Meet Your Personal Sho(e)pper sau hai să ne cunoaştem mai bine

V-am povestit vineri despre Pepper, brandul românesc de marochinărie care mi-a dat încredere în afacerile româneşti cu bun simţ. Episodul al doilea al acestei întâlniri, de care vă ziceam zilele trecute, e pe vine şi vă implică şi pe voi.

Vă invit, deci, joi, 1 noiembrie la ora 18:30 în magazinul Pepper din Băneasa Shopping City (la etaj, aproape de food court) să cunoaşteţi brandul şi colecţiile lor de încălţăminte (pentru ea şi pentru el) şi genţi. O să vorbim despre pantofi cât vreţi voi, cum să îi purtăm şi la ce. Povestim, râdem, glumim, la un pahar de ceva, relaxat şi fără pretenţii, cum îmi place mie. ^.^

Vă aştept alături de Andreea de la Thrill of the Heel şi băieţii simpatici de la Dapper Gents O să aveţi, deci, propria echipă de personal shopper-i, aşa că aveţi numai de câştigat dacă apăreţi. Plus că ne împrietenim şi în offline.

Cum sună? ^.^ Ne vedem joi (vorba cântecului)!

A New Episode: TouchedBy Lucian Broscatean

Romanian shoe designer Mihaela Glavan and her amazing work needs no introduction. At least not here, where you've read several times about her projects and collections. This time, Mihaela has just made my day brigther with a great piece of news. TouchedBy, her project that she started back in 2009, has reached a new episode and this time it involves Lucian Broscatean, one of my favourite Romanian designers.

Lucian's take on shoes is called Sliced Patterns and shares pieces of fashion DNA from the designer's own ready-to-wear collections.

"For TouchedBy I imagined a different kind of morphological experiment. Dislocated details, hybrid pieces, insertions and incisions, not-so-usual assymetries and mixes of different textures are elements that I've used while creating these shoes, made entirely of eco leather" says Mr. Broscatean.

The collection features three different variations on black patent leather boots and a bag. Though I love the play on laces, my fav pair is the most minimalist, ofc, with clean cuts, enough to expose some skin.

TouchedBy Lucian Broscatean can be seen and ordered until the end of November in Sepala store on 9 Benjamin Franklin street in Bucharest.

Pepper, un brand românesc care tace şi face

*** Dear foreign friends, pardon my Romanian, but this is a post about a new Romanian shoe brand and is meant for my local friends. Feel free to use the translate option, if you're curious. The translation is crappy, though. ***


De Pepper, brand românesc de marochinărie (pantofi, genţi şi accesorii), m-am „lovit” de câteva ori în turele nenumărate pe care le-am dat prin mall-uri în cursa după haine frumoase pentru articole şi editoriale şi mai frumoase. Mi se părea o afacere modestă, care nu mi-a atras atenţia cumva. Parcă tot aşteptam să mă tragă de mânecă. La începutul lunii octombrie curiozitatea mi-a fost gâdilată: un nou magazin Pepper în Băneasa Shopping City. Am intrat, am studiat şi am rămas cu impresia că e genul ăla de magazin discret care tace şi face. Face, adică vinde pantofi şi accesorii de calitate, cu design impecabil. Mi-am promis imediat să renunţ la ideile preconcepute şi să mă împrietenesc cumva cu ei. Aşa că atunci când echipa Pepper m-a invitat să-i cunosc mai bine, pe ei şi pantofii lor frumoşi, mi-am zis că e mâna Universului undeva la mijloc. Întâlnirea asta nu mai putea fi amânată.

Brandul 100% românesc a fost lansat undeva în 2004, cu un prim magazin în Plaza România, şi de atunci a crescut cu paşi mici, dar constant. A urmat un nou magazin în Afi Palace Cotroceni, iar în 2010, magazinul Fiorangelo din Bucureşti Mall (adică Vitan) a fost preluat şi transformat conform conceptului, într-un nou magazin Pepper. În momentul ăsta există trei magazine în oraş, plus un magazin online, pentru cei comozi sau pentru restul ţării.

