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Choose Your Choos: Customized Jimmys Arrive for Oscar Week
By: Karin Nelson
Photos by Jennifer Graylock-FWD
Mar 22, 2002/FWD/ --- For four years now, Jimmy Choo has been -- with the help of a guest
artist or designer -- creating a limited collection of one-of-a-kind shoes for the Oscars and
its leading ladies.
"You have the autumn/winter collection and the spring/summer, and it gets to be a bit routine,"
says Sandra Choi, Jimmy Choo’s co-designer along with Tamara Mellon, of the Oscar collection's
genesis.
"So we started doing this, and it's really become such a special project and so enjoyable
because we never know what we're going to end up with."
Last year, the duo enlisted British interior artist Rosie Mennem to create some romantic
stenciled stilettos, which were worn on the dancing feet of Courtney Love, Zooey Deschanel
and Thora Birch on Oscar night.
This year, it's jewelry designer Sasha Ratiu's turn.
A descendent of Russian aristocracy, the London resident claims to have been creating
jewelry since before she was born.
"My astrologer told me I was a Tahitian jewelry designer in my past life," says Ratiu, her
crystal-blue eyes open wide.
Her designs, which are slightly art deco, sometimes rock 'n' roll, always audacious, are a
favorite among British society girls, and it was one of Ratiu's necklaces, worn on junior
jet-set member Tamara Beckwith, which caught Tamara Mellon's eye.
The end result is a collection of 12 pairs of very sexy, ultra exquisite diamond- and stone-
and 18K gold-encrusted stilettos, which left both Phillip Bloch -- who's dressing Halle
Berry -- and Sharon Stone's stylist making major mental notes Monday night when the line
was unveiled.
Word is one pair with a choker strand of Morganite and diamonds as the ankle strap is
being seriously eyed by a certain "faith"fully stylish country crooner.
After the Oscars, the shoes, many of which hover around the $5000 price mark, will be
showcased and sold for a limited time in several of the Jimmy Choo stores.
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