Lucila Lotti focuses on shoes made from patent leather, suede, satin and vinyl in homage to her mother who always wore heels and lipstick when leaving the home. Opening her own boutique in the creative, bohemian hub of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Lucila is amongst fine company. Given this sense of history and creative disposition, it is no surprise that Lucila’s debut collection came to the attention of Patricia Field and Sex & The City. Her bright, bold shapes and ability to mix colour and silhouette in a brave, fashionable style will no doubt continue to inspire more international press.

Starting in November at fine retailers, SWIMS is launching their special holiday collection. The special collection is inspired by Miami's art deco scene and is a tribute to the same city - known for its unique architecture, vibrant international lifestyle and “joie de vivre”.

The Norwegian lifestyle brand was founded in 2005 and is known for reinventing galoshes. SWIMS loafers offer a versatile footwear that can be worn on the beach, on a boat, in the city, at the office and even out for dinner. The loafers are water-compatible and are made with adaptable and breathable nylon that feature an anti-slip, natural rubber and non-marking sole and EVA insole with ventilation system.

SWIMS are great if planning a destination holiday or a chic gift to love ones on your list who live in warmer climes.

Mens SWIMS Collection

Womens SWIMS Collection

During the Olympics’ Opening Ceremony, Charlotte Olympia shoe designer Charlotte Dellal tweeted a TV screen shot of Team Brazil just as it was entering the stadium. That she is such a fan of the country is no surprise: Her mother, the well-known model Andrea Dellal, is a Rio de Janeiro native, and, as a child, the younger Dellal lived in Brazil’s second-largest city for a few years.

These days, Dellal, now based in London, frequently turns to her “home from home,” as she puts it, for design cues. Case in point, her resort collection. Called “Glamazon,” it includes ankle-strap shoes decorated with metallic swirls that mimic the Copacabana sidewalk, as well as platform sandals flaunting flamboyant heels—mini birdcages encasing painted metal parrots. “It’s such a vast country that you can get inspired from so many different things,” Dellal says. “The people are very inspiring. The music is fantastic, and Carnival is one of my favorite times of the year.”

Dellal is not alone in her love for all things Brazil. If the country is best known for Corcovado, “Girl From Ipanema” (cue the “tall and tan and young and lovely”) and Gisele Bündchen, a different kind of Brazil is now emerging. Fueled by a boom of both the financial and creative kinds, the country is making a real impact on the fashion and accessories worlds at multiple levels—from serving as a leading design and retail inspiration (even Macy’s held a spring promotion called “Brasil: A Magical Journey”) to becoming an emerging market for luxury brands.

Brazil Emerging as Luxury Force

“Brazil is enjoying an incredible GDP growth rate,” says Patrizio di Marco, global president and chief executive officer of Gucci, which has plans to open five stores there by the end of the year. “You have a number of high-net-worth individuals—similar to Russia and more than India—which says a lot about how important the market is. I think we’ll have more opportunities there.”

Gucci is among the luxury brands with outposts in the new JK Iguatemi mall in São Paulo, which opened in July; it unveiled a dedicated men’s store there, while the brand has two more stores offering men’s and women’s product in São Paulo, as well as one in Brasilia, with a Rio opening slated for later this year. Other brands at the JK Iguatemi include Van Cleef & Arpels, Lanvin, Miu Miu, Bulgari, Prada and Chanel.

Robert Burke, of consultancy Robert Burke & Associates, cites the explosion of creativity as a significant reason why the industry is taking notice. “Brazil represents a lot of sophistication, which people had underestimated in the U.S. before,” he says. “What fundamentally changed there is that it was a country dominated by local brands because of trade tariffs, but with Brazil’s economy, the number of ultrarich has grown. They travel internationally, and their appetite for international brands also grew—and so has their ability to buy these brands locally.”

Just as international labels are hitting cities like Rio and São Paulo, Brazilian fashion brands, including Melissa, Schutz and Jack Vartanian, are making inroads in the U.S. São Paulo-based shoe designer Alexandre Birman, whose family owns Arezzo & Co., one of Brazil’s leading women’s shoe companies (as well as the Schutz division), isn’t surprised by the new momentum. “Brazil was the first country to really get out of the financial crisis of 2008,” Birman says. “Our recovery was the fastest in the world, and that drove the attention of many investors to Brazil, who, consequently, brought money here, allowing [local] companies to gain in scale and to have the possibility to invest more overseas.”

Christian Louboutin shoes are known for two things: bearing those iconic red soles and being incredibly expensive.

So it should surprise no one that women desirous of their own Loubs yet lacking the cash are taking matters into their own hands literally. As the Telegraph reports, sales of glossy red paint have risen dramatically in just one year, with U.K. chain Homebase claiming it's because women are painting their own shoe soles red.

Women are coming in to buy red paint and even asking how best to apply it. One Homebase store manager confirmed to the Telegraph, "They have also asked staff for tips on how to paint on leather or rubber."

Should they find paint too messy, Louboutin-loving women might try stickers. Rosso Solini, founded by teen entrepreneur Tara Haughton, sells waterproof red stickers that stick to the bottom of your non-designer heels. Sure, they also make neon and polka-dot stickers. But it's pretty clear that the adhesives mean to fulfill your Louboutin dreams for the low price of $15.

We imagine Christian Louboutin himself is equally displeased with both options. The company holds its iconic soles so dear that Louboutin had them trademarked, then proceeded to fight legal battles over the validity of said trademark when "imitators" like Yves Saunt Laurent tried putting red bottoms on non-Louboutin shoes.

Fingers crossed Christian Louboutin doesn't go after a group of thrifty British women the way they went after YSL.

Check out pics at the Huffington Post from the new Louboutin exhibit at London's Design Museum!