el blog

Silver and Gold

By Nicole Tongson

Adding chains to any outfit, in any color, can add instant drama and sass. On eidialush.com, we thought, "Why not give our customers the option to add chains to their shoe designs?" Below is a ultra chic creation made by Melissa from Virginia.  She chose a magenta blossom silk brocade, our Jillian box toe platform, and the silver chain edging....a combination that is sexy with an urban flair.

 

I'm dying to know what she wore these babies with. When wearing a shoe with this much boldness, our recommendation is to keep your accompanying outfit to basic solids consisting of blacks, whites, and muted khaki or bronze tones. Below are a few outfit ideas from the Eidia Lush crew if you're considering purchasing a design similar to Melissa's:

 



Left: The Elizabeth and James' backless leather-trimmed jersey dress is ideal for those who love showing off some leg.  Its' classic shape and solid black color combined with the uber-short length and open back make it the perfect compliment to the shoes for a glamourous night out.

Center: Rag & Bone's Rock-chic black leather-panel lace-up skinny pants are great to match the urban look of your chain adorned heels. Pair the pants and heels with a simple white tank top for a day (or night) on the town.

Right: Chloe's pleated bronze high-waisted skirt is a nice color to wear with these heels because it brings out the understated bronze in the pattern. Pair it with a cute cropped jean jacket and plain white tank top to add some playful innocence to the sexy shoes on your feet below.

 

Are you interested in the chain look, but don't know where to start?

We've put together some designs that you can customize and purchase on our site today. Take a look at 4 of our favorite looks:

  

 
1: Underwater Treasure - $266.00

2: Street Smarts - $233.00

3: Masterpiece - $225.00

4: Charming - $193.00

 

Inspired by our chain designs yet? If you'd like to see more, check out all the options for chains on shoes at www.eidialush.com or if you have your own idea for a chained shoe creation, email us at [email protected].  Happy Designing!

WEAR THIS, NOT THAT

By Danielle Blasko

Ready or not, the holidays are upon us! It's the time of year when everyone wants to look their best. After all, most of us have functions to attend that will include family or friends who are also trying to put their best foot forward.

Welcome to the Eidia Lush holiday guide to what and what not to wear this holiday season. 

 

WEAR THIS

NOT THAT

WEAR THIS 

NOT THAT

WEAR THIS

NOT THAT

WEAR THIS

NOT THAT

Delirium Descent

On July 30th, models will be strutting down the runway in custom designed Eidia Lush shoes at the Debonair Social Club in Wicker Park.  10 haute couture designs created by our lead shoe stylists will be featured at the event, titled Delirium Descent. 

Clothing will be designed by House of Frog, shoes by Eidia Lush, hair by BANG! Salon , and makeup by Meghan Sullivan

All proceeds will benefit NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Health).  There will be a $5 cover + $5 donation for the charity. 

Order your own Total Custom Designed shoes after the show to get 40% off.  This will be a full blown theatrical performance so come early and get a good seat.  Hope to see you all there!

Decade Fashion: 1910s

By Danielle Blasko

 

Last month, we took a leap into the distant past with a brief history of 1900s period fashion. That was the first post in a series of ten that will explore the history of women’s fashion in typical blog form.

 

Be on the lookout for my personal Eidia Lush custom design, period inspired shoe designs that will be linked in each post. If you love the design and want to complete your decade fashion look, all you have to do is click on the link, choose your size and (this one’s tough) wait patiently for one of our talented cobblers to create your newest pair of pumps.

 
 

Between the years of 1910 and 1919, fashion took a turn toward exotic lavishness particularly influenced by Orientalism. Parisian couturier Paul Poiret, was among the most highly influential designers of the period truly bringing Orientalism in fashion to life.

 

Jacques Doucet, a French designer, and Italian designer Mariano Fortuny, were also key figures in the fashion world of this decade. Interestingly, during this era, which paved the way for the 1920’s Jazz Age, the first female couturier, Jeanne Paquin, organized the first real fashion shows.

 

As Paquin made strides for female fashion designers, Poiret began designing clothes for uncorseted figures aiding in the liberation of women who began to throw away their corsets as the trend to loosen up clothing caught on.

 

Women moved away from the stylistic emphasis on accentuating curvature, instead opting for a lowered and less defined waistline, particularly as the decade neared its close.

 

A tunic worn over a long underskirt was the preferred style at the beginning of the teens but as the decade wore on into World War I women began to wear calf-length dresses over angle-length underskirts out of necessity for work-appropriate attire.

 

Almost all women’s shoes in this era were rounded at the toe and had slightly curved heels. Ankle straps were common as a result of the tango dance craze. Even shoes could not evade the colorful and exotic treatment of Paul Poiret!

 

It should come as no surprise that I could not resist Poiret’s influence when designing my custom interpretation of 1910s footwear with Eidia Lush: In the Style of Paul Poiret.

