oxygen.com.my » ORNATE OBSESSIONJane Aldridge “Sea of Shoes” ORNATE OBSESSION » oxygen.com.my YOUR ONE-STOP FASHION AND PLAGIARISM BLOGSPOT
ORNATE OBSESSION
She has hundreds of thousands of fans all over the world. She has been interviewed, photographed and quoted in international publications. Her blog receives millions of hits daily. Fashion model she is not. What she is, however, is a teen queen who is amassing hoards of followers universally on her shoe-loving website.
At a mere 17 years of age, Jane Aldridge is nothing like your typical teen. Hailing from Texas, USA, she has killer looks that can make any heart melt and a slender figure that fills up her designer togs nicely. Her good genes come courtesy of mummy dearest Judy Aldridge, a former Japan-based fashion model and now clothing designer and vintage retailer at Atlantis Vintage. Jane is used to showing off her idiosyncrasies and original style in eccentric clothing selections and tasteful footwear.
If anyone is going to be crowned the “Teen Queen of Shoes”, then Jane would win hands down. As an author and creator of her blog “Sea of Shoes” (http://seaofshoes.typepad.com/), she has single-handedly collected a wide mass of computer-literate fans, who religiously follow her fashionable travels (most of the time with mum), bargain-hunting experiences and of course, new shoe purchases, through short story-telling paragraphs and photo essays. Grown women, teenage girls, and even a few men have dropped comments on her posts – all combining bliss, agony and envy for a sweet, young thing who has accomplished so much, all for the love of shoes.
A peek into Jane’s shoe closet will have any shoe-lover turn green with envy. She has what one would call a “Sea of Shoes”, literally. In here, one can find styles that are exotic, vintage, avant-garde and always chic, ranging from brands like Chanel, Yves St. Laurent, Stella McCartney, Givenchy, etc. Her collection of shoes is artfully parked in their own showroom – her bedroom closet and awaits her daily selection.
Jane’s obsession with shoes will definitely lead to one very obvious and very promising conclusion – her very own fashionable shoe line. Though she has confirmed that she is working on it, she remains tight-lipped about her plans. Her idea of “not getting too dressed up” is of herself wearing a MIU MIU lace skirt and delicate Chanel bowtie ankle-length booties. Talk about a fashionista! In this e-mail interview, we speak to Miss Jane Aldridge herself on what inspires her and to also get a few pointers on what it takes to be uber-stylish like her…
What was it that made you obsess over shoes?
I’ve always been a collector of beautiful objects-not just shoes. It’s a behavioural habit! Shoes appeal to me because each shoe has a life of its own – its personality is communicated in its form.
What is your general style preference?
To look dignified without taking oneself too seriously.What is your most interesting or most loved fashion purchase to date?
A pleated Dries van Noten skirt my mom bought at Stanley Korshak in Dallas in the eighties. Dries is one of my favourite designers and the skirt is from one of his first collection. It’s a piece with sentimental value and integrity.
What are your favourite fashion brands?
Martin Margiela, Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, Threeasfour, Rodarte, Henrik Viskov, Bless, Undercover, Hussein Chalayan…
How many pairs of shoes do you currently own?Probably around 70 pairs. My favourite is a blue and white ombre Martin Margiela cowboy ankle boots.
Who is your style icon and why?
Tina Chow – she was a passionate collector of vintage couture and had an incredible collection. I’ve never, ever seen someone as regal or sophisticated as she was. It’s sad that she is no longer with us.
At such a young age, most teens are balancing school work and boys but you’re focusing on your passion for fashion instead. Is fashion any different from regular teenage pastimes?Not to me, it isn’t. But then again I guess I wouldn’t know – I’ve never felt like I fit in with friends my age. I just feel lucky to have a passion that is inexhaustibly interesting to me, and has so many viable outlets of expression.
On your blog Sea of Shoes, you are seen wearing shoes from fabulous designer brands – from Givenchy to Stella McCartney to Balenciaga. Not many can afford such luxury. Is money not an issue?
I’d rather not answer this J
Does it take up a lot of time to maintain your blog? It seems that you update it on a regular basis.
Yes, it takes up an enormous amount of time mostly because of projects that I’ve taken on in connection with it, along with the never-ending barrage of e-mails. But I enjoy it very much!
What fashion item do you think is a classic?
Levi’s 501’s for sure.
If we happen to be lazy to traipse the malls, tell us where to hunt for good bargains online.
Yoox.com – such good deals from designers who are hard to come by!
Being picked to be featured on TeenVogue must be a dream-come-true. What were your thoughts then?
I was way nervous – excited, but nervous. I found it hard to believe they were actually going to come to my house. But when it happened, it was so much fun and my nerves went away immediately.
How did your friends react when they saw you in TeenVogue?
Needless to say, they were very excited for me.
Do your mum and sister share the same tastes in clothes and footwear?
My mum does, absolutely. She has her own blog (atlantishome.typepad.com). I often say that my mum is my only fashion friend. We’ve bonded so much over our love of clothes and shoes. I got my collecting habit from her. My sister has great style but she’s much more conservative than I am, but she ALWAYS looks extremely well put-together. She is not as interested in fashion as my mum and I are, but she still loves to shop. She has her own hobbies – she’s a fantastic cook and a scrupulous organizer. I always wish I had her work ethic – I don’t know anyone as task-oriented as Carol.
