good with the world. The next day I checked the tracking information, and it was showing as Friday.

Now we're cutting it close.

The next day they showed as being delivered on Saturday. Too late to be of any use.

Being overwhelmed at work, and now faced at taking a half day to run out and try and find these shoes, I took to Twitter with a snarky comment for DSW and FedEx. Prom wasn't going to be ruined on my watch.

By the time I checked Twitter again, FedEx had contacted me to find out what they could do. I talked to Robin at FedEx, who started tracking the package for me and contacted the place that had it to see if they could move it along faster.

DSW asked me to email them with details. I did, and was expecting them to tell me that I placed the order too late, and they can't control shipping, and blah, blah, blah. But that is not what happened.

The shoes going back to DSW.

Instead DSW offered to overnight a new pair of heels so they would arrive on Friday before 3:00, giving time to make sure they were prom-ready. All at no charge.

I was floored. I was impressed with FedEx contacting me every time the package moved, but a whole new shipment?! That's stepping up.

Of course, I had to return the other pair of shoes when they finally arrived, but that's fine. What would I
do with two pair of duplicate heels not in my size anyway?

True to their word, the heels arrived before 3:00 on Friday, and were absolutely perfect. They tied the whole look together and are the perfect prom shoe.

The next day the heels from the original order showed up, and I opened them up, took the return slip out, repackaged and will be sending them back this week.

As for DSW and FedEx? They've both gained a faithful customer for life. As if DSW's membership points and prices weren't good enough, their customer service is unparalleled. And in my busy life, where everything happens on my phone or late at night when I'm done with my day job, that's worth more than you can imagine.

We Can't All Wear Heels All the Time

Some people (myself included) sit on their ass all day in an office in front of a computer. Our shoes are irrelevant with the exception of those times we're running around the office, and 90% of that is either 50 feet to the copier or an elevator is used.

Then there are those who actually stand all day and have to care about their feet. The teachers, hairdressers, chefs and servers of the world who spend their days on their feet, and have to give a crap

Clarks wedges aren't awful

about whether or not their toes are pinched and if they can stand all day in their shoes.

For these people towering heels are not an option.

I have many friends and family who fall into the category of people who can't wear heels to work because it's simply impractical. Unfortunately, there are even larger problems that can come from standing all day than just not being able to wear heels or "cute shoes."

Bunions and planter fasciitis are probably the two most common ailments. Bunions can be caused by being in heels all the time (I don't have any

Clarks flats cute and functional

yet), but the other is the collapsing of the arch, and from what I understand, it sucks.

Recently I was asked what kind of cute shoes are out there that have great arch support. Good question, and I have looked.

Searching high and low, there was very little I came up with. Clarks makes a few cute shoes, and then there's Dansko, which are supposed to be great, but they're a little orthopedic looking. So what is the solution?

There isn't one. You're all fucked and have to wear ugly shoes.

Kidding. Kind of.

The real solution is actually to visit a chiropractor or podiatrist and have them do a gait test. From there they can send the computer images to a lab and have a pair of custom-made orthotics created just for you and your arch.

In some cases insurance pays for this too.

Once you get your inserts, put them into any pair of shoes and suddenly the cutest shoes have turned into a pair of comfy shoes that don't hurt your feet.

The drawback is that in many cases you have to go up half a size in your shoe to accommodate the inserts. In the long run though that can be totally worth it. After a while all your shoes will be sized to fit the orthotics, and your feet will be saved from a literal lifetime of pain.

Plus it's an excuse to buy lots of new shoes.

Head Wounds and Heels

Strange things happen to me on a semi-regular basis, but it’s usually not bizarre enough for me to even notice until someone else points out the weirdness. This weekend was so damn strange though that even I took pause at one point. It was the point that involved my shoes.


It was Darling Husband’s birthday on Saturday, and after getting together with the family earlier in the day, we met some friends and went out for some drinks at night. We chose the bar we almost always go to (and where we met), are friends with the bartender, and can relax. It’s kind of like our punk/metal version of Cheers.

Of course the universe had other plans.
As the evening was hitting its stride, drinks were flowing, people were loosening up, dancing, talking and having a good time, I was suddenly pulled outside because one of my friend’s had fallen and hit his head, and he was bleeding.

That’s never what you want to hear while you’re half in the bag.

I joined the group of people examining the gash (which was wide, but not deep) and got a clean towel and some ice on it. My friend was a trooper, probably because he didn’t realize quite how much it hurt, or just how much blood there was all over him and his coat.



The attention getting heels



If you’ve ever heard that heads bleed a lot, it’s true. You wouldn’t believe the amount of blood there was. Normally I’m not one who can look at that, but apparently vodka can turn me into Florence Nightingale, assuming she was a drunk teetering around in heels, bedecked in sequins, and wearing a leopard faux-fur coat.

So I’m standing there in a crowd of people, holding an ice-packed towel to my friend’s gashed and bloody noggin, trying to convince him he needs to sit down (because he was sure he was fine), and stranger and his friends walk straight up to me, and say, “I love your shoes.”

