Happy shoe year

I love shoes and I have a lot of them but shoe storage is always a problem. I mean, it would be great if my wildest dreams came true and I suddenly discovered a fourth dimension of infinite storage in my current wardrobe but while the boffins are trying to figure out that particular scientific conundrum, I've hit on an interim three-dimensional solution.

I managed to procure for myself (and let's just take a moment there and bask in the beauty that is the word "procure"... Aah. Lovely). As I was saying, I managed to procure for myself - through a measure of charm, guile and elbow grease - one of those rotating card/book holding units that you might find in your local charity shop.

I immediately saw the possibilities: tall and relatively thin, with lots of little holders to hang things off, casters for rolling around and the rotating feature. Would make and excellent shoe tree, I thought to myself. And it does (click images to enlarge).

Neutral territory

In the red corner

All the pretty colours

I've hung all my heeled shoes off it, freeing up shelf space for my flats and boots, and it looks like a real tree with shoes growing of it like leaves. I've even got it colour coded. It's arty and practical. Love it. If I have the time, I might spray paint it gold. Just for fun.

Ack! I've been Primarked

Despite all my good intentions with the not spending more money and the focussing on the stuff already in my wardrobe, I've fallen at the feet of the mighty Primark monster.

I went there to check out the Gucci-alike shoes. They are rubbish. I mean really, really cheap looking - which, yeah, what do you expect for £15 but also, I've bought Primark shoes before and really, these are just cheap and tacky to look at. Disappointment.

I noticed that didn't stop anyone else buying them though. There was one woman who was stock-piling the shoes as if there was a famine coming and these shoes were on the menu. They'll possibly turn up in some market somewhere. Ebay, maybe? Trust me, don't bother. Buy something else, er, like I did.

Well I say, something but I believe the accurate term would be somethings. Because as soon as I had got into the store and been thoroughly disappointed by the Gucci-alikes, I became totally overwhelmed by the wall to wall shoe-age. Long story short, I am now the proud owner of some Primark red, faux-patent foldover pixie booties, purple faux-patent shboots, aaand black snow boots.

What do I want snow boots for? I don't know. I just took one look at them and a sleeker, taller image of me in shiny black leggings and other suitably frozen-tundra-chic garments, finished off with my new Primark snow boots, flashed before my eyes. I will. Make them work.

Silver lining? I only spent £35. Result.

Rockabilly baby

My hair's grown to the point where I can now put it into a pretty decent updo. My favourite style right now is to wrap it all up into a pouffy quiff on top my head. It looks sort of rockabilly/pin up.

I did it for work yesterday and it looked so good, I couldn't resist dressing up a little.
(Click image to enlarge)
Spaghetti strap, black dress with red dots, and red cardi, H&M
Red lace body (just seen), thrifted
Red ankle socks, Topshop
Red and white shoes, Fly London
Fringed black scarf, thrifted
Sadly, you can't see my red and white dotted belt!

See:

Perfect pin-up
Pin-up outfit
Other people doing the pin up look

Feeling flats

The lovely sunny weather we've been having lately has seen me finally doing away with most of my winter wardrobe (although I'm holding a few things back because the British weather is just not that predictable).

Mostly I've been wearing cotton t-shirts, cotton skirts, summer dresses and sheer tops, and lots of colourful accessories. Shoe-wise, I thought this seasons would be all about the high wedge sandal for me. Surprisingly though, I seem to have also developed a latent taste for flat shoes. Mainly due to not having much money to shop with lately, and also because I re-discovered some hidden gems in some of my "yet-unpacked boxes" pile. See below (click on image to enlarge):

Silver Mary Janes, New Look; Peach with rose print, Zara; Mint with bows, Nine West

I'd almost forgotten I had these, bought them in that long ago season when flats were rocking. I love the Zara rose print ones because they're so unusual, and flats that are both mint, peeptoe and double bowed? Fab. The silver ones I've just started to get into, as they make a nice neutral shade to wear with floral dresses and pretty skirts.

It's almost impossible to find really cute flats anymore. They're mostly of the Kate Moss/Amy Winehouse ballet flat variety - so very, very boring. I did manage to find a few that I like online though. The Red or Dead plimsolls remind of PE class. See below (click on image to enlarge):

Grey bandage, £75, KG; Fuschia with ankle-strap, £25, Topshop; mint and print, £49, Poetic Licence at ASOS; two-tone Mary Jane, £20, New Look; zip front gladiators, £30, ASOS; black plimsolls, £20 and multi-coloured courts, £35 both Red or Dead at Schuh; bronze t-bar, Pied a Terre, £85

See:
All the shoes I own
Head of heels

All the shoes I own - the lost Zara platforms

Yes, I know it's taken a while, but finally, here are the grey sandals with chocolate heel and platform from Zara that I had given up for lost because I couldn't find them anywhere.

