Vivienne Westwood to open London footwear exhibit

LONDON — An exhibition of nearly 200 shoes by British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, charting her styles over the last four decades, opens at London's Selfridges department store Thursday. The exhibition, called "Vivienne Westwood Shoes — an Exhibition 1973-2010," showcases pieces by her Vivienne Westwood's archive, including the iconic 1981 Pirate Boots, the nurse inspired 15-centimeter (6-inch) heel Mary Janes and the impossibly high Super Elevated Gillie platform shoes from which Naomi Campbell famously took a catwalk tumble in 1993.

"She looked like a gazelle in slow motion. It was fantastic, she never looked more beautiful," Westwood said of the model, adding "she's a very a proud woman of course, and so she laughed, but when she got backstage she was so angry with me." Campbell's iconic platforms were just one of the designer's many unconventional footwear creations built on the belief that a woman's beauty is enhanced when she's a few inches off the ground.

The 69-year-old Westwood fondly recalls one of her first shoe purchases in the 1950s, a pair of stilettos from a shop in Manchester which she wore to school, earning her a less than approving comment from her teacher, using her maiden name: "'Vivienne Swire, if God had intended us to walk on pins he would have given them to us.'" She didn't let that stop her then and she doesn't now, claiming a highly manufactured approach to shoe design walks hand in hand with evolution.

"I'm not one of those people who likes the 'no makeup' make up look," she said. "I like artificial things and I think that's what we are. I think civilization is artificial, otherwise we would be living in trees and it's wonderful walking in shoes." Westwood's creations will be on display at Selfridges permanent arts and exhibitions space, the Ultralounge, from Thursday through Sept. 22.

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Vibram Five Fingers Shoes

Vibram Five Fingers Shoes – Barefoot shoes take a unique approach to ergonomics. A recent study in a national journal also said that the shoe is excellently designed and the shoe became so popular so quickly that a number of counterfeiters popped up after the company had trouble meeting the demands of retailers. Vibram, the company that creates the barefoot shoes, started off making sole’s for hiking boots before they approached with an idea; a glove for the foot.

The five-toed shoes first started in 2006, and quickly became more popular. Time magazine named the shoe one of the year’s best inventions and the shoes were also featured in Christopher McDougall’s book “Born to Run,” a book that touts the benefits of barefoot running. Barefoot runners land on the balls of their feet, rather than on their heels which reduces the stress on the knees and joints.

The shoes sell for anywhere from $75 to $125 depending on the model and runners have started wearing them to events. The company is on track to generate $50 million in sales over the course of the next year, and continue to receive high praise from media sources, both in print and on the internet.
“It started off as a fad movement, but it’s gaining a loyal following that I don’t think will fade away,” says Dr. Ben Pearl. Could barefoot shoes be the future of sport? All of the evidence points toward them being a better option than any other shoe currently on the market and they have a huge following.

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Adorable Recycled Baby Footwear Is Here

Now, to ensure that those cute-as-a-button babies have footwear to be proud of, Wooly Baby presents their range of ‘green’ baby slippers. The woolen slippers are handmade from recycled wool sweaters and leather jackets, and are available in sizes for newborn babies to age four.

The word is that parents love the soft soles, non-skid quality and also the fact that these are slippers that stay on snugly on the baby’s feet. And for all those grown ups who are feeling deprived or jealous that only babies have these cute little things…do not despair!

The company has plans to bring out adult and youth sizes, for bigger feet. Available online at the company’s site, these are one pair of slippers that no baby will want to miss.

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