Category Archives: Nicholas Kirkwood

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Highlights of Nicholas Kirkwood’s spring / summer 2014 collection

Nicholas Kirkwood lace pumps
Nicholas Kirkwood’s collection for spring and summer 2014 has arrived on the designer’s website, and there are some gems in amongst it as we’ve come to expect. None better though than this elegant black on white lace-fused suede pointed toe pump. The lace look is undoubtedly in right now – we’ve covered both ends of the range from $41 lace stilettos to Jimmy Choo’s £450 (US$750) take on the trend – and Nicholas Kirkwood has nailed it with these pumps. They retail for £420 (about US$700) from Nicholas Kirkwood’s website.

 

Nicholas Kirkwood sandals

Also very pretty is the navy suede and silk satin “S” sandal with 105mm (about 4 inch) heel. They’re highlighted with a glitter trim.  The touch of PVC is probably necessary to make the “S” illusion work, and hopefully won’t be too prominent when worn. The sandals cost £540 (US$900).

Nicholas Kirkwood angled platformThe collection also includes an almost compulsory pair of the Nicholas Kirkwood angled platforms.  I am starting to feel bored of this design, I must say. I feel the same way about it as I do when I see the Alexander McQueen Armadillo heel these days: move on already. McQueen is long dead, so it is understandable that his look should be frozen in time but I wonder what Nicholas Kirkwood’s excuse is? Every designer is searching for their signature look I suppose.

On the bright side, the collection is limited to just one pair of the angled platforms, and they are magnificent. In a gorgeous orange raffia, the round toe platform has a shimmering hammered gold platform and heel. The platform height is 30mm (just over 1 inch) and the heel height 130mm (just over 5 inches), making for an effective heel height of 4 inches. They retail for £640 (US$1,062) from Nicholas Kirkwood.

Nicholas Kirkwood colour blocked sandalsThe the rest of the collection doesn’t excite the interest so much. If colour-blocked sandals are your thing though (we say they’re on the way out) then you’ll be in heaven. See the whole Nicholas Kirkwood spring / summer 2014 collection here.

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Nicholas Kirkwood for autumn / winter 2013

Nicholas Kirkwood pumps

Nicholas Kirkwood’s autumn / winter 2013 collection is hitting the shops, and is now available for purchase through the designer’s website. My absolute favourite item are the black pointed toe pumps with gold nail-head chevron stud detailing pictured above.

These delicately detailed, leather-soled heels are made in Italy of black calfskin, and are available in sizes 35-41 (whole sizes only). They retail for £670 from Nicholas Kirkwood and have a thin gold chrome heel that’s just on 4.2 inches (105mm) in height.

Nicholas Kirkwood boots

 

If you’re looking for boots in the cold winter weather, then Kirkwood has joined a host of other top-end designers in really embracing the black ankle boot this season.

The stand-out feature on these booties from the Nicholas Kirkwood autumn / winter 2013 collection is undoubtedly the hexagon clasp  just above the ankle on each boot. Like the pumps, these boots have a thin gold chrome heel which is 105mm (4.2 inches) high.

Nicholas Kirkwood’s standout boot of the season is available on the label’s website for £850.

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Order Nicholas Kirkwood shoes online at new official webshop

Nicholas Kirkwood pumps

Nicholas Kirkwood’s fantastic high heels collection is now available for purchase online. The designer has unveiled his new official webstore which has gone live and is now selling the label’s spring / summer 2013 collection.

Here’s two of my favorites. At top are a pair of cream nappa pumps with Nicholas Kirkwood’s signature angled platform. The design is a gorgeous laminated wave detailing separating a black base and heel from the white top. They have a 130 mm heel (5.2 inches) with a 30 mm platform (1.2 inches). The platforms are available from the label’s website for £685 (US$1,060).

Nicholas Kirkwood shoes

If the platform doesn’t take your fancy, then perhaps these ochre suede pointed toe pumps will? They have a 105mm stiletto heel (4.2 inches) and are decorated with orange and copper laminated leather wave detailing. They’re available from the Nicholas Kirkwood website for £585 (US$906). Gulp.

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What is the sexiest designer shoe of 2012? Make your vote count!

With so many sexy designer high heel shoes on the market right now, the question of which is the most sexy must come down a little to personal taste. However, some features are not all that negotiable. First of all, a truly sexy shoe should have an elegant, well-balanced stiletto heel. Wedges and chunky heels are really fun but not as sexy as a classical spike heel.

