Mihai Albu - The Shoe Architect

He is a fashion superstar in his native Romania, but Mihai Albu is only just starting to come to the attention of shoe lovers in the US and Western Europe. He is one of many shoe designers who started their careers as architects, but even in that group there are few whose designs are as … well, architectural, as those of Mihai Albu.

To see more of The Shoe Architect's work, look here

Behnaz Kanani Footwear

Back in the mid 1990s, Behnaz Kanani narrowed her career path to two options: pharmacology or shoe design. Fortunately for shoe lovers, she chose the second option.

See more of her amazing shoes HERE...

Rocio Ildemaro

Rocio Ildemaro footwear is exactly what you would expect from a designer born in Venezuela and raised in Texas: bold shapes, spicy colors, and exuberant styling.

Read more HERE...

Shoe Confections

I couldn’t resist writing about these – they are just too amazing. The photo above is a cake - yes an actual cake - from How Sweet It Is Bakery in Houston, Texas. Every part of this cake (and all the cakes below) is edible.

See more amazing cakes HERE...

Minna Parikka

I have never been a girly girl, and I generally steer clear of anything decorated with hearts. But now I have to make an exception for Minna Parikka’s footwear.

Read more HERE...

Marloes ten Bhomer at the Jerwood Contemporary Makers 2010 Exhibition

Marloes ten Bhömer's Rotationalmouldedshoe has just been selected for the Jerwood Contemporary Makers 2010 exhibition. The shoe was created from molded polyurethane rubber around a stainless steel frame. It looks like a work of art, but is actually wearable as a shoe.

Read more HERE...

Javier Gasco

The shoes created by Javier Gasco reveal what can be achieved when a designer doesn’t have to worry about commerciality – no need to identify a target market, create a balanced and cohesive collection, or determine cost assessments. Mr Gasco doesn't design regular collections for sale; these shoes are made for his pleasure or for a rare commission. They are the product of an unbridled imagination and a masterful ability to design and make footwear.

Read more HERE....

Kron by KronKron

I admit I know nothing about Icelandic design, but if these shoes are anything to go by, then I’m all for it. Fun, unrestrained, and looking kind of like they’re made of icing, Kron by KronKron shoes are dessert for your feet.

Read more HERE...

LD Tuttle

I’ve followed the shoe collections of LD Tuttle for several years, and for some reason I had always pictured the designer as a dapper, balding, vaguely English middle aged man. This must owe more to my butler fetish than reality, because the truth is at the other end of the spectrum. LD Tuttle is actually Tiffany Tuttle – a former ballet dancer and California native who created the label in 2004 with her husband Richard “LD” Lidinsky.

Read more HERE...

United Nude arrives in NYC

The fabulous United Nude has just opened a flagship store in New York City. They are the company that created the Mobius shoe... READ MORE HERE....

Francesca Giobbi

Francesca Giobbi shoes are so fun, so exuberant, so… Brazilian. In the hands of another designer all this color and beading and embroidery might seem like too much, but Ms Giobbi manages to make the designs work. See more HERE...

Heavy Machine Footwear

It’s not often that I like an entire collection by a label, but I would happily own every single shoe from the Heavy Machine SS10 collection. See more HERE...

Barefoot Tess

I’ve received several emails from people who have trouble finding unusual shoes in plus sizes. There are plenty of footwear brands that make size 10 and up, but most of them concentrate on the sensible end of the spectrum. That’s fine if sensible is what you want, but that’s not what this website is about so I decided to see what options were out there. Read more HERE.

Mental Shoes - Footwear and the life of mind

I was flattered to be asked to give an interview to Mental Shoes, a web magazine that features provocative and original work by artists, writers, and designers. It was an honor to be included in their anniversary issue, which is available to view here.

Nicole Brundage

I’ve only been aware of Nicole Brundage for about a year, but I already find myself looking forward to each new collection. For such a young designer, her style is remarkably sophisticated in its mixture of audacity and restraint.... read more HERE.

Hetty Rose

Hetty Rose is the creation of English shoe designer Henrietta Rose Samuels. Even before graduating from Cordwainers College she had already established her inspired signature style: making shoes out of vintage kimono fabrics.

More about Hetty Rose HERE...

Eelko Moorer

Many of you will have seen these before. They’re not new; they were designed for Rui Leonardes’ runway show in 2003. The “stilts” as they are called are the creation of Dutch designer Eelko Moorer. He recently revisited the stilts design for the Aminaka Wilmont runway show of SS09. I think it is interesting that they are just as intriguing today as they were 7 years ago.

