Move like Jagger kicks

As seen through a telescope (1900) and The Gay Shoe Clerk (1903)

These silent shorts are thought to be the first foot fetish films ever made. As seen through a telescope(aka The Professor and His Field Glass) was a British short silent comedy film made in 1900 and directed by George Albert Smith. The story line concerns an elderly gentleman who is watching a young couple through a telescope. When her shoe lace becomes untied he glimpses her ankle as the boy attempts to tie the shoe. Aware they are being watched the young man knocks the old man’s hat off when they eventually pass the street.



The Gay Shoe Clerk (1903) was filmed by Edwin Stanley Porter (The Great Train Robbery) at Thomas Edison's company in New York on July 23, 1903. The story tells of an amorous young shoe clerk who takes advantage of his customer when her ankle is exposed during trying a pair of high-heeled slippers. Obviously overcome he kisses the flirtatious girl while her chaperon is temporarily distracted reading a paper. Once the chaperon realises what is happeneing she proceeds to beat the clerk with her umbrella before dragging the girl form the store. The simple storyline demonstrates perfectly it is possible to convey characters' amorous intentions by very simple means, without using explicit material. The audience are also left to ponder was this a chance encounter or a clandestine appointment.The early movie is also notable for its early use of matched shot editing, with a close-up of the customer's ankle and a longer establishing shot used in combination with each other.

Couture culture has its own fairytale: Ideal for this year's Christmas Stocking

Fashion writer, Camilla Morton has written a series of moden fairly tales involving a real-life story of a famed fashion designer. Eack story illuminates the individual’s creative magic while celebrating their unique life and career. Manolo Blahnik and the Tale of the Elves and the Shoemaker: A Fashion Fairy Tale Memoir reimagines the classic “Elves and the Shoemaker” fairytale, blending elements of the designer’s own life story into the fabric of the immortal “Once Upon a Time” favorite. The intriguing combination of whimsy and memoir is lavishly illustrated by the designers themselves. Manolo Blahnik's delightful drawings take the reader from the banana plantations of his childhood to the top of high-fashion footwear design.

Also in the same fashion fairytale memoir series is: Christian Lacroix and the Tale of Sleeping Beauty, Camille Rose Garcia’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Daniel Egnéus’s Little Red Riding Hood.

A word from Sugar Pie on high heels

Little sweeties: Can you tell the difference?

 

Tootsie Roll Industries , of Chicago are suing a small footwear company selling a Footzyrolls shoes. According to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Illinois, Rollashoe, which makes rollable ballet slippers called Footzyrolls, is infringing on the brand name of Chicago-based Tootsie Roll. Tootsie Roll, alleged that the $2 million Footzyrolls brand will confuse and "deceive" consumers into thinking that the shoes are associated with Tootsie Roll's portfolio of products. Tootsie Roll also claims that Footzyrolls, dilute, or tarnish, the value of the Tootsie Roll brand. Rollashoe have dismissed the law suit as frivolous with no merit. Footzyrolls are a million-dollar brand that sell in Bloomingdales and Fred Segal.

Dollar dazzlers from Adidas

Adidas will launch a shoe costing one US dollar a pair in India . The company previously failed in a similar venture in Bangladesh. According to the company improvement in production is likely to be successful this time around.The distribution network for the one dollar shoes will be local villages in targetted areas.

Times are tough and heels are lower

According to those who know these things women's heel sizes reach new heights when the economy is down. In the 1920s during the Great Depression the height of women’s heel rose, then again, in the 70’s during the oil crisis fashion determined the introduction of the platform shoe. This winter, according to new data fromIBM, the trend will be reversed as ecomomic woes continue and women turn more to kitten heels and flats. Scanning influential fashion blogs, authors generally believe the vogue for the coming months will be lower heels.