Decade Fashion: 1900s

By Danielle Blasko 

In hard economic times like today, when nearly everyone is faced with stretching the dollar to its limits, it is tough to imagine a period when women needed different dresses for every occasion. And “occasion” in this period, is presumed to mean morning, afternoon, and evening. What a woman wore in the 1900s was mostly dictated by the formality of her visits! Like I said, it is tough to imagine!

 

But just for the moment, let us escape to a simpler, more complex decade of fashion that was ruled by social custom and the commitment to uphold a certain degree of fashion sensibility. The decade that gave rise to Parisian haute couture!

 

Due to the emphasis on achieving the S-curve silhouette (or the hourglass shape first made populate in the 1830s), custom design was essential to everyday living in the 1900s. Not only were tailor-made dresses imperative; cobblers were still responsible for making a good portion of the shoes produced, even though factories were beginning to grow in popularity.

 

This is a far cry from the Capitalistic, mass-manufactured society we are consumed by today. Fortunately, there are companies (like Eidia Lush) that still care about the individual and achieving the “perfect fit.”

 

To order a pair of Eidia Lush custom design pumps (or even more so, to order a pair of custom design shoes from our hot new 'Sugar N Spice' E.L. Couture Collection) is to honor a timeless tradition that saw its heyday in the 1900s. Not an easy feat in today’s technology-ruled times!

 

You could even take your tribute to 1900s decade fashion a step further and rock your own adaptation of Edwardian Era style.  You can order my 1900s inspired design, "Edwardian Era Throwback".  Or if you prefer a ballet flat, even more reminiscent of 1900s fashion, check out the Evelyn style, Prestige pattern in our E.L. Couture Sugar Collection.

It's All About the Details

By Nicole Tongson, CEO & Owner of Eidia Lush

A work-packed, hands-on weekend with the shoes has brought me closer to them than ever.  After getting some very valuable feedback from you, our customers over the past few weeks, I locked myself in our studio, cranked up the radio and forced myself to think, "How can we make these shoes perfect?  What things can we do to make them even better?" 

While having a heart-to-heart with my babies (yes, I refer to them as my babies now), I came to the conclusion that our team of craftsman are human and we are spending hour upon hour hand-perfecting every stitch, cut, and detail...coming as close to perfection as humanly possible.  The fact that our shoes are not manufactured in a factory or assembly line is their biggest charm quality-wise.  They are worked on by one of our experienced craftsman from beginning to end.  This one person has your shoe vision in mind from the very minute they pick up your order slip to the time it's loaded up in the delivery truck getting shipped out.  This person knows your name because he or she will see it on their order box every day they work on it.  This person knows what your style is because they will put together your custom design piece-by-piece.  There really is love and hard work put into every pair.  For a person cannot do this trade without having love for it, and a person cannot succeed within our company without having immaculate attention to detail.

So what can you expect from our shoes?  What are some of these 'perfect details' I'm referring to and what are some of the minor issues we're still working on making perfect?  Please see some of the up-close-and-personal photos I took of one of the shoes that was recently shipped out.  

You can see we've nailed everything in the looks department...these shoes are hot.  The fabric is smooth on the outside, there are virtually no imperfections...

...until we get to the sole.  You can see here that towards the bottom of the heel, the sole has a slight imperfection in the way it was glued back on.  This sole will not, by any means, come off because of the industrial-strength glue we use...but we need to figure out a way to have it be applied perfectly, without any bumpity bumps.

For our insoles, we custom cut them and hand-brand them.  We joke with the team that once they've been with us a year, they get branded with the same logo.  We all kind of hate using the brander because the burning smell STINKS...but look how pretty it comes out!

Now here's where we have the most problems...the back end of the inside.  No matter how spot-on our patterns are for the fabric used, we always usually get a few wrinkles on the inside.  Some experiments are under way on how we can eliminate these pesky little wrinkles, but until we've figured it out 100% here is what the inside of your shoes may look like:

 
In a nutshell, you'll be getting a gorgeous head-turning shoe that is literally made with love.  Almost every day one of us comes up with a way to better the process and/or end product.  We love getting feedback, ideas, and suggestions...and we really do listen to what our customers have to say, so keep em' coming!

For being a reader/fan of ours, use code ELBLOGROCKS to get 15% off your very own pair of custom-designed Eidia Lush shoes.  We're looking forward to making them already!

Dream Products For Shoe Lovers

By Danielle Blasko

Back when Eidia Lush was first starting out, blogger Kelly LaVaute alerted readers to some of the “weird ass sh*t” people have done with shoes in her August 2009, NOT FIT FOR FEET post.

It turns out there are a slew of other shoe oddities on the market, including some quite fashionable, artistic pieces, at least in comparison to say Bacon Shoes or Gameboy Shoes. Seriously though, the diehard shoe fanatic might find themselves fantasizing about owning one (or more) of these curious creations.

 

5. Croc Shaped Pet Bed

  

4. Shoe Boat

  

3. Shoe-Shaped Bottle Opener

  

 

2. SICIS Shoe Bathtub

 
 

1. Custom Design Shoe Chairs

 

OH SO FIFTIES!

