Do only the very wealthy pay retail these days? Seems like it. With so many discount shopping sites that sell high-end items, mere mortals can get said high-end items at low(er)-end prices. But is is there room for yet one more of these sites? LuxGoddess.com is hoping so. It recently joined the likes of Bluefly, ShopBop, and Gilt to offer upscale items at reduced prices. Here's what makes LuxGoddess different, however: It donates 10% of its proceeds to Bright Pink, a national nonprofit that provides education and support to young women who are at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer.

Calling itself "the premier site for today's fashion trendsetters looking for great deals on their favorite designer brands," the site carries well-known brands, with a number of items pulled from online stores, and covers the standard categories of apparel, shoes, beauty, and accessories. There's also a sale rack, which is a user's personal sale rack, based on her size and brand preferences.

Master leather craftsmen in Argentina can satisfy your cravings for fashion, quality, comfort and originality with custom boots. Clients can choose the style and leather to suit their taste and custom measurements ensure a beautiful fit and happy feet. There is also a truly bespoke option where one can design their own boot to exact specifications, including special details such as buttons made of precious metals. The end result being a one-of-a kind haute couture pair. If you can dream it, they can make it.

Anna Lunna offers women the opportunity to enjoy boots that truly reflect her personal sense of style. The company offers clients their choice of 16 styles, 5 different heel heights, 10 different heel styles and 17 leather colors from which to create the perfect boot for day or night, ranging from a casual day look to a dressier evening look. Once you order your boots the company will rush you an Anna Lunna 8 Point Fit Measurement Kit so that the boots will fit your feet to perfection. The finishing touch is your boots will arrive in about 6 weeks with your name personally engraved inside.

All this individuality comes at a cost with ankle boots retailing at $4,500 and knee high boots retailing at $5,000. While you are spoiling your feet in customized luxury you can take comfort in the fact that the brand is committed to giving back to the community. They claim to do this not only by employing third generation bootsmiths, thereby keeping their craft alive, but by contributing 10% of the proceeds of every boot sold to WORTH, a program that empowers impoverished women around the world.

What makes a pair of rubber boots worth over $400? The ones from France's Le Chameau are not your ordinary wellies. For one thing, each pair is handmade by a single boot maker from start to finish using only 100% natural rubber, which provides superior resilience and elasticity compared to synthetic rubber. Besides forming an excellent barrier to water, natural rubber offers a high resistance to wear, cutting and tearing, and results in a much better fit and a more comfortable boot all around. They're also lined with the highest quality full-grain, glove-soft calf leather which prevents that clammy feeling and heat buildup other rubber boots are prone to. Many models also feature a full-length proprietary waterproof zipper making them extremely easy to put on and take off, while the soft but aggressive tread grips almost any surface.

Of course Le Chameaus are also damned stylish; they recently appeared in our Fall Sporting Style feature starring the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and while gaining popularity with connoisseurs here, in Europe they're the hunting boot of choice for everyone from royalty to gamekeepers and as much a part of estate shooting as a bespoke shotgun. In 1927, M. Claude Chamot hand-crafted the first pair of Le Chameau boots in his factory in Northern France. It takes nine months of intense training to become a Le Chameau boot maker. Unique skills and techniques are passed down through generations, from master boot maker to apprentice, ensuring that each pair of boots is created with the same care, quality and craftsmanship as in M. Chamot's day, with the benefit of modern technology of course. Under normal conditions a pair of Le Chameaus will last for decades, making the best boot money can buy well worth the price.



The classic olive green Chasseur hunting boots are our favorite, but a range of models is available for both men and women. There are special versions for cold weather and even some fur trimmed ladies' models in interesting colors. On a historical note, these type of boots are known as Wellingtons or wellies after a softer, closer-fitting style of cavalry boot originally designed by the first Duke of Wellington, who had the first ones made of leather in the early 1800s. They were not made of rubber until the 1850s when Charles Goodyear invented the vulcanization process for natural rubber. You can check out a video of Le Chameau boots being made here.

The Fall is here and with that comes vibrantly colored foliage, pumpkin patches, apple picking excursions and of course clothing and accessories to update your Fall wardrobe. Of the many Fall staples that come to mind, leather tall boots rank among the top of the list. From high heels and thigh high boots to suede and flats, there are so many to choose from that it can be difficult to decide where to start. But of the wide variety of styles, tall flat boots are certainly the more practical and functional of out the bunch. They can be worn virtually everyday and provide added comfort especially if you tend to do a lot of walking throughout your day. One of our favorite flat boots are from Loeffler Randall. Their Marti Flat Buckle Boot features a slight wedge and several side buckled straps that add a decorative effect. It's cognac colored leather is the perfect neutral color that will compliment your entire wardrobe. The Marti is also available in black and in mid calf height. Unfortunately there is no side zipper but the wide opening will help to pull on these boots easily. Price: $895.

