Friday Lust

It’s that time of the week again, the time when our minds turn to shopping and the damage we’ll do to our credit cards this weekend!

This week’s Friday lust is a bit forward thinking as it’s really more of a summer thing but it’s a summer thing I’m coveting nonetheless.

Here it is:

Pretty Ballerinas Charlize, 199 Euros

Observe the sleek lines, the beautiful shade of nude, the shiny patent and the gorgeous pink sole. What a shoe! I LOVE IT! I may well order some of these when we get a bit nearer to the warm weather and I’ll totally be able to justify it by telling myself that they’re practical because they’re flat 🙂

Happy shopping, everyone x

New Blog for People with Narrow Feet!

Hello friends!

Just this weekend I have launched a new blog with the aim of helping people with narrow feet to find shoes that are fashionable and actually fit comfortably.

If you’re in that boat yourself, check it out at: http://narrowshoesblog.wordpress.com/

I hope you’ve had a great weekend! x

Friday Lust

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Surprise, surprise, this week’s Friday lust is yet another pair of shoes that I definitely don’t need but can’t help obsessing over! These little beauts are brought to you by Topshop and here they are:

Gasoline Glitter Flame Heels, £55

I love everything about these shoes from the on-trend pointed toe and ankle strap to the edgy rock flame styling and of course the Christmas sparkle! If you love them as much as me and your bank balance permits, you can purchase yours here. Personally I will be using every ounce of my willpower not to duck into Topshop on Oxford Street tomorrow and grab myself both these and the navy and silver version!

Have a super weekend friends 🙂 x

Hot to Trot

Recently I have been even more shoe mad than ever…literally cannot stop looking at (and buying) shoes. Now, this can be very bad for the bank balance but every now and then I stumble upon a bargainous shoe that I don’t even need to feel guilty about buying. Today’s bargainous shoe comes to us courtesy of Forever 21, here it is:

Rhinestoned Platform Heels, £29.75

I just LOVE these shoes, they’ll see you right through party season and they’re just such a bargain. They also come in a very tempting light pink  but my money’s on black to match with AW’s moody tones. Sparkles, heels and a platform, so much girly glamour wrapped up in one shoe and much cheaper than many of the other similar shoes on the high street. Grab yours here!

Anyone else spotted any fab, yet budget friendly party shoes??? x

When the Shoes Make the Outfit

Sometimes in life, you have your mind set on something so much that you just can’t adapt or change, it just has to be the way you imagined it. So what happens when we can’t find what we imagined and there’s no way around it, shoes for example fall into this category. When you dream up your perfect pair and you can’t find them, there’s very little you can do to change it. This happens even more regularly if you are someone like me and have slightly unusually sized feet, either on the short, long, wide or narrow side.

Well I am here to tell you there is a solution and for those of us in the UK, it’s just on our doorstep and it’s sooooooo much fun! Upper Street London is my new best friend…they make shoes, lots of beautiful shoes designed by fabulous women just like us! Here is their website, seriously check this out. If you register you can create designs for your ideal pairs of shoes and save them into your collection and then when you’ve made your mind up, you can go right ahead and order them, even if your feet aren’t quite a standard size.

Now you may wonder what the point is in designing your own shoes if you’re only going to have to pay more for them but let me put it to you like this… you could buy 2 or 3 pairs of high end high street shoes that loads of other people have which you like OR, you could buy 1 pair of custom designed, 1 of a kind shoes that you absolutely love and can’t wait to wear with anything AND you know they’ll fit like a glove because they’ll keep adjusting them until they do 🙂

I went to meet the Upper Street crew yesterday at their studio in London and not only are they lovely people but it meant I got to see some shoes and feel some fabric swatches. Well, the shoes are gorgeous and not a splodge of glue anywhere (Primark and New Look I’m looking at you!) and the fabrics are super luxurious. When they say leather, they mean leather, none of this leather effect malarky, only the real deal. Seriously, have a play on their website and then add your favourites to your Christmas list, I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I’m just deciding which ones my wardrobe is most in need of myself!

