Steve Madden Partners with UES!

For those of you who love the finer things in life, but can’t quite afford them… you’re in luck!

Upper Echelon Shoes, the blossoming kicks company we produced a calendar with back in May, is already a hit with celebs such as Drew Barrymore, Fergie and Gwen Stefani, who favor the brand’s combination of classic kick with a high-end aesthetic. Combining the average sneaker with18-karat chains designed by Gabriel Urist ( we brought you an exclusive look at the designs when we visited the UES showroom not too long ago) was what apparently caught Steve Madden’s eyes. The footwear tycoon will be teaming up with designers Seth Campbell and Nicholas Cohen to expand the Upper Echelon Shoe line and give it a greater range of availability–and hopefully knock a few dollars off that price tag!

Steven By Steve Madden Spring 2010

Wrapping up my Steve Madden showroom visit, I’ve got the inside edition on the the Steven By Steve Madden collection for Spring 2010, as I promised.  The Steven line differs from the regular Steve Madden line in that is made with higher quality leathers, and uses more complicated construction, so that is reflected in the prices which start at about $70 and go up to approximately $220.

Steven By Steve Madden Spring 2010

The basic theme of the Steven collection doesn’t change much from that of the regular Steve Madden collection, so we continue to see espadrilles, peep-toe booties, caged heels, suede, ruffling on flats and heels, embellished sandals and big attention payed to the ankle.

Get an eyeful of the collection in the photo gallery below, and anticipate these shoes showing up in stores in early 2010.

Steve Madden Spring 2010

Here’s a look at the Spring 2010 collection from Steve Madden. The wedge profile continues to be a very strong shoe for this company for spring, making it onto shoes in multiple incarnations. We see it in denim, suede and espadrille. The espadrille itself is also very strong, as the roping that makes the style so distinctive, much like a vine  is climbing up the shoe, winding around the heels and up to the straps, dominating nearly every part of a shoes construction at some point.

Steve Madden Spring 2010

This season also appears to be very focused on the ankle. We see ankle decoration on many shoes ranging from sandals, heels, booties and boots. Whether it’s braiding, chain decoration, straps, buckles, or slouchy leather, the ankle is definitely having it’s day.

Steve Madden Spring 2010

The strongest color for the season appears to be blue, being used across a number of the styles, although we do have many options. An oxford wingtip style is also being utilized on two different shoes, one of them being a version of an androgynous tap-style shoe (which also has a woven version).

Steve Madden Spring 2010

Like usual, Steve Madden tends to cover most of the major mainsrteam trends for the season, that’s what’s made them such a powerhouse brand over the past 20 years. Spring 2010 shouldn’t be much different. These shoes will start hitting Steve Madden stores, and retailers starting in January and February of 2010. I’ve got preview pics for the higher end Steven by Steve Madden collection coming shortly, so stay tuned.

Chester French Live in NYC

Gangsta they are not, but Chester French still had no problem getting the crowd amped at the One Giant Step x Steve Madden Intimate Performance Series in New York last week! The up-and-coming duo played an acoustic, albeit short, set for familiar fans, as well as those who came to check out the band due to the strength of their recent mixtape, Jacques Jams Vol. 1. The line stretched about a block beyond the Lower East Side Steve Madden space, which had been tricked out for the event with an open Svedka bar, adorable logo water bottles, and a stylish DJ with a fro who remained nameless. A mix of hip-hop aficionados, indie boys with long hair, and college aged girls who were madly in love with bandmates D.A Wallach and Max Drummey, the crowd was anxious to see if the duo could live up to the Pharell-approved beats on their just dropped album Love The Future.

Chester French Live in NYC

Rest assured ladies, Chester French definitely did not disappoint! Starting the set off with a stripped down version of their much buzzed-about single “Jimmy Choos” (even MTV featured it). Dedicating it to the girls who don’t rock J Choos, but do rock “nothing but Steve Maddens!” (hey, Steve Madden himself was in attendance at the show, you know the dudes had to thrown in a couple of pluggs here and there!), D.A’s voice sounded just as strong as it does on wax. The crowd swayed along to the surf rock tinged jam– almost everyone knew all of the words! Following up with their ode to groupie love, “Bebe Buell”, the boys hyped the crowd up by demanding crowd participation (you know I was chanting “Oh!” as loud as I could). Turning away from the fans inside at one point to perform for the 40+ people still lined up outside the venue and watching through glass windows, guitarist Max Drummey’s pared down acoustic version of the swing style jam was mellow and allowed me to focus on the irony behind lyrics like “you’re my Puerto Rican Pamela Lee”.

Stopping to tell the tale of their rise to fame, D.A. reminded the fans that music is a medium to be shared no matter the cost, and urged everyone to “get with the Endurance movement!” and download their mixtape off of their website. Of course, with the mention of the word “free”, the crowd went wild. D.A. sipped a bit of water before looking out on the audience. With a sly smile on his face, he pulled a girl standing in the front row up onstage and sat her down for a serenade of their most popular jam to date “She Loves Everybody”. Their acoustic rendition of the song about a Girlfriend with some serious Daddy issues was shockingly haunting, highlighting the song’s free-flowing melody.

Chester French Live in NYC

Finishing up their set with the country-infused “Painted Veil”, Chester French definitely won over some new fans that night, proving they were a lot more than just hype. D.A’s hilarious on-stage persona, and Drummey’s clean guitar riffs are sure to keep the boys in rotation, and on Star Trak, for a long time to come!

Chester French Live in NYC

The Olsen Twins have signed on with Steve Madden to expand their Elizabeth & James collection to include footwear. The shoes won’t be released under the Steve Madden name, rather, Steve Madden will hire a specific designer and sales rep for the Elizabeth & James brand while The Olsen Twins act as creative directors. Based on what I’ve seen them come up with, I’m guessing the shoes will be black, some will be heels, some will be really clunky and they’ll have a Rock ‘n Roll edge. The shoes drop in mid-2009 at specialty Elizabeth & James retailers.

Source

Just another day at the M.I.S.S. HQ and the interns are always looking cute. Here are some detail shots of things worn by Candee, Ashley and Inez. Check out the rest of the pics after the jump!

Shoes worn by Candee: Satin Ballet Flats, Steve Madden
Ring worn by Ashley: Black Bow, Forever 21
Scarf worn by Ashley: Multicolor cotton scarf, H & M
Jacket worn by Inez: Fleece Sleeveless Trench, Collective Clothing

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