Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Shoes and the cities

Sex and The City is back and so are all those fabulous shoes, says Alex Gorton

With the eagerly anticipated return of Sex and The City, the style spotlight has turned once again to Carrie Bradshaw and her passion for shoes. From sky-high heels to wonderful wedges, we’ve found the coolest shoe shops in London, Berlin, Athens and Milan.

London

London is a shoe-shopper’s paradise, with everything from designer labels to one-off boutiques and cool high-street stores. Home of iconic brand Jimmy Choo (32 Sloane Street, tel. ), other big name boutiques include Christian Louboutin (23 Motcomb Street, tel. ) and Carrie Bradshaw favourite Manolo Blahnik (49-51 Old Church Street, tel. ).

For quirky shoes with serious style, cool boutiques Poste Mistress (61-63 Monmouth Street, tel. ) and Lollipop London (114 Islington High Street, www.lollipoplondon.com) are hard to beat.

London’s up-and-coming designers include Olivia Morris (355 Portobello Road, www.oliviamorrisshoes.com) and Rupert Sanderson (2a Hans Road, tel. , rupertsanderson.co.uk). For the ultimate in style, order a pair of semi-bespoke shoes from Selve (93 Jermyn Street, tel. , www.selve.co.uk).

Athens

Head to the Greek capital for gorgeous gladiator sandals and cool shoes. For iconic sandals, try Lemisos (6 Lykavittou, ) a family-run cobblers that once supplied Brigitte Bardot with ballet slippers. For yet more classic styles, try Vassilis Zoulias (17 Kanari Street, ), a Vogue stylist turned designer.

Bargain hunters will love All About Shoes (65 Ermou, ), a cool boutique specialising in designer shoes at low prices. Spiliopoulos (63 Ermou Street, ) sells last season’s footwear at half price or less from designers including Manolo Blahnik and Narciso Rodriguez. For something special, head to Left (1 Leventi Street, ). where you can find beautiful designs from local star Ioannis.

Milan

Italy’s style capital is great for designer brands. Iconic fashion house Ferragamo sells both men’s and women’s designs at its stores on Via Montenapoleone: men’s at No.20 ( ) and women’s at No.3 ( ). Other hot labels include Bruno Bordese’s brand Clone (37 Corso Venezia, , clone-italia.com) and Mauro Leone (60 Corso di Porta Ticinese, , www.mauroleone.com).

Great boutiques include the fabulously named Les Chaussures Mon Amour (3 Via Cherubini, , www.leschaussures.it) and Le Solferine (2 Via Solferino, tel. ), where you can find designers including Ungaro and Pucci. For the peak of shoe chic, book an appointment at Le Soulier de Satin (1 Via Formentini, ), where bespoke shoes are made to order for Milan’s cool crowd.

Berlin

Berlin’s fashion scene has a cutting-edge feel. Bleibgrün (29/30 Bleibtreustraße, tel. , www.bleibgruen.de) is the city’s best shoe store, stocking Karl Lagerfeld and Viktor&Rolf alongside its own fabulous designs. Other hotspots include Budapester Schuhe (43 Kurfürstendam, tel. ) and The Corner (32 Knesebeck Straße, tel. . www.thecornerberlin.de), which stocks Roger Vivier and Pierre Hardy.

Calypso Shoes (61 Oderbergerstraße, calypsoshoes.com) specialises in vintage shoes from as far back as the 30s. Solebox (16 Nürnbergerstraße, tel. , www.solebox.de) offers a collection of limited-edition trainers. For eco shoes with style, Trippen (Hackesche Höfe, Hof 4 & 6, tel. , www.trippen.com) is the place to go.

Who’s who in shoe-business

When it comes to the kind of shoes you dream about, these three are the hottest names in the business

Manolo Blahnik
He’s mentioned so often, Manolo Blahnik has sometimes been called the ‘fifth star’ of Sex and the City. Born in the Canary Islands to a Czech father and a Spanish mother, he moved to London in 1970, opening his first store in 1973. He’s famed for his sexy, glamorous designs – Madonna once said his shoes were “better than sex”.

Jimmy Choo
Jimmy Choo was established in 1996 when Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon approached London-based shoe couturier Jimmy Choo about going into business. In 2001 Mr Choo was bought out and over the next three years the company expanded, opening 30 stores worldwide. Jimmy Choos are worn by A-listers like Jennifer Lopez, Scarlett Johansson and Nicole Richie, who even starred in an ad campaign.

Christian Louboutin
Sky-high sex appeal and red-painted soles are Christian Louboutin’s trademarks. Born in Paris, Louboutin worked with legendary designers Charles Jourdan and Roger Vivier before establishing his own brand in 1992. Hollywood stars Cameron Diaz, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow love his designs.

Sex and the City and shoes

Sex and the City was as much about shoes as it was about sex, at least if you take Carrie Bradshaw’s point of view. Here are our favourite shoe moments…

Carrie and her Manolos
As important to her as Mr Big, Carrie loved Manolo Blahnik’s shoes. She was devastated in series three’s episode What Goes Around Comes Around when she gets mugged by a man who runs off with her favourite pair of Manolos.

The baby and the shoes
In series four’s I Heart NY, Carrie dresses up to impress Mr Big only to be called away by a pregnant Miranda whose waters break all over Carrie’s new Christian Louboutins.

Lots of shoes and nowhere to live
When Carrie has to move out of her apartment in series four, she works out that she’s spent all her savings on shoes. Her memorable statement: “I’ve spent $40,000 on shoes and I have no place to live? I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes!” is a SATC classic.

The Vogue Shoe Cupboard
Carrie thinks she’s died and gone to heaven when she’s allowed into the Vogue accessories closet. She finds a pair of black patent Mary Jane-style Manolos called Campari that are so fabulous and exclusive she thought they “were an urban shoe myth”.

