Shoes for the city chic by designer Sophie Gittins

The sun might be playing hide and seek with the UK skies but there is no denial that it is time to embrace the colourful side of your personality for the upcoming spring season.

We bring to you the amazing designer of some awe-inspiring shoes Sophie Gittins, who will help you to do just that.  British shoe designer Gittins studied at the prestigious Cordwainers, London College of Fashion where she learnt the art and craft of footwear designing. She must have been a top class student for she went on to impress some of the biggest names of the industry and was selected as a finalist of Fashion Fringe Shoes by a judging panel including luminaries like Manolo Blahnik, Colin McDowell and Rupert Sanderson.

Buoyed by her early success and determined to take footwear designing to greater levels she started her own brand in 2009. Her shoes are classic yet with a contemporary feminine aesthetic; Italian craftsmanship is at the core of the brand and she gives meticulous attention to details. The designs are perfect blend of the finest leathers and silks, giving you some seriously covetable footwear.

Gittins seeks inspiration from the opulent imagery of renowned American portraiture photography Louise Dahl-Wolfe and the bright crisp palette of Scottish colourist F.C.B. Cadell, giving each collection a timeless luxury. Her spring/summer 2012 collection is especially driven by Cadell’s work. Cadell was known for pigment rich paintings of the Scottish island of Iona and use of hot pink, scarlet, emerald and tangerine which contrasted against chalky whites and deepest black. Her collection reflects this ethos with vibrant plush suede wedges, ruched shantung silk sandals and peep toe peplum tasseled ankle boots. As a tribute, each shoe has been given a name from a person or place associated with the life and work of Cadell.

Hollywood bigwigs like Rachel Weisz and Zooey Deschanel will be strutting this season wearing a pair from the collection. With so much oeuvre on her shoulders, Gittins may well be the modern fairy Godmother for the modern Cinderella.

Drool over here.

Dhanya Nair