Holiday Footwear Contest!

What better way to ring in the New Year than with a great new pair of Farylrobin shoes or boots?

And, we want to help.

So, today we’re announcing our first ever Farylrobin Footwear Holiday Decoration Contest. Here’s how it works.

1. Follow @Farylrobin on Twitter or become a fan on our Facebook Page.
2. Create a Holiday decoration that uses footwear. Simple, right? Have fun!
 Let your imagination run wild. 
3. Make a video, photo or graphic design of your decoration.
4. Upload your image or video to any social networking site like Twitpic, yfrog, Twitvid, Flickr, Facebook or YouTube.
5. Tell us when you’ve uploaded your submission. You can tell us via a tweet to @Farylrobin, a message to us on Facebook, or by sending an email to info@farylrobin.com.
   
   MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE A LINK TO YOUR ENTRY!
   
   
6. All entries must be in by December 21st.

Faryl will select the three most creative decoration ideas from among the entries and announce them on December 24th. The three winners can then choose a pair of shoes or boots from the current Farylrobin line.

Thanks, have fun and good luck!

Oh, and here's a little something for inspiration!

Creative Commons image by afternoon sunlight on Flickr.

BAILEYS IRISH CREAM ASKS FARYLROBIN TO DESIGN SHOE FOR CHARITY

A few months ago, we were asked by Baileys Irish Cream to be a part of an incredible project to help raise money for Clothes Off Our Back. Faryl, along with four other top shoe designers, was challenged to create a one-of-a-kind shoe, using Bailey's Irish Cream as the shoe's inspiration. The shoe will be auctioned off starting on November 11 for the benefit of Clothes Off Our Back.

After many nights sampling Bailey's great liqueurs (for inspirational purposes only!), Faryl came up with a concept based on the colors of the bottle, the shapes of the classic Bailey's label, the colors and texture of the liqueurs, and the way she likes her Irish Cream....on the rocks! Check it out:


What we love most about this project is the chance to help children in the US and around the world. Clothes Off Our Back is doing terrific work and we are so glad that Bailey's had the vision to bring us all together for a worthy cause. You can even support the cause by bidding on our shoe (beginning November 11 and live until December 2) at the Clothes Off Our Back Web site.

Tonight, Faryl's shoe will be unveiled at the Baileys Pop-Up Holiday Shoe Shop in New York City. Look for our Twitter updates from the party, where several other celebrities are expected, including actresses from Gossip Girl, Confessions of a Shopaholic and style-maven Patricia Field. We can't wait....!

DEADLY FASHION

The leading ladies from this year's wickedly popular vampire flicks have a sense of style that makes our hearts stop. Here are some looks we love.

Kristen Stewart (Twilight)

Usually taking heat for her grunge look, we kinda like it. We dig how she paired her edgy leather jacket with a burst of bright yellow.

Anna Paquin (True Blood)

Accustomed to seeing “Sookie” dressed painfully plain, she looks super sleek at this year’s Vanity Fair Oscar party in her gorgeous bustier-inspired party dress.

Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries)

We are suckers for newcomer Nina Dobrev’s sexy, one shoulder lace dress that she wore at the Annual Young Hollywood Awards this year.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy, The Vampire Slayer)

She might not be in a new vampire flick, but she is the quintessential leading lady in a vampire series! This black ruffle dress she wore to the PS Arts Party back in 07 could be taken out of the closet for a re-run. We love it.

VAMPIRE STYLE

Vampires have taken over. From the latest scary Halloween movies to Twilight and True Blood, we have all been put under the vampire spell (Robert Pattison is hot). This fall, sink your teeth into the following shoes that will help release your inner-vamp style.

What type of vamp are you?

The Charming Vampire

The Fashionista Vampire

The Seductive Vampire

The Biker Vampire

APPEARANCE ALERT - AUSTIN, TX

Founder and Creative Director of Farylrobin Footwear, Faryl Robin Morse, will make an appearance at Nordstrom at Barton Creek Mall on Saturday, October 24th from 10:00am–3:00pm to introduce the brand’s fall collection, meet with shoppers and discuss fall fashion trends. Be sure to stop by if you’re in the area!