Here are a couple of the designs I have stored in my collection to get you started off:

Animal Hair with Leather Toe, Back and Heel and Silver Studs

Patent Turquoise and Fuschia Leather with Silver Studs

If you can’t see what you’re looking for, give them a call as some things aren’t on the website. Much love and happy designing! x

Narrow Feet Shoe Splurge!

Hello again friends! If you are UK based, I hope you’ve made the most of the fabulous weather we have had this week. I know that rain is due again and we’ve had some today but it really has still been a marked improvement on the rest of the summer!

I don’t know about you guys but when the sun comes out, I feel much more positive and obstacles seem much easier to overcome. On that basis, I decided I was going to hunt out some new shoes; ideally I was looking for some pointed court shoes but really I was looking for something to make me feel good. Now, if you’ve read some of my other posts, you will know that I am rather narrow of foot and shoe shopping is most definitely a challenge. I’ll confess that I haven’t yet bought any pointed court shoes (well I have, but they don’t fit and will be going back) but I have a plan for those next month. What I have done is found some lovely shoes at reasonable high street prices which stay on and look good on my narrow and shallow feet. If you are in the same situation, take note and don’t lose heart because there really are shoes out there, you just have to look for them!

The first pair I bought were from Zara and I just LOVE the studs on these bad boys. I’m so excited that studs are all over everything for AW12, I love that look and it means my River Island boots from last Christmas will still be bang on trend! Anyway, here are my new Zara flats:

These little badgers were £49.99 but they are real leather and are so amazingly soft on the inside that I just know they are going to be a joy to wear! I had to buy mine online (here) as they only had size 8 in the store but the reason I’ve been able to wear them is 2-fold. 1 is that they come higher up the front of the foot than most pumps so they fit much more closely. The other is that they come up a little big in terms of length so I have gone a size down to a 6, meaning the width is much more appropriate for my skinny feet. LOVE! They also come in red so if you are looking for some edgy, narrow pumps, give these a bash!

My second shoe purchase came when I was looking for a peplum top. I was mooching around on the River Island website and spotted some elasticated pumps with a pointy toe. I’ve gone for the grey pair but they also come in a leopard and black combo. They are just £22.00 and are available here. I’ve wanted some pointed toe pumps for ages but haven’t found any that would stay on my feet so I leapt at this opportunity and as I didn’t have any grey or snakeskin pumps, I chose the grey suede / snakeskin pumps. They fit really well but obviously lack some of the comfort of more expensive shoes. Here they are:

Finally, my last purchase is a pair of shoes I have loved for ages, also from River Island. I spotted them online months ago and held off buying them but then a bad thing happened. When buying the grey shoes, I also bought a peplum top but when it arrived, it didn’t fit so I took it back to my local store. Whilst in there, I spotted this shoe in the size 6 and thought I’d just check whether a 6 or 7 would be the right size in case I ever wanted to buy them. Well a 6 is my size and they fit like a glove! There is none of the gaping I often get with strappy shoes and they are really comfortable so for £55.00, I figured why not!?! I haven’t bought strappy black shoes for 3 years so here are my new babies (get them here):

So there you have it… 3 pairs of shoes which fit narrow feet, all from the high street at affordable prices. I’m not going to lie, they took some finding and court shoes that fit still remain elusive but this is a good start so spread the joy and if you are in the same situation as me, get out there and report back to the rest of us on your findings!

Enjoy the Olympics everyone! x

 

Early Season Must Have Shoes

February can be an awkward time for shopping; our finances finally start to regain some balance after the blowout festive season so we want to treat ourselves to something new after making it through January, however the shops are slap bang between seasons. If you take a walk down your local high street today, you’ll probably find a lot of shops midway through clearing out the sale stock in preparation for the new season and a few rails of new season stock they’ve already put out.

Yesterday, for example, a Saturday shopping day in Reading, I saw Debenhams moving rails around with whole areas of almost empty space, New Look completely moving their shoe department around with vast empty spaces, Schuh completely closed for refurb. and that’s just a few. So where do you go to buy your treat and how do you know it’s going to last you through the S/S season? Look online! Many retailers have a much wider selection of the new season stock online already so I thought I’d share with you some fabulous, budget friendly shoes that I’ve found which are bang on trend for next season.

