Natacha Marro, shoe designer to the stars

Natacha Marro is a marvel within the fashion industry, one who has successfully built up her empire, without the assistance of high-street stores, commercial brands, or exhibitions such as; Mode, or Pure. To me, Natacha has almost an eccentric ‘punk’ edge to her, the Vivienne Westwood of shoe design

After 15 years, and based on her success, one would expect Natacha to have several boutiques, and a factory by now, but the reality couldn’t be more different. Natacha prefers to make every pair of shoes herself, within her tiny workshop in North East London, stating that “the thought of producing my shoes in a factory just to make more money, sounds like a nightmare more than anything else”

To be there, is simply amazing. Upon the shelves are shoes which have been worn by her extensive client list, including; Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Gwen Steffani, Bjórk, Jessie J, Daphne Guinness and many others… There are also hand drawn designs, and press cuttings spanning across the girth of her career, having made bespoke designs for; Vogue, Elle, Vanity Fair, Grazia, Glamour Magazine, I.D Magazine, Harpers Bazaar, and many other publications from all over the world


Lady Gaga in Natacha Marro on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (ITV)

The pioneer of the heelless shoe, and often imitated by other designers, Natacha has also worked extensively with Madame Tussauds (most notably the red shoes worn by Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz), the BBC, Pinewood Studios (most notably Angelina Jolie’s lead character in the forthcoming film Maleficent, and Lucasfilm in Star Wars 1, and 3), and many fashion designers, such as; Ossie Clark, Charles Anastase, and Hannah Marshall, designing, and making shoes for their catwalk shows at ‘Fashion Week’ events in the world’s fashion capitals

What separates Natacha from other designers, is not just her creativity, but her ability to listen to her clients, creating something personal of which they can treasure. Priced from £250, and upwards, Natacha’s shoes are not cheap, however they are built to last, made by hand from start to finish to ensue maximum quality. On talking to Natacha a while back, she stated that it costs her around £200 to make each pair, anything on top of this, is profit (unlike Louboutin, and other premium brands who make a LOT of profit on their mass produced, factory made products)


Jessie J in Nylon Magazine by James Pearson-Howe

I received my first pair from Natacha two years ago, after they were made for a shoot I was partaking in during 2011. Having to stand on a pile of loose bricks, this was the ultimate test for these £500 glittery black Mary Janes, not only were they very stable for 6 inch heels, they were also exceedingly comfortable due to the orthopedic, memory foam soles. I lasted a total of 6 hours (whilst standing in various compromising positions), which in some other footwear brands, would have been deemed an Olympic sport!


My first pair, Glittery Black Mary Jane's

Natacha has a brand new website complete with press cuttings, celebrity pictures, and new designs to give you inspiration for your perfect pair ;) Check it out, here:

http://www.natachamarro.com

You can also follow Natacha on Twitter at @natachamarro

WORLDWIDE WARDROBE 2013 WITH TRAVEL SUPERMARKET

If you love Fashion, then you love to travel, and Travel Supermarket have come up with the perfect blogging competition where you have to pick an outfit for each of the five locations provided, and explain why you have made your choices. The competition closes in June, where several Fashion experts will be choosing winners from each category, and you could win a dream trip to the location you have entered, AND £200 to buy, or to go towards the outfit which you have put together 

As I already live in London, I have decided to pick outfits for 'Sightseeing in Paris,' 'Cocktails in New York,' and 'Clubbing in Ibiza'

See my choices below...

SIGHT-SEEING IN PARIS:
For a mixture or Parisian, and British 'boating' fashion, I've chosen an androgynous look of a crochet white blouse tucked into a pair of beige skinny jeans, with a slim tan belt, and a nautical style jumper with a crew neck, so that the shirt collar can sit over the top 

The look has then been completed with some gold bangles, a long gold necklace (optional), a tan satchel (satchels are ALL the rage right now, plus it's a cross shoulder bag for added comfort, and it's big enough to fit all of your sight-seeing essentials in), some staple LARGE brown sunnies, and the brand spanking new Jeffrey Campbell Daisy Lita boots in tan

Although the JC's may look daunting, the Lita boot was designed for 'the girl on the run,' made to be stable, durable, and comfortable due to the platform to heel ratio. Therefore, they won't be stopping you from climbing that Eiffel tower ;)

For chilly day on the river Seine, throw on a navy boyfriend blazer. For a more elegant look, style your hair in a large bun, or for a more relaxed demeanor, add a large floppy hat over tousled tresses   

