I have to be honest; I have never closely followed London Fashion Week, simply skimming through certain well-known designers such as Burberry, Mulberry, Pringle of Scotland, and Tom Ford. However, this season I decided to follow it more closely and discovered some interesting designers, one of them being shoe designer Sophia Webster.
I was drawn to Webster first and foremost for her funky and fun style but also for her creative way of showcasing her designs. For this past week’s A/W 2014 London Fashion Week, Webster created a dollhouse entitled “Heartbreak Hotel” at the Covent Garden.
90’s clad models were set up around the hounds tooth walls of the “Heartbreak Hotel” with Whitney Houston and Britney Spears blaring in the background. With one model sitting in a bubble filled bathtub listening to a CD-player and another standing on a pink and white stairwell chatting on a cellphone, it truly looked like a scene out of my favorite movie, Clueless. The shoes and overall styling were exceptionally girly, with the primary color being pink and the use of fur, jewels, pom poms, and glitter accents a la Betsey Johnson and Barbie.
When asked by Harper’s Bazaar’s Kerri Pieri what her approach to design is, Webster responded: “I like to have fun with it. The thought of doing a shearling knee high sandal sounds mental, but then I think, let’s do it because it’s mental.”
As a new and upcoming designer, Webster won the Emerging Talent Award for Accessories at the British Fashion Awards in 2013. Her designs are definitely fun and playful and she seems to be having fun with it. With the Barbie like designs and 90’s throwback, these shoes are my inner six year old’s dream come true.
Photo Credit: L’Express
By: Julianne Bagley