Ummmm...thanks?

Never mind the fact that I’m standing in a fur coat in April that has blood all over one sleeve and am yelling at a guy who is so blood-drenched he looks like a horror movie, or that I have a bloody ice-pack in my hands, and am surrounded by people.

Obviously I’m not busy. Let’s talk fashion. It’s always the perfect time to discuss the merits of the metallic shoe and why I prefer shiny metallic to dull.

Or I’m yelling at a bloody guy and maybe, just maybe I’m a little busy.

Too bad I didn’t have my business cards with me, I could have tossed one to him and we could have discussed my heels at a more opportune time. Like one that doesn’t involve bloody head wounds.

Finding the Shoe that Pops

Sometimes I get requests to find the perfect shoe, and I love searching until the ultimate heel is found.

After posting my chartreuse peep toe heels today I got a question on where to find some good yellow heels. Shades and styles were discussed and it was eventually narrowed down to "neon."

Truth or Dare

Not exactly the most difficult challenge, but wow can this be fun. So here's some options in a variety of price ranges, and if you have additional suggestions, feel free to post them. You can also post photos of your own favorite shoe finds, because we all love shoes here.

Nasty Gal

Madonna offers up a great pair of neon yellow peep toes in her Truth or Dare line. Unembellished and classic these can add a pop of color to any outfit.

If you're looking for something totally different in your neon, a pair of Nasty Gal heel-less wedges with matching neon spikes can fill that void.

Tying multiple trends into one shoe is also possible with the Qupid Potion 44 transparent pointy cap toe heels. With clear sides and a neon cap toe, these heels definitely tie all the top trends of the season together. They even have an ankle strap for maximum trendiness.

If you're not ready to commit to full-on neon yellow, you can get heels that include just a spot of neon. I like the black peep toes with the yellow neon platform and heel. The color blocking is fun and keeps the neon muted.

These will not actually transform

There's also this amazing pair of snakeskin heels with the neon yellow heel. Just the heel.

Talk about a pop of color.

Finally, there's the black and yellow heels that remind me of Bumblebee - The Transformer, not the insect. Don't ask. It's just how my head works. I don't think they transform into anything, but they're pretty awesome and can totally make that boring outfit not suck.

Really, you just need to find the one heel (or multiple heels) that work for you. And with this many options, you can get a traditional heel and one that's a little more out there, because when it comes to shoes there is always room for one more pair.

Click here to see a collection of neon shoes you can shop that I put together just for you, dear readers.

Sparkles, Dinner and Fashion

There’s very little in this world more fabulous than things that sparkle. Such a simple little thing, but it can bring a smile in a second just with a little twinkle.

That being said, you can imagine my excitement at being invited to an in-store event at Swarovski to unveil their new window, designed by the graduate students of the School of

Just a piece of the window

the Art Institute Chicago (SAIC) in celebration of Fashion 2013 and THE WALK 2013, the SAIC’s annual runway show and benefit gala to support the Fashion Design students. 

For the third year in a row Swarovski is a sponsor of the event, and they donate jewelry and crystals for students to include in their designs for the runway.

The window is the collaborative work of 13 students, including Yufan Gao, Xue Jiang, Youngeun Kwun, Joseph Leamanczyk, Jieru Li, Hao Liu, Sisi Liu, Melvin Marckwardt, Fei Nie, Carmine Ro, Fu Hsueh Tsao, Lindsey Whittle and Man Yuan, from the Master of Design: Fashion, Body and Garment program within the Department of Fashion Design at SAIC. The window honors Swarovski’s year-long “Passport to Sparkle” campaign, and the window is a series of colorful and intricate windmills adorned with jewelry pieces from Swarovski’s Spring/Summer 2013 “Tropical Paradise” collection, as well as complimenting crystals, to signify traveling and personal journeys.

During the event I had the chance to walk around and see the pieces in the Passport to Sparkle campaign, as well as other collections, including classic Swarovski pieces such as pendants and rings, their Atelier collection, featuring designers such as Nicholas Kirkwood and Vanessa Seward, sunglasses (I need a pair) and non-wearable pieces such as martini glasses (obsessed) and picture frames.

Everything was as fabulous as you would expect from Swarovski.

Love this simple but
giant pendant.

After the in-store event I got the opportunity to attend dinner at RM Champagne Salon, an intimate little restaurant with a fireplace, décor that made me feel as if I was in an old French restaurant, and food that I will dream about for months to come.

If you are in Chicago you should check out the amazing window on Michigan Avenue, and of course look at the Passport to Sparkle Campaign, which goes a different place every month. You can also purchase tickets to attend the upcoming Fashion 2013 runway show on May 3. There are shows at 9:00 am, noon and 3:00 pm and tickets are available now online via saicfashion.org and available at the door on Friday, May 3.

If you're not in Chicago then just shop online. You can also view a full album of the event on Facebook.