Inspiration can arrive anytime, anywhere, and I’m not just speaking of blogging. In paging through the March 2009 issue of Vogue, I was quite taken with the styling of a new ad from Jimmy Choo, the British designer of shoes favored by the character Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City.

Ads for the Jimmy Choo brand tend toward the edgy, as you’ll readily notice if you peruse the magazine for the other images in the two-page ad layout. I’ll leave commentary on the bathing suit-stiletto combo to others.

The largest of the images pairs green and black “cage sandals” with a leopard-print clutch, leaving no doubt that this designer is not into matchy-matchy . . . or is he? What ties the look together is the stunning and huge malachite, onyx and diamond ring on the model’s hand. The sandals match the gemstone.

The design of the sandals, a striped effect created by alternating bands of color, picks up on the striation of the gemstone, and the rectangular shape of the ring echoes the geometry of the sandal design as well as the shape of the handbag. The ring designer is uncredited and also is not identified on the Jimmy Choo website, which does not sell jewelry.

Which leaves the question… which came first, the shoes or the ring?  In either case, both were apparently inspired by a gorgeous slice of malachite. Shoes inspired by jewelry – there’s something so absolutely right about that.

JCK