New Season Must Have Shoes

1. These are my absolute favourites, love, love, love! If my feet weren’t so crazy narrow I would order them today. These babies are from Dune and come in at £99.00, also in a blue/green colourway. I know they’re a bit pricey but they are so amazing, it’s definitely worth the stretch! 

2. Metallics on the feet are huge for S/S and given the our summers in the UK tend not to be the warmest ever, I thought what better than a peep toe shoe boot!?! You’ll find these at River Island for £70.00.

3. Another River Island wonder, these beauties are working the colour clashing trend which is already all over the high street, this summer is about statement shoes and that they are. At just £40.00 you can’t go wrong!

4. The classic court, a wardrobe staple all year round. This summer we should be channelling our inner Carrie Bradshaw and working this elegant pointed style. Get yours at Zara for £39.99.

5. More of the colour clashing trend but I had to include these as they are so purse friendly and totally summery in their sandal style. Grab them in New Look for £19.99.

6. There’s a reason New Look has won awards for their shoes, these platform courts are rocking the brightly coloured floral print that is about to be all over shoes and feet near you! These also come in a slightly darker colourway, more blue / purple if that’s more your style but they’re both selling out quick so grab yours now for just £27.99.

Hopefully that’s provided you with some shoe-spiration…happy shopping! x

As the High Street Falls does the Independent Rise?

With today’s news that yet another high street store, (Peacocks) has gone into administration, it’s really got me wondering about the future of the British high street. I’m sure you’re all familiar with Mary Portas’ campaign to promote independent businesses but I think we have an opportunity now to really give this campaign a boost and transform our generic high streets into something fresh and exciting. Here are some of the stores that have gone into administration in the last couple of years:

• La Senza
• Woolworths
• Peacocks
• Past Times
• Habitat
• Blacks Leisure
• Hawkins Bazaar
• Barratts (shoes)
• Comet
• Faith (shoes)
• Adams
• Jane Norman
• Focus DIY
• Confetti
• JJB Sports
• Arrogant Cat
• Alexon (Ann Harvey, Kaliko, etc)

As you can see, many of these are huge names, certainly names I remember growing up with. You’ll also notice that quite a few of these are still on our high streets today where either the process is slow or they have been bought. Why are they going into administration? Is it just a lack of consumer spending or is it that we as consumers are bored of shopping in the same places in every town for years on end and are slowly but surely campaigning for change?

With the demise of these generic shops comes an opportunity for the independent retailer to step up and prove that they really do have a place on our high streets. Independents with knowledgeable staff and great customer service stand only to gain in this market, coaxing those precious pennies from our pockets whilst their larger, stark neighbours expose their own weaknesses with even worse service and poorer quality stock as they fall. The risk however is that we will end up with a high street that is even more generic than ever as the failing stores are bought out by larger groups which already own huge chunks of our high street.

So here I am on my soap box, preaching what you’ve all heard a million times before but I really mean it…support your independents! We have a huge opportunity to transform our own shopping experiences  for the better and we need to seize it or it could be another 10 years of drudgery before we get the chance!

On that note, please do comment if you know of any independents that you want to give a shout out to! x

My Winter Sale Haul!

I was going to call this post “My January Sale Haul” and then promptly realised that if you go sale shopping in January these days you have missed most of the good bargains so chose “Winter” instead. As I’m sure you would expect of me, I have been shopping in the sales but I am not a complete loser and haven’t queued for a shop or missed out on time with my family or friends to do so; I have in fact spent time with friends and family whilst shopping 🙂

This year I approached the sales in a different way to most years and was much more scrupulous in my choices, deciding to only pick items I know I will wear on a regular basis, rather than stocking up on frivolous items I would never normally touch with a barge pole! I’ve still overspent but I am super happy with my purchases and I succeeded in finding some more knitwear which is what I really set out to do. Check out my bargains:

Office

I actually bought these bad boys just before Christmas as the sales had already started by then. These are to be my new staple black heels after a number of false starts with other purchases over the last few months!  These were originally £65, I paid just £39.