All last year, I would wear something brightly coloured and think, I know just the right shoes to go with this, then peer mournfully into the back of my shoe closet hoping that they would somehow magically materialise. Of course they never did.

Do you know why? Because the entire time they were hidden away in an old, decommissioned work handbag, under the Bloke's bed. They had obviously been worn to work, exchanged for flats at some point during the day, taken to Bloke's house and then completely forgotten about.

Note to self: Must be more organised. Yeah, right.

Head over heels

I love me some high heeled shoes. The higher the better. It all started with those ridiculously high, Westwood super-elevated ghillie shoes that made Naomi take a tumble in 1993. I didn't care about the obvious danger, I fell in love with those shoes and I longed for a pair.

It wasn't just that the shoes were, super duper high, it was that whole shiny blue, faux croc leather, the beautiful curvy lines and the fact that - until she fell - Naomi looked like a beautiful, impossibly long-limbed goddess. I still get a lump in my throat when I think about those shoes.

Anyway, 15 years later and I still can't pass a pair of high heeled shoes without coming over all queer. It's what led me to covet and buy among others my Gil Carvalho mock-croc platforms, Slick Cinderella Minx courts, and Shellys mock crocs but when I finally got own my very own pair of genuine Westwood platforms? Well, I tell ya. It was a good day. That day a shopping angel got it's wings.

I've been talking and thinking recently of shoes as pretty things, as objects to be admired in their own right over and above any functionality that they might have. Most of my high heel collection fall into this category. I just don't wear them half as much as I should but I look at them a lot and I really love them and I have no intention of giving them away.

Is it a shoe or is it art?

A Mondrian for your feet - Irregular Choice Mule, £69.99 at Schuh
Click on image to enlarge

The moment I saw these unusual, colourful, strappy mules from Irregular Choice, several things occurred to me:

a) As with most IC shoes, they are thoroughly impractical...
b) ...but gorgeous to look at
c) I would really like to hang these on my wall...
d)... like a Mondrian
e) But these are supposed to be shoes, right?

Way before the "it" shoe was a twinkle in the eye of the designer marketing machine, IC have done the kind of shoes that make a statement. Their aesthetic might not be to everyone's taste but to girls like me who like their footwear with a bit of drama and/or a sense of humour they are spot on.

Unfortunately, I get the feeling that IC never let a wearable shoe (let's not even talk comfort, that's a whole different shoe shop) get in the way of an interesting design. And therein lies the problem. I have a long and illustrious history of really liking IC shoes, the evidence of which can still be found in the back of my shoe closet. Never have shoes looked so good yet hurt so bad.

I don't get it. Everytime I see IC shoes, I'm a drooling wreck but I know even before I put them on that they're not going to work in any practical way. Why, when shoes look this good has no one figured out exactly how to make them wearable and why am I still drawn to them despite the obvious drawback?

Could there be a rationale for shoes as object d'art, shoes that you can leave on the coffee table as a talking point or display in your own little shoe collection to be seen not worn? Because if there is, then I would buy these shoes in a second. As shoes they may be a total failure but as art? They're kinda perfect.

Hello! Where were we..?

I know! I feel like I haven't posted for ages. First off, let me just say Happy New Year to you all lovely readers and thank you for continuing to drop by even during my going xmas AWOL. It's been a hectic and fabulous break and it's good to be back.

So what've I been up to? Well, in no particular order:

• Xmas parties. Eating enough to feed a small elephant and drinking enough to tranquilize said elephant. For a month.
• Wore my lovely new purple platform lace-ups at every opportunity and to the universal approval of my adoring fans (okay friends and fam)
• Slobbed around in the bloke's padded lumberjack shirt, eating leftovers, watching xmas telly (I was rather underwhelmed by the latest Doctor Who xmas special. It was bit rubbish really, which is a shame cos I lurve me some Doctor, yes I do!) and recovering from various states of hangover
• Xmas pressies. I got the coolest presents from the bloke, including a fabulous diamante bib choker from Polkadot (I loved it so much I wanted to wear it slobbing around in the lumberjack shirt but I didn't want to get any leftovers on it), Tom Ford Black Orchid Perfume, Ted Baker red fingerless mittens

