December 20, 2012: Albert Einstein University’s third annual holiday party created by a small group of employees for the purpose of rewarding workers for their year of hard work and dedication was anything but work as usual. If it wasn’t for the concrete blocks of University study halls nearby one could have easily mistaken the heavily attended gathering as a fashion magazine’s holiday party. Shortly after the close of business, many headed home to change into more festive attires to party the night away at the holiday bash, and that they did –hard! It began around 530pm and continued non stop into the wee hours of the night dancing in high heels, and heaven forbid, the men held their own. Many of them showed up in fashionable traditional and non traditional shoes, enough to make some ladies wonder if they were under dressed. You can never under estimate the academia world, their fashion statements at that night easily rivaled any other fashion party.

The university held a raffle in which the winner, Joyce Ng took home the grand prize of Shoeholics Magazine 1-Year free subscription, an autographed copy of The Shoeholic hardcover book and a gift bag from Shoeholics holiday party containing gifts from sponsors; Slingbackers, Lady’s Secret, Tite-Grip, Pedicouture et. al.

Shoeholics Magazine was a proud sponsor of the event.

PS: more photos will be uploaded on our facebook page later on today. Be sure to join us there too and follow us on twitter. Happy Holidays 🙂

Joyce Ng with one of her winning prizes at the event. She scored a copy of The Shoeholic hardcover book!

Shoe sighting

Sightings at the party

Carrie and Lakeasha couldn’t resist sharing the excitement of their shoes.

Nia in matching bag and shoes by Just Fab

The Shoeholics face off! Game on!

Jose dutifully making sure everyone takes home a copy of Shoeholics flyers! How sweet 🙂

Some of the big bosses at the party

Natasha in a hot pair of Zara deep V front booties

Devorah in her color coordinated Aldo pumps

The guys held their own. He was proud to show off his Oxfords! Cute 🙂

Angelina in a classic pair of pumps

Joyce Ng in Steve Madden boots

Shoe sightings at the party

Tiara Harris in Jeffrey Campbell

Desmond looking very dapper in 3-piece suit and in hot pair of brown leather Oxfords

Lisa Massop in Miu Miu pumps

Joyce and Cindy showing just how flexible they can be in their heels! WOW!

Nate

Dawn in Jessica Simpson

Hatie in Guess pumps

First, preview the event video footage below to get a visual sense of the party. The party had no shortage of gorgeous shoes on men and women!

Shoeholics Magazine anniversary/holiday party went off with a big bang on Thursday, November 29, 2012 in New York City! First, we would like to acknowledge the captivating host, Sierra Scott, a radio/TV personality and Shoeholics Magazine holiday issue cover feature who came to New York from Kansas for the event. She helped make the event’s program seem effortless. We are very grateful to her for such dedication and support of the publication. The gold sponsor Kelley Simons from Slingbackers  dazzled in patent leather strappy gold sandals and designer blue dress. She appeared to be a die hard and dedicated Shoeholics, true to form. Kelley’s company is responsible for the wonderful problem solving products that makes wearing pants comfortable with sandals. Wearing pants & sandals has never been so much fun and easier because of her. Other supporters who made the night a big success are Lady’s Secret with the comfy foot/shoe pads, Moksha for the Masai printed scarves, PediCouture for the lovely 5 toe separator slippers, TiteGrip for the sweaty feet solution products, Travalo for the travel size perfume dispensers, Sukari Treats for the delicious shoe themed cupcakes, Pranna for the lovely venue, Yeye Osofisan at The UpperRoom Events for the flawless management and coordination of the event, including the decorations! The shoe themed Christmas Tree and Shoe shaped Minorah had stiff competitions as one of the most photographed decorated centerpieces at the event. The jaw dropping Dukas leg heel shoes encased in a lit up glass dome atop multilayer bed of roses and gardenias designed by The UpperRoom Events team almost stole the show! Dukas had this shoe exclusively designed for the party using our trademark vibrant purple color on the heels and shimmering leather for the pointy toe shoes. It was breathtaking!