Jumper: Jack Wills | Blouse: Topshop | Jeans: Jack Wills | Belt: New Look |  Bag: Topshop | Sunglasses: New Look |  Bangles: New Look | Necklace: New Look Boots: Jeffrey Campbell @ Office

COCKTAILS IN NEW YORK:






















For this look, I have chosen a floating sheer cream top which you would wear with a strapless 'minimal appearance' bra underneath so not to ruin the shape. This will be topped with a high fashion, sharp shoulder blazer, and paired with the Black Milk Clothing Dollar leggings (well... you are in New York! ;)) 

For accessories, I have chosen a large, Silver & Gold triangular collar necklace, with a knuckle-duster studded clutch (big enough for your phone, money, and favourite lippy), a silver skull ring (for the middle or pinky finger), and a pair of Jeffrey Campbell studded Lita boots to keep you stable, but stylish after a few too many porn-star martini's! 

Channel your inner Gwen Stefani with a slick ponytail, large quiff, big lashes, and bright red lips. My favourite red lippy being 'Lady Danger' by MAC.

Top: New Look | Jacket: Zara | Leggings: Black Milk Clothing | Necklace: Topshop | Ring: Topshop | Clutch: Vanity Row Boutique | Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell @ Office 

CLUBBING IN IBIZA: 

Although we all love to dress up to the nines when going out clubbing, in Ibiza during summer it rarely falls below 30 degrees, cue heatstroke in Amnesia, or more makeup on your clothes than face in Pacha

I have chosen this dress of jersey goodness from All Saints, as although it's fitted, the material is very light. The cut makes the dress long & floaty at the back, but hitched up to show a bit of leg at the front. It comes up to about knee-length, so if you want to show a little more, you can hitch it up a bit further with a well hidden safety pin to make it more of a 'mini' at the front

I have teamed this with statement long necklaces, and bangles from River Island to jazz it up a bit, with a square clutch, large enough to contain makeup supplies, money, and a compact camera. It also has a 'over the shoulder' chain hidden inside, which your friends can attach to you once you're a little bit worse for wear

I have completed the look with these gorgeous, embellished gladiator sandals from Topshop, so that you can dance all night, AND still look glam! To escape the sweaty Betty look, throw your hair up into a chic, over-sized bun, and rock the 'dark eyes, pale lips' look!

Dress: All Saints | Necklace: River Island | Bracelets: River Island | Sandals: Topshop | Bag: New Look

Have a blog of your own, and would like to enter? See what you can come up with. Visit: http://www.travelsupermarket.com/c/holidays/worldwide-wardrobe/#sthash.jWIn2KTh.dpuf for details

D.I.Y Punk Fashion returns with Studs & Spikes!

Customising clothing with studs and spikes is something that has been around on the underground fashion & music scenes, since the birth of punk rock in the early 1970’s. One pioneer in particular of punk rock fashion, is Dame Vivienne Westwood. Then, a flame haired young designer with a passion for Latex, and chains, something deemed far too outrageous, for the commercial market

In 1974, Westwood opened a small boutique on the Kings Road called ‘Sex’ with her boyfriend Malcolm McLaren, who would soon become the manager of The Sex Pistols, together, they would define the look, and sound of the punk rock movement. Other patrons of the boutique, which helped to launch Westwood into notability, were; Chrissie Hynde, Adam Ant, Siouxie Sioux, and the rest of the Bromley contingent. The store re-opened in 1980 under the name ‘The Worlds End’ and still remains today at number 430 Kings Road, as a part of Westwood’s global empire

Although ‘custom style’ clothing has always been a part of our fashion history, it now has now taken our catwalks, high-street stores, and magazines by storm, there are studs on everything from vintage style shorts, to shoes, headbands, and bags - even the humble cardigan isn't safe!!

With the credit crunch still rife, we can’t all afford to purchase Jeffrey Campbell Lita Boots for £120, or a pair of studded shorts for £50, so why not buy a cheaper pair which fit well, and stud them yourself? 

You can bulk buy studs or spikes in either Silver, Gold, or Bronze online for as little as £3.50 for 150 studs, you make a small incision in the item, insert the bottom ‘screw’ part of the stud through sed hole, and screw on the top. Simple!! You don’t even have to buy a new item to stud, why not bring life back into an old pair of converse, shorts, or toughen up a pretty cardigan? Here are some examples of what you can do to get that high fashion look, for less...

 

Studs available from:
http://studsandspikes.com/http://www.studsandpunks.co.uk/http://www.love-craft.co.uk/studs-spikes-1.html