Where Am I?

If you saw the latest runway shows in Paris last week you might think we'd time warped into the 70s. Chunky heels and platforms, funky shapes and colors, and clashes of pattens all over! Burn your bras and drop some acid. Well, no, don't do that.

But do check out these styles from Miu Miu...

And Louis Vuitton...

And Prada of course

What do you think?? Groovy? I'm personally not digging them. I prefer the silhouettes shown last season with nods to the 50's and 60's. More feminine delicate shapes.
Though I will say that I'm glad to see more platforms on the runway again. New York fashion week would have you believe that the platform was dead with all the non-platformed shoes and pointy toe pumps. If you can get a little comfort snuck in with your killer style I'll take it! And we all know a platform is great for adding height without sacrificing comfort.

I'm off to China today kids. Then Tokyo for a quick 2 days. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and let you know what I see in one of my favorite cities in the world!



XOX,

Stop. China Time!

It's that time again. Time to go to China and make some shoes!!

If you aren't already, follow my Tumblr and/or Instagram to see my updates from Chinaland. Blogger is still blocked (LAME!) so those are my only ways of communicating with the outside world ;)

I'd like to do another behind the scenes so if you guys have any more questions- please ask away in the comments section! I'll get email notifications still ;)


Love you guys!!



XOX,

Working away...

I'm slaving hard, mixing sugar and spice and everything nice to make you the sassiest girliest shoes I can!!

Here are some shots from my workshop in China... Be home soon. Can't wait!!

Choosing materials is so fun and overwhelming! There are so many to choose from

This is my fitting table. A shoe model comes in, tries on the prototypes, and my technician and I correct the lines and the fitting. :)

 Poor little rejects. I'm sorry you didn't make the cut!

 Leather colors and inspiration tears! My cork wall is my favorite.


See you guys in a few days. I'm almost done. Hopefully I can share much more soon. I hate keeping secrets from you guys!!






Love and kisses,

Q and A

There were a lot of good questions about my last post so I just want to take a minute to answer them...

(a shot of past samples in our sample room)

Angela said...

Now, is this the design process for all shoes? Or just better made shoes? Because I've wondered why there's such a discrepancy in fit. I'm sure each company has their own way to come up with the right last, but I wonder why some leave way too much room between the shoe and my toes and others are perfect.

This is the process for all shoes. There's really no way around it. The difference in high quality shoes and less expensive shoes is not the sample process but the actual production of the shoes. Meaning, after department stores and boutiques have seen the samples and placed their orders it's time to mass produce them in order to fill the orders. Better quality shoe companies have stricter rules and standards do they usually fit and feel better. Also, notice how good quality leather feels on your feet as opposed to man made leather that most lower priced shoes are made of. Check the lining because that's what your feet are actually feeling. If the outside is leather and the inside is faux, you'll definitely feel the difference.

Murderanda said...

What are some of your inspirations when it comes to designing? Do you have.. an 'inspiration board' of some sort or something?

I do make inspiration boards and I can't wait to share them with you guys. I haven't been able to yet because we design so far in advance that the inspiration board and sketches I have are just now coming out in stores. I'm not allowed to show sketches for shoes that aren't out yet ;)

Jessica Alice said...

What are the heel and outsole made of and how are they shaped?

For the sample process the heel is usually hand carved out of wood. We (designers) sketch out an idea of what we want and usually go through a few tries before getting exactly what we wanted. After the wooden heel is confirmed, a mold is opened and it is made in plastic. About 90% of all shoes have plastic heels, the exception being chunkier wood heels and wood wedges. Wooden heels are unstable and can break easily, especially on super thin, high heels. Plastic is more durable and way more cost effective.

Outsoles are cut from thick but pliable leather, based on the last and heel shape. Less expensive shoes may use rubber, plastic, or reconstituted leather to save on price or make the shoe more durable. 

holly in heels said...
...I personally would like to hear how a shoe gets NAMED--what creative elements/what team ideas go into naming a brand's shoe style. 

