"The shiny red colour of the soles has no function other than to identify to the public that they are mine. I selected the colour because it is engaging, flirtatious, memorable and the colour of passion."
Christian Louboutin.
These shoes are absolutely amazing! Completely covered in Aurora Boreale Swarovski crystals, and with a towering heel height of 6 inches, they ooze glamour and style. As truly beautiful as these shoes are, at $6,395 (around £4,055) this is hardly within anyone's budget! I fell in love with these shoes as soon as I saw them, so tried to recreate the style myself.. Here is a much cheaper alternative!
Step One.
- Order a pair of cream shoes (fabric covered) with a red sole if possible. I ordered mine from eBay, and only cost around £35. It was important to make sure the shoes were comfortable, as I plan to wear them alot, and comfort is essential!
- However, if you already have a pair of cream fabric shoes then these will be fine to use. You can buy red soles, to recreate the Louboutin style which are available on www.redrubbersoles.com and also on eBay! You can take these to your local cobblers and they will sole them for you.
- TIP- take them to the cobblers before you attach your crystals, as due to the nature of the repair the crystals may get damaged.
- The crystals I purchased were from eBay and were all flat back Swarovski crystal, all 3,500 of them! These cost around £50 including delivery costs from America and Hong Kong.
- However, to keep costs down you can also purchase non Swarovski crystals which are much cheaper, but do lack the sparkle and quality that Swarovski do.
Step Two.
- Cover small sections of the heel with GemTac Embellishment glue, and using your finger place the crystals on the heel. Using a pair of beauty tweezers, reposition the crystals to their correct place. Slowly, but surely the shoes will gradually become covered with crystals.
I recommend: ![]() |
Gem Tac Embellishment Glue.
Retail Price - £6.00
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Step Three.
- When the shoes are completely covered, leave them to set in a warm, dry place overnight.
Step Four.
- When they are completely set, dot the GemTac glue in the gaps of the crystals.
- Due to the nature of this item, crystals are bound to become dislodged if you do not take care of them. However, by adding the extra embellishment glue you are making the crystals more secure and less likely to come off so easily.
- Leave them again overnight in a warm, dry place to set completely.
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Ta Da! The shoes are finished! |
What do you think of the shoes? Sound easy?
Please leave a comment!
Didn't think it would be so easy . might try this myself:D
ReplyDeleteGood blog! Very good advice :) think I'm going to try and make the shoes :)
ReplyDeletewow Hannah your idea is amazing!! have you tried this idea on evening bags?
ReplyDeleteHi! I have thought about it.. but havent managed to do it yet. I am going to try and do it within the next couple of weeks, so keep checking back!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment.
x
Wow! This is so good! I have never seen anyone try this before. I'll definitely be giving this a go, what a fab tip! Definitely do more DIY fashion ideas!
ReplyDeleteThis must have taken you ages! They look fab! x
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly it didn't take me too long! Did it over two evenings whilst sat in the living room with my housemates! Much easier than I thought :)
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ReplyDeleteLooks fab! I have to try that out!
ReplyDeleteDid you put the crystals on randomly or in lines? And did you wear them out yet - if so do the crystals stick or do some come off?
I put the crystals on randomly.. and I wore them out the other week and they survived! A few have come off bu you really can't notice. What i'll most likely do is wear them out quite a few times, then if it looks like lots more have come off ill buy some more crystals and fill in the gaps.. But they all stayed on so well, i don't think i'll need to do that for a while!:)
DeleteAmazing, that's such a good idea :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Was much easier than I thought it would be :)
DeleteSuch an awesome idea! May have to give it go :)
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend it!:) let me know if you tr y it and whether this guide was helpful!
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