Olivia Rubin Collection for Dune - Launch Night

I had a fabulous evening last night.   

Dune kindly invited me to an exclusive evening with designer Olivia Rubin on top on their South Molton Street shop.   I wasn't too sure what the evening was going to entail and I certainly did not expect to be given the opportunity to speak with Olivia herself.  My friend Jen came with me, we were in a bit of a rush at first as we had only just finished work so were pretty flustered by the time we got there and certainly arrived fashionably late - an hour late in fact - not cool at all.  As we flew up South Compton Street I spotted the Dune shop and peered in wondering how on earth we were supposed to make our way upstairs when I spotted to the side of the shop a young woman in a doorway with a clipboard.  Our names were on the list and we were greeted with a welcoming smile.  

Up the stairs we went and were ushered into a fairly large white open space which I can only describe as every girl's idea of heaven...shoes, cupcakes, pink champagne, pumping music, shoes, photographers, sandwiches, goody bags, shoes, bird cages, friendly faces, strawberry bonbons and yes more shoes.  

Here in front of us was Olivia Rubin's hugely anticipated collection she has designed for Dune consisting of 12 shoes and 3 bags.  This is the first time that Dune has collaborated with a designer and the first shoe range that Olivia has designed which makes it all the more exciting.  The collection is a mixture of wedges, flats, platforms and sophisticated stilettos, each shoe having been named after the great artists, naturally (Dune were keen for Olivia to continue with this idea following on from her Spring 2010 clothing collection).  So how did Olivia come up with the range?  Firstly she headed back to her archive for inspiration and decided on three different prints she felt were strong, bold and eye catching.  First up is the black and white monochrome (my personal favourite), then we have the 70's retro print with poppy bright colours (Olivia's favourite platform shoe "Or Warhol" is from this range) and lastly the more mellow colours consisting of pastel wedges.

Olivia worked closely with the designers from Dune ensuring there was "something for everyone".  Something for everyone there certainly is, keeping bang on trend with the 70's vibe for spring/summer the wedges are a must with a pair of flared jeans and a bohemian top.  Turning to the evening "Or Hirst" are a must (see picture below).

Dune were the perfect hosts, ensuring our glasses were topped up all night and encouraging us to have a polaroid taken with our favourite shoes.  Rachael, the newly appointed Head of PR and Marketing could not have been more welcoming and obliged when I asked for a quick interview for my inspirational women thread.   Olivia was equally as pleasant and down to earth, who I also managed to interview- more to come on both of those later.

A big thanks to Dune for the surprise goody bag consisting of a voucher, nail varnish, creams and kerastase hair products to name a few.  

The Olivia Rubin Dune collection is available now online and in selected stores (prices range from £65-£110)...be quick...!

www.dune.co.uk