Shoes, Weddings And Wipe Outs!

I'm writing this before I attend a close friend's wedding in Ireland, so I think my quotation this week should be dedicated to marriage and my friends, Tony and Kelly.

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person"
Germaine Greer

Everyone's advice and encouragement for my marathon training is very much appreciated. There is one piece of advice that everyone seems to have forgotten though - and that was NOT to crash at approximately 50mph down a ski slope in Italy last week. Thankfully, and I have to say luckily, apart from quite a bit of bruising and aggravating a constant back injury - I clipped my skis back on (once the people at the top of the slope had brought them to me), collected my poles (one snapped into two pieces), and carried on down the slope. I think I must have been lucky that I landed on my head! After a 12-mile-run on Sunday my knee is not in great condition (I had this niggle before I went skiing and I thought a rest from running would remedy it, but unfortunately not). Physio here I come!

I'm going to talk about something that may surprise a few people on this blog - women's shoes. Not unusual in the fact that women's shoes should be spoken about on VOGUE.COM, but from the fact that I usually talk about men's cars, style and fashion. However, I have really been taken aback by the design language and astonishing style of this particular shoe company. The design, branding, attention to detail (even down to the logo and marketing), has struck me as something rather special and I find myself really admiring it immensely. Founded by Jennifer Portman and Natalia Barbieri in London, Bionda Castana produce luxury footwear for women who see shoes as more than accessories; they place them at the very heart of their wardrobe. Designed in London and 100 PER CENT handmade in Italy, Kate Moss, Chloe Sevigny and Rihanna have already spotted the talents of the brand and these TWO very talented designers. See what their work here: http://www.biondacastana.com

I have to admit to being a little worried at first of my admiration for, of all things, women's shoes! I had to go and slip into three-piece-suit and take a quick drive in my Jaguar to feel a little more masculine again. Then I remembered something that Carlo Brandelli explained to me whilst I was with him in Paris (mentioned in a previous blog). He was talking about his clothing design, architecture, his newest art work and future projects and I asked him how he had such an interest in what to me were very different industries and mediums. He went onto explain that design inspirations should, and can, come from anywhere; that if one has an eye for style and design, why should this be limited to fashion and clothes? Design directions for fashion can be influenced by architecture and vice versa and if you have an eye for colour, shape and design then why shouldn't this be expanded to art? My interest in fashion, car design, interior design, style, architecture and even my A level in art and design suddenly seemed to make much more sense to me in a way like never before. Just from that one conversation with Carlo, I am inspired like never before.

Source: http://www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/david-gandy/110310-shoes-weddings-and-wipe-outs!.aspx