Natalie Portman: Actor, Harvard graduate … and, now shoe designer.

A vegan, the “Star Wars” and “Closer” actress worked with shoe company Té Casan to create a line of high-fashion animal-friendly footwear, like the red satin Paloma sandal abov.

(Accent on the “high-fashion” part: I have a pair of 100% hemp shoes from Adidas — not the cool Super Skate kind; these look like the bastard child of slippers and aikido shoes, and they’re the ugliest things I own [and that includes my Tevas]. I wear them only when I’m painting.)

Although I like these sandals in red — despite what Sharyn’s mom told her — I am not so sure I find them quite as attractive in other colors. Especially the metallic fabric ones, which have a disco mother-of-the-bride feel to them.

Click here to see all of Portman’s limited-edition designs: They make only about 100 pairs per size per style. (Apparently the “limited-edition” means “expensive” — these shoes are $275, which seems a little steep for satin, even if it is celebrity satin.) Portman is donating her part of the proceeds to the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit agency “that works to protect ecologically fragile lands and bodies of water.”

So, what do you think? Are these shoes hot, or not? Leave your comment below. I’ll draw one winner from the comments received by Friday, Feb. 1. In honor of Portman’s animal-friendly lifestyle, and the impending Valentine’s Day holiday, the prize will be the Play Your Cards Right massage bar from Lush, the skin-care company whose products are either vegan or safe-synthetic. It’s roughly the consistency of chocolate until it comes in contact with body heat, when it melts just enough to be used as a massage medium. (The scent: “Sex Bomb.”) Update 2-1-08: Congratulations to Cindy, whose post was selected as the winner.

And remember to come back for a new contest (and prize) every week.
sammit

WHAT SAM WORE: 1/22/08
The shirt: Embroidered long-sleeved button-down by Fender (Buffalo Exchange, 2007)
The pants: Straight-leg 1969 button-fly jeans by Gap (gap.com clearance, 2007)
The shoes: Goodyear Race leather (sshh!) sneakers by Adidas (Last Chance, 2006)
The scent: Mentha Body lotion by C.O. Bigelow (Bath & Body Works)

sammit

Posted in: Shoe Hot Or Not? |

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