The mood for AW12 is one of richness if the runways at Christopher Kane, Lanvin and Emporio Armani were anything to go by and we’re very happy about one particular trend. Here at Upper Street we’re passionate about purple – it’s such a luxurious colour to wear; perfect for head to toe this winter or in splashes of luxe accents.

Purple hues are perfect when it comes to footwear and a mood lifting alternative to everyday black. With our myriad of purple shades, materials and finishes, you can design a unique purple shoe for every occasion from work wear through to the statement shoe that every woman’s footwear fantasies are made of! These are just a few of our favourites…

Purple peep toe crossover

Add a regal touch to your work wear with the richness of purple suede and indigo snakeskin in this elegant d’Orsay cut peep toe platform. This shoe would look just as amazing peeping out from beneath tailored trousers as it would worn with dresses and skirts.

Purple leopard platform court shoes

When you need something wonderful for the weekend on the shoe front then purple leopard is the answer! These purple leopard pony platform courts with a contrasting black snakeskin heel are perfect for lunch with the girls or a night on the town.

Purple satin bow sandal

Not that we need an excuse but cocktails or a party always provide a perfect new shoe shopping opportunity. These sumptuously elegant Ultra Purple and Marine Italian satin sandals with a large bow are the perfect party shoe and a head turning classic that will never date.

Violet satin jewel cluster ballet flat

If heels aren’t your thing, but you still want to socialise in style, then why not design a glamorous evening ballet flat? These stunning violet Italian satin ballet flats have been designed with contrasting turquoise bow and piping and finished off with a turquoise thin snakeskin ankle strap and a Swarovski jewel cluster.

Purple snakeskin studded gladiator sandal

And last, but by no means least, purple makes for a statement shoe that would make Carrie Bradshaw proud! We have a lot of shoe love for these purple snakeskin platform gladiator sandals with their alternating patent and suede straps and gunmetal stud embellishments. And gladiators have been popping up all over the fashion shows for Spring/ Summer 2013, so would see you step out in style ahead of the crowd!

These are just a few of the many purple possibilities you can design at Upper Street. For more inspiration, take a look at our sumptuous purple Pinterest board – we had to get Prince in there somewhere! Start designing your perfect purple shoe

Come and visit our Upper Street Studio in London. Whether you’d like to try shoes on before ordering, view our samples and material swatches or need help with designing your shoes, we’re help to help you.

To book a free Studio appointment, email iloveshoes@upperstreet.com or call us on 0845 680 9365.

You can also order the full range of luxurious materials from our Swatch Store. Whether you’d like to experience the richness of our suedes, feel the silken quality of our sumptuous Italian satins or visualise our glossy patents as a shoe, you can order as many swatches as you want!

Upper Street – the made-to-order luxury shoe label where you can design your own shoes and have them delivered right to your door.

Image source: Style.com

At Upper Street, many of the orders and enquiries we receive from our customers are all about finding those elusive perfect, go to evening heels. If you’re anything like us, when planning an outfit for a special evening out, the right shoes are paramount to getting the look spot on in the after dark style stakes.

An evening heel needs to be glamorous and stand out from the rest of your day wear shoe collection. It also needs to be versatile and compliment as many different evening styles in your wardrobe as possible. And as is often the case with a true shoe addict, it has to have that all important WOW factor!

We asked Upper Street co-founders Katy Chandler and Julia Grinham to let us take another peek at their shoe collection and talk us through what they think makes the perfect evening shoe.

Gold & bronze T-bar sandal, Gold & bronze asymmetric peep toe

Katy: “I love how these gold and bonze T-bars echo the 70′s luxe trend for AW11 – they look amazing with a pair of flared jeans and a silk blouse for evening cocktails. I opted for the 4.5″ heel and 0.5″ platform for authentic 70′s height – very Studio 54!” Read our T-bar feature for more 70′s inspiration.

Julia: “I’ll be wearing these gold peep toes with my beautiful black velvet DVF dress to the Drapers Fashion Awards in November where Upper Street have been short-listed in the Smaller Etailer Of The Year category. This is the stand out shoe from our AW11 Metallics trend for me and I love the contrasting colours”.

Black & gold bow peep toe, Asymmetric jewels peep toe

Katy: “These suede peep toes with their amazing gold metallic snake platform and bow are my current favourite evening heel. I’ll definitely be pairing them with something sleek and stunning to see me through the party season this year”. Take a look at our bow feature to see how you can add the perfect finishing touch to your evening or day wear heels.

