Next to diamonds, shoes just may be a girls’ best friend and in our humble opinion, there can never be too many places for a girl to indulge in a little shoe shopping. The talent pool, so to speak, expanded last night with the launch of the latest Steve Madden store, this time in Melbourne’s Bourke Street. Melbourne’s style set descended on the store, which is set out to resemble one of Madden’s famous New York stores. Consisting of three levels, there is no shortage of fancy footwear for both men and women. Fashion conscious men can find leather loafers, casual dress lace-ups and boots in the lower level, where they sit alongside women’s sale items. New arrivals can be found on the ground floor, where sequins, glitter, diamantes and colour dominate Madden’s signature rock-inspired platform shoes, all of which ooze sex appeal and confidence. Never one to shy away from bold fashion statements, Madden exerts a twist on this seasons loafers with his suave sequinned designs. Leopard print is also huge in the footwear genius’ latest collection, with platforms, boots and flats all showcasing the trend.

Despite all the treasures to be discovered on the ground floor, the highlight of the store lies on the top floor, where Madden’s chunky, bold shoes are joined by the fancy footwear of Betsey Johnson, America’a answer to Vivienne Westwood. Like Madden, Johnson’s bold creations are dominated by colour, diamante embellishments and hip patterns, but these designs are not for the fainthearted. Johnson adheres to no-ones rules, and her outrageous shoes seem right at home in Madden’s latest store. Available only at Steve Madden stores in Bondi, Chadstone and now Bourke Street, we think the Betsey Johnson range is perfect fusion with Madden’s urban edge designs.

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