I finally got to see the movie I’ve been dying to see forever: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus! Not only does it have my favorite model Lily Cole, but an all-star cast: Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Tom Waits, Christopher Plummer and the late Heath Ledger. This was Heath Ledger’s last film; he died in the middle of the filming, leaving several scenes unfinished. The director Terry Gilliam had to change the plot to accommodate cameos of Depp, Law and Farrell to replace Ledger. (You can read more about how Heath’s death affected the production here.)

Heath Ledger

For a visual person, this film is a feast for the eyes. The fashion, the makeup, the sets, the fabulous Lily Cole floating through the screen in jellyfish-like gowns… be still my little heart! I stumbled out of the theater re-inspired and re-newed, as if someone hit the reset button on my creativity. Fans of Willy Wonka, Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland will lose their mind during the 2 hour GLEE-o-rama that is the Imaginarium. I highly recommend it!

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: the official trailer

Deerlings: have you seen it yet? If so, how did you find it? If not, are you planning to?

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It’s hard to believe that shoes started out as a necessity. Animals skins and later fabric were wrapped around feet to protect them from sharp rocks. Today, shoes are a convenience, an accessory, a hobby. Women (and some men) admire, and worship shoes, myself being no exception.

Jeffrey Campbell Tick shoes from SoleStruck

Some women collect jewelry, I prefer shoes. I am constantly on the look-out for the next perfect pair! My recent acquisition are Jeffrey Campbell’s Tick shoes: when I saw those tack-covered silver heels, I knew I had to have them. I have many uncomfortable high heels (in which I willingly suffer for beauty), but these are quite comfortable – in spite of significant height (5″), I could walk in them all day.

There are several shoe trends that stick out to me at the moment. I’m seeing a lot of scaley, rhinestone and hardware-adorned shoes. Like these Swarovski-encrusted Louboutin heels, spikey Lousie Goldins for TopShop and these Alexander McQueen beauties, as seen on Lady Gaga!

Shoes Make History

Tiny Victorian shoes (humans feet used to be much smaller)

• Italian-born French queen Catherine de Medici is often credited with popularizing the modern high-heel shoe in 1533 for fashion, as well as to offset her very small stature.

• By the time of her ouster in 1986, Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos had amassed a collection of over 2700 pairs of shoes according to Time magazine (she later claimed to ‘only have 1060 pairs’). By comparison, according to an earlier poll, over a hundred readers of this blogazine own 100+ pairs!

• The Shoe is Mightier than the Sword: 1960: At a United Nations conference the shoe becomes a geo-political force when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev angrily bangs his shoe against a conference table to protest against a speech by Filipino delegate Lorenzo Sumulong.Historians remain divided as to whether the shoe in question was a loafer or wingtip.

• “Stiletto” takes its name from the Italian for a type of dagger. A Stiletto heel is generally any heel above 3.5 inches.

• The world’s most expensive shoes? In 2003 Stuart Weitzman created a pair of shoes inspired by the shoes worn in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ by Judy Garland. Woven with thread of platinum and studded with 642 rubies, the price tag on the world’s most expensive shoes knocked the world’s socks off at $1.6 million USD. In 2004 Stuart Weitzman upped the ante, creating the ‘Cinderella Slippers’ which featured 565 platinum-set diamonds. The ultra-bling shoes retailed for a reasonable 2 million USD.

• The world-record for the tallest high-heel shoe is 16 inches. These shoes also hold the world record for the quickest way to break an ankle. Now there’s a surprise!

Shoe Blogging

Jane Aldridge of Sea of Shoes

Believe it or not, some people have built followings and made careers by simply blogging about shoes. Jane Aldrige of Sea of Shoes started out as a shoe blogger and ended up designing her own line for Urban Outfitters. Imelda The Despotic Queen of Shoes is known for posting the most outrageous pairs you’ve ever seen. I bet neither of those ladies could go A Day Without Shoes. ;) Which shoes bloggers do you read?

Shoes + Desert??

There is definitely some kind of a mysterious connection between footwear and desert. If you figure that one out, I’m all ears!

• For instance, how would you like some Chanel shoe birthday cake?

These shoes were made entirely out of chocolate!

• Even the French used to say that champagne “should be drunk straight from a beautiful lady’s slipper”. Hm, not sure about that one…

• And of course, Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette loved any combination of shoes & cakes!

Marie Antoinette – “Cakes & Shoes”

Sabina writes: “My dream shoes would be very Victorian. They would have a spindly 4-inch heel, an almond capped toe, and lace up my ankles. The shoes would be black leather, beaten with soles that were electric purple with roses and vines crawling up them.”

• Cinderella is the most shoe-centric story of all times. It was widely believed that in Charles Perrault’s version, Cinderella wore fur boots (“pantoufle en vair”), and that when the story was translated into English, vair was mistaken for verre (glass), resulting in glass slippers. It took them 300 years to re-claim their rightful glamor as… Uggs.