Julia: “This asymmetric jewel toned peep toe is absolutely beautiful – I love the subtle blend of colours and I think it will look amazing with a long silk, flowing satin dress in contrasting jewel tones”. Here at Upper Street we fell in love with this season’s Jewels trend.

Fuchsia marine satin d’Orsay, Scarlet satin buckle pointed court

Katy: “It’s the eye popping mix of gorgeous colours that makes me grab these fuchsia and marine satin d’Orsay platforms from my collection. I love the surprise splash of citrus lemon on the heel! I’ve worn them out with dresses but also think they look amazing peeping out from beneath trousers and jeans for a more casual evening look”. If you fancy giving colours a try for an evening shoe but aren’t sure where to start, read our designing with colour feature. If you’re still unsure about your design or have any other questions, feel free to get in touch.

Julia: “This is a seriously sexy shoe to wear with a classic little black dress. These red satin courts with the additional buckle detail are fantastic for making my legs look longer and more shapely – I always wear them when I want to look red-hot!” Take a look at our gallery full of stunning scarlet designs and be inspired to create your own sexy statement shoes!

We loved seeing Katy and Julia’s evening heels and think that the best thing about all of them is that they would look just as amazing worn with jeans and a shimmery evening top as they would with full-on cocktail attire. If you’ve been inspired by some of the designs here, visit our shoe design studio and create your own statement, after-dark heels that would give Carrie Bradshaw a run for her money!

Upper Street - the made-to-order luxury shoe label where you can design your own individual shoes and have them delivered right to your door.

We’re now open for personal appointments at our Studio in London. Whether you’d like to try shoes on before ordering, view our samples and material swatches or need help with designing your shoes, we’re help to help you.

Book your one-to-one consultation

Please call us on 0845 680 9365 or email iloveshoes@upperstreet.com to book your complimentary appointment.

Blue suede crossover sandal

The first thing that goes through practically every shoe lover’s mind when the sun comes out is “When can I start wearing sandals?” If ever there were a versatile shoe then the summer sandal must surely be it. Build up the right collection and you’re guaranteed to have statement heels to see you through every social occasion for the warmer months. At Upper Street the sandal comes in many beautiful guises with colour, texture, shape and finish all just waiting to be brought together into your perfect pair of heels.

We’ve put together four looks to go with sandal styles that echo the SS11 trends and will have your feet looking sizzlingly stylish this season.

Platforms are here to stay and when they come in the form of a sandal, look perfect paired with skirts, dresses, jeans and trousers.

Camel suede & eau satin strappy sandal

For an evening summer cocktail party, think easy glamour. Silk trousers and a shimmer top cry out to be finished off with sandals in gorgeous muted tones of camel suede and eau satin with a touch of Swarovski crystal diamante on the ankle strap.

Whether its a formal occasion or a casual affair with friends and family, summer socials in the garden demand florals.

White patent yellow snake flower sandal

Echo the zingy citrus print of this gorgeous maxi dress with a yellow snake flower atop some shiny white patent sandals with a yellow snake platform and heel.

Everyone loves a day at the races  - it’s the perfect excuse to dress up, put on your favourite heels and place your bets!

Ruby patent with nude bow

Whilst sipping champagne and cheering on the the winner, channel Carrie Bradshaw in brights, ruffle and a corsage. A ruby patent sandal with a nude toned bow will set every shoe loving heart a flutter.

A statement sandal is a must have for a summer wedding. By choosing an Upper Street design you can pull together your outfit and then pick and choose the colours that you want to accent.

These gorgeous gladiators in camel and orange snake with alternating embellished suede straps compliment the orange and nude tones with the dress and accessories beautifully. The perfect stand out wedding guest shoes.

Take a look at our sandal inspiration gallery and start designing your perfect pair today.

Upper Street shoes come in a huge range of sizes from the petite 33 (UK 1.5) to the generous 43 (UK 10) with 4 width fittings. We also offer free alterations to fit and we’re so confident that you’ll love your final design that we’ll refund you if you don’t!

To book an appointment in our London Studio, email iloveshoes@upperstreet.com or call us on 0845 680 9365.