WSA Editor, Liane Bonin, Guest Blogs for Farylrobin

My Back-To-School Lesson

Here in Los Angeles we don’t usually realize it’s fall until late October (it’s a little hard to think about cozy sweaters and high boots when it’s 95 degrees out), but the good news is that the fashion industry is in full autumnal swing. And as I hit the stores both online and off, I’m realizing how much my buying patterns have changed – and improved – in the last year.

I’ll admit it – I’ve been an impulse shopper in the past, and not the savviest one, especially when faced with a bargain. Heck, my sample sale mantra has been “everything will be fine if I lose ten pounds to get into this skirt/ if I only wear these shoes into the restaurant and back to the car/ if I wear enough blush to make up for the fact I can’t really wear this color close to my face.”

If a pair of shoes didn’t quite fit or the seams looked a little crooked, it didn’t necessarily stop me from buying them. After all, I could just toss them out when I didn’t like them anymore and get another pair, right? But with the dual influence of today’s tough economy and a growing awareness of green, I’m shopping a little smarter. The really weird thing? I’m spending more on less.

Even to me it seems counterintuitive to be bypassing the discount aisle when the economy’s down, but if there’s any lesson I’ve learned in the last 12 months it is about the importance of quality, especially when it comes to what I put on my feet. For some reason I keep recalling Hannibal Lecter’s line to Clarice in “Silence of the Lambs” about how her cheap shoes made her look like a rube. While that isn’t inspiring me to drop $800 for designer footwear, it is making me look long and hard at every pair of shoes before I buy. Since I know I won’t be running out in a month or so to snap up a replacement, each pair of shoes on my maybe list has to meet a much more stringent set of criteria than in the past. Are they well made? Do they fit (and I mean really fit, not “I can squeeze them on my feet and who cares if I can feel my big toe?” fit)? Can I wear them with many outfits I currently have in my closet, not just one? Are they distinctive? And most importantly, do I love them?

It’s a long list, but having just plowed through my closet to sift out all those doesn’t fit/wrong color/almost but not quite right choices I’ve made in the past and rarely worn, I’m seeing how being pickier going forward will be a boon not just for my closet but for my overall look. If I never wear anything I don’t love, how much happier will I be? How much more confident? Instead of sifting through dozens of shoes that aren’t quite right to find those one or two pairs I wear until they’re worn out, what if I only had go-to shoes? Sure, I may be spending a little more on fewer item, but in the end, I’m saving money. And shelf space. Gotta love that.

What about you? How are your shopping habits changing?

A Stylist’s Dirty Little Secret: Meg Goldman

I own a pair of shoes I often wear to work when I need to look hip and polished yet I have a full day of running around, schlepping shopping bags in and out of stores and showrooms. I usually gravitate to them when I need to look the part of a stylist but would much rather wear my sneakers, or worse, my Fit Flops. Though they are a tad too worn in now, I still go to them on days when I have to work at Conde Nast and know I’ll be heading down to that cafeteria at some point. The truth is, a big part of my job involves lifting, carrying, and crawling around on the floor. Gorgeous as they are, 4-inch heels are just not for me (or at least the practical me).

Every stylist knows how unglamorous and PHYSICAL this work really is. It’s the ultimate irony, the dirty little secret of the job, call it what you will. Working in fashion, and especially behind the scenes pulling together a shoot, is far, far from glamorous.

That’s why I so loved Grace Coddington in The September Issue. I was probably the only person in the theater who was weeping during her little monologues because there she was, validating every feeling I’ve ever had over the years working in this business, about how HARD it is, always fighting for your stories and the perfect dress that no one else gets.

But let’s put her dead-on insights aside for now and talk about what she wears to work. What really got to me was what this fashion editor of all fashion editors was wearing, especially her shoes. They were black, low and strappy- totally cool looking yet SENSIBLE. Now I’m sure they were an expensive designer brand (after all she is the Creative Director of Vogue). And yes, I know she’s who-knows-and-who-cares how old, so wearing 4 inches would be a little ridiculous. The point is, that looking the part of a stylist and actually being able to do the work in your outfit are two pieces of a puzzle that ultimately need to fit together cohesively.