Naughty Ri-Ri with 'Fuck off' pumps

Rihanna (Ri-Ri) is seen here performing "We Found Love," on the UK’s, The X Factor recently. The singer had reportedly been asked to tone down her look by program producers after complaints from viewers. The young diva wore a tartan McQ dress, black tights, and a pair of shoes designed by Ashish Gupta in collaboration with the British footwear label Underground. The black, chunky creeper shoes come with a white-ink pen, with which wearers can doodle on their shoes. Seems someone decided to write "fuck off" on one shoe in large capital letters. The phrase was apparently visible to those in front row seats, who all gasped and pointed in shock and awe and consternation. Ri-Ri is no stranger to shock and often sports outragous profanity in the form of a golden neckless with the word, ‘cunt’ clearly engraved for all to see.

Portable Shoe Dryer: Something for Christmas, perhaps?

Most portable shoe dryers use a current of forced warm air to dry the shoe or boot. Some manufacturers like The PEET® Dryer claim their alternative thermal convection drying process removes perspiration, wetness and resulting odor and because it does not involve hot air there is no risk of deteriorating materials, shrinkage or resulting stiffness. In 1968 the brand began with a very simple device now the product line has expanded to include portable shioe dryers.

Elvis Costello and Red Shoes

News on shoes

Muppets' merchandise the new vogue

Expectation is high in the prospect of the release of the new Muppets movie. Pre-emptive designer brands see a lucrative future for the Jim Henson's classic characters and have created limited-edition products to tie in with the film. Shoe designer, Jerome C Rousseau has created a glitter platform pump inspired by Miss Piggy. It will go on sale in January for $595 (US) at Saks Fifth Avenue. The Diva even appears in an ad for it, gazing at the sparkly shoe in wonder.

Also on the footwear front is a series of Adidas Originals trainers, inspired by a different Muppet . The Kermit design (left) features a green felt tongue, while the Fozzie style (right) features the character on the heel ($38-$65).

Bobby Jones's shoe: Emory University

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research charity auction raises $4.7 million

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is the world's largest private funder of Parkinson's research. The Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition.The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) announced that Nike's total funds raised for the Foundation, generated by the 10-day eBay auction of 1,500 pairs of limited edition 2011 NIKE MAG shoes, topped $4.7 million (US). The funds go straight to the Foundation's aggressive research programs to help speed a cure for Parkinson's disease. Through the $50-million Brin Wojcicki Challenge , effective through 2012, the proceeds of the auctions are doubled, bringing the total funds generated to $9.4 million. At the 2011 NIKE MAG launch party in Los Angeles, British rapper and avid sneaker collector Tinie Tempah made the highest bid for the first pair of the 2011 NIKE MAG with his $37,500 bid at live auction. Seems the average price paid per pair was $3,600. Kicks owned by Christopher Lloyd, were also auction and went for $13,500.

A woman's right to shoes: Sex in the city

Jimmy Choo XV: New book

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Jimmy Choo shoes a new coffee table top book will be available in February 2012. Jimmy Choo XV was shot by Mario Testino and Terry Richardson, highlights 15 pairs of shoes which capture the history of the company. Each shoe has been given the name of a famous Hollywood actress and to reflect contemporary fashion, 10 of the shoes featured have been "reinterpreted. " Included within the Jimmy Choo Icons Capsule Shoe Collection is the Marlene, made famous by Carrie Bradshaw when the character lost on the Staten Island Ferry in season three of Sex and the City . Ten percent (10%) of net sales of the book will go to the new Jimmy Choo Foundation which raises money for women’s charities.

Saks Fifth Avenue and Footwear News’ 2011 Sexy Shoes contest

The winner of Saks Fifth Avenue and Footwear News’ 2011 Sexy Shoes contest was unveiled on Today with Kathie Lee & Hoda (Kotb) recently. The editors of Footwear News chose the 25 finalists which included Dior, Christian Louboutin (last year’s winner), Manolo Blahnik, Gucci, Givench, Stuart Weitzman and Oscar de la Renta. All 25 finalists featured in the 2011 edition of the “Sexy Shoes” magazine, which was distributed at Saks Fifth Avenue. The winner was Valentino’s hot heels which were selected by more than 35,000 votes cast online. The three runner ups were Jimmy Choo, Prada and Chrissie Morris.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Australian podiatrists per head of population

