And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would’ve already seen or at least heard “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga, the video of which one of Kobi Levi’s own bizarre-o designs makes an appearance right on the very feet of LG herself (double boots with the toe in front and in the back, ...Read more]]> Unless you’ve been staying away from your computer, you would’ve already come across these very weird yet absolutely amazing shoes from Kobi Levi on the internet by now.

And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would’ve already seen or at least heard “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga, the video of which one of Kobi Levi’s own bizarre-o designs makes an appearance right on the very feet of LG herself (double boots with the toe in front and in the back, anyone?).

One look at Kobi Levi’s shoes is all it takes to understand why the Israeli footwear designer is getting all this attention (and a much sought-after and highly paid for celebrity endorsement to boot). Kobi Levi’s footwear designs are very unusual, wonderfully whimsical and, in their own crazy, unique and humoristic way, are also unexpectedly beautiful.

Israeli shoe designer Kobi Levi

Kobi Levi graduated from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem in 2001. In his CNN interview, he says he has been studying fine arts since fourth grade and found that footwear always somehow makes its way into his sketches, drawing and sculptures.

Now currently working as a freelance designer focusing on footwear design and development, Kobi Levi has already collaborated with many Israeli and international companies, designed commercial footwear for many different countries, and presented his designs in exhibitions all around the globe.

Still he says he ‘s not making money off these shoes nor is he out to make money off of them.

Would you buy or wear any of Kobi Levi’s shoes?

Take a look at part 1 of Kobi Levi’s wearable sculptures or “shoe creatures” as he likes to call them. We’ve arranged them according to inspiration because for us, that’s the only way to make any sense out of them.

Inspired by everyday things and everyday situations

Market Trolley shoe, 1998

Market shoe, 1998

Rocking Chair shoe, 2003

Kobi Levi Chewing Gum shoe, 2009

Slide shoe, 2010

Slingshot shoe, 2010

Contemporary Chinese shoe (chopstick stilettos), 2011

Ordinary shoe styles with an unexpected twist

Double Boot, 2000 (As worn by Lady Gaga and Racquel Zimmerman in the “Born This Way” video)

Sport Elegant shoe, 2001

Androgyne shoe, 2002

Mother & Daughter shoe, 2011

Credit: Kobi Levi

Surprisingly enough, it was something quite common – she went as the famous Dalmatian super villain, Cruella de Vil:

Lady Gaga attends a private Halloween party on October 30, 2010

Of course, because this is Lady Gaga, she went as Cruella de Vil with no pants. She stamped her mark on it a little bit more by smearing fake blood all over her ...Read more]]> So if 1 out of 3 people* went as Lady Gaga this Halloween, what was Lady Gaga’s own Halloween costume?

Surprisingly enough, it was something quite common – she went as the famous Dalmatian super villain, Cruella de Vil:

Lady Gaga attends a private Halloween party on October 30, 2010

Of course, because this is Lady Gaga, she went as Cruella de Vil with no pants. She stamped her mark on it a little bit more by smearing fake blood all over her neck, chest and stomach, and by brandishing a fake gun while texting on her phone at the same time.

So much for being a little monster!

How close do you think Lady Gaga’s costume was to the real Cruella de Vil? :

The OG Cruella de Vil

Though Cruella de Vil does wear red pumps and Lady Gaga did get that part of her costume right, you know what shoes would’ve made the evil Cruella even more sinisterly proud?

This pair of totally impractical and ostentatious fur boots from the premiere shoe designer Christian Louboutin:

Christian Louboutin Toundra Coyote-Fur Trimmed Suede Ankle Boots

The soles have no traction, it’s ridiculously designed to the point of being vulgar and the part that Cruella would’ve liked the most? They’re made of real fur from coyotes.

We’re not saying that real fur is better, just that it’s something that the puppy-hunting and totally fictional character Cruella de Vil would prefer.

