ShoeGuru

MEOW.

shoeguru — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:17:36 +0000

Michelle Obama’s Inaugural Getup. A MOST boring conversation… but, I feel I must comment on the shoes… because looking at them made me feel like someone had kicked me with a steel-blue, pointy. kitten-heeled, Jimmy (gag) Choo pump in my third eye.

First… those shoes are ugly. Not hip. And worse, they don’t relate to the Toledo getup at all. Deemed, “fashion forward” by the elite critics, the “twinset” was the color of alien piss and made Michelle’s gorgeous complexion look like Laura put rotten milk in her coffee. The wrong shoes added insult to injury. Kitten heels and Michelle Obama are incongruous. She’s strong. She’s tall. Kitten heels denote fragility. Pointed toe’s are for dominatrix and old-ladies, not first-day, First Ladies. The color, too dark and severe for the buttery yellow warmth of the dress.

I’m NEVER a proponent of “matching”. I would never suggest a “dye to match” shoe for a dress. That said, in this instance, the shoes should have picked echoed the tone of the dress, the beading of the necklace or the green (ick) of the gloves. Shape-wise…the heel should have been sturdier, while retaining a feminine, dressed-up vibe. It’s a tall order… there aren’t a lot of mid-heeled great looking shoes out there. She needed a closed-toe for warmth, and not too high a heel so she didn’t appear taller than The President (oooh… love typing that! The President, The President, The President!!!). Anyhow… she (or her stylist) could have done better. The shoes look like a last minute, “oops, I forgot to get shoes!” moment.

I looked on-line for about 30 seconds and found shoes I think would work better with the dress…(from Barneysnewyork.com – a Louboutin and a Prada)

The problem is that buyers don’t buy mid-heeled, non-sex kitten shoes. We all love sexy shoes… me included, but not to walk in. I have designed countless mid-heeled shoes in the past 5 years… I make the samples, the buyers want “personals” for themselves… but never order them for their stores. Now that the revolution is here (and televised)… let’s ALL start wearing sensible, great shoes instead of frumpy kittens or slutty fuck-me pumps. There is an in-between.

Let’s watch the shoes. Roar.

No Time to Play

shoeguru — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:26:10 +0000

Mike&Chris brand name SOLD to Garmento.

shoeguru — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:23:20 +0000

According an inside source, the name “Mike&Chris” is said to have been purchased this week by Armen Gregorian, CEO of Green Mochi LLC, who is linked to Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent and formerly to Jeffrey Sebelia (from Project Runway). It is unknown at this time if the eponymous “Mike” will be a part of the restructuring.

Mike&Chris (M&C Apparel Group Inc.) the Los Angeles “indie” line of contemporary leather, knitwear and shoes has apparently gone under. There have been rumours rumours on the internet… a missed sample sale in NY on Thursday 11/13, disconnected phones, and even rent demands posted on the NYC showroom doors. Suppliers have been floundering, calling past employees for information on the company’s owner, CEO Michael Gonzalez (who’s cell phone has been disconnected) to collect past due invoices.

Not much is known about the unfortunate demise, but rumors are flying. ShoeGuru’s source said that here in the US, M&C owes one factor upwards of $3million. At least three Italian suppliers were not payed invoices for goods and services rendered from as far back as March 2008 for their Fall 08 and Spring 09 shoe collections.

Our source said the new owner is not assuming any of M&C’s old debts.

From Men’s Style

shoeguru — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:20:08 +0000

And, here is the men’s version VISTA of the women’s VITO I did for Mike&Chris for Fall!

kin is in

Now available at Oak: Mike & Chris’ skinhead-inspired boots. Rude boys, your footwear has arrived—your ska revival, on the other hand, seems less forthcoming.
$522, available at oaknyc.com

MATTHEW SCHNEIER

Photo: oaknyc.com

OR… Get them at REVOLVECLOTHING.COM

Mike & Chris Lace-Up Distressd Waxed Calfskin Mid-Calf Boot in Ink

We just cannot get enough of this dynamic duo. The perfect blend of chic and street means “more Mike & Chris, please.”

