Project Runway alum Jillian Lewis showed her Fall ‘09 collection in presentation format this year. In case you heard, Presentations is NY Fashion Week’s answer to financial recession. You can have them in a smaller spacea, people can come in an out and take many many, photos, and they require fewer high-priced people to stage. Presentations come in many styles. Some consists of models standing in a row on platforms looking a bit like living dolls. Some are very much like shows, but they run repeatedly for an hour, and some combine both. Jillian Lewis did the doll-like thing, but there was nothing doll-like about her collection.
She had many “puzzle” pieces (her words, not mine). They involved a patchwork type technique with sheer and opaque fabrics as below:

Fancy, huh? I actually thought the Puzzle Pants would be awesome as leggings on your average fashion-lovin’ lady, but it would take a brave woman to pull off that puzzle dress. (Perhaps this is that woman). But wait….did you see the shoes?????
Guess who made them. No, seriously. Guess. Actually, I’ll give you some more material to work with first:
 

I thought these shoes were super cute and that they went well with the collection. Here’s a hint on the source. The brand is not uncredibly well-known, BUT it has been mentioned on this very blog several times as making designer knock-offs. For a knock-off brand, they are pretty pricey (around the $200) mark for most pairs. More clues here and here.
Alright, I’ve had my fun. Jillian Lewis sourced her shoes right from Pour La Victoire. They are relatively affordable, on trend, and some of the same styles can be found online like the:
Pour la Victoire ‘Sacha’ sandal which is $289 at Nordstroms or $339 at Zappos or $314 at ShopBop (how’s that for giving you store options?)

BEIJING (Reuters) - Two athletes in Sunday's marathon will have an extra spring in their step -- quite literally.Angola's Joao N'Tyamba and Ecuador's Franklin Tenorio have both opted to race in the controversial Spira Stinger shoe that has a two stainless steel springs bedded in its sole.U.S. track and field authorities have banned the distinctive yellow footwear, saying it gives athletes an unfair advantage, while the international athletics federation has yet to rule on the issue, opening the way for the Spira's debut at an Olympics.
The shoe's creator says other contesters could still protest about its use and criticized the continuing confusion."My shoe certainly provides no more of an advantage than the Speedo swim suit and no one is saying Michael Phelps should be barred," Andy Krafsur, CEO of Spira Footwear, told Reuters in a telephone interview from his home base in El Paso, Texas.Phelps and countless other swimmers broke a slew of world records in Beijing swimming in the space-age Speedo garb.
Wearing the right shoes is vital in a marathon.They have to be tough enough to get the runner round the 26.22-mile (42.195-km) course, gentle enough to protect the hard pressed feet and light enough to keep iredness at bay.Other racers on Sunday are also opting for unusual footwear, including the fancied U.S. athlete Ryan Hall, who will be using innovative Asics shoes which have rice husks meshed into the sole to absorb water and improve traction.
Krafsur said that all the runners' shoes would have been made to help athletes get round the course and he did not see why the inclusion of springs should cause any especial concern.
"The shoe returns energy, but all shoes return some energy. It is not spring loaded and not motorized. It is mechanized and common sense tells you it should not be banned," he said, adding that the idea was simply to help prolong athletes' careers."The energy the shoe returns reduces the stress on the body. That means you are more likely to avoid injury."Angola's N'Tyamba is 40 and will be one of the veterans on Sunday. He said the shoe might enable him to stay in competition.
"At my age, one's muscles change. This shoe is helping me a lot and I don't see why anyone could think that is a bad thing," he told Reuters.The shoe made its first appearance at the Games on Tuesday when Belgian athlete Axel Zeebroek donned them in the triathlon. Ranked 57th in the world, he finished the race in 13th place.Critics have accused Krafsur of cashing in on the U.S. ban to generate publicity for his range of consumer products, with his average customer being 55-year-old women.He says he is trying to make inroads into a market dominated by giants like Nike and accuses the track and field authorities of failing to keep pace with technology."The oversized driver in golf and the metal tennis racket were banned when they were introduced, but over time they came to increase participation in the sport," he said.

New Shoes Too Big
If you have bought a pair of new shoes that are slightly too big there are many products on the market to fill up your shoe to make it fit. The first thing to try is an insole which in either a rubber or leather fabric to fill up your shoe all over. If the problem area is the heel and you find that your shoe flips up and down as you walk, try attaching a stick on heel grip preferably in a leather fabric. This will fill out your shoe in the heel area and hopefully keep your shoes on. If you find that that the balls of your feet are rubbing, it may be because the shoe is too loose allowing it to move around.
There are lots of great foot petals on the market which can be bought from either a pharmacy or supermarket and in most shoe stores. This little rubber pad will stick to your shoe without any adhesive and stop the ball of your foot from moving around.
New Shoes Too Small
If you couldn't resist a pair of shoes that happened to be slightly too small then don't worry, a cobbler can help. The problem is that when it comes to stretching, shoes can generally only be made wider - for obvious reasons they can't be magically make longer! If you have a pair of sandals or shoes with a buckle strap, extra holes can be punched it to loosen the fit. If you do happen to buy shoes that are too small, try to stick to only purchased open-toe styles. This way your toes can just poke out a little more than they should.
Slippery Soles
If you find that your shoes are slippery, simply get a piece of sandpaper and lightly sand over the sole of the shoe. This will lightly scratch the surface of the shoe sole and give you the grip you need. Alternatively, take your new shoes to a boot maker and have them attach rubber soles to the bottom of your shoes. This will not only protect your shoes (you can replace them when they're worn) but also add grip.