A Shoe Lover's Dream

Customization has become the norm for everything from laptops and cellphones to bespoke clothing, to the point which all of these services are readily available online, but there is one area which so far has remained untouched: the made-to-order shoe. Even though the cult of the "it bag" has given way to the "it shoe", somehow neither Manolo or Christian have taken custom shoes to the next level by offering an online custom shoe service. After all, custom suits can be ordered online from Hong Kong, so why not a pair of fashionable heels? Now the website Shoes of Prey has made this quick and easy, offering a service that allows you to design your own pair of custom shoes and have them shipped to your door.

The interface for building your shoe is easy to use and fun. You can select the style of shoe first, such as ballet flat, bootie, gladiator or peeptoe pump then select materials and colors. As you go through the process, you can choose from approximately 75 different kinds of leather ranging from snakeskin to patent leather, in a variety of different colors. In fact, there are so many choices, it's difficult to decide on just one style or color.

A finished pair of customized shoes

  If you're curious as to how close the actual shoe will look to your design and more information on how the design process works, check out this first-hand account from Beverly. 

Vogue Africa

Photographer Mario Epanya's proposal to create a Vogue Africa edition has been officially declined by Condé Nast. Epanya had been campaigning for several months and even created mock-ups of possible magazine covers, but unfortunately it was not enough to convince Condé Nast to open an African outpost.  In response to this, several bloggers have commented that the decision has racist undertones. This seems like a strong accusation considering that Vogue Italia published  The Black Issue in 2008 and has subsequently devoted a section of their site to black stylemakers called Vogue Black.

The decision not to greenlight Vogue Africa might have more to do with the fact that Africa is a continent rife with political strife and low consumer spending power. China, with a population greater than all of Africa, did not launch its own edition of Vogue until 2005. Although it would be wonderful to see a new edition of Vogue that focuses on Africa, we should not assume that Condé Nast is not considering this as a future possibility. Also, unless visits to Vogue Black and similar sites increase, it it is difficult to make a case for the success of a large-scale glossy devoted solely to African fashion. It is definitely time to see more diversity of not just color, but also culture in fashion magazines and as readers and creators of fashion content, we do not have to wait for Vogue Africa in order to make that a reality.

See more of the proposed Vogue Africa covers here

All images: Mario Epanya

Eco Chic: Towards Sustainable Fashion

This is exhibit is currently at Scandinavia House in New York City.

Recycled Jewelry by Anita Quansah

Photo: Charl Marais

London-based Anita Quansah is a textile designer that reworks recycled cloths into beautifully intricate fabrics which are used in haute couture collections, as well as her own clothing designs. She also utilizes this same sense of sustainable creativity when designing necklaces, incorporating found beads, chains and fabrics in innovative ways. In fact, her necklaces are  more like wearable art than jewelry and proof that clever upcycling can yield amazing results.

Tegan necklace

Tiah necklace

Calisto necklace

Arete necklace

Jewelry photos from Anita Quansah's Flickr

Chrsitian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2010

Fashion from the Streets of Johannesburg

All images: Nontsikelelo Veleko

All Eyes on Africa

It's hard to say if the World Cup in South Africa is having an influence on fashion, but designers are definitely looking to Africa for inspiration.

Missoni Resort '11 style.com

Zulu Royalty from eshowe.com

Thakoon Resort '11

Jean-Paul Gaultier Fall '10 style.com