Head over Heels for Chaises

When ONE KINGS LANE asked me to write a blog post in honor of Fashion Week, I jumped at the chance to discuss the link between fashion and décor. I was asked to pair “to-die-for” designer shoes with a covetable chaise longue and of course, I came up with eco conscious pairings to share! I am absolutely in love with chaises – the chaise is the quintessential furniture element that exudes luxury and relaxation, so the job at hand seemed a natural one. At one point while living in Brooklyn, I had a chaise in the living room, the bedroom and even in the dining room! The dining room had great daylight and the chaise was the perfect place for afternoon naps, cuddling, reading, and playing with the cats.To begin - a little background:CHAISE LONGUE definition, Wikipedia - A Chaise Longue is an upholstered sofa in the shape of a chair that is long enough to support the legs. In modern French, the term chaise longue can refer to any long reclining chair. A literal translation in English is "long chair". In the United States the term lounge chair is also used to refer to any long reclining chair. Chaise longue is sometimes incorrectly written and pronounced as "chaise lounge". 

MATCH NO. 1 : Bold and Beautiful 

I paired a French Regency antique chaise longue with Stella McCartney heels. Shown is a reproduction from ONE KINGS LANE, the DUCHESSE, which is of the early eighteenth century. And if you didn’t already know, Stella McCartney did an internship with Christian Lacroix, and served as creative director at Chloe (succeeding none other than Karl Lagerfeld). She launched her own label in 2001 and has made her mark with sweet and sophisticated designs that reflect both her signature style and her personal philosophy by incorporating a natural confidence and consciously avoiding all use of leather and fur.

Although the The Stella McCartney Colorblock Sandal with Acrylic Heel is more futuristic, both the sandals and the chaise are still formal and feminine with a French influence. The two-toned, quilted insole of the shoe cries out to a more classic era, bringing it back full circle to pair perfectly with the DUCHESSE. 

MATCH NO. 2 : Sleek and Sophisticated

Here I am matching a mid century vintage chaise longue with an evening shoe made from recycled materials. Using vintage pieces, like the above WAVE CHAISE from ONE KINGS LANE and styled from the Mies van der Rohe Mr. Lounge Chair, is absolutely a form of eco-design. Not only is it a reuse of materials and energy, it can be considered sustainable because of how long the final product can be used. 

Beyond Skin creates “ethical and eco-friendly fashion footwear that is organic and non-toxic,” so naturally, how can there be an eco-fashion blog post without bringing them up? The “Jolie” shoe with silver, glittery snakeskin and black accent is handmade from recycled fabrics. Their factory is carefully managed in a way that reduces the carbon ‘footprint’ of ethical shoe manufacturing, in part by sourcing materials locally whenever possible. It becomes the perfect pair to the van der Rohe chrome and black leather chaise longue by mirroring the color tones and bringing in a fun, sparkling element with the snakeskin.

MATCH NO. 3 : His and Hers

This Andrew Day chaise from the Kristin Drohan Collection on ONE KINGS LANE is tailored and glamorous in sleek black leather. I love the timeless elegance with a hint of history and the fact that the collection is made in America from sustainably harvested and reclaimed wood. The frame is crafted of sustainably forested hardwood and the heavy-gauge spring coils are made of recycled metal.

The “California Green” men’s sneaker is the perfect match to the chaise. It is available in both low- and high-top versions, includes bio-rubber soles, vegetable-tanned calfskin uppers, bio-shoelaces, and tongues with the Gucci logo printed in green on recycled polyester labels. It reads the sophistication of the chaise while still being effortless enough to also pair with the "Hers" choice -

Gucci’s “Sustainable Soles” line of footwear is made with biodegradable plastic “Marola Green” slip-on, which features cutout details and Gucci’s trademark interlocking G’s, that are elegant enough to look like patent leather. Maintaining the same neutral toned sophistication as the chaise and the "his" shoe pairing, this shoe combines everything we love about a sleek look and a fun, feminine cutout. Its structured lines and use of negative and positive space echoes what one might envision for the chaise.