What would you be found doing if you’re not shoe-hunting?
Looking for cool stuff on the internet, hanging out watching Dynasty with my mum and my sister, going to shows on the weekends… boring things!
We’re positive many young girls your age would be so jealous of your trendy personality. Does this bother you?
I’ve never experienced jealousy over my clothing with my friends. None of my friends are interested in fashion and if anything they’re a bit embarrassed to be seen with me when I’m all dressed up. But if someone was jealous of me, it would bother me. Jealousy is a repulsive personality trait.
Do you get guys falling head over heels for you? Have you ever encountered a nasty pick-up line?
Oh my god, no! I hardly ever have guys hit on me where I live, and most of them think I look like an alien anyway. Haha!
You’ve found fame in your own small way. If given the opportunity, which designer would you most like to collaborate with?
Haha! I wouldn’t be so bold as to think I’m worthy of collaborating with my favourite designers… this question is so hard to answer!Many thanks to Jane for her photos and interview
September 13th, 2009 at 21:59 | #1Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Wow, your copy and paste skills are as uncanny as your lack of attribution. Good look with that in the future. I’m sure you’ll receive a lot of blog lovin’ from the community.
TO THE READERS OF OXYGEN.COM - If you’d like to watch the video and read its unplagiarized description, see below. And if you happen to feel strongly about intellectual property, please let this blog know in its comment section:
RT @sea_of_shoes - http://bit.ly/4r38TB - Jane Aldridge Sea of Shoes - #youtube #video via @mrjyn
http://visualguidanceltd.blogspot.com/2009/07/jane-aldridge-pronounced-ktps-from.html
Jane Aldridge - Sea of Shoes –For More As-It-Happens Fashion Insider Videos Follow Nichopouluzo @Twitter @mrjyn HERE: http://twitter.com/mrjyn AND at [::] Video Blog HERE: - http://www.visualguidanceltd.blogspot.com -
Jane Aldridge in her first televised interview is calm, composed, and at home (literally). She is unfazed, but not immune to scrutiny. Her media experience includes articles and interviews in fashion staples from ‘Teen Vogue’ to ‘French Glamour,’ and “Sea of Shoes” blog is linked daily by thousands of readers who seek her every mention.
JANE BITES
Most hits in a day? [61,000]
Kanye West ‘Boot-y call’? [Maybe]Her personal collection of shoes include those from designers of the most exotic, avant-garde, always chic, this side of Paris [France, not Texas]. Jane’s shoes artfully park in their own showroom–her bedroom closet, awaiting her selection du jour for their big break–a photo layout in ‘SOS,’ whose repercussions, one imagines, inspire serious late night sole-searching sessions, like: ‘Who has more hits?’ or ‘Who’s a played-out pump from the early 07’s?’
Jane, with insight beyond her years, and an easy Texas laugh appropriate to them, credits Mom for inspiration and an early initiation into High Fashion by Kabuki.
This three-minute clip, accompanied by Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown,” conceived as an ‘human interest peek into Jane’s closet,’ finds Jane cobbling absurdity into Zen stilettos. Jane (with a twinkle) ends…’If I were a shoe…’ selecting a chic 2009 Alaïa [a-LIE-a] Maryjane-on-steroids and anthropomorphizing it with only a modicum of detectable Texas bullshit which would normally define superfluity, but which here transforms High School student-Jane into superhero-Shoenami-J!
While cynical observers doubt her Wunderkind street-cred, it seems her age is proving to be just one of her assets in the quixotic flux of the world which she chronicles and inhabits. The naysayers and omnipresent critics are eclipsed and sloughed off by their coequal but less conspicuous fans, whose gallery Jane spies as if from the disguised eye of her favorite creature–the octopus–sometimes camouflaged, but always employing all eight arms in an acquisitive feeding frenzy from which no predation dare distract.
*Having been privy to what YouTube calls ‘Analytics,’ I’ve vicariously tracked the peaks and hillocks of my second [don't ask] viral phenomenon. It’s been a learning experience as a video-blogger–NOT an ‘SOS’ groupie. But what’s more interesting to me, is that it has enabled me to witness a particular phenomenon of social-bashing and worship which Jane enjoys from grown women to teenage girls [and not just a few men (you know)], whose comments combine bliss, agony, sea-green envy, and obeisant boot-licking, with the rare Jerry Springer-reject thrown in for kicks.
*Peruse the comment section of this video (*written for the first upload which reached upwards of 50,000 views in a little less than three months). My current pick, peeking through the spam–as this video reaches 46k views + with a spike from ‘UO’–being from YouTuber ’sueannwashere’ who writes:
“I didn’t know her face was? so fat. But she has an awesome fashion sense.” Sueann’s comment is of that rare Wildean breed of equal parts, placement, brevity, and Anna Wintour critique–its subtlety distinguishing and endearing it from the usual ‘School of Carp’ which populate JA’s Sea.]
~ nichopoulooza [revised 13 September, 2009]
[::] http://www.visualguidanceltd.blogspot.com
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