Read more HERE...

Georgina Goodman Footwear

I fully admit to coveting shoes, to having spent more than I should on footwear that I knew I would only wear once or twice; so I am certainly not a pillar of strength when it comes to resisting a beautiful pair of shoes. However, age does seem to be bringing more discernment, and each year a shoe needs to be more special to excite me. But if I lived to be a million years old, I would still be excited by Georgina Goodman’s designs.

See more of her amazing designs HERE.

Butter Shoes - Autumn 2010 Collection

Photos of the new Butter Shoes Autumn 2010 collection have just been sent out and they are as gorgeous as ever. As usual, the materials are luscious – lots of calf and kid skin. There are plenty of the retro-inspired designs that Butter is known for…SEE MORE HERE.

Re-mix Classic Vintage Footwear

Remix started life in Los Angeles in 1992 as a retail outlet selling unworn vintage footwear from the 1920s to 1950s. As the quantities dwindled, owners Philip Heath and Paul Glenn came up with the idea of creating faithful reproductions of the vintage designs.

More Re-mix shoes HERE.

Larare - Irresistible Footwear

Larare is a shoe label created by Nathalie Elharrar, and since 2007 she has been designing footwear that is very provocative, very Parisian, and unashamedly sexy.

See more Larare HERE.

Atalanta Weller - surprising and beautiful footwear

You’re going to start hearing a lot more about Atalanta Weller. She only just set up her own label - her first eponymous collection is for Spring/Summer 2010 – but her designs have been stirring up the fashion world for several years now. This pair from earlier in her career will show you why…more here

Neosens - glorious shoes from Spain's wine country

It is way past time for me to write about Spanish shoe design. If you are not familiar with what the Spanish can do with footwear, Neosens is a perfect introduction. This is a country that produces some of the finest leather in the world as well as some of the most dynamic designers. A perfect combination for creating beautiful footwear.

Read more about Neosens HERE.

Guo Pei's Incredible Shoes

There are so many innovative fashion designers working in China at the moment, and Guo Pei is one of the most exciting. She has only designed a small number of shoes, and normally I would only include designers who focus on footwear. But I suppose that since this is my website I can make up my own rules, and Guo Pei’s shoes are fantastic enough to merit an entire blog.

See more Guo Pei shoes HERE.

Eel Leather - it's beautiful, but is it sustainable?

I am a major fan of eel leather. Silky smooth and buttery soft, eel skin is stronger than cowhide even though it is much thinner. It has an amazing sheen (as you can see in the Jimmy Choo pumps above), and absorbs dyes beautifully to allow a rich depth of color... read more...

Jeffrey Campbell

For nearly 10 years, Jeffrey Campbell has been designing provocative footwear. He started in his garage, and now he is one of the most well known independent shoe designers in the world.

For more about Jeffrey Campbell read on HERE.

Salpy Shoes

Salpy Shoes was started 6 years ago by husband and wife team Kevork and Salpy Kalaidjian. He has a background as a last maker and heel sculptor and has an expertise in footwear construction, she was a buyer and merchandiser for a major department store. They work together to create the footwear designs.

Find out more about Salpy Shoes HERE.

Butter Shoes

I was thrilled when I first discovered Butter Shoes. As the owner of size 9 and a half feet, my chances of finding vintage shoes in my size are only slightly better than winning the lottery. So finding a range of shoes that look vintage but are bigger than size 7 extra narrow was very exciting.

See more Butter Shoes HERE.

Rachel de Kler's Wonder Boots

Where do I even start? Rachel de Kler’s boots are so amazing that it is difficult to think of words to do them justice – the photos speak for themselves.

See more of Rachel de Kler's boots here.

Rosa Mosa Footwear

Austrian designer Simone Springer and Japanese designer Yuji Mizobuchi met while studying footwear and accessory design at Cordwainers College in London. After graduating they set up their design studio in Austria and named their label Rosa Mosa.

Find out more about Rosa Mosa Footwear here.

Natacha Marro Footwear

Natacha Marro left her native Nice in the south of France to move to London where she enrolled in Cordwainers College to study shoe design. After interning, she chose to stay in London, and in 2000 she set up her design studio. She has been making tantalizing footwear ever since.

For more about Natacha Marro footwear take a look here.

You might be surprised at how many people make a living by painting designs on shoes. Normally I avoid these people. I know it takes skill and creativity to painstakingly cover a shoe with hand-painted… things, and sometimes the results are quite charming. But the finished product always seems to fall into one of two categories: super-sweet feminine pretty, or elementary school art project. I can’t do either. But now Cocopunkz have gone and made me change my mind about hand painted shoes.

