Shoe Porn Friday: Christian Louboutin's "Bow Bow"
ChristianLouboutin.com

I have been crazy about these shoes ever since I saw them on Annabelle Dexter-Jones at the Chanel Artists Dinner. I love how girly and classic they are and how the PVC not only makes it look as if the bows were floating in the air but how it adds a contemporary note to the shoes.

The "Bow Bow" shoes are not the only pair that Christian Louboutin has created using this modern material. It looks like quite a few pieces of the line he created to commemorate his brand's 20th anniversary. We have also been seeing quite a lot of the "Un Bout 100" model, which Kim Kardashian loves. I am also a fan of the "Just Picks 100" – a more daring model.

They're all the perfect shoes to dress up a casual look for a relaxed dinner or to inject a Marie Antoinette vibe into a cocktail dress ensemble.

Do you love them?

JustJared, Style.com, Yoox.com

When I saw these pictures of Ashley Olsen leaving the Bowery Hotel in NYC yesterday I first thought Ash had rescued an old pair of Miu Miu FW10 pumps from her wardrobe. The black stilettos with the double bow and metallic square front looked, to me, like the edited version of what Miuccia put on the catwalk three seasons seasons ago.

After having a little look around the web I found out that Miu Miu is actually selling this new model –the bows are placed further back and their size has been reduced– as a classic pair from their new FW11 collection.

I like the idea of editing successful shoe designs and converting them into classics that are still on sale through the seasons. Something similar is happening to their popular platform brogues from SS11, which are being reinvented for the new season and will probably stay for a while.

Shop Miu Miu classics at Yoox.com

Burberry Prorsum fw11

It is probably fair to say that Burberry's show during each London Fashion Week is the highlight of the event. That's not to say everyone else isn't as good but no show is as big and covered as Burberry Prorsum. For fw11 Christopher Bailey chose a new venue in Kensington Gardens. If you attended or watched the show online you were probably as amazed as I was with how beautiful the park looked even on a grey rainy day. To compensate for this Burberry delivered a collection mostly based on coats. Bailey has clearly realised the power he acquired over outerwear when he became the king of shearling and he's not going to let go easily. This time he reinterpreted the trench in thick woollen fabrics and and bold shades of orange and cherry red as well as the brand's iconic checks. The collection was very much in line with the menswear shown in Milan a month ago . We also saw exquisite white jackets and coats covered in rabbit fur and tied to at the waist with leather bows. It was a softer more gentle collection than last winter's yet it retained that feeling of empowerment that wearing a Burberry coat gives.

As it could be expected, plenty of celebrities turned up to watch the show from the incredibly long front row. I was, of course, thrilled to see Rachel Bilson and Kate Bosworth arrive. I wasn't too keen on Bilson's long Burberry anorak for the event but she'll have to be excused, for she lives in ever-sunny LA. Bosworth, on the other hand, casually strolled in and posed for pictures in an unbelievable gold studded pencil skirt accompanied by that biker jacket we all want watching the colour of the skirt. She was, as I see it, the best dressed of the event. Even outdoing Lily Donaldson and Alexa Chung. The last attendee to report was, of course, Anna Wintour. Being a Brit at heart, she could hardly miss this!

I'm off.

[Pictures: Courtesy of Buberry]

Haute Couture shoe edition: what was Karl thinking?

One of the things that keeps me going back to Style.com for catwalk pictures despite their inefficiency is the fact that they do normally include a considerable amount of detail shots —aka: shoes, belts, bags, and ruffles up close. I normally tend to have a quick look and save any pictures of the stuff that has caught my attention. This process is normally really short with the Haute Couture shows because designers (in general) don't like to complicate them too much as it's all about the dresses. Well, this time I spent more time than normal, for better or worse, looking at Couture shoes and this is what I thought.

This was the first Valentino collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli that I actually liked. It seemed as if they're finally gathering all the firstly disconnected elements and turning them into cohesive ideas. The shoes followed the bow-centred theme of the collection and even though the low heels were very Oscar de la Renta for Anna Wintour, I loved them. There was a sense of Louis XVI to them that looked tremendously chic and surprisingly contemporary. I certainly hope they keep it up for the SS10 Prêt-à-Porter collection.

I am tired of Karl's inconsistency and of the world applauding his every move no matter what only because we all know he's a genius. The last Chanel collections (mid-seasons included) have been outrageously indulgent, even for them. We did see stunning dresses, I won't deny that, but Chanel should be about flawlessness and chic and instead we keep getting rococo. I wonder what Mademoiselle Chanel, who believed in simplicity and elegance, would think of Lagerfeld's Russian nightmares.

Elie Saab was apt and all but it was a particular red shoe that caught my attention. If you look closely at them it seems only obvious they should appear of Fashionista's 'The adventures of copyright' section as they're almost identical (apart from colour) to Dolce & Gabbana's FW09 black wedges.
I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, Polyvore.com]

Miuccia (hearts) bows

Is it me or is W starting to look a bit more interesting now that Stefano Tonchi is sitting on the editor's chair? For the July issue they have chosen Eva Mendes, shot by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, in FW10 Miu Miu. Eva is not, by far, one of my favourite celebrities. In fact, there is something about her that I find a little annoying, but she does look amazing in this editorial (which you can see here). I love the fact that she makes it look exotic and apt for the summer and I like the fact that the dress is actually 'filled'. It's kind of refreshing to see curvaceous women wearing this amazing dresses.

Looking at the cover, it seems unavoidable to look at the massive (don't think badly) bow at the front. Suddenly I realised Miuccia had used this very rigid bow details not only in most of the FW10 Miu Miu collection but also in some of the FW10 Prada looks and most of the shoewear of that same line. There is something cartoony about Miu Miu's bows that makes me think they'll be a hit next season. After all, everyone loved the cats and birds splashed across the brand's SS10 shoes and pronounced neck lines.

Will you be wearing bows next winter?
I'm off.

[Pictures: JustJared.buzznet.com, Style.com]

Bow alert

In the last few months Carey Mulligan has gone from being this cute blonde dating Shia LaBeouf to becoming a respected star. She has, since then, moved all the way to the top of my style radar (yes, I have a list...) and really getting good attention for her fashion choices. Her Cannes premiere moment occurred a few days ago and consisted of a costume made navy Azzaro with a beaded collar and a bow at the waist. It made me think of Carey's BAFTA's dress by Vionnet that she recently donated to Oxfam and that also had a bow at the waist. She has the kind of romantic and elegant style can makes the bows look right instead of kitsch (like Hathaway at the Oscars in 2007).

Coincidentally, Dior's Cruise 2011 collection was shown yesterday in Shanghai. Bows were everywhere, as was the 60's inspiration, which is getting old. Galliano seems to only be editing his previous Cruise collections and pretending to be inspired from different parts of the world to create the new ones. In any case, I think that Carey would look quite amazing in some of these dresses. They look dated and verging on tawdry but Mulligan's figure could do wonders with them. Tiina Laakkonen, hope you're taking notes.

I'm off.

[Pictures: JustJared.buzznet.com, Gossip-Girls.net, WWD.com]