The Christian Louboutin Toundra Coyote-Fur Trimmed Suede Ankle Boots are $2,095.00 at SaksFitfhAvenue.com.

*No basis whatsoever

Credit: Love-Gaga.com, Walt Disney

Well, I have my answer now: yes, everything from the hat to the dress to the shoes to the clutch, was made of real meat.

Here are pictures of the Lady Gaga’s meat outfit from many angles, but before you ...Read more]]> I’m a little tardy to the party but I put off writing about the meat outfit the always controversial Lady Gaga wore to the 2010 MTV VMAs because I wanted to first confirm if it was made of real meat or not.

Well, I have my answer now: yes, everything from the hat to the dress to the shoes to the clutch, was made of real meat.

Here are pictures of the Lady Gaga’s meat outfit from many angles, but before you view them, please make sure that your breakfast/lunch/dinner or whatever has already nicely settled in your stomach:

Lady Gaga’s meat dress, meat shoes, meat hat and meat clutch at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. on September 12, 2010

And of course, close-ups of her meat shoes (which are platform booties by the way) are necessary to our blog:

Lady Gaga’s meat-wrapped tootsies

Franc Fernandez, the Argentinian designer of this um, imaginative dress told MTV in an interview that his creation was made from a meat called “matambre”. He’s not sure what it translates to in English but he swears that it was a very clean, sweet-smelling, non-bloody type of meat based on his experience of draping, sewing and putting the dress together in two days.

He also says Lady Gaga told him that it was very comfortable and it didn’t stick, run, or leave a bloody trail at all the whole time she was wearing it at the VMAs.

Curious to find out more about this dress like if it was heavy, how it felt on Lady Gaga or if it will “go bad”? Read more of Franc Fernandez’s tell-all interview at MTV Style.

Suddenly, these bacon shoes aren’t that gross anymore:

Keds Women’s Champion Slip On Bacon Shoes, $60.00

Men’s PRO-Keds Royal Hi Bacon Shoes, $73.15

Keds Kid’s Champion Slip On Bacon Shoes, $50.00

There’s a whole slew of them from bacon to eggs to waffles to your entire breakfast! Available at Zazzle.com.

Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images North America, Bauer Griffin, Photo Agency, Getty, Wireimage, Filmmagic, Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

Before his unfortunate passing, he made this all the more clear by presenting outrageous and ridiculously life-threatening shoes in his 2010 Spring Collection. I am of course, pertaining to none other than the jaw-dropping 10-inch Armadillo shoes, which by the way, looked more like (forgive me for saying this) eerie alien claws from the movie “District ...Read more]]> Alexander McQueen was not only a brilliant designer and showman, but he was also a non-conformist; a rebel; a radical; and a visionary of sorts.

Before his unfortunate passing, he made this all the more clear by presenting outrageous and ridiculously life-threatening shoes in his 2010 Spring Collection. I am of course, pertaining to none other than the jaw-dropping 10-inch Armadillo shoes, which by the way, looked more like (forgive me for saying this) eerie alien claws from the movie “District 9” (sorry, these shoes don’t seem like lobster claws to me).

Alexander McQueen Armadillo Shoes

As expected, anything McQueen always made quite an impression because right after the show, Lady Gaga booked the shoes for her “Bad Romance” video. Other celebrities who were courageous enough to wear the Armadillos were Daphne Guiness  and Kelis (who went all out in a spiky cat looking costume).

Lady Gaga wearing the Armadillo shoes in her “Bad Romance” music video

Daphne Giuness

Kelis

In a way, the Armadillo was McQueen’s highlight, but there were other equally interesting pairs presented in his collection that most people overlooked.

I am talking about the mechanical-heeled Titanic Ballerina, and the Necromnomican-inspired Alien heels:

Alexander McQueen Titanic Ballerina

Alexander McQueen (Alien) Necromnomicon Inspired Heels

Probably not as high as the Armadillo shoes, but still shockingly astounding to look at,  don’t you agree?