Secondly,  it probably pays to not get too close to the stripper shoe look: a hint of the bordello is fine, but 6 inch mules and clear heels are probably best left to do their sexy work in the privacy of the bedroom. Designer shoes are made to be worn for a much wider audience. In the same way, a little platform can be sexy on a designer shoe but if the platform is so big it looks like you are balancing on a couple of telephone books then those shoes are probably best left for dancers who have poles to cling on to.

Nicholas Kirkwood bootieFinally, a truly sexy high heel should ooze style: it should be contemporary, imaginative and well cut so that onloookers applaud and the lucky lady wearing a pair feels like a celebrity whenever she steps into them.

That’s what we think, but what do you think are the sexiest shoes of 2012? Retailer Saks Fifth Avenue and Footwear News have teamed up to run an awesome competition in which you can vote for the pair of heels you think are the sexiest going around this year. The 25 pairs of heels in the competition include those illustrating this article and more. All are available at Saks Fifth Avenue. Best of all, voters enter to win a $10,000 Saks Fifth Avenue shopping spree.

Sexy Giuseppe ZanottiAnd our tip to win? It’s the art-deco inspired Tempest metallic sandals pictured at the top of this article. Available from Saks Fifth Avenue, they’re by Jimmy Choo.

Also pictured:

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Fall in love with Nicholas Kirkwood’s fall and winter 2012 collection

Nicholas Kirkwood fall winter 2012Paris in the 1920s is the inspiration for Nicholas Kirkwood’s fall and winter 2012 high heel collection and, as usual, the star designer’s creations dazzle and inspire. Kirkwood’s over-the-top approach has been worn by and wowed celebrities like Beyonce, SJP and Gwen Stefani and is the perfect go-to brand to add a true highlight shoe to your wardrobe.

The muse for the designer’s fall and winter 2012 collection was Midnight In Paris, the 2011 romantic comedy written and directed by Woody Allen. From there the theme moved to embrace the spirit and fashions of Paris in the 1920s. The designer recently explained to Refinery 29 that “it’s almost slightly dreamy. It’s about romance, in a way.”

Nicholas Kirkwood fall winter 2012 The decadence of the period is very much on show in the collection, which features velvets, vintage brocades, cubist faces and even high heels with ponytails sprouting out the back. The inspirations included Picasso, and the collection includes boots, pumps and the signature Nicholas Kirkwood platform heels.

Nicholas Kirkwood fall winter 2012

Nicholas Kirkwood fans should snap up the designer’s platforms while they can though as Kirkwood told Grazia last week that the fashion focus is not so much about chunky platforms anymore. He noted a return to more feminine times was imminent and that “the trend now is for experimentation on the basic pointy pump.”

Nicholas Kirkwood fall winter 2012Stockists of Nicholas Kirkwood’s Fall / Winter 2012 are listed on the Nicholas Kirkwood website.

Nicholas Kirkwood fall winter 2012

Nicholas Kirkwood fall winter 2012

Nicholas Kirkwood fall winter 2012

Nicholas Kirkwood fall winter 2012

Nicholas Kirkwood fall winter 2012

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Nicholas Kirkwood joins the clear PVC designer high heels craze

Nicholas Kirkwood high heelsNot long ago it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to spend several hundred dollars buying a pair of clear, PVC heels. See-through plastic shoes were reserved for the bedroom – or perhaps for those earning some money by pretending they were in it – but this is the case no more. It seems that clear PVC is the material du jour for high end shoe designers right now.

Nicholas Kirkwood is the latest to get into the act, with these elegantly balanced, 4 inch slingbacks.  This shoe is crafted from burgundy patent-leather. An architectural glitter-trimmed bow sits above the clear plastic portion (which is visible at the outside front of each shoe).  The heel itself is a traditional, leather-coated stiletto rather than the lucite kind favored by perhaps more racier (and less high end) designers.

Nicholas Kirkwood clear heelsOf course, as the Nicholas Kirkwood heels demonstrate, it takes more than a stiletto heel and a clear strap to make designer PVC heels. Nonetheless Nicholas Kirkwood joins Christian Louboutin in using the see-through material as a critical part of the design and make-up of his designer shoes. Expect more designers to follow suit.

The Nicholas Kirkwood high heels are available through net-a-porter for £525.