There was no Yellow Carpet at the entrance but we were happy to find out that there was a Yellow Brick Road set up around the shoe department at Saks that led you around to view all of the Ruby Slippers. I couldn’t help but don red shoes to the event in the spirit of the occasion.  Check out photos of the scene and the Saks store windows after the jump . . .

From left to right:  Michelle wearing a Red Bootie by Paolo, Liz in purple Dolce & Gabbana and me in Red Satin Bruno Magli from The Goods!

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The highlight of the Ruby Slipper event at Saks was seeing an original pair of the Ruby Slippers created for The Wizard of Oz. The pair pictured below is one of five pairs created for the film and is known as the “Arabian Test Slippers.” Judy Garland wore them in some screen tests and shots but the Arabian Test slippers did not appear in the film. Since no duplicates of this pair were made, it’s considered the most rare.

Here’s the last installment of the lovely Ruby Slippers we saw at the Ruby Slipper Event at Saks last Thursday.  Each pair was lovelier than the other, I definitely have my favorites but they really are truly beautiful in their own way and you can really see each designer’s signatures and themes come through in their Ruby Slipper interpretations.  Today’s designer’s include:  Stewart Weitzman, Rupert Sanderson, Sergio Rossi, Tibi, Tuleh, Valentino, Vivier, YSL.  Check back for pics of the scene at the party, the O.G. shoes and the Saks Fifth Avenue windows.

Stewart Weitzman

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The main event at the Ruby Slipper event was the shoes and they were amazing.  From towering stilettos, to bejeweled ballet flats, there was an extraordinary array of designer interpretations of Dorothy’s iconic Ruby Slippers.  Check out pictures below of the shoes by Alberta Feretti, Oscar de la Renta, Betsey Johnson, Botkier, Giuseppe Zanotti, Abaete and Diane von Furstenberg.  Check back the next few days for peeks of the rest of the shoes.

Alberta Feretti

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A while back we posted about some preview sketches of the Swarovski Wizard of Oz Ruby Slipper Project.  On Thursday night, we had the pleasure of going to Saks and attending the unveiling of the Ruby Slippers designed by 19 designers including YSL, Betsey Johnson, Manolo Blahnik, Moschino and Christian Louboutin.  The event was beautifully put together and we have so much coverage (including photos of every single shoe) that we’ve decided to split it up into 5 posts - 1 for each day of the week - it’s that good. 

Sneak Peak of the Moschino shoe (my favorite!)

We’ll start off the way the event did, with the red carpet and the celebrity guests.  My only pet peeve was that the red carpet was not yellow, but we found out later that there was a “yellow brick road” leading you around to all the shoes so that made up for the lack of a yellow carpet at the entrance.  As you entered Saks, you were greeted by girls dressed as Dorothy and the air was filled with The Wizard of Oz songs as covered by other musical artists.

Betsey Johnson

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As you’ve seen from our past week of coverage, many designers were very open to having their pieces photographed.  However, not all brands allow photos . . . but that doesn’t mean we can’t TELL you what we saw. 

Tarina Tarantino is known for some great collaborations including Barbie, Hello Kitty and Kid Robot.  What’s next?  Hmmmm, we’ll give you a hint, it involves good witches and bad witches, flying monkeys, a yellow brick road and some Pink Floyd.  Ok, well maybe no Pink Floyd, but the next collab project for Tarina Tarnatino is The Wizard of Oz, in celebration of the 70th anniverasary of the classic film.  The collection will contain four lines inspired by:  Dorothy, Toto, Glinda the Good Witch and The Wicked Witch of the West.  Each line has it’s own colors and stones associated with it, for example, “ruby” for Dorothy, “emerald” for The Wicked Witch of the West, “pearls” for Glinda and “diamonds” for Toto.  The pieces were really cute and this collection should drop soon - we’ll keep you posted!

We’re also excited to announce that Mishka is introducting a full women’s collection complete with cut & sew items.  The collection included tees, leggings, denim, tops and a skirt with detachable hood & suspenders.  Very cute!  Mishka also developed their own custom camo called “stabouflage” and the print is used on several pieces.  The Mishka eyeball motif also plays a large part and you can find them printed all over leggings or embossed on buttons for the denim pieces.  If you were a fan of Mad Balls back in the day, you’ll love this stuff.  The collection drops for Spring so stay tuned!

A while back we told you about the upcoming 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz and the design project that Swarovski is sponsoring with 19 designers. It looks like there’s going to be a lot of Oz inspired merchandise in the coming year. The next company inspired by Dorothy? British costume-jewelry makers Tatty Devine! They have a brooch and necklace depicting Dorothy’s infamous ruby red slippers. The shoes are reflective red acrylic and the bows are extra-glittery acrylic. You can purchase them online here.

Stills from the film The Wizard of Oz.  Sketches of the ruby slippers from left to right:  Jimmy Choo, Betsey Johnson, Moschino, L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani and Sergio Rossi.

Next year is the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, and to commemorate the anniversary Warner Brothers Consumer Products has enlisted Swarovski and 19 designers to design their take on Dorothy’s ruby slippers.  The designers include A. Testoni, Abaeté, Alberta Ferretti, Betsey Johnson, Botkier, Christian Louboutin, Diane von Furstenberg, Giuseppe Zanotti, Jimmy Choo, L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani, Lisa Pliner, Manolo Blahnik, Moschino, Oscar de la Renta, Roger Vivier, Sergio Rossi, Stuart Weitzman, Tibi and Tuleh.  All of the designs will include Swarovski crystals and will be unveiled September 4th in the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue.  The shoes will take a tour and make several stops including Art Basel in Miami.  The ruby slippers will be auctioned off and the proceeds will benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.  The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies and I cannot wait to see this collection!  I hope they make their way to San Francisco!

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Images of Sketches: WWD & Business Wire