Dukas leg heel shoes in glass dome flower layer decor by The UpperRoom Events. Photo by Chandon Oton

Sukari Treats shoe themed cupcake display. Photo by David Idowu for Dotz Media

Also, we could not have pulled the night off without our raffle sponsors and supporters for such lovely jaw dropping shoes and handbags! We are very thankful to Giuseppe Zanotti for the lovely handbag won by Semhar Samuels, Francesco Sacco for the 2 pairs won by Alvertis Alexander and Shantelle Yvonne, Massimo Dogana for the 2 pairs and a matching handbag won by Ann Marie Yali and Nicole Griggs, Minna Parikka for the 2 pairs won by Diata Wallace and Ebony Edwards, Casadei boots (gifted by a Shoeholics Club supporter) won by Lori Edwards. The Tinu Shoebag (shoe shaped handbag) was awarded to the Best Shoes winner handpicked by the designer and Creative Director of herself. Tinu in custom made Francesco Sacco designed black suede, Swarovski crystals embellished sandals, selected Flory Ramoreboli who actually designed her own shoes for the party!

Italian designer Massimo Dogana flew in from Italy to not only observe as a sponsor but to also serve as one of the judges along with Kenneth Clark from Sukari Treats to pick the Myrtle Awards Shoe Cake of the Year winner. The award winning underdog was none other than Jose Rodriguez for Monkeying Around from California, US. Members, fans and readers of Shoeholics Magazine and Club helped narrow the selection that took a little over 2 weeks to complete.

The entertainment of the evening was provided by the lovely belly dancer Venus who made her first trip in over a year to New York City from southern New Jersey for the performance. She dazzled and captivated the guests with many belly dancing classics in exotic Arabian customs and accessorized with swords, lights, veils et. al. She attended the event with some of her closest friends and family members.

Proud sponsor Kelley Simons of Slingbackers had this to say after the event, “Wow! The Shoeholics Anniversary Party was a huge success in so many ways. For Shoeholics, as they rejoice in a great first year, with so much to celebrate and for Slingbackers… The Heel Wedge Solution, as I launched…feet first….so to speak…into the marketplace!  As a proud sponsor of the event, Shoeholics was the perfect fit and venue to showcase my product and get new found exposure. What better way  to market a product for shoes …than to women who love wearing shoes! Slingbackers …The Heel Wedge Solution….Never catch your clothes in between your heels and Slingback shoes again! Cheers and much continued success Shoeholics!” –Kelley Simons, President Slingbackers

Thanks to photographers Sean Jackman, David Idowu, Chanda Oton, Kalechi and Linda Noel for providing us these lovely images for us to use in remembering the extravagant night many years to come. Thank you all for helping us through our first year. God willing this would be a first of many more! 🙂

Below are a few selection of pictures gathered from the event but the full gallery of photos can be seen at Shoeholics Facebook photo album. So join the page and keep an eye out for daily postings!

Full coverage will also appear in the April-June 2013 issue of Shoeholics Magazine, in stores in 2013. Don’t miss it. Get your subscription at Shoeholics store page now or check your location stores in April. Thanks for joining us on this wonderful journey. Happy holidays!

Semhar Samuels with her raffle winning prize, a Giuseppe Zanotti handbag. Photo by Sean Jackman

Diata Wallace with her raffle winning prize, a rabbit ear design by Minna Parikka. Photo by Sean Jackman

Ann Marie Yali with her raffle winning prize designed by Massimo Dogana. She won the shoes and its matching bag! Lucky girl. Photo by Sean Jackman

Alvertis Alexander with her winning prize: Francesco Sacco sandals. Congratulations!