By Danielle Blasko           

After designing my very own pair of “Oh so fifties!” Eidia Lush pumps, I was on an accessorizing mission to do justice to my fifties fashion inspired heels. I knew when I ordered my shoes exactly what pants I would first pair with my newly designed shoes: black and red retro DKNY boot-cut stretch jeans.

 

Once I received my shoes, I felt that I couldn’t rightly rock my dazzling dream-pumps without some further 1950s-inspired accessorizing.

You can imagine how thrilled I was to discover that my custom designed pumps and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland were simultaneously in the making. The Red Queen, known for her red and black fashion sensibility as much as her temper, is played by Helena Bonham Carter who is far more fashion inspiring than the animated Disney character of the 1950s.

Designers haven’t wasted any time in showcasing their Alice in Wonderland fashion designs just in time for the film premier and spring trending. Why not treat yourself to a pair of Eidia Lush pumps, accessorize with what’s guaranteed to be this spring season's hottest accessory collection, and throw yourself that tea party you’ve always dreamed of!

EIDIA LUSH GIRL #2 - Iga

By Nicole Tongson

To be an Eidia Lush Girl is to be a woman of individuality - one that is sexy, charming, and free-spirited in her own unique way.  We believe that every woman has a custom statement to make and here is where we showcase them. 

Iga is special to our team because it were her feet you saw on our homepage for the big launch last September.  Read on to see why we're proud to name Iga as our 2nd Eidia Lush Girl.  Below is the picture she submitted to go along with her interview...Nice photo Iga.  Where'd ya get those shoes? ;)

My name is:    Jadwiga    But you can call me: Iga

Birthplace: Bielsko-Biala, Poland

My style can be described as: casual, comfortable. I draw inspiration from european boutiques and what I see on the streets when I go home for a visit.

My favorite outfit consists of: Some kind of pants, and of course good shoes

Right now, I'm really into: leggins, and actually setting my eyes on, what I believe will be the next big thing - very light blue, vintage looking, skinny jeans

I know it's considered a fashion faux pas, but I still love this: leg warmers. I am serious! I wear leg warmers at least a few times a week. 80's are back!

My fashion icon is: for everyday dressing, I have to admit it is Katie Holmes (I know, I know...), Chloe Sevigny

The current trend I can't honestly stand is: Flip-flops worn to office and matched with dress pants and blazer, especially when it's below 70º outside, Ugg boots, and velcro sandals. I truly cannot stand these three.

On my days off, I love to: skate. I have three pairs of skating boots. They are made of carbon fiber covered in electric blue, or white and black leather, they are heat moldable and very expensive :) I love them!

The colors you can find most in my closet are: black, blue, grey

When I'm not daydreaming about shoes, you can find me: shopping, or looking for beautifully designed objects

The coolest place my shoes have taken me is: Machu Pichhu

I'm sexy because: I feel good about myself

I'm one-of-a-kind because: I never follow, I always try to have my own opinion about things

I'm an Eidia Lush girl because: I can have the shoes exactly the way I want them

My Eidia Lush design is: Look At Me

If you think you're an Eidia Lush Girl, please email me at [email protected] to be interviewed. We're already looking forward to it!

Fashion Goes Green

By Danielle Blasko

Concern for the environment is no longer reserved for Earth Day: “going green” is all the rage. People worldwide are doing their part to reduce ecological, or carbon footprints by taking steps toward consciously living greener lives.

As is usually the case, fashion has embraced, and is aiding the advancement of the newest global trend: greenness is all over the runway and the highlight of many top fashion magazines. However, the task of greening one’s wardrobe is not quite as user-friendly as say greening one’s cleaning products.

There are plenty of eco-friendly clothing and accessory lines available, such as those that are made from recycled and organic materials, and by all means you should be aware of these options in taking baby steps toward going green.

The key to truly being an eco-conscious fashionista, though, lies more in those 3 R’s of the waste management hierarchy that many of us first learned in elementary school lesson plans: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The 3 R’s have not generally been applied to discussions on greening wardrobes but conceptually it is the most logical model to follow.

Every year the average American disposes of approximately 68 pounds of clothing and textiles. I can’t think of a better way to take a leap into greening a wardrobe than buying a custom-designed pair of shoes. The likelihood of a woman discarding a pair of shoes that she was responsible for designing is slim, while the likelihood that she will get the maximum usage out of the product is high.

Though Eidia Lush may not market itself as a “green” shoe company, they most certainly fall into the category of eco-fashion, as all of their shoes are hand-selected from a local supplier, and the fabric for each pair is individually stitched and glued without any use of assembly lines.

Custom-designed fashion reduces, as supplies are not wasted through mass-production. Just by investing in a pair of Eidia Lush pumps, you are taking a stride in being eco-conscious and supporting an eco-friendly mode of production.

To take your greenness to the next level of the hierarchy, all you have to do is wear your pumps over and over, or in other words reuse them. When finally the time comes to retire your beloved shoes, you can recycle them in the form of a donation to a local clothing charity of your choice, e.g. Goodwill or Salvation Army. Then, (and this is the best part) start over with a blank shoe canvas for your newest creative fashion endeavor and go green all over!