Shoes, glorious shoes. We spend a lot of time finding the prettiest and most unusual shoes to share with you, whether they're heels that are inspired by lime peel in a mojito, or incredible studded flats. We've done shoe guides for those of you with large feet and small feet. We've never talked about the shoes that we live in every day so here's a little glimpse into what's usually on our feet.
Sian: I love high heels, absolutely love them (how ace are those Kitsch Couture floral shoes from Bank? They remind me of fabulous Erdem dresses). But ever since breaking my foot a few summers ago, I basically live in flats. I still wear heels sometimes (and covet them every time I browse in a shoe shop), but now it's so infrequent that I teeter and totter and I'm usually sulking by the time I get to the pub. Instead, I stick to mega bright flats. Often they get more attention than the rest of my outfit and I can run for a bus.
Kat: You're probably hellaciously bored with me going on about what I put on my size 9 feet but I can't stop screaming about it. I live in the Aretha heels I bought a year ago from Amber & Jade, and the specials I had made at Upper Street. For flats, as I don't wear them very often, or for great distances, I get the cheap but cheerful New Look specials, and I got my trainers from the blokes' section of a department store. They're glittery and shiny enough to look ladylike, but ultimately I can run like a bat out of hell in them and nobody knows they were the boys' choice first.
Laura V: My dream is to own some Louboutins, but until my budget stretches that far it's bargains all the way. With heels it's the higher the better for me - one of my fave pairs is some gold strappy beauties an ex-boyfriend bought me (we broke up not long after, I kept the shoes). Oddly, none of my shoes get as many compliments as a pair of £15 scarlet stilettos with ruffled heels, even though I've had them for about six years. I don't wear heels as often as I used to though, so I'm so glad Sian found the Dogo Sketchbook shoes - the Paris ones are GORGEOUS and only £28. Shoe swoons.
Sara: I have odd-shaped feet that refuse to fit into most shoes, which is why I live in brogues. They're sensible yet beautiful, especially if you buy some bright red ones when you're feeling particularly flush. They cheer me up every day, even that time a man stopped me in the street, pointed at them and bellowed "THEY'RE THE COLOUR OF OX BLOOD!" Think he meant it as a compliment.
Laura B: I have big feet, and they've been big since, well, birth. When I was little, I used to covet the bright red shoes with flashing soles that other girls got to wear, while I stomped about in increasingly manly styles. Nowadays, of course, things are different - finding shoes in my size is barely ever a problem. I make up for those years of endless yearning by stocking up on as many pairs of silly shoes as possible - my current favourites are a pair of bright blue flats, adorned with bananas, pineapples and cherries - a leather fruit salad! I'm still on the look out for an adult-sized pair of red, flashing-soled shoes, though. One day!
Laura H: I'm another one at an awkward end of the footwear spectrum. Being a size 3, someone once commented that my shoes look like something you'd hang on the rear view mirror. That being said, I do get some absolute bargains in the sales, and yes, I'll occasionally buy children's shoes until I get too embarrassed about having a bright pink daisy flapping around my toes. I'm a big fan of boots, with a bit of a chunky heel so I can reach things in the supermarket, and I love a good wedge. They're flattering AND walkable. But I have to admit - like Laura V - my absolute favourite shoes are a pair of red satin stilettos I bought years ago for a pony (That's £25, not a small horse). Sometimes the bargain shoes really are are best.
I am blessed with having a room for my shoes, named - the Shoeseum! I just couldn't think of any other possible use for the room when we moved in.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty much full of heels, heels and more heels. No ankle straps (they make my cankle look like a thigh) and not too many wedges - I just can't seem to walk in them?!
My old favourites are Iron Fist - they have such creepily beautiful shoes (with great front platforms) and they can be teamed even on posh dress days for a little bit of understated rebellion. The Dorothy shoes are my absolute favourite.
However, the recent discovery of www.everythingfivepounds.com (oh, the secret is out!) has led me to purchasing LOTS of shoes/boots that I can wear on the odd occasion and not feel too guilty about if they don't get worn for a while!
LOVE that website. It's perfect for a little shopping spree when payday seems miles off.
DeleteI am wearing my brand new, bright YELLOW loafers today. I love them and they're making me smile!!
ReplyDeleteYellow shoes have a habit of doing that. Where are they from?
DeleteI've got odd triangle-ish shaped feet which are wide at the toes but very thin at the heel, so Jimmy Choos & Miu Miu are out.
ReplyDeleteI always used to be a solid size 3 or 36 but when I was pregnant in 2008 my feet swelled up massively (up to a size 5!) and ever since then I've been a size 3.5 or 4 (36.5-37)
It sucks - my beautiful pre-family, disposable income shoe collection is mostly too small for my silly shaped feet. Alas, I've sold several pairs on eBay but I do still squeeze into my PERFECT black simple Louboutin 4 inch pumps, I love them so much and they are still pretty comfortable considering my poor feet get squished into them.
I think the silliest shoes I own are the Mobius Hi shoes in bright pink by United Nude. Look bonkers AND really uncomfortable, but I reckon they're a design classic
Silly but comfortable shoes are basically the dream.
DeleteInterestingly, here in Peru I find the cheap high heels (often sold alongside "Havaianas" that are clearly cheap flip-flops with the label stuck on them) to be really comfortable! I plan on acquiring more pairs soon! My favourite high heels I actually bought here in Peru 2 years ago, they're very high but they're just plain black strappy sandals, not dissimilar to what ASOS are selling at the moment. They go with anything.
ReplyDeleteI'm not good at wandering around in high heels for long, no matter how comfy, (part of it, sorry to scare anyone thinking of coming to Peru, just being practical, is that if I get into trouble I want to be able to run) so I wear high heels inside the club/bar then switch to flip-flops or nice flat shoes outside.
John Fluevogs for me. But I can only try them on when I'm in the States, so I tend to take a not quite full suitcase & buy three pairs at a time. They're (mostly) leather, apart from the vegan ones, comfortable enough to run for the train in, & quirky, so that people notice them. The lovely people in the SoHo NYC shop tell me that with my foot size (41 -42) I can wear pretty much any style in the shop, male or female. And their men's shoes are as nicer (some nicer!) than the women's.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fluevog.com/code/
My uncle actually owns and runs a shoe shop (which runs in the family - HIS uncle owned one too). As it's in South Wales, it's not terribly expensive. (I know, the Holy Grail!)
ReplyDeleteSadly he mainly stocks shoes for his regular clientele, which can be loosely grouped under the "sensible little old lady shoe" umbrella. However, as he has some Italian stockists, every now and then an absolutely gorgeous pair of heels appears, which I just can't wait to snap up from him. My favourite pairs are:
- patent leather black with a leopard print band outlining the opening for your foot (badly described, beautiful shoes!)
- sparkly gorgeous heels, like Louboutins but about 1/10th of the price!
- Maroon knee-high boots
Next time I raid his stock room, I'll take pictures!