Find out more about Cocopunkz here.

Melissa Plastic Dreams

The fabulous wedge above was designed by Karim Rashid for Melissa Plastic Dreams shoes. And, yes, it really is made of plastic. I am enthusiastic about Melissa shoes for several reasons: the fact that they work with some of my favorite designers, the commitment to the environment, and the lingering memories of my childhood jelly shoes. Remember those? The ballet flats that seemed to be made out of knox blox...

Read more about Melissa Plastic Dreams shoes here.

They cost you a bundle, so you really should look after them...

I have friends who spend a sizeable portion of their income on shoes, but never polish them. They might do so once in a blue moon, or right before they wear them. Maybe you can get away with that if the shoes are cheap and cheerful, the materials are all man made, and you only intend to get a couple of wears out of them. However, if the shoes are leather and you want them in your life for a while, then you need to give them some TLC and they will repay the favor by looking good for years. Honestly, it’s not that big of a deal to polish shoes, and at the risk of sounding like a tedious insurance commercial, you really are protecting your investment.

Discover how to keep your shoes healthy here.

Finsk Shoes

Finsk is the creation of Finnish-born shoe designer Julia Lundsten. She set up her studio in London in 2004 after graduating from the Royal College of Art, and has been producing imaginative footwear ever since.

More about Finsk shoes here.

Trippen Shoes

I am so pleased to have the website back up and running that I am celebrating with an article about one of my favorite footwear labels, Trippen Shoes. I warn you right now I absolutely adore Trippen designs and gushing praise is likely.

Trippen is Angela Spieth and Michael Oehler, who have been creating innovative footwear in Germany since the early 1990s. They have many of the qualities I love most in footwear: fearless creativity, humor, and a massive selection of shoes in the blackest of black.

Read more and see more amazing Trippen shoes here.

A few repairs to Lust for Shoes

There are going to be a few changes and repairs to the site, so there won't be any entries for a few days. While the changes are happening, the site might look different or it might not be available at all. But please don't abandon me, because I will have the site up soon and looking better than ever. I am just no good with the technology stuff, so please have patience while I try to fix everything! And thank you all so much for checking in regularly. Jenna

Great Moments in shoe history: when Susan Cutts sculpted shoes

These shoes are the art work of Susan Cutts, a British artist who creates sculptures out of paper. Interestingly, she didn’t study fine art in college; she studied constructed textiles at the London College of Furniture, and also received a diploma in theatrical corsetry from the London College of Fashion. Wow.

Read more here.

Mohop Shoes - dozens of looks from one pair of shoes!

A friend of mine recently brought Mohop to my attention, and I am can’t believe I wasn’t already aware of them. Mohop’s versatile sandals are such a great idea, and I love the fact that they are both stylish and eco-friendly.

More about Mohop shoes here.

Controversial Shoe Ads

All of these ads have put a lot of knickers in a twist, and most were pulled within days of appearing in print on the grounds that they were offensive. I think most of these are more interesting than offensive, and I happen to really like the Jimmy Choo ad above (although it does give me a little phantom pain in my thigh).

More controversial shoe ads here.

Mai Lamore Shoes - to luxury and beyond!

I decided on some outrageous luxury for Valentine’s Day, and it doesn’t come more luxurious than the shoes of Mai Lamore. Independent? Well, perhaps at the very sumptuous end of the spectrum, but it would be more accurate to put her in the couture category. In my defense she does have a ready to wear line. The shoes above would be a fantastic Valentine’s Day gift: 18 karat gold heel, hand dyed silk rose petals, gorgeous little bee detail made of gold, onyx and agate. And all this for just $27,945. (Did $28,000 seem like a little too much?)

More Mai Lamore shoes here.

RIP Alexander McQueen

See more of Alexander McQueen's remarkable shoes here.

Silvia Campbell Bespoke Shoes

Read more about these shoes here.

Fish Leather

See more fish leather shoes here.

Tracey Neuls

See more Tracey Neuls shoes here.

Shoe Hall of Fame: Pietro Yantorny

Read more here.

Hurray!

Hurray! We’re in the IFB!

Junko Shimada

See more of Junko Shimada's shoes here.

Marloes ten Bhomer

See more of these amazing shoes here.

Great Moments in Shoe History: when Andy Warhol drew shoes

More of these beautiful drawings here.

Stingray Leather Shoes

See some amazing stingray leather shoes here.