The trademarked/patented Tinu Shoebag®, a shoe shaped handbag designed by Creative Director Tinu. A gift presented to the Best Dressed/Shoes. Photo by Sean Jackman

Proud sponsor Kelley Simons of Slingbackers. Photo by Tinu

Belly Dancer Venus at the party. She was AMAZING! Photo by David Idowu for Dotz Media

Italian designer Massimo Dogana with his guest J.T. Anderson at the party. Photo by David Idowu for Dotz Media

Shoeholics Magazine model Marina Cavalini at the party in Sergio Rossi shoes. Gorgeous! Photo by Tinu

A guest signing up for the raffle at the party. Photo by David Idowu for Dotz Media

A fiercely fashionable guest at the party. Photo by David Idowu for Dotz Media

Creative Director Tinu with Shoeholics Club member Melissa Fayson at the party. Photo by David Idowu for Dotz Media

Designer Gilles Montezin. Photo by Sean Jackman

Guests nibbled on shoe themed cupcake dessert served by proud sponsor Sukari Treats. Photo by Sean Jackman

VH1 TV personality Elizabeth Ann at the party. Photo by Sean Jackman

Shoeholics Club member Melissa Fayson at the party. Photo by Sean Jackman

Guests at the party. Photo by Sean Jackman

Shoeholics Club member Shanta at the party. Photo by Sean Jackman

Shoe themed Christmas Tree. Photo by Chanda Oton

Shoe Minorah. Photo by David Idowu for Dotz Media

Some lucky guests left with gift bags containing some of these lovely items from our sponsors. Also featured on our pre-event page

Breaking News! On the day the US celebrated President Obama’s return to second term at the White House, we got a groundbreaking news of our own literally hours before President Obama claimed his re-election victory. Shoeholics Magazine has been nominated by Min and the voice of the publishing industry, Samir “Mr. Magazine” Husni as one of the Hottest Launches of the Year!

A leading analyst for the magazine industry, Mr. Samir Husni also manages the Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi. As one of the leading experts in this space, “Mr. Magazine” not only wields tremendous clout, his word carries immense weight in the industry – so when he says we are one of the hottest launches of the year, is it any wonder that we are this ecstatic at the news! The entire team of editorial staff at Shoeholics Magazine are thankful for this honor and recognition.

Shoeholics was selected from a pool of over 750 new publications launched between October 2011-September 2012 and narrowed down to a very short list of 16 publications, Shoeholics Magazine made the list! – a medal of honor indeed!

This nomination is a validation of the very concept of Shoeholics Magazine as a publication dedicated to male and female shoe collectors and fashion connoisseurs. You can imagine that on top of the warm reception from our readers and supporters, that warms the cockles of our hearts, this nomination is a real feather in our collective caps!

A distinctive concept, great content and the support of our readers has increased the reach of Shoeholics Magazine exponentially. We can be found at many independent newsstands and major store chains such as Target, the International Magazine Store (IMS) in Europe, Duane Reade, Walgreens, Barnes & Noble, Joseph Beth, Horizon, Book World Inc, Books-a-Million, Hastings all stock the publication now. Not only that; the magazine is now available in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and The Netherlands as well.

So now that we’re on the radar in more ways than one, we’re really breaking out the bubbly.

The awards gala honoring the nominees will take place at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on December 10, 2012.

This news came just in time, ahead of the upcoming Shoeholics Magazine anniversary/holiday party! We now have many more reasons to party and rejoice! Come and share this very special moment with us, celebrate with us!

The October-December 2012 holiday issue now available in stores

FINALLY, A PARTY FOR SHOE LOVERS! You now have a good reason to where your fabulous shoes!

**POST COVERAGE OF THE PARTY INCLUDING VIDEO FOOTAGE & PICTURES CAN NOW BE SEEN HERE. Thanks for coming out :)***

The season of corporate parties and Christmas festivities officially starts one week after Thanksgiving in the US. So we figured why not start the holiday season with a full blow out party for our shoe loving members. Shoeholics Magazine will celebrate one year anniversary on Thursday, November 29, 2012 at Pranna Lounge on 28th street and Madison Avenue in New York City starting at 8pm until 2am. YES, IT’S FREE, NO COVER CHARGE!!! Save the date and RSVP at EVENTS@SHOEHOLICSMAG.COM. See full details at the end of this post. 

The night will also double as the inaugural launch of the Myrtle Awards™, awards to recognize amazing talents in shoe art craftsmanship no matter what form of medium used  (i.e. leather, paper, flour, wood, paintings, illustrations, e.t.c). Many more categories, especially traditional shoe designers will soon follow in the following years.