If you’re a collector, or you intend to collect any of these shoes, purchasing one will cost you between US$3,900-US$10,000. Good luck in getting a pair though, because these Mcqueen runway shoes come in limited number.

So then comes the question, if you had the chance to wear one of these alien-driven fantastical McQueen footwear for FREE, which pair would you wear for fashion’s sake (reason and logic aside)?

Titanic Ballerian – Necromnomicon – Armadillo

If your answer is “none of the three”, then you may shop for more down-to-earth Alexander McQueen shoe styles at Zappos.com. Here’s a peek at the latest:

Alexander McQueen Paint Splattered Clip Toe Boots

Alexander McQueen Lovely Lips Sandals

Alexander McQueen Smiling Skulls Ballet Flats

One of his lines, McQ, was due to be shown at New York Fashion Week this afternoon but the show has now been cancelled.

The industry was left reeling after the 40-year-old’s suicide this morning, which comes just days after the death of his beloved mother, Joyce.

Born in the East End and the son of a taxi driver, McQueen started as an apprentice at ...Read more]]>

February 11, 2010 – British fashion designer Alexander McQueen was discovered dead today after taking his own life.

One of his lines, McQ, was due to be shown at New York Fashion Week this afternoon but the show has now been cancelled.

The industry was left reeling after the 40-year-old’s suicide this morning, which comes just days after the death of his beloved mother, Joyce.

Born in the East End and the son of a taxi driver, McQueen started as an apprentice at in Savile Row at the age of 16, where he made suits for Prince Charles. He was famously first discovered as a designer in the 90s by Isabella Blow, the style guru and fashion director of Tatler, who killed herself in May 2007 by taking weed killer after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She bought all the clothes he made for his graduate show for £5,000. They were delivered to her in black binliners.

With his ultra-short hair and Doc Marten boots and his penchant for shock tactics in his early catwalk shows, he was initially the ‘enfant terrible’ of the fashion world. There was a stir when he was made head designer at Givenchy in 1996, succeeding John Galliano. He later joined forces with Gucci, who bought 51 per cent of his company.

His hugely successful career brought him numerous awards, including British designer of the year four times between 1996 and 2003 and the International Designer of the Year at the Council of Fashion Designer Awards. He received an CBE in 2003.

The British Fashion Council said: ‘We are deeply saddened at the news of Alexander McQueen’s untimely death. He was a unique talent and one of the world’s greatest designers. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this sad time.’

Victoria Beckham, who is frequently photographed wearing McQueen designs, said: ‘McQueen was a master of fashion, creative genius and an inspiration.

‘Today the fashion industry has lost a true great. An icon of all time. He made all he touched beautiful and will be desperately missed.’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

McQueen was one of those brilliant minds that you just couldn’t ignore even if you didn’t work in fashion, even if you weren’t into fashion, even if you wanted to. His talent was too great, his persona too big to turn away from. Tattered clothes, tartan, sea creatures – his creations made everyone take notice and everything exciting again.

Alexander McQueen dresses: Spring 2003, Fall 2006, and Spring 2010

It’s no wonder that like-minded people were immediately drawn to Alexander McQueen. Some of his biggest forward-thinking fans include Madonna, Kate Moss, Sarah Jessica Parker and just very recently, Lady Gaga.

Alexander McQueen and Sarah Jessica Parker in a McQueen dress

Lady Gaga in her “Bad Romance” video wearing the now (in)famous McQueen lobster shoes

YourNextShoes pays tribute to McQueen by featuring some McQueen shoes from Zappos Couture. These are sure to be collector’s items and become worth a lot more than their listed price in the future:

Alexander McQueen 237684

Alexander McQueen 207254-W0FC3

Alexander McQueen 216797

Alexander McQueen 237688WAF40

Alexander McQueen 237697WAF10

Long live Alexander McQueen.