Next to diamonds, shoes just may be a girls’ best friend and in our humble opinion, there can never be too many places for a girl to indulge in a little shoe shopping. The talent pool, so to speak, expanded last night with the launch of the latest Steve Madden store, this time in Melbourne’s Bourke Street. Melbourne’s style set descended on the store, which is set out to resemble one of Madden’s famous New York stores. Consisting of three levels, there is no shortage of fancy footwear for both men and women. Fashion conscious men can find leather loafers, casual dress lace-ups and boots in the lower level, where they sit alongside women’s sale items. New arrivals can be found on the ground floor, where sequins, glitter, diamantes and colour dominate Madden’s signature rock-inspired platform shoes, all of which ooze sex appeal and confidence. Never one to shy away from bold fashion statements, Madden exerts a twist on this seasons loafers with his suave sequinned designs. Leopard print is also huge in the footwear genius’ latest collection, with platforms, boots and flats all showcasing the trend.
Despite all the treasures to be discovered on the ground floor, the highlight of the store lies on the top floor, where Madden’s chunky, bold shoes are joined by the fancy footwear of Betsey Johnson, America’a answer to Vivienne Westwood. Like Madden, Johnson’s bold creations are dominated by colour, diamante embellishments and hip patterns, but these designs are not for the fainthearted. Johnson adheres to no-ones rules, and her outrageous shoes seem right at home in Madden’s latest store. Available only at Steve Madden stores in Bondi, Chadstone and now Bourke Street, we think the Betsey Johnson range is perfect fusion with Madden’s urban edge designs.
Kicking off the party mode was Ruby Rose, who performed as the guest DJ for the evening, wearing black Mary Jane-esque suede Betsey Johnson platforms, no less! (Available for your shopping pleasure in store at Bondi, Chadstone and Bourke Street.) Revealing her trademark tattoos and dressed in a chic black and white jean-sleeveless shirt combination, Ruby was the epitome of Steve Madden cool as she showed off her talents on the DJ decks.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Steve Madden shoes, it is easy to see how the man behind the label has earned himself the reputation as a trend setter. With the ability to seemingly see into the future of fashion and refusal to conform to obvious trends, Madden injects a certain, eccentric je ne se quoius into the wardrobes of shopaholics the world over. And for good reason.
Lauren Kruger is a Melbourne based journalism student who loves all things fashion and being inspired by the latest trends, whether it be high fashion or high street. Follow Lauren on Twitter at @LaurenKruger26.
