Get rhythm

Today in the shoe closet we are grappling with biorhythms. To save you a trip to Wikipedia, "Biorhythm is an attempt to predict various aspects of a person's life through simple mathematical cycles. Most scientists believe that the idea has no more predictive power than raw chance, and consider the concept an example of pseudoscience." Pseudoscience, huh? We'll get back to that. 

First, let me introduce you to the prettiest little fillies you're likely to meet this week. These are cobalt blue ponyskin moccasins (and those are my feet feeling very smug in them). 

They are from a Moscow shoe store called Rendez-Vous (what is it with Russian shoe companies and random European names?) They are as soft and snug as a little girl dreaming safely of gymkhanas. Which is understandable when you check out their soles. 

To quote Paul Simon, "People say she's crazy, she got diamonds on the soles of her shoes." Diamonds make a certain amount of off-beat sense ("Well that's one way to lose these walking blues," as Rhymin' Simon pointed out.) But ponyskin? Blue ponyskin? That's ridiculous. Where would you wear them? 

This and other thoughts ("they cost how much?") passed through my head one recent evening in Rendez-Vous. It was a Sunday, I was limping homewards along Petrovka Ulitsa after a sadistic Chinese masseuse had tap danced on my spine for the last 40 minutes (long story), and I stopped in for a restorative shoe peruse. 

Well, the long and the short of it is that this branch of R-V did not have my size, and so I staggered home, alone. But the memory of these moccs wouldn't leave me. I remembered my last, beloved, pair, immortalized (um...) in a Shoeblog last year. Hmm, let me just look at that Shoeblog... It was then that I noticed the freaky thing: date of last moccasin purchase: August 21, 2010. Date of current moccasin crush: August 21, 2011.

Well, I don't know about you, but I don't believe in coincidence. Biorhythms, however, are another matter. Quite clearly, on August 21st, wherever in the world they may be, my feet are ready for moccasins. A quick trip to another branch of Rendez-Vous, and me 'n' the ponies are harnessed together. So what if the only place I can wear them is my bedroom? Who am I to argue with fate?

Musica per i vostri piedi, madame

There are some things in life your Shoeblogger can neither understand nor explain, but just accepts because they seem to work. Jet-propelled aviation, for example. Molecular cooking. Bruno Mars. A Russian shoe company called Paolo Conte.

Now, some of you may be thinking, "Paolo Conte? Isn't he that septuagenarian Genoese balladeer with the comedy mustache and killer horn section who regularly sells out venues like the Royal Albert Hall and jazz festivals in Rotterdam?" Well, that's certainly what I thought. Though as Signor Conte is a qualified lawyer as well as musician, who knows – perhaps he also moonlights as a designer of trendy ladies' footwear.  

Be that as it may, Paolo Conte the Russian shoe company makes some really rather groovy обуви (bad Russian pun.) How about these beautiful mules? They nod vaguely in the direction of Nicholas Ghesquiere's fall collection for Balenciaga last year (Balenciagas below, as seen on obsessedwithshoes)...

...but the PCs definitely soften the look (baby pink soles!) Sticking with our Euro-cultural references and speculation on creative origins, note the perfectly square blue plastic heels: very De Stijl. The kind of 5-inch heel Gerrit Rietveld might have come up with in an idle moment between chairs and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

The other standout feature of the PC mule is the lovely, tactile grey felt upper – an upper I like to imagine originating in the doodles of German artist/shaman/pedagogue/felt-lover Joseph Beuys. 

Creation myths aside, these mules make me smile. As the original Paolo Conte would say, "Happy feet, oh, oh I love it..." 

Browns beauties

For fashion lovers worldwide, Browns boutique in London is a seminal shopping destination. Founded by the legendary Joan Burstein (aka Mrs B.) and her husband Sidney in 1970, it started as a small boutique on the ground floor at 27 South Molton Street and now spreads through five connecting townhouses. The visionary Mrs B. is credited with discovering John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan and Commes des Garcons. "We buy only pieces we like, we edit tremendously," she says. 
(Thanks to RunningInHeels for the picture.) 