Şi acum partea mea preferată: pantofii, căci despre ei e vorba, până la urmă. Magazinul românesc merge pe un mix de branduri internaţionale, cum ar fi Alesandro Dell'Acqua, Donna Piu, Marco Tozzi, Byblos, Cesare P. (exclusiv în România), Adidas Y3 by Yohji Yamamoto (doar în magazine, nu şi în online), Armani Jeans, dar şi locale, prin Guban. Mai mult, din primăvara asta, Pepper a lansat şi propria linie de pantofi pentru damă, urmată de o linie pentru bărbaţi, în colecţia de toamnă-iarnă.

Mi-a fost greu să-mi aleg pantofii preferaţi din oferta lor atât de variată ca stil, design sau culori. Mi-au plăcut la fel de mult şi creepers-şii (despre care tot spun că-mi iau, dar încă nu mi-am făcut curaj), dar şi pump-şii nude, clasici, din linia proprie. Mi-am pierdut minţile lângă pantofii de inspiraţie masculină de la Donna Piu, în faţa ghetelor roşii din piele întoarsă de la Marco Tozzi, dar şi la vederea minunaţilor pantofi nude (am o obsesie, da) cu platformă şi toc uşor curbat, din linia Pepper. Acum, dacă mă gândesc mai bine, mi-a rămas gândul şi la botinele din piele întoarsă de la Donna Piu, cu talpă din crep şi fermoare laterale. Sunt genurile de tocuri pe care le-aş purta toată ziua, şi la fustă/rochie, şi la jeans, fără să mă doară picioarele. Aşa că m-am decis că am mai mulţi preferaţi din oferta lor, să-mi fie cu iertare, dar n-am un top. ^.^

Creepers, Donna Piu

Pumps nude, Pepper

Pantofi cu cataramă, Donna Piu

Ghete, Marco Tozzi

Pantofi cu platformă şi toc curbat, Pepper

Botine din piele întoarsă, Donna Piu

Preţurile, pentru că ştiu că şi asta vă interesează,  că doar sunteţi oameni normali, cu picioarele pe pământ (pun intended), sunt decente, nimic de speriat. Fiind vorba doar de pantofi de piele, rezistenţi, preţurile cuprinse între 350 şi 650, în funcţie de model, sunt mai mult decât ok.

Una peste alta, m-am bucurat să-i cunosc pe Pepper şi abia aştept următorul episod.

P.S. Episodul doi vă va implica şi pe voi, aşa că fiţi pe fază. ^.^

Ecco puts confort in a high heel shoe

You would say that nothing much can change in a shoe. Designers are always coming up with something new, but most of the times it's all about reimagining it, using in a new way old designs and/or fabrics. Mostly, it's all about bringing back elements from the past and updating them to present day. 

However, from time to time, there are those brands who come up with revolutionary ideas, which change the way a shoes is made. Take Puma, for example, and their InCycle biodegradable sneakers.

Danish brand Ecco has joined the innovative corner of shoe brands. They have just launched a patented invention that should ease up women's hard working days. Sculptured 65 is a line of shoes with a 65 mm heel, built in such a way it stays confortable all day long, when at the office, and after-hours, too, when out and about or dancing.

The team behind this pattented invention had as a starting point a research conducted on 2500 women, which showed that 63% of them would wear heels more often if they're weren't so damn painful. Therefore, Ecco has come up with these shoes that are both elegant and fashionable, but confortable too.

The sole is the key-point of Sculptured 65 (and their patented invention). It's made using DIP technology (direct-injected polyurethane), which makes the shoe durable, flexible and confortable. Then there's the 65 mm heel, which is not too high, but enough to give you that feeling of empowerment you have when wearing high heels.

What I like best about them is their somehow aerodynamic, smooth look. And their simplicity, too, which translates into elegance and a cool look. Also, you won't have problems styling them in all kinds of outfits, from those you wear at the office or in a "serious" environment, to those more fun you slip into when partying.

