Fashion

A Ferrari For Your Feet: The Julian Hakes Carbon Fiber Heel…Obsessed!

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Hi guys, I just know you are going to become positively obsessed with my latest shopping triumph: the Mojito, these awesome heels from Paolo Shoes. Paolo Shoes is a haven for offbeat foot fetish fashionistas in the Fillmore district of San Francisco, California, and I bought these hotties last night from my dear friend Gregory Vaughan while shopping with my gorgeous accomplice, Holly. Holly and I loved these shoes at first sight, and it didn’t take any encouragement from Holly or Gregory for me to snatch them right up as soon as I saw them in the window.

Julian hakes

The avant-garde silhouette of this shoe, designed by London architect Julian Hakes, above, is irrefutably fabulous–completely unique and creative and awe-inspiring, with the sleek lines and rich, glossy color of a custom painted luxury sports car. The color options include a divine bevy of vivids, including purple, red, hot pink, lime and tangerine, or you can choose from the magnificent metallics–a beautiful bronze, perhaps, gold, and Holly’s favorite, a chrome that is shiny and reflective just like a mirror. They also come in black and white. Of course black goes with everything, and white is ideal for summer…or even for a rebel bride!

Mojitos on feet

I chose the electric blue beauties below, which reveal themselves as a complex cobalt, upholstered in brilliant fuschia. I love the way the footbed is designed to contrast the rest of the shoe, so you have a little pop of color between the toes and you can match it to your pedicure if you so desire. It is this infinitesimal attention to detail that elevates clothing to fashion, and fashion to art.

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And the material? That’s where things get even more interesting. The shoes are actually fashioned from carbon fiber! I have never seen a pair of shoes like this in all my years as a compulsive shopper, and with my appetite for all things iconic, I just had to have them! They are perfectly defined with one word: ‘selcouth,’ which means rare and strange, yet marvelous!

Because they are constructed from carbon fiber, these wildly-imagined heels are light as a feather and incredibly comfortable. They aren’t stiff at all. Due to their highly flexible nature, your feet are not going to swell or blister. They are waterproof, and cleaning them will be as easy as running over them with a damp cloth.

If, on a whim, Salvador Dali ever took up fashion design, these shoes would, I’m quite certain, be one of his proudest accomplishments. And to top it all off, they were on sale for a ridiculously low price.

They were reduced to $300, which is nothing for a great pair of shoes….or for a piece of art for your arches. In fact, this is a bargain. The style, the colors, the material. Wow!!!

The comfort is all there and the price is right. These are the kind of finds in your shopping ‘career,’ as it were, when you toss aside ideals about how to wear the shoes, and when to wear the shoes. Just buy them, and you can figure it out later. I know that sounds like crazy advice, but it’s not. That is how you build an incredible wardrobe. Fashion is what you buy. Style is what you do with it. With that in mind, here are some ideas on what you can do with “it”–the marvelous Mojito, in my color: electric blue.

Druzy ring

Wear an all-black ensemble with a dramatic druzy ring, above, for a modern, chic, almost sci-fi look. Add a great cobalt blue bag and you’re good to go.

Lapis necklace

Or, for a more exotic effect, you could wear something in dramatic lapis lazuli–like this ethnic Afghan Kuchi necklace, partnered with a matching oversized ring…The color is spot-on, but the style of the jewelry makes the Mojito more tribal than traditional.

Peacock headband

Or wear a peacock feather headband, above. You can make this kind of accessory yourself; there are tutorials all over the internet and you can find the materials at craft stores. So as you can see, the possibilities are practically endless if you have the gift of creativity. Use your imagination. You’d be surprised at how versatile these shoes in this color can be. Remember, you could always just get a matching blue manicure and leave it at that. These shoes are such a statement piece, that’s all you really need. But if you’re not sure, buy them in black. You can’t go wrong.

These shoes travel effortlessly in almost any circle: parties, dinner at a nice restaurant, window shopping, even the office. And I most certainly would wear these bad boys to the ballet, the theatre, the opera, a swank soirée. They are a conversation piece that would look equally at home with a cigarette pant or leather legging as they would with a fancy gown, a kaftan or a kimono…and that makes them an investment that you will wear for years. You’ll always be noted as the coolest shoe in the room. Obsessed!

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