A Woman’s Right to Shoes
Carrie attends a friend’s baby shower where she has to take off her Manolos, which are then stolen. Her friend Kyra berates her for buying expensive shoes, but Carrie argues that it’s her right to buy what she wants. In the end, Kyra pays for the missing shoes.

FR Shoes and the cities

Dans l’esprit de la série tant appréciée ‘Sex and The City’, voici un gros plan sur la passion de Carrie Bradshaw pour les chaussures. Nous avons trouvé les magasins les plus fous de Londres, Berlin, Athènes et Milan.

Londres

Lieu de la marque icône Jimmy Choo (32 Sloane Street), d’autres boutiques de grands noms incluent Christian Louboutin (23 Motcomb Street) et Manolo Blahnik (49-51 Old Church St).

Pour des chaussures hors du commun, essayez Poste Mistress (61-63 Monmouth St) et Lollipop London (114 Islington High Street). Parmi les stylistes en vue, on citera Olivia Morris (355 Portobello Road) et Rupert Sanderson (2a Hans Road, Knightsbridge). Ou encore commandez des chaussures semi sur mesure chez Selve (93 Jermyn Street).

Athènes

Pour des sandales modèles, allez chez Lemisos (Lykavittou 6), qui a fourni en son temps des chaussons de ballets à Brigitte Bardot. Ou essayez Vassilis Zoulias (17 Kanari St, Kolonaki), un styliste de Vogue passé au design. All About Shoes (65 Ermou) vend des chaussures de créateurs à des petits prix, tandis que Spiliopoulos (63 Ermou St) propose des produits dégriffés de la saison passée à demi prix ou encore moins. Chez Left (1 Leventi St) vous trouverez de super créations de la star locale Ioannis.

Milan

Ferragamo vend des chaussures design hommes et femmes dans ses magasins de la Via Montenapoleone. Les autres labels à la pointe incluent Clone (Corso Venezia 37) de Bruno Bordese et Mauro Leone (Corso di porta ticinese
60). Les boutiques à ne pas rater incluent Les Chaussures Mon Amour (via Cherubini 3) et Le Solferine (Via Solferino 2). Pour le sommet du chic, planifiez un rendez-vous au ‘Soulier de Satin’ (Via Formentini 1), où les chaussures sur mesure sont réalisées sur commande.

Berlin

Bleibgrün (Bleibtreustrasse 29/30) est le meilleur magasin de chaussures de la ville, qui a en stock des produits de stylistes comme Viktor&Rolf, et qui s’alignent à côté des fabuleuses créations du lieu. Les autres adresses incontournables sont Budapester Schuhe (Kurfürstendam 43) et The Corner (Knesebeck Strasse 32). Calypso Shoes (Oderbergerstr. 61) se spécialise dans les chaussures authentiques d’origine tandis que Solebox (Nürnbergerstrasse 16) offre des chaussures de sport en édition limitée. Pour des éco-chaussures, découvrez Trippen (Hackesche Höfe, Hof 4 & 6), un endroit unique.

NL Shoes and the cities

Met de langverwachte terugkeer van ‘Sex and The City’ wordt het spotlight nog maar eens op Carrie Bradshaws passie voor schoenen gericht. We vonden de hipste schoenenwinkels in Londen, Berlijn, Athene en Milaan.

Londen

Wieg van het iconische merk Jimmy Choo (Sloane Street 32). Andere boetieks met ronkende namen zijn Christian Louboutin (Motcomb Street 23) en Manolo Blahnik (Old Church St 49-51).

Voor eigenzinnige schoenen moet je bij Poste Mistress (Monmouth St 61-63) en Lollipop London (Islington High Street 114) zijn. Veelbelovende designers zijn Olivia Morris (Portobello Road 355) en Rupert Sanderson (Hans Road 2a, Knightsbridge). Bestel quasi op maat gemaakte schoenen bij Selve (Jermyn Street 93).

Athene

Trek voor sandalen naar Lemisos (Lykavittou 6), die Brigitte Bardot ooit balletschoenen bezorgde. Of spring eens binnen bij Vassilis Zoulias (Kanari St 17, Kolonaki), een Vogue-stylist die designer werd. All About Shoes (Ermou St 65) verkoopt zeer betaalbare designerschoenen, terwijl Spiliopoulos (Ermou St 63 ) designerschoenen van het vorige seizoen voor halve prijs of minder van de hand doet. Bij Left (Leventi St 1) vind je prachtige ontwerpen van plaatselijke ster Ioannis.

Milaan

Ferragamo verkoopt ontwerpen voor mannen en vrouwen in zijn winkels op Via Montenapoleone. Andere trendy labels zijn Clone van Bruno Bordese (Corso Venezia 37), en Mauro Leone (Corso di Porta Ticinese 60). Fantastische boetieks zijn Les Chaussures Mon Amour (via Cherubini 3) en Le Solferine (Via Solferino 2). Voor de ultieme chic maak je een afspraak bij Le Soulier de Satin (Via Formentini 1), die schoenen op maat maakt.

Berlijn

Bleibgrün (Bleibtreustrasse 29/30) is de beste schoenenwinkel van de stad, waar werk van designers zoals Viktor&Rolf naast eigen, schitterende ontwerpen prijkt. Andere hotspots zijn Budapester Schuhe (Kurfürstendam 43) en The Corner (Knesebeckstrasse 32).

Calypso Shoes (Oderbergerstr. 61) spitst zich toe op vintageschoenen, terwijl Solebox (Nürnbergerstrasse 16) sportschoenen in beperkte oplage aanbiedt. Voor ecoschoenen klop je dan weer aan bij Trippen (Hackesche Höfe, Hof 4 & 6).

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