Thursday, February 1, 11:59 p.m.
Seeing as I don't even own sneakers (unless you count those pristine trainers that rarely see the exterior of my gym bag), and since Vegas hot spots are generally very leery of all athletic wear, I'm still sporting my customary heels. Bouncing from Caramel to Light, I am stunned to discover that VIP host Tim Brand has topped off his usual dark suit with a pair of gleaming white sneaks. For a club that openly discusses which celeb was turned away from the door for violating its strict dress code, this is a mighty big step to take, let alone twice! It is, my friends, a momentous occasion, and one that deserves a toast: "The game is a foot!"
WSA, the World Shoe Association, is in town this weekend, and unlike the porn convention or CES, this is a bandwagon I am pleased as spiked punch to jump aboard. I normally spend so much time looking up at the ever—changing Vegas skyline that rarely do I get to look down. So let the sports fanatics have their Super Bowl Sunday; I have three days of stilettoed splendor!
Fêting one's feet isn't such an unappetizing prospect when Chinese Laundry owners Bob and Carol Goldman throw their twice—yearly party at their sprawling Vegas home. No expense is spared to entertain the 500 shoe buyers and shoe media they invite to their fanciful home, located just around the corner from Wayne Newton's Casa de Shenandoah compound. Friday night's event marks their fourth such industry party, and despite the toe—curling low temperatures, tents have been erected outside and themed out with props spanning the '50s, '60s and '70s. Las Vegas native Jamie Little is around here somewhere. The pretty X—Games/ESPN reporter is the perfect host for this party, what with the many different hats—or rather, shoes—she must have to wear in her line of work.
Saturday night, I myself am tottering around in a new pair of heels, having wiled away the afternoon shoe shopping. "It's an aperitif," I told myself, indulging in some very unsensible peep—toe pumps and vintage—style high—heeled spectators. The weekend's coup de grace is at Moon atop the Palms' new Fantasy Tower, for Moonlight Madness, Ed Hardy's WSA bash celebrating the release of their new low—top sneaker. For those who care, it's a slip—on version of the already popular high—top shoe, jazzed up, of course, with Christian Audigier's signature vintage tattoo decorations and embellishments.
Ed Hardy's T—shirt—shredding phenom Adam Saaks is making a sharp appearance, shredding up the hip clothing and footwear company's already sexy tees for all to see into what he calls "cuture." And all with the busty, braless babes still in them! Theatrical yet serious as a heart attack while he works, Saaks turns tiny cuts and tears into knots in the supersoft material, even making use of the discarded strips, until all that's left is a windowpane of fabric just barely covering that which the heavily male audience would most love to see.
What this has to do with footwear I have no idea, but neither I nor the shoe crew seems to care one bit. D—and apparently DD—is for Drama!
Xania Woodman thinks globally and parties locally. And frequently. E—mail her at
[email protected] and visit
thecircuitlv.com to sign up for Xania's free weekly newsletter.