ABOUT SOME OF THE EVENT’S PROUD SPONSORS: The event will be hosted by our very own Shoeholics Magazine cover model (on the holiday issue in stores now), TV & Radio personality, Sierra Scott, a proud owner of over 300 pairs of shoes! Some lucky Shoeholics Club members (sign up for free on this site) will be presented with gift bags containing amazing products provided by some of our proud sponsors which includes Slingbackers, Travalo, Moksha, Pedicouture, Lady’s Secret, Tite-Grip and to be treated to delicious shoe themed desserts of cupcakes and cakes by Kenneth Clarke for Sukari Treats. Some lucky members will also walk away with raffled designer shoes and bags from Finland’s mega successful shoe brand Minna Parikka, Italian designers Massimo Dogana, Casadei, Giuseppe Zanotti, and Greece based designer Dukas.

Kenneth Clarke and Massimo Dogana will help select the ultimate winner of the Myrtle Awards™ Shoe Cake of the Year to be announced at the bash! And of course we would like to thank Pranna Lounge’s proprietress Payal Sharma for providing such a lovely venue (Pranna Lounge) for our very first bash to take place. The space will be decorated by Yeye Osofisan of The UpperRoom Events party planners. You can expect entertainments and exciting moments at the event. One thing is for sure, the lovely Belly Dancer Venus will entertain at the party. Don’t miss it!

Slingbackers, a proud member and a generous gold sponsor of the event: We have all been in a state of distress struggling to remove the hem of our pants from our shoes at one point in time. Well, Slingbackers came up with a unique concept with a revolutionary, patent pending footwear accessory that provides the solution and barrier to the dreaded “heel wedge” problem. Fashionistas everywhere, can now wear their favorite sexy slingback shoes with confidence and have picture perfect looking jeans, pants, gowns and dresses…every time! You never have to catch your clothes between your heels and your slingback shoes again! Some of our members in attendance at the party will get to take home a sample in their gift bags! Be sure to visit their website www.slingbackers.com to learn more about these amazing problem solving product!

We are also thankful to our other sponsors for their generosity. Here are just a handful of more free products our club members can expect in their gift bags at the party:

From Lady’s Secret:

From Tite-Grip

From Travalo

From Moksha Fine Wovens, the Masai exotic printed scarves from India.

From Pedicouture (As seen in the current holiday issue of Shoeholics Magazine. Pedicouture is a great concept for the feet, especially for manicure and yoga). Some lucky members will get a pair in their gift bags!

From Sukari Treats: Kenneth Clarke will design shoe themed dessert treats and elaborate cake display for our guests. Here’s just a glimpse of his style and craftsmanship. We can’t wait to see what he has in store for us!

Companies/brands interested in participating as sponsors are more than welcome to send inquires to events@shoeholicsmag.com

HOW TO GET VIP EXPRESS ENTRANCE & GIFT BAG AT THE BASH:

Dress code will be strictly enforced: Cocktail to dressy. No casual attire. Best dressed, Best shoes will be awarded a surprise gift at the event. Please be red carpet and camera ready, dress to impress! Must be 21 years or older.

To receive one of the complimentary gift bags, guests must be verified Shoeholics Club members. Simply register on this site, verify your account and print out your page showing this statement “SHOEHOLICS MAGAZINE ANNIVERSARY PARTY NOV 29 IN NYC!”on your status as sampled below to present at the event with a matching ID to redeem your gift bag and raffle tickets to win one of the cool items. We have only a few hundreds of the gift bags reserved for our members, so come early! Offers good while supplies last.

The full list of the award nominees will be posted daily on Edible Shoes & Bags™ to allow our members to choose and publicly vote with positive comments and/or likes between November 1 to November 20, 2012.  Cake designers are more than welcome to encourage their friends to vote for them to better increase their chances of winning! Also join us on our main Facebook page for Shoeholics!

Click here for more details on the awards.

Might not make the party? Don’t worry. You can read all about it in the upcoming April 2013 issue! Don’t miss the issue, subscribe today for delivery anywhere in the world!

Don’t forget to pick up the holiday issue of the magazine! In stores now!

The party’s FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE is now live! Feel free to use it to invite your friends to join you! See you all on the red carpet 🙂