According to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and National Boards’ 2010-2011 annual report, there were 3,461 podiatrists registered to practise in Australia. That is approximately one (1) podiatrist to 6575.4 people. The demographic breakdown was 64.3% of the foot professionals were aged between 25 and 44 years, with 279 podiatrists (8.06% ) aged between 20 and 24; and 49 (1.41% ) over 80. Over half the profression were females (57%). In terms of scope of practice 42 podiatrist (1.21% ) have registration which allows them access to scheduled medicines; and 20 (0.57% ) podiatrists were registered to practice foot surgery. The vast majority of Australian podiatrists work in Victoria (31.3%) with NSW a close second at 26.6% of the work force. 16.9% of the profession work in Queensland and 10% can be found in South Australia and Western Australia. When compared to the Australian Bureau of Statistic for 2010 for People aged 65 years and over, the following table emerges.

Podiatrist per head of elderly population

Victoria (1 per 701)
South Australia (1 per 742)
West Australia (1 per 797)
ACT (1 per 885)
Northern Territories (1 per 976)
Queensland (1 per 1004)
Tasmania (1 per 1014)
New South Wales (1 per 1109)

Columbian cartels put 'high' in hgh heeled shoes

The Spanish authorities broke a cocaine drug ring recently estimated at $630,000 (US). The gang cleverly sculpted cocane to look like Manolo Blahnik high-heeled shoes. The narcotics were mixed with a liquid to turn it into a paste before being molded and painted to look like shoes. Each pair of shoes was estimated to have been worth around $70,000. The gang were shipping the fancy footwear from Colombia to Barcelona to be sold on the streets throughout Europe. Arrests were the culmination of a four-month probe into a 34-year-old man and his 24-year-old wife, both Colombian, who headed the ring. The couple, who lived in Spain, organized the transport of the drug from Colombia to Spain by paying “mules” who carried the consignments of “Manolos.” When the cocaine arrived the shoes were turned back into white powder and distributed to dealers. Using shoes to smuggle contraband is not new and a fairly common rouse was to incorporate hash outsoles onto footwear.

Shoe retail: Sole Revival to Macy's

Sole Revival is a mobile shoe boutique owned and run by Karen Pentland. She started the ‘shoes-that-come-to-you’ business after finding many people are too busy to go out and shop for shoes, and prefer not to shop on line. A major attraction is shoes are brought to the workplace and displayed for employees in a boardroom or conference room. Because of the mobile nature of her business, prices are kept lover for designer shoes than would be expected in a high street store. By contract Macy's Herald Square plans to create the world's largest women's shoe department as part of a massive $400 million redesign. When complete it is estimated as many as 300,000 pairs of shoes will be on display on any given day.

The Shoes for Show – The Sculptural art of High Heels exhibition (last few days)

An exhibition dedicated to shoes designed to be almost totally unwearable highlights iconiclastic footwear to blur the boundary between art and costume. Christian Louboutin has the most unlikely pumps to raise money for the English National Ballet. Inspired by a prima ballerina’s most important accessory, the French designer designed eight-inch heels featuring his trade mark red soles and the shoe was studded with Swarovski crystal.

The shoes are on display in the Shoes for Show – The Sculptural art of High Heels exhibition in the Loading Bay, Brick Lane, East London, E1 6QL. Other artists showing at the exhibition include: British Fashion Awards winner Nicholas Kirkwood , whose heeled timepiece is titled Alice in Wonderland Heels. He adorned his pumps with red roses, silver chains and tiny tea pots for effect. Designer, Rupert Sanderson submitted strappy golden sandal titled For Verdi’s Aida at the Royal Opera House. Alexander McQueen designed a tiny minature shoe in snakeskin. Also on display is Vivienne Westwood ‘s 1987 classic, Katie Eary’s Nike and Niamh O'Connor & Emily Crane 2011 among others. See them before the exhibition closes on the 8th November.

Shoemania: Celebrity shoe auction

Shoemania is yet another celebrity shoe auction, this time to raise funds for the Orlando ballet. In collaboration, DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse and Profiles in History. Over 80 pairs of shoes have been donated and autographed their shoes including; Paula Abdul , Ellen Degeneres, Ringo Starr, Charlie Sheen, Susan Sarandon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kelly Osbourne, Andre Agassi, and David Hasselhoff . Sure to reach top dollar will be Justin Bieber’s signed orange & pink Atlantis flip flops. Bidding for each pair starts at $200, either online via iCollector or in person at The Millennia Center in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday November 9.