The tradition of drinking champagne from a woman's shoe began in the 1880s in France. Piper Heidsieck revives this tradition with Le Rituel a new collaboration with shoemaker Christian Louboutin. The set includes a bottle of champagne and a red-soled Louboutin glass stiletto. The website for the project says it will be available in the U.S. on October 19. You can follow Piper Heidsieck on Facebook or Twitter as they reveal more details about the project which has shoe-loving fashionistas buzzing.

[via High Snobriety]

Form or function? It's a question as old as, well...footwear itself. Because typically shoes that serve a specific function have their form dedicated to them. Just think of work boots or running shoes and you'll know what we mean. Conversely shoes designed for form aren't typically very functional. Porsche Design, however, figures they've got it figured out with its latest footwear collection.

Built around a unique sole designed specifically for driving, the collection includes a variety of styles for the gentleman driver, ranging from formal oxfords to sporty sneakers. Each features a left sole with a solid grip to operate the clutch and a right sole designed for easy transition from gas to brake. The uppers are made from black, white, gray and brown calfskin, and are fabricated in Italy by Müller & Meirer Lederwarenfabrik GmbH.

This is probably the only time I've seen something named after the Vice President cost more than something named after the President. The Biden, which sells for $190, is part of the newest collection from Terra Plana, a London-based shoe company. The Pop Series is a line of modular shoes made with recycled, natural,and biodegradable materials. The Barack shoe ($180) and the Biden ankle boot are the first two styles introduced from the new line and are constructed from glue-less technology. These shoes feature just 10-12 components while the average shoe is comprised of between 50 and 70. The series is designed to be lightweight and flexible and has an interchangeable sole.

The recently-opened Etiqueta Negra boutique in downtown Manhattan has brought a modern take on masculine, equestrian style all the way from Buenos Aires. The store, which features among other décor elements a 1938 Alfa Romeo racecar (above), carries suits, jackets, jeans and shirts, as well as a line of leather shoes designed exclusively for Etiqueta Negra by Casa Fagliano, the Argentina-based maker of Prince Charles' bespoke polo boots. Prices for the princely footwear, which is not available anywhere else in the U.S., begin at $2,500 a pair. They also carry polo gear as well as women's clothing, though the emphasis is on the menswear.

Related: The Classicist: On Equestrian Style; The Classicist: Exploring the Wide World of Polo

I'm not generally a believer in fashion trends as oracles but if we are looking to runway shoes for a hint of the future then maybe glamorous carefree days are ahead. The recent Prada show in Milan showcased crystals which were worn as a glittering mesh over skintight outfits or even more fabulously, dangling from kicky Lucite heeled sandals. The effect was dazzling, a flash of color and light with each step. No word yet on price but truly crafty girls could probably craft their own with a few chandelier crystals.

Custom design T-shirts are commonplace now but how about custom stilettos? Dream Heels is a Canadian company that entices visitors to create and submit their own styles. The designs are shown on the Dream Heels website and can be voted on. Each month a winning design is chosen. The creator receives $250 and a $250 Dream Heels gift certificate as well as $0.50 for every pair that gets sold in the Dream Heels shop featuring that design up to $1,500. So far there aren't any shoes up for purchase yet and all shoes are in the same basic style but still, this is an idea that may have legs.

[via Springwise]

Ferrari has made a killing off of its merchandising division. Between the sportscars and the t-shirts, the Maranello outfit makes enough to support its multi-million-dollar Formula One team – purported to have one of the biggest budgets in the hugely expensive pinnacle racing series – without requiring parent company Fiat to contribute one thin dime. Dany Bahar, the man largely responsible for the company's branding efforts after having done the same for beverage giant Red Bull, is now rumored to be moving to arch-rival Lotus to become its new CEO.

A few years back, Bahar brokered a deal with Puma to supply the team and company with branded sportswear. But before that it was the purview of Italian sportswear company Fila. Oregon-based designer Olivier Henrichot designed a whole range of conceptual shoes for both Ferrari and its two-wheel counterpart Ducati. When Ferrari names a replacement for Bahar, he might want to take a look at these. And so can you in the image gallery below.

Comme des Garçons avant-garde designer and founder Rei Kawakubo has created four new versions of Converse's classic Chuck Taylors as part of the PLAY by Converse collection. The new styles launch at the end of this month, according to ELLE.

Kawakubo took inspiration from the Converse archives, borrowing a Chuck Taylor silhouette from the '50s that was designed for the U.S. military. Each pair has the Comme des Garçons PLAY heart on the side, making it unique (though some comments in the blogosphere note that these don't seem much different from any other Chucks except for the heart).

New York, Paris, London, Hong Kong and Seoul shoppers will be able to get them in the next week at select retailers that sell Comme des Garçons PLAY, and in October, everyone else can get them after a second launch in the same Comme des Garçons stores as well as at top Converse retailers in the U.S., Canada and China.