Every company is different, I'm sure. Smaller companies or Luxury brands can probably name their shoes anything they want but when you're dealing with mass production and distribution, you have to have a system. I can only speak for myself and the company I work for, but we can't repeat names within a 3 year period (so there is no confusion in department stores' systems) and we use one starting letter per season to help our customer service reps to know what shoe a customer is referring to. For example, let's say we're using "C" this season for Betsey Johnson. We'd have a Cassy, Carrissa, Courtney, etc. Usually a baby names book is involved. ;)

BobHH said...
The designer sketch you show is exaggerated in the shape. How is the actual last shape determined? Are there lots of lasts or just one for each heel height? Are they modeled from someone's feet?

I actually visited a last factory this past trip and was super bummed that I didn't have my camera. I'll try to go back again! 

The last shape is usually taken by a standard measurement and then adjusted accordingly. It can be a long process to get the last exactly the way you envisioned. The sketch in the picture was made by a European designer which typically means the drawing is more stylized and exaggerated. In my opinion, more beautiful- but everyone has their own style. My sketches are more straightforward but kind of boring ;)

There are thousands of lasts in our factory. I was trying to find the last room but they may have moved it off site. Every different shoe shape has it's own last. If there is a slight change from another style, it's a different last.

Here are some examples of how different designers sketch completely differently:

(photo: Footwear News)

william said...

When it comes to heel shapes do they simply carve a proto and then make a mold of the final result? I'm always curious with high fashion shoes that don't have acrylic heels, do they have to carve each heel individually? And how do stacked leather heels work.. is there a steel rod down the center for support? I'm always baffled by super skinny stacked leather stilettos because I don't know how such a skinny heel could support weight without added structure.

Ok, great questions!

1- Yes

2- Most high fashion shoes DO have plastic heels but for the rare times they don't, I'd imagine that they'd be hand carved though I can't say for sure.

3- Stacked leather heels are simply plastic heels wrapped in a thin piece of stacked leather, like this...

4- Most heels do have metal rods in them for added support- especially the super thin ones! 

I hope this gives you guys some insight into what I do :)

Behind the Scenes of Shoe Design...

I brought my camera with me to China to take some photos and show you a little bit of what goes on behind the scenes of shoe making.

These are shoe lasts... They are essentially shoe molds. These determine the shape of the shoe, the heel height, and the size.

There are a few different methods of pattern making when it comes to shoes. One involves taping the last as shown here. The pattern maker covers the last in masking tape and then makes a 3D version of the designer's sketch onto the tape.

From there, he removes the tape and translates it to a paper pattern like this-

The paper pattern is then laid onto the leathers or fabrics to be used for the shoe. The leather/fabric is cut and sewn and then "lasted".

This is an example of a lasted shoe. It is carefully pulled and stretched onto the last and heated to fit onto it perfectly.

Some tools of the trade...

Here is an upper sewn and ready to go on its last

And here it is after it has been lasted and had the outsole and heel attached

This...

Becomes this!

Pretty cool, huh? I'll have some more for you in my next post :)

I'm going back to China next month and though I already asked this, few of you answered so I'll ask again... Is there anything specific you guys want to know about the whole design process? Anything about working in China you want to hear about?

Let me know :)

Before I Go...

So I'm off to China to work on my shoes for the next 8 days (boooooo!) but I wanted to share something real quick!

I've posted about my shoe storage before since many of you ask me what my closet situation is. Well, it wasn't pretty.

Piles of shoe boxes...

Piles of shoe storage boxes...

Hot mess status.

UNTIL! Ben and I had a crazy idea...

What if we made our home office into a sort of shoe room. (well my half of the office anyway)

Well, we did it. And I freaking love it.

TAH DAH!! Yay!

And with this post, I must go. My flight to China is taking off. I can't blog from China but I'll try to get Ben to post some stuff for me. :)

xoxo

Off to China... AGAIN

Is it just me or does it seem like I am always traveling?? Ugh, and China. Why does China hate Blogger so much?

For those of you who don't know, China blocks me from accessing my blog so I've set up some oldies but goodies for you to re read or for some of you to read for the first time. They'll post over the next week.
Please make sure you leave your comments on this post with ANY questions you have about my China trips or about the design process. I got some really good ones last time and I love sharing my behind the scenes secrets with you guys :)

(view from my hotel in China)

 Ok! I'm off. I'll be back in a week with lots of new experiences and a new project! I'm excited to let you guys know which line I'm designing right now. 

xox

-Celine ♥

TheShoeGirl