Dorothy Perkins

These were my online victories; dress was £42, I paid £25 (even better as I have loved this dress for ages in a different colourway and spotted this version only in the sale!) and shoes are actually from Barratts, were £36, I paid £20.

Warehouse

I LOVE this little jumper, it was £32 and I paid £20 – got mine in House of Fraser so definitely worth a look in there.

River Island

The pink pair of peg legs you can see at the front of the picture were just £3 down from £20 but I can tell they have been through a couple of sales. I don’t really care how they fit, they are just comfy slouchy bottoms for lounging round the house. The terracotta pair feel so expensive and will be fab for work; they were just £15 down from £40.

Topshop

This little lot came from Oxford Street and I love it! I fell in love with the green dress when I was there a month or so ago but didn’t buy it as I had no occasion – hello NYE! It was originally £52 but I paid £20 – much better!!!! The yellow knit is a bit out of my comfort zone but I think I can pull it off and it was just £18, down from £38. The black, white and red cardie is so very me I can’t even put it into words and was just £20, down from £38. Finally from Toppers – my slightly “emo but I love it” jumper dress was £35, down from £55. Some of these items are from concessions so make sure you hit up the flagship!

Last but by no means least, I had to visit Boots to check out what they had on sale and here is the result:

Boots

I have totally run out of perfume and for day wear I do love the original Ed Hardy women’s fragrance. I picked up this gift set, including a 100ml bottle of perfume for just £29.99, down from £45 – great value when a 30ml bottle is £27! The St. Tropez gradual tan set was £10 instead of £20 and the Soap and Glory set was £17.50 instead of £35 – what a brilliant time to stock up on essentials, the gift sets are half price!

So you can see, I did spend a lot but I also got a lot of great items in return. My promise to myself is that I will clear out all of my old junk – a lot of it from Primark and replace it with this rather than just adding to the piles. Watch this space to see what I throw out, there should be a lot! My one tip to you when sale shopping is to check the price tags; lots of stores are marking down items by just a few pounds; if it didn’t have the sale sticker on it and was that price, would you still want it??? Anyone else got any great bargains or tips for where the best bargains can be found? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you! x

Christmas Party Outfits for £50!

Here it is, the first part of my Christmas party outfits for £50 installment! I’ve decided to run this in a couple of parts as I’ve found so many amazing clothes and I’d like more feedback from people on what they want to see on here. You’ll notice that these are not just amazing dresses for under £50 but they come complete with footwear and accessories too; perfect for any budget fashionista! Today I’m showcasing 3 outfits that follow this year’s celeb trend of  winter colour.

Outfit number 1:

Dress – £25.00 – desireclothing.co.uk

Shoes – £20.00 – Priceless Shoes

Cuff – £3.99 – H&M (available in gold and silver)

Total: £48.99

What an absolute bargain to be bang on trend with the dipped hem, chiffon dress and the Christmas bling as well!

Outfit number 2:

Please excuse the photography of the dress – not such great pictures as the previous outfit!

Dress – £17.00 – Primark

Shoes – £8.99 – eBay (here)

Bag – £11.99 – New Look (reduced from £15.99)

Faux Fur Collar – £10.50 – ASOS (reduced from £15.00)

Total: £48.48

The dress is a stunning bluey purple which hasn’t photographed that well and feels lovely to the touch, in a stretch fabric to hug you in all the right places. Great for ladies with a larger bust as well. Also – check out the bargains you can find in the sale remnants, some things are perfect for picking up your party outfits 🙂

Outfit number 3:

Dress – £12.50 – ASOS (reduced from £36.00)

Boots – £29.99 – New Look (also come with black glitter wedge)

Bag – £7.99 – New Look

Total: £50.48   (I figure that rounds down to £50)

I know this outfit isn’t the most fashion forward ensemble you’ll ever see but I love it and it totally sums up my style so I had to include it. The dress is such a bargain and with sequins and pink in one, how can it be wrong!?! I love the boots and the gold wedge totally adds another dimension and stops this outfit becoming too Barbie doll – you’ll notice the tiny bit of gold on the bag too 🙂

Give me your feedback – what else do you want to see? I’ve got loads! The best thing is that the accessories mix and match with most outfits so they’re even more bargainous! x