The four styles are available in high- or low-top, and in black or white canvas. $100

ECCO, the luxury golf shoe brand sported by everyone from Catherine Zeta Jones, Justin Timberlake and Kid Rock, to Bill Murray, Samuel L. Jackson and even Donald Trump has created this unique shoe for the Solheim Cup, which takes place this year August 17-23 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, IL. The shoes are also worn by international Tour stars, like Juli Inkster, Carin Koch, Linda Wessberg, Iben Tinning, Fred Couples, Aaron Baddeley, Colin Montgomerie, Stuart Appleby, Arjun Atwal, Thongchai Jaidee, Thomas Bjorn, John Bickerton, Bradley Dredge and others.

What makes ECCO shoes so special? Well, not only are they fused together so that the sole will never wear away from the rest of the shoe, but they are made from the very highest quality leather -- the same leather used to make Louis Vuitton leather goods, Coach handbags, BMW car seats and Wilson baseball gloves -- ensuring maximum comfort and durability.

So, if you're attending the Solheim Cup, be sure and pick up a pair of these at the on-site merchandise pavillion for $180. The shoes will also be available to official U.S. team members and LPGA Tour staff. Not heading to Solheim? There are a lot of great shoes available for men and women in performance, golf, street, and dress styles at eccousa.com.

For your reading and viewing pleasure we present the first in a series looking back at highlights from the first year of The Classicist, the weekly column devoted to timeless style, enduring elegance, and true, built-to-last luxury as opposed to mere extravagance. For our first installment we present the best of Men's Style, from Savile Row to Italy and New York and back again, with suits, jackets, cashmere, shoes, accessories and everything in between. These are not the sort of things that ever really go out of fashion, so if you haven't already added to your wardrobe with some of these staples it's not too late.



1. Anderson & Sheppard of Savile Row

Savile Row stalwart Anderson & Sheppard, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, is steeped in tradition, to say the least. Yet while other old-fashioned bastions of upper-class masculine British taste have been sold off or hideously modernized, A&S has managed to adapt and survive. The firm not only outfitted the great Fred Astaire - perhaps the best dressed man the modern world has ever known - but also Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, authors Evelyn Waugh and Somerset Maugham, Gary Cooper, Noel Coward, Sir Laurence Olivier, Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Duke Ellington.



2. David Chu Bespoke

In New York City, David Chu, founder of the Nautica brand, operates an ultra-chic Bespoke shop at his gorgeous Townhouse in Gramercy Park. "The bespoke experience is about understated elegance," Chu told The Classicist. David Chu Bespoke "blends the best of Savile Row and Neapolitan tailoring, marrying craftsmanship with modernity." Garments are hand-cut and stitched by a master tailor based in Naples. A gentleman can order anything he requires to be custom made, from suits, overcoats, tuxedos, and sport jackets to trousers, shoes, scarves, and 12-fold ties.



3. Dunhill's Timeless Classics

In times of economic uncertainty luxury consumers looks to timeless classics they know will hold their value and last for years as opposed to flash-in-the-pan trends and glitzy impulse buys. We think that London-based men's clothier and luxury goods firm Dunhill, which dates back to the 1890s, is well situated to weather the storm in similar style thanks to their espousal of these same values. That's a very good thing as the company recently opened two new flagship stores, in New York City and London. The 7,000-sq.-ft. NYC store (above), on the corner of Madison and 55th, replaces the old shop at 711 Fifth Avenue.



4. Duncan Quinn - The Coolest

Quinn , who makes some of the world's coolest suits, isn't exactly a tailor, though "designer" doesn't really capture it either. So how would he put it? "I simply have a strong view and an aesthetic to go with that view," he told The Classicist, "which encompasses the cars, wine, sailboats, cocktails and croquet." Sounds good to us. The dashing London-born former lawyer makes Savile Row-style clothes "constructed to celebrate days of glory and nights of excess." He opened his first shop in New York in 2003, and along the way he's attracted quite a following of well-dressed fellows, "gentleman rogues" who ascribe to the Quinn aesthetic.



5. Loro Piana Luxe

Italian luxury label Loro Piana makes the most comfortable, classic, stylish and subtly luxurious clothes we've ever had the pleasure of putting on. World-famous for their cashmere, the 200-year-old company, which began as a textile merchant, has also branched out into other areas (including accessories and women's clothing) in more recent years with equal success. Loro Piana's motto has it that true luxury is "knowing, not showing," i.e. dressing for yourself, not to impress others. It's "an inner satisfaction that comes from an aesthetic, intellectual, tactile pleasure, stemming from tradition, research and genuine quality." What could be better than that?



Continued after the jump.

Wow. I'm not sure where to start. Sort of a glamour meets goth look going on here, and although the cutout sides, peep toes, and jagged edges complete with silver and black Swarovski crystal embellishments is sure to be eye catching the bright purple interior that adds so much in this photo is unfortunately for your eyes only, as it doesn't show when the shoe is being worn. An interesting and truly "fierce" addition to your stiletto collection, this Swarovski Sandal by Giuseppe Zanotti goes for $1,150.