• Got a year older. It was my birthday on December 30th. I hate my birthday. It falls in that no-man's land part of the year when everyone's full of xmas turkey, broke from xmas shopping, gone on xmas holidays and not interested in any parties until New Year's eve. Which means that nothing much ever happens on my birthday. Even my parents forgot my birthday once. (Hi Mom! Hi Dad! No, still haven't forgiven you; I was 12 years old!). Anyhoo, I did get a rather spiffy, brand-spanking-new bike for my birthday, which gave me an excuse to buy a totally rad, shiny red Bell helmet. Didn't do the sales. Two reasons for this: Reason the first, this winter's sales have been so uninspiring so far. Most of the stuff I've seen has either been still too expensive even with price cuts or just too cheap and dull to even bother with. Reason the second, I am going to have the brokest arse January of my life because the bloke and I are moving into a new place together, which means a healthy wodge of cash is going towards deposits and other expensive stuff (hardly a motivator for sales shopping!) Of course I will still do my sales picks for you guys (why should you have to suffer?) I do have to warn you though, it is slim pickins out there.

Something old - Shellys, studs and zips

These boots weren't made for walking: dodgy image of my Shellys boots complete with grass stains. How I spoil you!

So, I was rummaging round the back of my wardrobe (a sort of style Narnia, if you will) a couple of weeks ago, and I pulled out these Shellys boots that I'd almost forgotten that I had.

I'd bought them in last year's winter sales, attracted by the contrast between the suede and leather and the snub-nosed, faintly biker/cowboy shape of them. There was also the price, which was a measly £15. I tell you, I could not buy them fast enough!

Then I got them home and found out the truth about these seemingly perfect boots. They hurt. A lot. Now don't get me wrong, they were the right size, so I didn't feel like my toes were being placed in a mangle and slowly wrung to death. No, the problem was the insole, which had this high stiff arch, which would've been okay. If I had high arches. Which I don't.

Anyway, I wore them out once to the pub with friends and - despite the alcohol - I was in so much pain midway through the night that I had to leave early. So that's how the boots ended up in style Narnia.

Recently, I replaced the insoles with two layers of store-bought cushioned insoles and suddenly they're a delight to wear. Which is great. The added bonus being, my boots are also back in fashion and ticking about three major trend boxes: ornamental studs and zips, black, biker/roper boots. Makes the suffering seem so much more worthwhile...

When Shoe Lurve goes wrong

Remember how I raved about those Minx booties? Well they came in the post yesterday and, well all my dreams were shattered. Let's just say I was not impressed. I do, however, have a grudging respect for the photographer who does images for the Schuh website. They looked a lot better online.

It's like meeting a good looking guy in a bar, arranging a date, getting all excited and then finally meeting him in broad daylight only to find that dim light is indeed very flattering.

First off they were a little tight, which I wasn't expecting since the other ones I own fit perfectly well. Then there was the little problem of the strap fastenings... Now, there's a lot I can take in a shoe: faux leather, no leather, plastic. Hell, I'll even take elastic but one thing I positively cannot stand is... velcro fastenings! *gasp* I'm afraid that put me right off.

So I took them back and got a refund. The great thing about Schuh is that they will do you a refund without question at any of their stores no matter where you buy them even over the internet and they refund up to a year down the line as long as you return them in the condition you got them. The not so great thing is that they do not refund the postage, so I was down £2.99.




Anyhoo, the good news is, I decided to go down to Topshop and buy these strappy platform shoes that I'd been coveting. They were £65 but hey, I'd already spent £50, so in real terms (that is, on planet D&P, home of the theory of shoe relativity. Welcome!) it was just another £15. Needless to say, they are fabulous and put me in mind of the Vivienne Westwood shoes I posted about last week.

I just wish I could find a way to replace those buckles with something as fabulous as Westwood's. Could a shoemaker do it? Any ideas?

What, no posts?!

I'm taking the day off for some fun times with good friends. I'll be back with the new Outfit of the Week tomorrow. Happy sunday folks!

I'll leave you with these two red lovelies from Topshop because they are so gorgeous they make me want to cry.



Raspberry lace-up shoes, £55 and Red boots, £95.

Shelly's gold and mock-crock platforms

I bought these in the summer sales. I've had my beady eye on them since they first came out but I thought they were outrageously priced - they are only Shelly's shoes afterall, not hand made!