Across the street is Browns Focus, which "is targeted at the sophisticated, cutting edge market." And a few doors down is the less talked about but utterly addictive Browns Labels for Less, which – well, you can imagine what that's all about.

On a recent weekend back in London I went to pay hommage at the South Molton Street shrine and came away with these:

These are Burberry Aviator stiletto clogs. The uppers are dusty tan leather tough enough to saddle a pony. The hefty lug soles are girded about with a stippled shiny band of something that looks like duct tape. The heel is a cool five inches of graphite attitude. Swoons.

 Burberry's Aviator boots were the hit of last winter's season, but these still feel exciting for the coming fall. Somehow I picture myself wearing them with stirrup pants and a Tom Ford cable-knit sweater in Cortina d'Ampezzo, channelling Claudia Cardinale in The Pink Panther whilst Tyler Brulé whips us up a fondue Vaudoise. Schnapps anyone?

Vintage advantage

Back in London, one of the summer's hot tickets was Wayne Hemingway's Vintage festival at the Southbank Centre. I went along with my dear friend Miss Lovely of Lovely's Vintage Emporium fame. A celebration of art, fashion, culture and design from the 1920s to the 1980s, the event took over the Royal Festival Hall with live music, craft workshops, and Londoners having lots of dress-up fun. 

The spirit of the festival is creativity and originality. Mixing real vintage with clever new pieces is a great way to achieve the look, as demonstrated above. These red patent Mary Janes are pure flapper, and a perfect complement to their owner's period tea dress. Pretty nifty for last season's Kurt Geiger.

  

 A problem with old shoes is, of course, finding a pair in good condition. These original 1970s co-respondents (above) are not just extremely smart, but also almost box-fresh. Which is particularly impressive given the combination of patent leather with cream suede uppers.       

"Vintage is about classic design that stands the test of time," says Wayne Hemingway. These Lady Dragon Hearts (Vivienne Westwood Anglomania for Melissa, as if I need to add...) are just a year old, but your Shoeblogger is pretty certain they are future collector's items.

Condé steps out

On a simmering hot summer's evening in Moscow, there is no better spot to chill out than Red October on the Moskva river. This former Soviet chocolate factory has been converted into a complex of cutting-edge art galleries, bars, clubs and restaurants, sprawling over a peninsula just southwest of the Kremlin. Cut to a midweek evening at the end of July, when we picked our way through the gridlocked traffic on the embankment, en route to the roof deck at Gipsy Bar and the Condé Nast Russia summer soiree.

Plenty of fab footwear, naturellement. Like these super-cool Michael Kors black leather sandals with gold buckles (above), accessorised to perfection with fire-engine red midi-skirt and pedi.

Vogue beauty queen Rita rocked up in studded suede Valentino stilettos (above). The owner of the beautiful and elegant tattoo below took advantage of the heat to display it in all its glory in transparent designer jelly shoes by Sonia Rykiel.  

Flats vs heels? A pretty even split, but tootsies were revealed in a rainbow of striking summery hues, including turquoise (above) and the deep mauve of Voguette Katya (below).

Popping out of the office at lunchtime, I'd clocked a fantastic pair of strappy black bondage heels on the street. So I was delighted to encounter them again at the party, and to find out that their owner (below) is from GQ and the shoes are from Alexander Wang. No wonder I'd been smitten on Kamergersky Pereulok.

It's always a pleasure to spot a pair of Melissas, and these (below) are original and charming – and look exactly as if they were designed for relaxing on a summer deck with a mojito somewhere out of shot.

Voguette Olesya has a connoisseur's eye for a heel and is a canny shopper to boot (see more Olesya at the Vogue Art Party here). Love these teal suede cage bootees, not to mention her excellent green pedi.

Last word goes to the chaps, for a change. Ivan in his Armani brogues shows exactly how to look stylish whilst flashing just the right amount of ankle to keep cool – in every sense of the word.