Can’t Get Enough Givenchy Shoes

shoeguru — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:18:37 +0000

I just love these in every way. I want to admire them from not-too-far (like on my feet), but they don’t have my size anywhere (37).

Tanning Leather

shoeguru — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:51:50 +0000

I had to go around to a few different tanneries last month… and every time I go I learn more about the tanning process. I know that it’s GROSS to think about, but I have been assured by some of the most reputable tanneries in Italy that no animal is ever killed just for its skin. This is one of the driving forces in the escalating price of leather. The demand for animal meat is decreasing, so the price of leather will surely be effected. Most large tanneries in Tuscany are in the same town… Santa Croce sull’Arno and they share a water treatment plant to clean the water after the tanning process. In the courtyard at Conceria Polaris (where I bought skins of Articles, Buttero, Fly and Bliss because their hand is so waxy and supple that I wanted to make some boots out of them PRONTO) I noticed that on the bags covering the stacks of “grey goods” (untanned leather) were article names. Apparently as the workers are tumbling, depilatory-ing, and scathing, they are also noting which article each skin is best suited for. Also found out that the “crosta”, or inside layer that makes suede splits is often sold to other tanneries who specialize in suede (like Ambassador, for instance).

Sole Searching for Rubber

shoeguru — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:08:38 +0000

Last month in Italy, my friend took me to a place that made my (rubber) dreams come true. A small rubber factory that can do small runs of rubber soles. This is exciting because I usually work with small or upstart shoe collections, and I’m true to working IN ITALY… thus, the minimums and cost for a personalized rubber mold are usually too high. Voila… a solution better than the typical one’s— like using a “generic” rubber sole that is already developed (and used for someone else) (ick!) or design a work-around, like a rubber welt on a flat-cut rubber tread. BUT NO!!! At this little factory, you can design whatever sole you want, give them sketches of the bottom and sides, your logo & they will make a “machette” (or wood prototype) about in 20 days, then upon approval make a mold in 15 days and for not that much money, you have a personalized, rubber bottom. These are flat molds, not injection molds, and they are perfect for sneaker bottoms.

The “Vito” Boot in Elle July 2008

shoeguru — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:01:04 +0000

The Vito boot I designed for Mike&Chris originated as a men’s boot “VISTA” (and is being made in a men’s factory). It morphed into the “VITO” for women late in the season, because I felt a combat boot was essential to the collection we were doing for Fall 08. The social and political season was such that the timing was right for “combat”… (it’s not really a biker boot, Elle). The boot ended up being Mike&Chris’s best-booked style for their first season of shoes. The boot in waxy calfskin with oversized brass zippers and eyelets. The lining is outer-grade lambskin, and there are slits in the lining to put the laces thru so that the boot can be worn folded over. It’s a cool boot that I’m looking forward to wearing with casual and feminine looks. Soon to be in stores nationwide.

Chunky Heels

shoeguru — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:36:56 +0000

For Fall 2008 this is one of the shoes I designed for Mike&Chris. The heel was developed from a sketch and used both covered in leather and wood veneer. The particular heel development process was unique because I had to tweak it to accommodate the stiffness of the wood that was going to wrap around the curves and would have to be flat enough to ensure smoothness in production.

I went to Italy for a day, just to make the final heel adjustments with the technicians at the heel factory. From the sketch of the heel, it is created on the computer using a 3-D program. From the computer, a wood block is set up in a carving machine that it’s hooked up to, and it’s carved precisely. After the final shape is confirmed, a metal mold is made and the heel is mass produced in resin. The heel factory also has to make a mold for the top lift (the little plastic nub on the bottom of the heel to protect it from wear and tear). The heel requires different top lift’s for each covering the heel gets, for instance, the wood veneer covering is slightly thinner than leather, so the top lift has to be millimeters smaller to look smooth and fit correctly.

This style did not sell well and the company abandoned it, a bit prematurely given that just this season Chloe’s heel was hauntingly similar, and in my opinion it’s really hot.