THE NEVER-ENDING WOE OF TOO MANY SHOES

Last year passed by so quickly that I have been somewhat taken unawares by the start of 2012. I haven't had time to make any resolutions or plan out any major events in the upcoming months but some organisation needs to happen soon otherwise my life will descend into chaos. 

A case in point is these shoes. I wore this outfit before Christmas and these shoes became my new 'favourite'. Then, over the last two weeks I FORGOT I OWNED THEM. Really. I went into Topshop on Saturday and thought "Wow, those shoes look great..." before remembering I had a pair. And why can't I remember I have them? A) I have too many and B) I can't SEE them because they are all in boxes. So enough is enough. A wardrobe thinning is inevitable in the next couple of weeks as is a reworking of my present shoe storage system (of lack of it). 

Oh, and this necklace? It was new on that day and I decapitated it within hours. I am the jewellery killer. 

Top - APC 

Necklace - H&M

Trousers - J Brand 

Socks - Tabio 

Shoes - Topshop

FIFTY DAY SHOE CHALLENGE - DAYS 29-50 (+1)

These were the last 22 days of my Fifty Day Shoe Challenge, plus a pair of pink Converse I wore on day 51 as a little something extra. I haven't worn some of these shoes for ages so it's been a good chance to have a dig about in the shoe room, boxes, drawers etc full of pairs I almost never wear. 

L - R

1. Nike, Chanel, Russell & Bromley, T.K.Maxx

2. Bertie, T.K.Maxx, Paul Smith, Topshop

3. eBay, B Store, Nike, Aldo 

4. River Island, Handmade in Marrakech, H by Hudson, Converse

5. Moroccan boots from Topshop concession, Office, Sam Edelman, Giuseppe Zanotti 

6. Primark, Charlotte Olympia, Converse

THE FIFTY DAY SHOE CHALLENGE

My friends at work set me a challenge...since I have so many pairs of shoes I had to see if I could wear a different pair every day for an entire 50 days. 

I am currently 28 days in and going strong. Occasionally it's annoying that I can't slip into my favourite pairs or the 'easiest' option but forcing myself to put something new on my feet every morning has helped me used more of my clothing wardrobe, not to mention find hidden gems within my shoe collection. 

L to R 

Row 1 - Topshop / Marc by Marc Jacobs & Carvela / Vivienne Westwood / Zara

Row 2 - Zara / Vivienne Westwood / Opening Ceremony / Chanel 

Row 3 - Giuseppe Zanotti / Primark / Emma Hope / Robert Clergerie 

Row 4 - Zara / YIN / Russell & Bromley / H! by Henry Holland

Row 5 - Vans / Nike / Vivienne Westwood / Underground 

Row 6 - Harley Davidson / Galleries Lafayette / Maloles / Converse

Row 7 - Topshop / Jimmy Choo / Pointer / New Look 

All taken with instagram and edited in picnik 

SHOE DAYS

1. Tory Burch flats

2. Nike trainers

3. River Island wedges

4. NW3 by Hobbs

5. Clogs from Gorman in Australia 

6. Christian Louboutin wedges 

7. Topshop glitter boots

All taken with Instagram 

HOLIDAY FEET

1. Raffia sandals from the souk in Marrakech 

2. Castaner wedges from Yoox.com 

3. Fake Chanel babouches from the souk in Oualidia

All taken with Instagram 

INSTAGRAMING MY FEET

Bit obsessed with Instagram-ing my favourite shoes. Can you tell?

1. Miu Miu

2. Underground Creepers from ASOS 

3. Underground Creepers from ASOS 

4. Vintage Manolos 

5. River Island Brogues or Zara Slippers? 

6. Sigerson Morrison 

GUESS WHAT? NEW SHOES

New shoes from the last of the Poste Mistress sale. Based on this evidence I have both an Instagram and a foot fetish. 

1, 2, 3 - Paul Smith Men Only floral loafers (with the most beautiful insole ever)

4, 5 - F Troupe clogs 

COCO - SHOE FREAK

This is killing me. New anthem. 

Ice Loves Coco is up there as one of the best shows ever. 

NEW SHOES

I've got two big posts I need to write - a guide to the thrift stores of the Upper East Side in Manhattan, and a review of Tabio sports socks which I have now worn frequently enough to adequately give my opinion. Sadly, these posts take time, so here's a quick shoe update of my purchases this week in the sales. 

