Greek Fashion Designers on Etsy: NorTin

Nora Zachariou and Tina Athanasakou are very passionate about shoes. They actually speak shoes fluently. So fluently that when I first 'met' them through their blog, one of the very few blogs that I look forward to reading, I knew these two had the perfect combination of talent and hard work. Tina and Nora studied the art of shoemaking at ELKEDE Center of Technology and Design in Athens, Greece, to become 'professional lovers and makers of shoes', as they state in their official website. And it is really obvious how much they love shoes! NorTin shoes are 100% handmade using the finest materials and leathers. Each pair of shoes is made separately, first sketched, designed and then created by hand, making sure they cannot be found anywhere else in the world! 

Η Νόρα Ζαχαρίου και η Τίνα Αθανασάκου έχουν πολύ μεγάλο πάθος με τα παπούτσια. Για την ακρίβεια, μιλούν τη γλώσσα των παπουτσιών με άνεση. Τόση άνεση που, όταν τις πρωτογνώρισα μέσα από το μπλογκ τους, ένα από τα ελάχιστα ιστολόγια που ανυπομονώ να διαβάσω, κατάλαβα ότι αυτές οι δύο έχουν τον τέλειο συνδυασμό ταλέντου και σκληρής δουλειάς. Η Τίνα και η Νόρα σπούδασαν σχέδιο και κατασκευή υποδημάτων στην ΕΛΚΕΔΕ, για να γίνουν 'επαγγελματίες λάτρεις και δημιουργοί παπουτσιών', όπως δηλώνουν οι ίδιες στην επίσημη ιστοσελίδα τους. Και είναι πραγματικά εμφανές πόσο πολύ αγαπούν τα παπούτσια! Τα υποδήματα NorTin είναι 100% χειροποίητα, φτιαγμένα από τα πιο εκλεκτά υλικά και δέρματα. Κάθε ζευγάρι παπούτσια φτιάχνεται ξεχωριστά, σχεδιάζεται και δημιουργείται στο χέρι, διασφαλίζοντας έτσι ότι δε θα τα βρείτε πουθενά αλλού στον κόσμο!

I guess one of the reasons I adore NorTin shoes is because I love fairytales. I know I can be a queen in these:

Φαντάζομαι ότι ένας από τους λόγους που λατρεύω τα παπούτσια NorTin είναι επειδή αγαπώ τα παραμύθια. Ξέρω ότι μπορώ να είμαι μια βασίλισσα με αυτά:

Be my queen pumps

Or a mermaid in these:

Ή, μια γοργόνα με αυτά:

Wrapped leather wedges - blue

I know I am a star:

Ξέρω ότι είμαι ένα αστέρι:

Star design summer wedges

And I most definitely know I can be drop dead gorgeous if I want to:

Και σίγουρα ξέρω ότι μπορώ να καταπλήξω αν το θέλω:

Neon green platform high heels

I can be a wild cat all day long:

Μπορώ να είμαι μια αγριόγατα όλη μέρα:

Animal print low summer wedges

My spirit is definitely wild and free:

Το πνεύμα μου είναι σίγουρα άγριο και ελεύθερο:

White leather flat sandals with lightning design

And in this tough world, I am still romantic:

Και μέσα σε αυτόν το σκληρό κόσμο, εγώ είμαι ακόμη ρομαντική:

Studded lace up summer wedges

I am just me. NorTin shoes are just me. Perhaps you also see yourself in them. Go check.

Είμαι απλά ο εαυτός μου. Τα παπούτσια NorTin είναι ο εαυτός μου. Ίσως κι εσείς βλέπετε τον εαυτό σας σε εκείνα. Πηγαίνετε να δείτε.

NorTin Handmade Shoes, by shoelazzo

OK... I am definitely not lucky in the shoes department... You do recall I have denounced high heels? Let me refresh your memory: There was this post, and then this post... Well, this is a case that I would be very glad to make an exception, one -because the heel is not unreasonably high, and two -because I love the design and the material, the fact these wedges are handmade, and the fact they are produced in Greece!

Wedges, handmade black and brown patent leather, limited edition

And just when I was beginning to drool over these... I discovered they are only available in size 38 and 37. I am a good 40, which means I will have to wait and see what the girls come up with next. Oh, didn't I tell you? We are blog pals! I am so proud of you, Nora and Tina! Wishing you the best of luck with your new shop on Etsy!

Start Wearing Flats

I recently read an article by The Guardian's fashion writer Hadley Freeman -and I quite enjoyed it, to be honest. In it she urged women to ditch high heels, and I couldn't agree with her more. So now you know I am not a fan.

But I haven't been brave enough not to wear them altogether in my life, either. High heels, I mean, not your average two or even three inches. It has been particularly hard for me to withstand peer pressure, media pressure, celebrities pressure, fashion industry pressure and so on and so forth. High heels are considered a symbol of femininity, which I find a terribly sexist idea, unfortunately endorsed by countless people. It seems there is an orchestrated effort to convince us all that this is the norm and in reality, keep us from living life to the fullest.

I believe it's pressure that actually makes us do things that we would not do otherwise, and wearing high heels is one of them. I don't remember ever feeling sexy or cool wearing high heels for more than ten minutes; quite the contrary, I have felt way too tired to do anything, completely incapable of having fun, and certainly not confident, since admitting to not be feeling good in high heels is like admitting to not being female at all!

So I decided to speak my mind loudly on this matter from now on, and this post is only the beginning. No more four or five inch heels at work or even in parties! Besides, the higher they get, the trashier they look, am I right, or am I right?

Am I the only one who thinks like that? Enter your comments below, to let me know how you feel.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the nicest, coolest, sexiest looking flats one can find on Etsy!

Dull pewter snake print ballerinas, by elehandmade

Chocolate Brown Maori Sandal, by TreadLightGear

Soft leather ballet flats, by lunashoesuk

Custom Bridal Flats, by HydraHeart

Vintage Woven Leather Wingtip Oxfords, by hellcatvintage

Eco Friendly Fabric Flat Shoes, by extraseed

Gorgeous deep burgundy leather riding boots, by treeandkimballmarket

Leopard Print Handmade Ballet Flats, by DeBonisOrquera

Zen Vert Orange Women Linen Room Shoes, by LaLaShoes

Punch circle flat shoes, by titilung

Fairysteps Bohemian Fairy Handmade Leather Boots, by fairysteps

Eco Toes in Berry, by infusion