Well Shod, Well Imformed

CALL OF THE WILD

He’s felt the ire of a Despotic Queen and fallen out of favour with a raven haired Scottish Queen but none of this fazes the blithe Aussie wunder-cobbler, Tristan “shit happens from time to time” Blair.

Nor should it…Blair is Australian footwear’s original trailblazer.

At a time when the local industry was bogged down in a quagmire of designer knock-off’s (not much has changed), Blair bravely presented consumers (and Buyers) with his alternative vision of affordable designer footwear.

Blair has been kind enough to give Imelda (and her beloved Imeldettes) a sneak peek at his 9^th collection.

For A/W 10 Blair continues his upward trajectory by drawing inspiration from a variety of sources ranging from the African landscape to the austerity of Victorian times.

As always, the Designer has remained true to his aesthetic of juxtaposing contrasts while for A/W 10 the designer examines “different ideas for heel shapes, from the architectural heel to the comfortable wedge to the sharp sleek stiletto”.

 

THE WITCHING HOUR

It’s been a busy 12 months for the Perth born Tristan Blair, he’s had a string of high profile haute dates with the Bubblelicious Susie, expanded his brand in the UK and Japanese markets and launched a capsule collection with behemoth Australian retailer Sportsgirl and still found the time to body surf. Respect.

I realize we’ve had a few false starts and I’ve been promising to pump out the remainder of Blair’s S/S 09/10 collection for the past week, but with the northern hemisphere heading into summer my meth orders have doubled and the Despotic Queen has had to step up production in the labs. Last night we packed the last of the mules into the cargo container and watched the ship set sale for the Promised Land…meaning Imelda can get back to the business of shoes.

Tristan Blair blindsided the Despotic Queen when he revealed “For S/S 09/10 I’ve found inspiration in the dark side”. His SS09/10 collection The Lost Girls was in part inspired by the late 80’s film The Lost Boys and is a precise collection of Grecian sandals, masculine boots, gladiator heels and laser cut platforms.

If it wasn’t the lightning flashes of fuchsia, orange and red in Blair’s somber palette of black and brown the collection could almost have been seen as Blair’s response to the sobering economic climate. Making a mischievous appearance is Pewter (a colour normally reserved for mother of the bride / dinner dance footwear); Blair has used the metallic colour in the most delightfully ironic 80’s inspired woven sandal.

Mellifluent patent, scuba and suede trimmed Chopin inspired platforms are contrasted by plaiting, laser cut uppers and Victorian inspired lace detail. Following up his universally acclaimed A/W 09 collection, Blair continues to use trims in the most unexpected ways. Peek-a-boo fringing, buckles and press-studs are placed to maximum effect.

Now into his 8^th season, I asked Blair how he would describe the brand’s signature style. Pausing, he replied, “how would you describe it?” “Masculine with subtle feminine tailoring” I responded, “That sounds about right” he laughed.

Blair may have been inspired by “the classic battle of good versus evil” and “the inherent sexual appeal of witchery” but the hoodoo voodoo stops with the press release. Blair’s ‘The Lost Girls’ collection is a timely reminder of why the Despotic Queen thinks he is one of the most exciting footwear designers in Australia.

SPELLBOUND

I realize the following my be construed as a somewhat unprofessional admission about my fragile condition but the time for caring was 2 years ago…Imelda the Blogging Machine rants “Today I can’t be arse'd and while I'm ranting, would Chef stop feeding me Potato Gems, the months been cunty enough without clogged arteries and an expanding gunt to worry about”

My miserable disposition aside, Mummy Imelda is keenly aware of the prior engagement I made with my beloved Imeldettes…a promise is a promise…innit! However, I’d prefer to not let my seething contempt for the week’s events permeate Tristan’s spellbinding new SS09/10 collection. So I’ve chosen 3 of my favorite styles (with more to come) for you to puddle in your petty pants over…don’t worry the irony that all 3 are flats hasn’t been lost on the Despotic Queen…I told you I wasn’t well J

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

He’s taken his sweet time but Tristan Blair has (finally) crossed over to the dark side. Blair’s SS09/10 collection titled ‘The Lost Girls’, finds the Sydney based designer taking inspiration from (amongst other things) ‘the inherent sexual appeal of witchery’.

Imelda will (EXCLUSIVLEY) convene Blair’s unholy coven of footwear delights tomorrow…who’s the real bitch witch now?

THE BLACK WIDOW!

Tristan Blair is always kind enough to relieve Imelda of her skirt, so last week when I popped into his showroom for a sneak peek at SS08, I wore pants (yes, a first) despite the diabolical chaffing they cause. Why? If you’ve read Imelda long enough you’ll know that Tristan Blair is a local hero of sorts and because I was anticipating a full skirt lift moment! I needn’t have bothered because the breeze was so light my hem barely fluttered - and now the chaffing has left me sorer than an alter boy!

Normally the master of proportion, the majority of Tristan’s summer silhouettes looked confused and dated. His palette (black on black), questionable use of fabric (suede, patent, scuba) and another special guest appearance from winter’s (cheap looking) buckle trims has left me asking - what when wrong?

Not a total train wreck - the tall gladiator sandal in black patent was my highlight as was the closed back multi strap sandal in black patent.

Contrary to popular belief I don’t enjoy eating my own – if I won’t tolerate mediocrity from Marc Jacobs then I certainly can’t tolerate it from someone I believe to be a capable and talented designer!

A mother’s love is always the toughest!

UPDATE

I welcome all email feedback (positive or negative) and I understand some of you don’t wish to make your opinions public but the more voices the more informed the debate. But ladies (and gents) cool your heels - it’s a blog about shoes!

By ‘sugar coating’ or ‘self censoring’ my opinions as one reader suggested, I’m being dishonest to you, the designer and to myself. This opens up a more complex debate about the objectivity of reporting in fashion, but that is best left for another blogger or another post!

I consider Tristan Blair to be a capable designer with global potential. The notion that I should treat a local designer and international designers differently because of the ‘scale of resources’ is preposterous!

I’m only one person (who rides a unicorn, not a horse, thank you muchly ‘insert your name here’) with one objective opinion – read the comments left by readers because let’s face it you’re the one buying the shoes!