I have a feeling these won’t be the most popular shoes I show you this week: Casadei creations rarely are. I kind of love them, though, even although I’m probably appreciating them more as something to wear than as something to look at. I particularly like the way the cutouts in the heel and sole give the impression of the outline of a shoe, rather than the shoe itself.
Also, if I had to wear orange, I think orange mixed with tan is one of the easiest ways to do it:
Click here to buy them – or just to view more pictures – at Louisa Via Roma.
The 70s look is very much back in fashion this summer, and I think these Casadei sandals are a particularly good example of a 70s style brought up to date. I think the wooden heel and sole on these is absolutely stunning: in fact, the bottom part of the shoe looks almost like the kind of carved wooden ornament you’d put out on display (or hell, why not the whole shoe?). As far as actually wearing them, goes, however: well, there’s a 5.9″ heel to contend with first of all, but once you’ve mastered the art of walking on them, these are sure to turn heads. And possibly ankles, but let’s not think about that…
I think “chunky” is the word I’m looking for here, no? And possibly the phrase “1974, represent!” These definitely have a late 60s/early 70s feel to them – in fact, I’m now feeling the urge to start using words like “groovy”, but I will resist – and I suspect that may divide opinion on them. For myself, well, I probably wouldn’t wear them, because I suspect my feet would look like boats in them (and I speak as someone who doesn’t even have particularly large feet), but I do enjoy looking at them - the silhouette is very bold, very different from the kind of shoes we’re used to seeing right now, and, I may as well say it, very groovy, baby. Or maybe not.
These shoes cost £4,860 (about $7,860). That’s almost what I paid for my CAR. And while they’re certainly very pretty, in a “look, we’re completely covered in crystals, and cost as much as a secondhand car!” kind of way, all I see when I look at them now are the other things I could get for that price. Like a really good holiday, say. Or every pair of Kurt Geigers I’ve coveted this year (trust me, that’s a lot of shoes). Hell, I could even have a few pairs of Louboutins for that price, and at least I know I’d be able to wear them without fear of being mugged for them.
Of course, all of that’s missing the point somewhat, because these shoes weren’t made with people like me and you in mind: they were made for people who wouldn’t even miss that £4,860, and who mix in the kind of circles where a pair of crystal-covered sandals would be entirely appropriate wear.
As beautiful as they are, Casadei shoes are always heart-stoppingly expensive, which is why I alway get excited when I come across a pair on Yoox.com. Until, that is, I look at the price and realise that, even on sale, they’re still £450.
Ah well, a girl can dream and if your dreams tend to reveolve around blue suede peep toes with crystal-encrusted flowers on their toes, well, maybe this photo will be of some use to you.
If you want to make the dream a reality, however, these are available in UK sizes 2 – 6 and you can buy a pair here.
Now, this is much more like the kind of thing I expect from Casadei than those white platforms I showed you last week!
Leaving aside the colour, which I’m obviously going to say I like, I also love the way the top half of this shoe looks just like a ribbon wound around the foot. It all makes for a very striking shoe, and if, like me, you love green, you’re probably going to love these too, in which case you’ll want to know where to buy them. Well, they’re 455 euros (ouch!), and you can grab yourself a pair here.
Kate Hudson also gave us a glimpse of her shoes at last night’s Golden Globes, although I suspect this was by necessity rather than design: well, you wouldn’t want that spectacular white dress dragging along the damp red carpet, would you?
These are Casadei’s 3504 triple platform pumps, and they’re something of a celebrity staple for red carpet events, perhaps because they minimise the amount of taking-up that has to be done on those long gowns! They certainly look like they’re adding a lot of height here, but I’m personally not a fan of white shoes with white dresses, and think another colour can work better. What do you think of Kate’s look here?
Well. These are… not exactly the kind of thing we’ve come to expect from Casadei, are they?
I know I’m probably about to be told off for over-use of the phrase “stripper shoes” this week, but I just can’t help it: the white patent leather and large platform remind me of the kind of shoes you see, if not on strippers, exactly, at least on the type of “clubwear” sites that sell stripper-esque clothes. Yes, Great Glam, I AM looking at you…
I will (grudgingly) admit that the sculpted heel is pretty cool, but I think white patent leather always, always runs the risk of looking cheap, and when your shoes cost £477, “cheap” is the last word you want to have associated with them. Well, that and possibly “stripper”. (Unless, of course, you actually ARE a stripper, in which case fair enough.)
