Dorothy Perkins have really picked their game up recently, both in terms of clothing and footwear. Accordingly, the price has gone up too, but not by too much, thankfully.
These red bow slingbacks, for instance (they describe them as “pink”, but they look red to me. You decide.) are £50,which is a little higher than most of their footwear offerings, but still fairly reasonable compared to the rest of the high street. Oh, and they’re also adorable. Seriously, aren’t these adorable? I’d wear these with a big ol’ swing dress, but they’ll look good with just about everything, from jeans to pencil skirts and everything in between.
I tend to shy away from slingbacks because I worry they’ll chafe the back of my ankles, but these ones may just be cute enough to take a chance on.
Nothing makes me happier than a shoe sale. Well, nothing except… no, actually, there really is nothing. Anyway, if you’re of a similar mind, you may be interested to know that Faith are currently offering 25% off selected styles, including the shoes shown above. There’s not a whole lot of choice, but experience tells me that what’s there will soon be gone, so if you’ve had your eye on any of these shoes, now’s the time to get them.
OK, I’m just going to be honest with you: if you choose to stick around, you’re going to be seeing a lot of peep toes on this site. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.
Peep toes are the most effective form of kryptonite ever invented as far as your shoe superhero is concerned. They quite literally make me weak at the knees. Add in a super-high stiletto heel and a super-sexy, curvy design, and I’m basically putty in their hands. Or in their feet, as the case may be.
These ones are by Pierre Hardy, and they’re also available in bright pink. Aren’t they just shoeper?
These are by Melody Ehsani, and they just scream “superhero”. The gold trim is the detail that does it, I think, but the wedge heel, plus the pointed shape of the leg, also gives these a bit of a futuristic/comic book look that really appeals to be (naturally). That wedge should also mean that although the heel is high, it should be relatively easy to walk on – always a good thing, especially in boots that you’re probably going to be wearing in the slippery winter months.
(Why do I always find boots I love during summer? Gah.)
Although they initially looked black on my monitor, these are actually a deep purple. Which I think makes them even better.
I’ve already nominated Christian Louboutin as the King of Shoes, but if that’s the case, then I think British designer Nicholas Kirkwood must be the Prince.
Kirkwood’s designs are a little more unconventional than Louboutin’s, and that, of course, means that they don’t always appeal to everyone, but I think these platform peep toes are true Shoe Kryptonite: i.e. they make my resolve (and my bank account) disappear on contact with them.
That very defined platform sole is a Nicholas Kirkwood trademark, and it’s what makes these shoes so special, although the gold stiletto doesn’t hurt either. Sadly for me, but perhaps fortunately for the aforementioned bank balance, these don’t come cheap, however: they’re £420 at Browns.
Then I started to see them on the feet of the stars, and they actually started to grow on me. Not enough to spend hundreds of pounds on them, of course, but enough for me to have noticed every time another high-street version of them has come out. Which has been a lot, let me tell you. In fact, I suspect these may be one of the most-copied designer shoes of the past couple of seasons, so I’ve used my x-ray vision to seek out just a few of those designer “inspired” versions. You’ll find them all under the jump…
This is the second time Topshop have released this Unique shoe collection, so presumably the first time was a roaring success for them.
I’m going to be completely honest and admit that, although I think Topshop is perhaps the best brand on the UK high street in terms of footwear, these aren’t quite to my taste: there’s something that’s just that little bit too 80s about the angular heel designs and bright colours, and while I know the 80s are going through a major fashion renaissance, I just can’t wait for it to end.
That said, these shoes are definitely “Unique”, which is why I’m showing you them now. There are three styles to choose from: the slingbacks and shoe boots are £100 each, while the courts are £90. Having just said they’re not to my taste, I actually don’t think I’d hurl the black versions of the shoe boots into space, and the bright green pumps are starting to grow on me, purely because I can’t resist that colour. What do you think of them?
Summer means wedges, and this summer wedges mean platforms. And when I say “platforms” I mean “even I would hesitate to try and walk in these”.*
Yes, 2009 is surely going to go down in Shoe History of the year of the gigantic platform soles, and our wedge friends haven’t escaped the trend. These ones from ASOS.com (who’ve claimed most of my disposable income this month, incidentally) are one of the higher pairs I’ve found, and as you can see, these are plenty high: in fact, the total heel height is 6,4″, so expect comments about the weather up there, buy yourself a pair of extra-long trousers (if, indeed, you’re going to be wearing them with trousers: I think a skirt or dress would show them off much more effectively) and, above all, make sure you don’t fall off them. Because that’ll hurt.
Of course, platforms of this height are often accused of looking like “stripper shoes”, but I think the fact that these are wedges rather than stilettos helps save them from that fate. They’re very striking, and pretty much guaranteed to turn heads, and if you want to buy them, they’re £85 from ASOS, and also come in a grey/black combo.
Nothing makes me happier than a shoe sale. Well, nothing except… no, actually, there really is nothing. Anyway, if you’re of a similar mind, you may be interested to know that 
