Melissa may have only appeared in the Australian fashion market in the last decade or so, but this Brazilian brand has been around since 1979. It is unique in that all its shoes are jelly shoes - yes, made with a particular type of plastic, called melflex, which is supposed to be the most durable, flexible, comfortable, and 'breathable' (well, as breathable as plastic can be) type of PVC available, which is also hypoallergenic and odourless. Besides being obviously vegan-friendly, they are also environmentally friendly, as the plastic material is easily disassembled to be recycled. According to the company's website, they support environmentally-friendly and sustainable factory practices and therefore recycle over 99% of the factory's water and waste and recycle overstocks into their new season production lines. In fact, you may already be somewhat familiar with the name of the manufacturer of these shoes, Grendene. The only thongs (just to be clear, in Australia, thongs mean flip-flops, not G-strings!) I own and would ever willingly wear out are the Gisele Bündchen x iPANEMA ones, which are - surprise! - made by Grendene, and, again, of melflex. So, I guess there really is no surprise that I find Melissa shoes to be comfortable to wear; though, admittedly, I didn't realise these shoes were made by the same manufacturer until after I had bought my first pair.
Don't let the fact that the shoes are made of plastic put you off. The heels are sturdy and the styles are unique and highly en vogue, as the brand collaborates with designers across different fields, including big names like Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier. The prices of these shoes range from A$59.95 to $385 (RRPs of the shoes currently available).
But enough from me; I'll let the pictures do the talking now. Here's my first ever pair of Melissa heels:
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| Melissa Incense Wing |
Gorgeous, right? How could I possibly resist making the purchase? The 3D detail on the wings is just stunning, and the glitter adds a nice touch of sparkle to the matte-finish shoe.
From this year's 'We are Flowers' collection:
Melissa Incense Garden
The 3D flowers clustered at the back of the heel are très chic and adorable! They were being advertised as a choice of bridal shoes, when they were first released, and I think they would indeed fit the bill perfectly. I love the soft touch of these shoes and the slightly translucent, 'frosted' quality of the plastic. The fit is quite snug, even though I had bought the same size (6) as for my first pair of Melissa heels. However, when I wore them to a ball last weekend (where the last photo was taken), they didn't hurt my feet at all, possibly because the construction doesn't involve any seams. Usually, by the end of the night, I would almost be at the point of developing blisters, if I was wearing a pair of my leather heels. Having said that, I was mainly sitting at the table the whole night and I didn't hit the dance floor, so it remains to be seen how long these shoes can comfortably be worn for with normal wear. On a side note, how sweet do these shoes look with my Alannah Hill 'The Bad Seed' frock?
Melissa Ballet II:
Ha, just kidding! They're good at mimicking the design of the ballet pointe shoe, but not that good. I just thought I'd show their interpretation alongside my own, real, pointe shoes, so that you can see what a good job they did. Here they are:
I've seen some people tie the ribbon roughly, leaving the large bow/knot exposed at the side or back of the ankle. Maybe it's because I do ballet, but I just can't stand the sight of ballet ribbons being tied incorrectly and untidily, even if these are just fashion shoes.
I am so impressed with the details, from the 'elastic' bow at the vamp and the raised border around the opening, to the 'gathering of the fabric' under the point of the shoe. You can't see it on the pointe shoe, because I've attached a suede tip to increase the longevity of the satin fabric at the toe.
Here's the Campana Papel flats that I bought from the M Dreams store on a recently visit to Sydney:
While I can take small doses of it, glitter is not really my thing. The black looks the most understated of all the available colours, so I ended up buying it for work. I took this photo after a couple of wears, so you can see that it does lose quite a bit of its glitter with time. I love the awesome designs that the Campana Brothers come up with, and even though it's relatively simple and in black, people at work still notice them. They are quite comfy to wear, but not so suitable for running around in, because I find they tend to slip off at the heel with brisk walking. But definitely a pair of shoes I don't regret buying.
I should mention also that a distinct feature of all Melissa shoes is the sweet bubblegum scent that is infused into the plastic material. Yum!
With the ability to meet fashion trends, while maintaining quality, durability and comfort, could plastic be our answer to sustainable fashion in the future?
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