• A classic 1994 Mentos commercial shows a woman finding a creative solution to a broken heel. :)

• DIY is not something most people think of when it comes to footwear. But check out StudioJellyfish, who paints shoes beautifully! There are many more Etsy sellers who spend their days re-painting shoes – now that’s a job I would love!

• If you’re a fan of rockabilly, you must check out the amazing shoes at Iron Fist (via Amy).

“People always tell you to put your best foot forward, right? Well what better way to do so than to have dazzling, eye catching shoes on your feet? Whether they are stilettos, sneakers, flip flops, wedges, or any other type of shoe, I personally believe in giving your tootsies the royal treatment and wearing shoes that make you smile.” – Mandi Wasmer, pearlsandapistol

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Yesterday’s trip to the mall resulted in some very glee-inducing purchases. I hit a jackpot at Forever 21 and scored a dress on sale at H&M! Overall impression, however, was gloomy – the only colorful thing at Forever 21, for instance, was neon yellow mannequins. :(  The rest was black, beige and – if you’re lucky – pale pink. And we’re supposed to be entering the spring season! Nonetheless, I managed to find a few cute things.

Purse, false lashes and the bow ring all came from Forever 21. It was love at first sight when I spotted this bow purse on the shelf. It’s very well made, soft faux leather and only $17.

Finally, a bow ring that is anything but bo-ring! 1 1/4″ wide, it’s bedazzled with rhinestones. I ‘went for the gold’ but there is also a silver version. And for only $2.80, how can you resist??

Puffy loves it!

H&M was slightly more adventurous (read: not afraid of color). In fact, this lovely princess dress was on sale for only $10 (originally $35, I believe). The problem with H&M is that their sizes  run small – 4 is actually a 2, 6 fits like a 4, etc. This dress is a little small on me but since it was the last one they had, I went for it anyway! I think I know how to fix it and for $10, it’s totally worth it. :)

I love vintage and consignment shopping for designer pieces on the cheap, but sometimes I forget how awesome these two stores are. I almost never return empty-handed and my wallet never complains. If you’re a customization junkie like me, it’s like treasure hunt!

Deerlings: what are your favorite stores lately?

P.S. Lime Crime contest on Polyvore is ending in 6 days. The theme is “Enchanted Forest & The Creatures Who Roam It”. Since it’s a brand new group  – under 50 members – your chances of winning are REALLY good!!!

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United Nude: a rainbow of Mono Janes

If you read my previous posts, you know that I’m a huge fan of United Nude shoes. Just one look at the picture above and you’ll see why: this company makes shoes that are the very vision of Candyfuture, utilizing unusual materials such as EVA (foam-like vegan substance) and employing innovative designs!

Last week I decided it was time for a new pair so I headed down to their store on Elizabeth Street in Manhattan.

Window display. Amazing.

Several pairs caught my eye. Eamz Pump is  a shoe with a weird futuristic heel that miraculously feels and wears like a regular heel.

These fit comfortably and are very walkable but I was unsure of the color – perhaps a bit too traditionally futuristic? When debating a purchase, I always look for a twist, and then I saw these in gold…

Ahh, love at first sight!

After my trip to Russia and seeing all that beautiful gold-leaf architecture, I’ve been madly in love with the yellow devil. Gold accents are popping up everywhere in my life, from clothing, to my apartment, to my makeup!

And so my fate was decided. I especially loved how the gold looked against my turquoise We Love Colors opaque tights!

Omg, these come as booties too?! I think I’m in heaven.

My future wife: Lo Res mary jane! Isn’t it amaaaazing???

My shoe collection is a harem: all wives are adored & loved equally, but I’m always on the look-out for more, haha. This time I have my eye on this crystal-y, plastic-y work of art. I’m still saving up for them but they shall be mine!!

Update: United Nude just emailed me and offered a 20% discount to all readers of Doe Deere Blogazine! Input “doedeere” at checkout at www.unitednude.com to get 20% off on your purchase. Or, if you come into the store on 268 Elizabeth Street in NYC, just mention my name and you’ll will get a similar discount on retail prices!  (15% on anything that’s already been reduced.) Yay!

The sales girl was super-friendly & helpful. Sorry, I forgot your name -  comment if you see this?

By the way, this amazing headband was custom-made by my lovely Southern friend & designer, Megan Maude.

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Drive me into the depths of insanity with the beauty of their footwear, that is. The moment I saw this incredible space shoe on Amazon, I knew they had to be mine!

• Ridiculously bright blue color? Check.
• Out of control space heel? Check.
• Cute rocket on the side? Check!!

I wore these for My Beautiful Rocket photoshoot with Audrey Kitching. The heel is 4″ – not very walkable for my height but some articles of clothing are like art: never meant to be worn. This is the kind of shoe that will get displayed in my house like a precious jewel. The fact that I did get to wear them once makes me feel closer to god (read: Danny Sullivan of Irregular Choice). By the way Danny, when are we getting married on a shoe-ship with a shoe-cake in a shoe-covered dress???

Deerlings: do you have a brand that can do no wrong by you? Post pictures of your favorite shoes!

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