If interested, check them out in Ecco stores from all over the country or online. Prices range from 450 to 650 lei.

Swarovski Elements iPad Magazine and a contest

Diamonds are a girls’s best friend, said Marilyn Monroe in 1953’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. That line might still be true to some ladies, but I’d say nowadays crystals are a gal’s best friend. That’s because they’re adaptable, they come in various forms and colours and they can adorn just about anything, from jewellery to shoes. Also, crystals are a tad more accessible so you can own more than one crystallized item, to go with your every mood. And when it comes to crystals, there’s just one brand that comes to mind: Swarovski. The Austrian brand has been in this business for more than a century so you can trust them to deliver those perfect sparkling items.

What I appreciate most about Swarovski is that, despite their huge tradition and reputation which might make a good excuse for a passive approach to their product, they’re still connected to what’s happening now. The brand is continuously launching new items, collaborating with various designers, always finding an unexpected use for their flawless crystals so that the modern gal can stay up-to-date wearing her bling-blings.

One of the most recent moves to come from the Austrian brand is a cool editorial project: the Swarovski Elements iPad Magazine. First great news: it’s free! Second best news: each issue is dedicated to a subject or a hot topic, so that at the end of your read you’ll know everything there is to know about it.

The virtual magazine features inspiring articles about trends, designers, parties and whatever’s big and happening all over the world. Of course, you’ll also get the latest news about Swarovski Elements, including their newest collections and collaborations with shoe or fashion designers. When you’re done reading, you can also browse through photos, watch videos, get previews before anyone else or go behind the scenes as projects develop. All in all, the magazine is fun, but also useful and informative.

The magazine's latest issue, already at number 9, is dedicated to shoes, with a keen eye on Sparkling Contrasts, the brand’s collaboration collection with the most famous shoe designers out there. This collection, which you can browse here, is nothing more and nothing less than shoe-porn heaven. It features everything from kinky stilettos to bad-ass androgynous shoes or Lolita-like ballerina flats. The creative designs belong to Charlotte Olympia, Casadei, Maison des Talons, Repetto, Rupert Sanderson and Ruthie Davis, just to name a few. I can't tell you more, but if you're hooked, download for free the magazine and get the whole scoop.

Ruthie Davis

Maison des Talons

Charlotte Olympia

Casadei

Robert Clergerie

Repetto

These lovely people have named me ambassador for their Swarovski Elements iPadMagazine (kind of theatrical, I know ^.^) and I accepted gladly because I love creative editorial projects. I didn't forget about you, so I've decided to give you a little something. Head over to Facebook and tell me a cute story (a couple of words or an essay, it's your choice) about your first favourite pair of shoes. A beautiful Swarovski Elements necklace, from the Crystallized collection, will go to that one person who will make me all emotional, maybe even get me to cry, with her/his story. So bring it on, make me cry!

Maison Martin Margiela with H&M - The Lookbook

H&M is being generous and they got Maison Martin Margiela, famous for their under-the-radar-barely-inexistent-communication, to play along. If yesterday we've drooled over the campaign, today it's time to obsess about the lookbook. It doesn't cover the entire collection, there're only 14 pictures, but, hey, at least you can get an accurate glimpse of what to expect.

The collaboration will hit stroes November 15th and it features both men and women items, re-worked from past Maison Martin Margiela collections. To that end, the labels of each piece will specify the season it was first designed and launched.

P.S. I still haven't been able to pick a favourite yet, though I've seen them live too. Or maybe that's the reason why. Stay tuned, I have a feeling the frenzy is just beginning. ^_^

Bootmania at Deichmann

German retailer Deichmann has lost its head over boots this season. Whether you're a fan of flats, wedges or heels, you should be able to find in their newest collection just about any kind of style, suited for your every preference, mood or need. What connects them all is the length: Deichmann has fallen in love with knee high boots and plans on bringing them back to your closet.

Here's a selection of what you can find in their stores:

159 lei

159 lei

289 lei

139 lei

159 lei

159 lei

159 lei