You've already seen these on one outfit this week - Ksubi boots from Farfetch.com which have just been reduced further. Arghhhh! They've got enough heel for a strut, but not so much that you're crippled. 

I was also rather chuffed by these River Island sandals, not least because I wanted them full price but never got around to buying them. £44.99 reduced to £15. So, kinda makes up for missing the further reductions on the boots? Sorted. 

GUESS WHAT? NEW SHOES

New shoes! Thanks to the Kurt Geiger sale. Now if it would stop pissing it down I might actually be able to wear them out, instead I had to amuse myself by taking Hipstamatic photos of my feet in the hotel room. 

Top - Kurt Geiger 'Jeepers'

Bottom - Carvela 'Kob'

I LIKE THEM BIG, I LIKE THEM CLUMPY

The blogosphere is full of clumpy shoes. And lord knows I like a clumpy shoe. 

I think the current clumpy shoe thing probably started this time around with the Charles Anastase dungeon boots from the 2009 A/W collection. Then (not entirely coincidently in my mind) a certain shoe designer by the name of Jeffrey Campbell created a sell out style called the Lita, that more than a little referenced the uber platform boot. Pretty much EVERY blogger seems to own a pair and by all accounts they seem to be quite comfortable for such a beast of a shoe. However, they've only been available to buy on American sites and I haven't felt like jumping on the bandwagon without foot meeting shoe, so I have remained Lita-less. 

Photo from Charles Anastase

Lita boots worn my Miss Pandora

After the Lita had been around for a while I started to notice other extreme shoes, like these super scary clog style boots spotted in London...

Photo by Tommy Ton for Style.com 

And then for this summer designers like Prada introduced the flatform brogue and YSL brought out these 70's style mega platforms and clumpier shoes were gaining ground on the super stiletto of the past few years. 

Photo from Sea of Shoes

Along with these changes in shoe style I've noticed hipster East London types going for a distinctly 90's style of shoe with a clumpy heel, rounded toe. Perhaps it's just that they're in the charity shops. Or maybe that the early to mid 90's are slowly approaching a 20 year anniversary and will soon be 'vintage'. I don't know. Regardless, Pixie Geldof wore Buffalo boots a couple of weeks ago and I actually think they look great on her. I eschewed Buffalo boots the first time round, so I probably won't go for the full on platform, but...

When I found these on eBay.de I knew I had to have them. It was my dungeon boot, Lita and 90's flashback all rolled into one. They are the most hideous yet utterly perfect shoe ever. Okay, they weigh an absolute tonne, and I've already almost killed myself walking up stairs in them, but I DON'T CARE. 

Best of all I won them for 8.05 euros. 

AMAZING!

BICESTER VILLAGE BLOWOUT

I went to Bicester Village on Tuesday. I know. Dangerous. But I was about to start a new job and a treat was in order. 

I've never been to an outlet shopping centre in the UK before, only ones in Italy and the US. I thought it might not be as good as my previous experiences abroad, partly because when I'm away I'm always dealing with a currency that isn't 'real money' so I tend to convert wildly inaccurately (and therefore massively over spend in an accidentally on purpose kind of way). 

Turns out when you go to an outlet shop in the UK the comparisons you make are along the line of "Shit, this is pretty much what a pair of shoes in Topshop cost these days", which is not even that much of a delusion...I picked up Marni shoes for £61 and £78 respectively. I won't go into the Church's, but in Katy math they TOTALLY made sense, after all they're made with such detail the size isn't stamped on the sole, it's hand written on the inside *faints with pleasure*. 

White & tartan brogues - Church's 

Brown sandals - Marni 

Peach suede brogues - Church's 

Purple platform sandals - Marni

Prada Platform Brogues

I only own a couple of a pairs of Prada shoes - but I have a feeling that this season that will change dramatically. Every single offering from the Prada Spring / Summer 11 collection floats my boat. 

The platform brogue. Who knew I needed this in my life? Miuccia Prada, that's who. 

The woven summer sandal. This is a holiday in shoe form. 

Less platform, still fabulous. Loving the model's blister plaster. See, they are human too!

Blue or red? The choice is going to be a toughie...

And lord knows, I LOVE me a wedge, especially one with a fancy coloured sole. 

However, in the spirit of avoiding homelessness due to excessive spending thrift, I think these are the ones I'll be getting if I'm lucky. Brown and orange. The colours of my summer. To be worn with purple silk pants and a green or orange Whistles silk shirt. Yup yup. 

All photos from Style.com