Anyway, I ended up picking them up for £15 in the sales. Yay me!

Pointy shoes 2 - brown heels

Another pair of pointy shoes that I can't explain the reason for owning. I mean, why? Do I own these? I don't work in a job that demands that I dress like my grandma and brown? Why would I buy brown shoes? I just can't explain it. It's like I went to bed and woke up in the land of frump.

Pointy shoes 1 - orange metallic t-bars

Here is a prime example of why I do not buy pointy shoes. I bought these from Walk on Oxford Street a zillion years ago. I have never worn them out. I keep threatening to throw them away.

Why? Because feet over size 40 should never wear pointy shoes and they should definitely NEVER wear extreme pointy shoes, which is what these are. They make my feet look like long pointy canoes. That is just not cute.

Nevertheless the are orange metallic t-bars, which means that they could be a fashion contender if I could bring myself to wear them. One day I will find the perfect outfit for them... Maybe when I'm 80.

The shoes that I made

Okay, this is one of the reasons why I will eternally love the bloke. Because he got me probably the best birthday present ever, which was a weekend shoe making course. It was brilliant. And these are the shoes I made from scraps of material and a helluva lot of glue.

I think they're pretty cool. They are also totally wearable.

Irregular choice corsage shoes

These corsage shoes are one of my favourites. I love the cute corsage, the gathered metallic vamp with floral pattern and the high back and curved heel.

Irregular Choice shoes can be hit and miss - they tend to sacrifice style for comfort and sometimes too much style for very little substance - but I think they got the balance just right with these.

They're obviously going out shoes and they look great with little black dresses. I really should wear them more often. So many shoes, so little time. *sigh*

The shoes I am yet to wear - Glitter shoes

I think we can all agree these are fabulous shoes. Love the silver glitter, contrasting strap and accents and - you can't see them but - a lovely chunky 2.5 inch heel.

When I saw them last year in the Office shop window, it was shoe lurve. They looked like great party shoes and I imagined myself twinkling from party to party with them on my feet.

It's going on for seven months later and I still haven't worn them yet. But I will. One day. I think.

The fugly shoes I bought in New York

This is one of my many, many shopping abroad disasters. I cannot believe that I thought they were cute. No really. Check out the pom-pom laces. Pom-pom. Laces. Y'all. And the suede fringe over the ridiculous patterned vamp and the M logo... Urgh!

I bought these in Manhattan - first mistake - for far more than they are actually worth. I wore them out that evening and nearly lost both feet to loss of circulation.

My only excuse for buying these monstrosities is that they are red and the curved heels look pretty cool but far, far too much is going on in this one shoe. I keep them at the back of the wardrobe. Every time I see them I shudder.

Let this be a cautionary tale to you; when travelling don't buy shoes unless you are really, really sure you want to keep them. Better still, just don't buy shoes.

Cute shoes

So these are my cute shoes from my Minny Mouse phase. I hardly ever wear them anymore. I guess it's because I fell in love with heels.

Okay, so this is where my madness kicks in: the peep toe ones with the pink bow? I have the same exact pair in black and white. The cream ones with the black bow? I also have in pink.

The white and blue ones were definitely the nadir of this phase - check out the cute red hearts. Oh dear.

Death by shopping... Well, almost!

Image: Ropehanger 'Max' by Rainer Subic, Admir Jukanovic

courtesy design spotter.com

Peeps, I've got to tell you, I am bored. I am so very, very bored with the all the stuff in the shops at the moment. So bored in fact that I have not done a shopping update in quite a while (if you were wondering, this is why).

I am bored with the same old, same old, swimsuits, packing for holidays, summer dresses, maxi, mini, volume, body con, city shorts, hotpants, tunic,tunic,tunic pap of it.

I swear, if I have to look at one more pair of high waisted anything I am going to garrot myself with a rusty hanger.

So, what does a girl do when le shopping turns into le pain-in-the-arse?

Well, here's the thing... I've been thinking, now would be a good time to reprise the "all the shoes I've own" section and I'm also thinking my "in the closet section" could do with some additions. Maybe if I can get my hands on a mannikin I can dress it up and take some photos.

Would also be great if I could hear from you guys once in a while, a comment or email would be nice. And finally, I'm here to answer your style dilemmas. Trying to find something, wondering what to wear, what not to wear, what to wear where, where to find what to wear (heh!). I can help. Just ask.