Blahnik and Patmos fishy sandals

Manolo Blahnik in colaboration with eco-designer, Marcia Patmos has produced a range of fashion sandals made out of Tilapia skin,. The shoes featured in the Marcia Patmos Spring Summer 2012. Talapia skin is a by-product of the food industry and is perfect material for small leather goods. The fashion designers are not the first to use fish skins whch have been incorporated into shoemaking for hundreds of years. In the past Icelanders wore fish skin shoes and when the sole wore out they boiled their shoes and ate them. Distance was measured by the number of fish skin shoes needed to cross the terrain.

'Act on Diabetes. Now': November is Diabetes awareness month

In many parts of the world, the beginning of November marks the start of a month-long series of activities aimed at raising diabetes awareness and calling for urgent action to tackle the diabetes epidemic. New figures recently launched by the International Diabetes Federation indicate that the number of people living with diabetes has risen to 366 million. Diabetes is responsible for 4.6 million deaths a year  (1 every 7 seconds). Healthcare spending on diabetes has reached USD 465 billion.
Diabetes is among the top 10 causes of disability, resulting in devastating complications such as blindness and lower limb amputations. All nations – rich and poor – are suffering the impact of the diabetes epidemic. Diabetes is undermining global development. Diabetes hits the poorest hardest

cinderthriller design a shoe competition

i-D and Alberto Guardiani are running a competition to discover the next big shoe designer. To enter email a sketch of your shoe to cinderthriller@i-dmagazine.co.uk with your name, address, phone number and date of birth, by the 11th of November 2011. i-D will select ten entries to present to a panel including the fashion icon, Anna Dello Russo, shoe designer Georgina Goodman, President of Hong Kong department store Lane Crawford, Andrew Keith, owner of French fashion mecca Colette, daughter of the empire Rubina Guardiani and i-D founder and Editor-in-Chief Terry Jones. The winnng prize is £5000 and the chance for your fabulous footwear to be put into production and sold in Colette, Paris; Corso Como, Milan and Alberto Guardiani stores worldwide. Good luck.

Water Aid: Ringo on Tour and Timberland Shoe Auction

Vibrating shoes for the sight impaired

An IT Engineer from Rajasthan Technical University has developed a system that offers non-obtrusive navigation for the visually impaired. Anirudh Sharma developed the Le Chal (Hindi for ‘Take me there’) system after his grandfather was diagnosed with diabetes. His system essentially converts navigation data into haptic feedback and can be manufactured relatively cheaply The system is contained unobtrusively within a pair of shoes, one of which is fitted with vibrators, proximity sensors and a Bluetooth pad connected to an Android phone. The phone with a built-in GPS and compass module calculates directions and real time location using Google Maps. To use the person speaks the final destination before the start of their journey and the Android app formulates the route, calculating turn by turn directions which are sent to the shoe wirelessly via Bluetooth. Depending on the directions or GPS coordinates and compass, different vibrators within the shoe placed at different positions, are activated to offer feedback to the user. The vibrators also use feedback from proximity sensors, which detects physical obstructions up to a range of 10 feet. As vibration intensity increases the person is getting near tho their destination. The shoes have been piloted at a Bangalore based blind-school. Although still a prototype, vibrating shoes do look like a valuable asset to the sight impaired .

Paul 'Wine ' Jones Heels Clickin

The Ultimate Shoe Closet Sweepstakes

There have been entire books dedicated to the seemingly complex problem of how to make a woman happy. But the truth is that for many women, it only takes two words. Free. Shoes.
Refinery 29 and Shoe Privee are teaming up to make one lucky woman very happy with The Ultimate Shoe Closet Sweepstakes. Entry is free, simply go to short entry form and complete. The promotion closes on November 11. The winning entry will be selected by a random drawing on or about January 15 from all eligible entries received. The winner will receive 12 pairs of shoes, with a new pair delivered every month for a year.