Upper Street are thrilled to introduce you to the gorgeous Katarzyna Zbrojkiewicz, the winner of our first Golden Shoe Awards launched in March this year. Katarzyna’s stunning shoe design aptly named Turquoise Beauty, was inspired by a Maltese blue lagoon, a design created to help combat the rainy day blues.

Nude turquoise patent round toe courts

We interviewed Katarzyna to find out more about her, her shoe addiction and her beautiful new Upper Street heels….

“My name is Katarzyna Zbrojkiewicz and I’m a 20-year-old student from Poland. I’m also a fashion lover and blogger, my blog is called “Efekty Uboczne” (Side Effects) – www.efektyuboczne.blogspot.com. It’s mostly about young, creative people from the polish fashion industry.

As a typical woman, I love shoes and every time I see a new pair… well, I want to have them, no matter how many similar pairs I already have in my closet! But a unique pair from Upper Street are so special….the only ones in the world! It sounds better than Cinderella’s shoes, doesn’t it?

When I found out about the competition and thought about my inspiration, Malta was the first thing that came to mind. At the time the weather was really bad in Poland – long, dull, grey days. So to feel better I started looking at my old photos from Malta – it was so sunny that I that I could almost feel the atmosphere of those hot, lazy days. It was this recollection that gave me the idea to use the the beautiful shade of turquoise.

I also liked the idea of matching two trends, nude (which I totally love!) and color pop turquoise. Putting a strap detail into my design made it more feminine and classy.

When the parcel arrived I had forgotten all about it – I even asked the postman if he was sure it was for me! It was raining and I had had a bad day… and then I saw that it was from Upper Street. My excitement was inexpressible – I felt so happy!

The package looked so beautiful with it’s swirls and big, pink bow – so cute! I was curious as to how my shoes would look in real life… they looked even better than I imagined! The leather is very soft and every detail is just perfect. I also received a special “shoe -a-holic” book with a quotation on one of the first pages, that I find very inspiring. “Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world!”. I have my pair now!”

We absolutely love Katarzyna’s design – she clearly understands that a nude heel makes her amazing legs go on forever and a shoe such as this will transcend summer through to AW11 with stylish ease.

Nude turquoise patent round toe court

If you missed out on the first Golden Shoe Awards, watch this space for the next round coming soon… you too could be a winner  and conquer the world in fabulous heels!

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.

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

Red & black snake T-bar, Natural snake suede T-bar

One of our favourite sandal shapes of the summer has to be the T-bar sandals. With the fashion world continuing to show it’s love of all things 70′s, the T-bar is the perfect summer shoe to wear right now… and we’re Tempted with a capital T by this iconic retro style.

Whether you opt for 70′s brights for full on disco glam factor or stick with a more neutral but luxe palette, this shape will ensure your tootsies on are on trend this season.

Favoured by style savvy celebrities such as Diane Kruger and Natalie Portman, a T-bar always looks stunning with a red carpet inspired look. Show them off to full advantage with a shorter length dress or let them peak out from under something floor length and glamorous.

Cerise violet satin T-bar, Mixed gold metallic T-bar

Camel snake suede T-bar, Patent natural snake T-bar

For perfect work wear, we’d pair these camel snake and chocolate suede heels with some relaxed tailoring. The glossy black patent and natural snake design would make the perfect day to evening shoe that will take you straight from the office out for cocktails with the girls.

Coral turquoise T-bar, Studded animal snakeskin T-bar

Ramp up the wow factor by choosing a variety of colours, textures and embellishments. These stunning coral snake and turquoise suede heels with a turquoise metallic snake ankle strap would be perfect for any summer social event. For a sexy statement evening shoe, toughen up with these black snake and animal print T-bar’s embellished with studs – perfect for adding a touch of rock chic to your look.

Whether you choose to pay homage to the 70′s trend or just want to create a pair of stand out heels for the summer, visit our shoe design studio and get creative with your T-bar sandals. Take a look at our T-bar sandals feature for further ideas on how to play with colour and texture.

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: Time2, NikkiNakkiLou, J’AdoreFashion, Handbag.com

Ever wondered what the shoe wardrobe of one of Upper Street’s co-founders, Julia Grinham, looks like? How does she choose her Upper Street designs to update an already gorgeous shoe collection each season? Julia is a firm believer in the power of a capsule wardrobe full of style staples and trend led pieces and her shoe collection is no exception. We recently caught up with her and got a sneak peek at her latest collection of gorgeous SS11 Upper Street heels… and now admit to having a serious case of shoe envy!

Monochrome Must Have

“I initially chose this black and white snake design as a great everyday shoe, with a lower 3.5″ heel. However they’re actually really striking so I’ve worn them out in the evening quite a few times too. Such a simple design, but they provide a fantastic impact. These are the shoes that I was wearing when a builder wolf whistled me and said ‘nice shoes’! They look fabulous with cropped black trousers or a smart dress.”

Monochrome snake d’Orsay

Vivacious Violet

“I just had to have a strong pop of colour this season and when I saw a customer’s shoes made in this material I fell in love with it. This is only the second pair of Upper Street points in my wardrobe, but I think I’ll be getting more as it’s such a foxy style. These violet snake heels work best with simple jeans and T-shirt I think – the shoes are what I want everyone to look at!”

Pointed violet snakeskin court

Spring Colour Blocking

“This shoe was inspired by a combination of the Shoe Of The Month designs that Rosa has put together. I would never have though of putting turquoise and coral together but they really work especially for this season. They’re a real statement shoe so I tend to wear them with quite a neutral outfit – black or nude. It’ll be interesting to see if these colours carry through to SS12 – I hope so.”

Turquoise coral sandal

Style Staples

“These camel peep toes are actually from SS10, but they’re still totally on-trend. They literally go with anything, and make my legs look super-long. They originally had an ankle strap which I took off (it’s removable) as I decided I didn’t really need it and was worried about my ‘chunky’ ankles! I wear these for work meetings, with a summer dress, with jeans… absolutely anything.”

“I wouldn’t normally chose black for summer, but Katy, my sister and co-founder of Upper Street, has a pair of these snakeskin sandals and wears them all the time, so she encouraged me to get a pair – they look amazing! I think I’m a real sucker for snakeskin and it’s great to have a chunky sandal in your collection as it ‘rocks up’ any outfit. I’ve just bought a new strapless leopard casual dress from Malene Birger for this summer’s festival season and these look amazing with it.”

Camel buckle peep toe, Black snake sandal

The Irresistible Extra

“These gladiator sandals are actually one of the sample pairs worn by the models on the Jasper Garvida catwalk for SS11 London Fashion Week. Fortunately with my large feet (size 8s), I was able to nab a pair! It was hard to decide which colourway I liked best but I fell for the purple and bronze as they are so sultry and the colours look good with so many things in my wardrobe. I think I’ll wear them with my black jumpsuit from Whistles or maybe the lovely Jasper Garvida dress that the man himself gave me….wow I am one lucky girl!”

Purple bronze gladiator

Will you be building up a capsule shoe wardrobe to see you through the coming seasons? Take a look at our guide to The Essentials and The Lust Have’s and feel free to contact us if you’d like some advice on designing your perfect Upper Street capsule shoe collection.

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.

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