He who does not love shoes, does not love people.
Jelena Karakaš
Convinced optimist. Curious by nature. A journalist by profession (though she often thinks she's got the wrong job). A multitasker, a Google master. An incorrigible lover of print who sinfully enjoys a hot digital affair. She's been in the world of lifestyle magazines for almost two decades, from L’Officiel, through Elle and Buro, to her current position as the editor-in-chief of the print edition of Marie Claire magazine. She's never managed to do just one job at a time and persistently juggles tasks and hobbies, creating a life origami that only she understands. She travels so much that her neighbours suspect she's a flight attendant. Friends call her for travel recommendations, and for cities she's never even been to. Her mission? To make everything (the world) around her beautiful.
Honestly, it was only a few years ago that I truly realised the extent to which shoes define me, and how important (how important!) that category is to me. Footwear is my way of truly staying grounded, even on a thin stiletto. But, I never really thought about it, it's just something like breathing, it's there and it's good, let's move on.
My earliest memories are of fashion; I could describe my favourite white cardigan in stitches (very un-white when my parents resignedly threw it away while I sulked in the corner), a checked dress with a Peter Pan collar and red pear-shaped buttons, metallic leggings with a pink print of electric palm trees, and even the two-piece with a white shirt and a melange mini-skirt that I wore for my fourth birthday. And then, oh, I could go on and on about them... about the most perfect pair of shoes that ever appeared in my life.
Flat sandals, peep-toe cut, a tiny bow above, the softest pale green colour, a light texture that's only visible if you really look closely, an adjustable strap around the heel with a silver buckle. A pair of shoes you can easily imagine on a girl dressed in a chic dress, ready to conquer the world. But I wasn't even five years old then, yet I was determined to move mountains for that pair. Let's just say I cried inconsolably on the cold shop floor until the sheer embarrassment forced my mother to hand over her purse and pack them into a bag. And indeed, I wore them until they completely fell apart.
Fast forward, it's 2010. My head is restless, full of ideas, I'm in a general frenzy to launch a blog, my fingers are itching, I'm going round in circles trying to find a name and dive into coding about which I know nothing (P.S. Karakaš blog 2.0 is coming very, very soon). And then – bam! „Whoever doesn't like shoes, doesn't like people.“ The funniest thing is that I almost never wrote about shoes on the blog. Which didn't stop me from buying absolutely every pair that caught my eye. It seems that until 2015, I didn't even own a pair of trainers – what I wouldn't give now for that willingness to battle the Belgrade cobblestones on a stable six-inch heel in pointed orange patent leather, while rushing from one obligation to another.
Yes, you see me in casual trainers much more often now, but that doesn’t mean I’ve had a lobotomy. I still buy shoes with undiminished enthusiasm, with great joy and zero guilt, with a practiced flick of the wrist, I present my card. But now, purely for fun, I choose them like a mad magpie, I pick the shiniest, the most special, with crystals, feathers, in colour, striped, houndstooth, with sequins. And I wear each one as if it’s the most normal thing in the world to stroll to a restaurant at midday, deflecting sunbeams like a disco ball along the way. I’m pretty sure the pointed-toe heeled mules I wear repeatedly and persistently are actually from the bridal collection. I don’t play by the rules.
For me, life is about stepping out in special creations every day.
When everything is ordinary, perhaps even a bit rubbish, that's exactly when it happens! I open my shoe rack and add purple glitter to my feet, and immediately everything is better.
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Jelena Karakaš An optimist by conviction. Curious by nature. A journalist by profession (though she often thinks she's made a mistake somewhere). Multitasker, Google
Tanja Vasojević has successfully delivered numerous projects throughout her career – in the corporate world in various positions and as a director
Photo credit: Marko Krunić Luna Lu Luna Lu, TV and digital format creator. Recognised for her series: Histerik, Glamurama, Štiklom u vrata,
