Reader Sinny sent me a marvelous suggestion for a blog post - Rococo shoes! I immediately thought of the shot from Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette, which swoops over the Queen's Imelda Marcos-esque collection of pastel footwear. The movie wasn't much more than eye candy, but the shoes within are as yummy as frosted petit fours.
Who could have concocted these confections except Manolo Blahnik of Sex and the City infamy? The designer says he dropped everything when the producers called. "They said 'make them sexy', but I wanted to do something very academic." Blahnik's research took him to collections of 18th-century shoes in Paris and at London's Victoria & Albert Museum.
We commoners can't get our hands on these delicacies - but Sinny brought my attention to the ultra-feminine, Rococo-inspired designs by Irregular Choice. The UK brand is one of my favorites; it is known for funky, lace-up boots and unusual heels that pair well with Gothic Lolita outfits. The shoes are generally comfortable and retail in the $100-200 range.
Sinny writes: "They have UK and US websites but I think these are exclusives that are only available at certain stockists. Amazon UK and Schuh seem to house them." I've found Irregular Choice in boutique shoe stores in major North American cities. Lavish footwear, Madame de Pompadour dresses... Rococo Week's going swimmingly, wouldn't you say?