If you can’t make it the studio but still want to see our full range of luxurious materials, visit our Upper Street Swatch Store.Whether you’d like to experience the richness of our suedes, feel the silken quality of our sumptuous Italian satins or visualise our glossy patents as a shoe, you can order as many swatches as you want!

Upper Street - the made-to-order luxury shoe label where you can design your own individual shoes and have them delivered right to your door.

Image Source: Net-A-Porter, My-Wardrobe.com, John Lewis

The high heel – three words guaranteed to send every shoe lover into a frenzy. Footwear fanatics look upon the high heel as a something to aspire to and to covet. Have you ever noticed how different you look when you add a pair of high heels to your ensemble? Apart from the obvious height factor, you instantly look slimmer and elegant and your manner changes to that of one who is in control of her destiny!

High priestess of Jimmy Choo, Tamara Mellon, is quoted as saying “Super high heels provide instant stature and empowerment and the more you wear them, the more comfortable you feel in them.” We agree – stepping into beautiful heels can transform your posture, your presentation and even how you feel about yourself.

To learn to walk in them without resembling a drunken giraffe is a challenge that must be conquered if we are to be inducted into the shoe-a-holic hall of fame with full Carrie Bradshaw credentials intact! So we’ve scoured what appears to be a particularly shoe-crazed Internet to bring you the best tips for mastering the high heel with confidence.

1. First and foremost, make sure the shoe fits properly. Ill fitting footwear will not only increase your chances of blisters but also of the dreaded wobble appearing as you walk. At Upper Street we take into account any fit issues you might have when making your beautiful shoes. Once you take delivery of your bespoke heels, if the fit isn’t quite right, we will pay for your local cobbler to adjust them or you can send them back so that we can alter or remake at no extra charge.

2. Practice makes perfect! If you have a new pair of heels, wear them around the house a little before you go out in them. Not only will you get used to them but you’ll be able to get the leather to stretch a little for added comfort and roughen up the surface of the sole, giving added grip when you do go out to show them off.

3. Have a variety of heel heights at your disposal. If you’re really not used to skyscraper heels then start with a lower heel and build up. Swapping a variety of heel heights during the week will help give the different parts of your feet a rest. Don’t forget you can select a lower heel and platform at the checkout stage when designing your perfect Upper Street shoe.

4. Cheat a little – add grip pads if you feel the sole is exceptionally slippery and for added comfort for longer periods of wear, add cushioning inside your shoe where appropriate. Wincing whilst you walk is not the look you’re aiming for! We send out cushion pads with all our Upper Street heels so that you can dance in them all night if the mood takes you.

5. For the mechanics of it all, try remembering these points.

• Keep your head up and shoulders back as heels then to pitch the weight forward. Tightening up your core abdominal muscles also helps.
• Take shorter steps, going down evenly on the ball of the foot and heel.
• To help distribute the weight on the ball of the foot, spread your toes inside the shoe a little.
• Lastly, swing those hips… a little! When you tense up you can easily lose your balance – maintain an easy, eye-pleasing momentum by letting your hips swing in small sideways, figure-eight motions

6. Be prepared – if you are going to be spending all day and possibly the evening too on your feet, bring a pair of stylish ballet flats along to swap later on. From Autumn 2011 you’ll be able to design the perfect ballet flat at Upper Street meaning that you get the best of both worlds.

And finally, reward your tootsies for all their hard work by taking time out to care for and pamper them. Not only will you be able to walk further in glamorous heels but pretty shoes demand pretty feet – essential when all the attention is focused on your fabulous footwear!

Upper Street shoes come in a huge range of sizes from the petite 33 (UK 1.5) to the generous 43 (UK 10) with 4 width fittings. We also offer free alterations to fit and we’re so confident that you’ll love your final design that we’ll refund you if you don’t!

To book an appointment in our London Studio, email iloveshoes@upperstreet.com or call us on 0845 680 9365.

If you can’t make it the studio but still want to see our full range of luxurious materials, visit our Upper Street Swatch Store.Whether you’d like to experience the richness of our suedes, feel the silken quality of our sumptuous Italian satins or visualise our glossy patents as a shoe, you can order as many swatches as you want!

Upper Street - the made-to-order luxury shoe label where you can design your own individual shoes and have them delivered right to your door.

Image Source: Dramatis Personae, Zimbio, Eye Candy, MyLookBook, Metro, Mail Online