So here’s what I’ve learned along the way: start with a great pair of shoes you can move your toes in. Preferably they will have some unusual feature like the tiny gold glitter trim on mine that shows you have style AND you pay attention to details.

Finally, let me add this word of advice: pray it doesn’t rain on the day you are out prepping. Because when you add rain or snow into the mix, well, that throws you into a completely different “stylist” predicament.


Written by Meg Goldman, Fashion Stylist/Market Editor

Appearance Alert: BETHESDA BOUND!

Founder and Creative Director of Farylrobin Footwear, Faryl Robin Morse, will make an appearance at Nordstrom at the Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, MD this Saturday, October 10 from 10:00am–3:00pm to introduce the brand’s fall collection, meet with shoppers and discuss fall fashion trends. Be sure to stop by if you’re in the Bethesda area!

SAVE THE DATE – Shoes on Sale for Breast Cancer Awareness

In recognition of the men and women who have been affected by breast cancer, Farylrobin is donating more than 200 pairs of shoes for the third consecutive year, to FFANY’s Shoes on Sale. Broadcast on QVC on October 13, the annual event offers shoppers more than 100,000 pairs of designer shoes at half the suggested retail price with all net proceeds benefiting breast cancer research and education. Don’t forget to tune in to QVC on October 13 and shop!

Lucky Magazine's Fashion Director, Hope Greenberg, Guest Blogs for Farylrobin

There’s a strange phenomenon that occurs when your job calls for you to preview clothes six months ahead of the season in which they’ll actually be worn: you find yourself mentally skipping entire seasons and coveting the things you’re seeing now. So, while the perfect, crisp fall weather should make me psyched for the cozy sweaters, soft leathers and great blazers I looked at last February, instead, I’m obsessing over all of the stuff we’re just seeing on the runway for spring 2010.

It was amazing to see the NY designers completely step up to the challenge of making clothes and accessories that look new and exciting enough to make us want to shop but also real and wearable enough that we’re not going to be afraid we’re spending money frivolously. New York fashion week set the bar high. We’re headed for Milan and Paris tomorrow where we’re looking forward to seeing if the European designers can hit the same mark.

After we get back from our trip, we’ll close ourselves in a room for an afternoon to hammer out, from the gazillions of ideas we saw, which feel right for Lucky and which we’ll want to cover in the magazine in the months ahead. At the same time, we’re all quietly (or not so) making our personal lists of what we’re going to pounce on as soon as spring deliveries are in-store. Here’s a look at what we’re loving so far:

Intern Interviews

This fall, Maletzky Media has a number of very smart interns that hail from Columbia and Hunter College. What impresses us is not only that these ladies have the brains, but they also have an incredible sense of style.


Name: Jessica Cui
Age: 19
School: Barnard College 2012
Major: Sociology
Favorite fall trend: Rompers! They are so easy to wear and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.
Favorite Farylrobin style: This Fall’s Malia heel in purple.


Name: Leila Mabourakh
Age: 20
School: Barnard College 2011
Major: English
Favorite fall trend: My favorite fall trend is anything studded because the tiny details add an edgy rocker feel to any outfit!
Favorite Farylrobin style: The Belly sandals from Spring 2009.

Name: Elizabeth Sze
Age: 21
School: Barnard College 2010
Major: Economics
Favorite fall trend: Blazers and booties are great for your current wardrobe. They are the perfect items to wear when transitioning from summer to fall.
Favorite Farylrobin style: This Fall’s Visby booty.

Name: Lina Yu
Age: 23
School: Hunter College graduate
Major: Sociology
Favorite fall trend: My favorite fall item is the biker jacket (which I'm coincidentally wearing in the picture).
Favorite Farylrobin style: The Geneva heel from this Fall.

APPEARANCE ALERT!

Founder and Creative Director of Farylrobin Footwear, Faryl Robin Morse, will make an appearance at Nordstrom at the Fashion Mall at Keystone this Saturday, September 26th, from 10:00am–3:00pm to introduce the brand’s fall collection, meet with shoppers and discuss fall fashion trends.

If you're in the Indianapolis area, be sure to stop by!