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!

I Die! Bananas! Shut it down!

I feel a bit like I'm dressing up as Rachel Zoe in this outfit (translation = I feel swamped whilst wearing very silly high heels), but sadly there is no Brad around to cheer me up. Rachel fired Brad - can you believe it? He was the best thing on that show! I know she's got great clients and is very powerful in the world of celebrity fashion, and has great catchphrases (above) but she's not exactly television gold. If I were still in telly it would be rebranded as the Brad and Roger show. 

None of this will make ANY sense if you don't watch The Rachel Zoe Project. And you should. Cos it's great. 

Jumper - Topshop

Scarf - Urban Outfitters 

Trousers - Balenciaga (from The Mall)

Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell 

If These Walls Could Talk...

This is the least 'me' outfit ever. I was trying to work out how to wear these tights, but I ended up getting carried away with a gothic lolita look instead. Sadly, when you are a 30 something woman you can't pull it off as well as a Japanese school girl. Still, I had fun. 

Top - American Apparel 

Skirt - Topshop 

Tights - House of Holland 

Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell

Thank-you Office for bringing Jeffrey Campbell to the UK

Jeffrey Campbell shoes have been appearing on U.S. blogger's feet with increasing regularity. They first came to my attention last year with a rather good 'tribute' of the Acne Atacoma wedge and some Ann Demeulemeester tie front boots, both of which sold on eBay for prices nudging towards the cost of the real deal. Since then, however, the styles have become less blatant rip offs and more fashion clumpy in general. Never one to turn down the opportunity to own clumpy shoes, I wanted some, badly. But as they were only stocked on US sites you were looking at almost 50% of the cost of the shoe just to ship it here. As Destiny's Child would tell you to say, "No, no, no, no, no". 

So when I went into Office recently I was surprised to see a limited range of Jeffrey Campbell shoes for me to see in the flesh. I fell in love with these shoes - so clumpy they remind me of Kate Moss's Vivienne Westwood elevated platforms, but with the great linear detailing that makes them feel like school shoes - almost sensible. And true enough, like the bloggers say, they do come up big, so I went home with a pair of size 5s. 

T-Shirt - Topshop

Trousers with belt - Zara

Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell from Office