1. Floral print wedge sandals from Forever 21

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    1
    | Sandals, Wedges
    May 9, 2013

    platform wedge sandals with floral print

    Forever 21 wedges, £24.75

    I may be liking platforms much less than I used to these days, but one shoe I can still tolerate them on is a summery wedge sandal. Actually, I don’t just tolerate platforms on this style of shoe: I actively look out for them, because there’s just something about this kind of style that makes me want to add that extra bit of height to it, for some reason. I also think a very large platform is that bit easier to get away with on a fairly casual shoe, worn with a laid-back kind of outfit, and for all of those reasons, these Forever 21 wedges get the thumbs up from me.

    Two more reasons to give these the thumbs-up:

    1. The cute, floral print. These also come in black, and while they’re nice enough in that colourway, this beige/pink version is just perfect, I think.

    2. The price. They’re just £24.75, which, for a shoe I’d probably wear all season, is a pretty sweet deal.

    Buy them

  2. Badgley Mischka ‘Vita’ diamanté bow sandals

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    1
    | High Heels, Sandals
    May 2, 2013

    low heeled sandals with diamate bow pink sandals with silver bow

    Badgley Mischka ‘Vita‘, £150.99

    Lately I keep finding my head turned by glamorous evening/wedding style shoes. I’d like to think this is a sign that I’m about to be invited to a super-fancy event that I don’t know about yet, but I suspect it’s just a sign that the wedding season is almost upon us, and brides and their guests are beginning the hunt for appropriate footwear.

    I know from talking to such women that one thing they worry about is finding shoes that will not only look beautiful, but will be comfortable enough for a full day of standing, and a full night of dancing. While these probably won’t make you feel like you’re walking around in slippers, say, the 3″ heel should be reasonably suitable for all of that. It’ll still add a bit of height (if you need/want it) and elongate the leg, but it’s low enough to be easy to walk in, too.

    Of course, it’s not the heel height that attracts me to these: it’s that amazing, asymmetric bow. Once I’d laid eyes on that, everything else was just an added bonus!

    Buy them

  3. Chain embellished barely there sandals from River Island

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    2
    | High Heels, High Street Shoes, Sandals
    April 30, 2013

    gold chain sandals with high heels chain embellished sandals

    River Island sandals, £60

    This probably goes without saying for most of you, but the “barely there” sandal is one of the biggest shoe trends of this summer, and it’s impossible to look at a shoe-centric website or store right now without seeing lots and lots of examples of the look. These chain-front sandals are just one of the styles currently available at River Island, who’ve really gone to town on the two-part look, with a selection of shoes which all follow this same basic pattern: thin strap over the toe, slim ankle strap at the heel, not much else.

    I published an article on how to wear barely there sandals just last week, and since putting together a few outfits based around the style, I’ve been feeling a little more open to the idea of actually WEARING them. I already have a pair of sandals in this shape to experiment with, but should I decide I need some more, these chain-embellished heels are definitely one I’d consider. I have a fondness for shoes with chain details of some kind anyway – I always feel some chunky gold hardware makes a shoe look more expensive than it actually is – and I also like the neutral uppers on these two. (Yes, I’m counting gold as a neutral, albeit a rather fancy one.) If you’d like something a little brighter, though, you won’t have to look too far to find it, because as I say, this style is everywhere right now, and in every colour under the sun. What do you think of it, though? Are you a fan of the “barely there” look, or do you prefer your shoes to feel a little more substantial?

    Buy them

  4. Priciples by Ben de Lisi black and white bow sandals

    by
    1
    | High Heels, High Street Shoes, Sandals
    April 30, 2013

    black and white bow sandals

    black and white strappy sandals with bow

    Ben de Lisi sandals, £32

    Are you tired of hearing about how the monochrome look is “big” this season? I might be tired of hearing about it, but I’m definitely not tired of wearing it, and I don’t think I ever will be, because few colour combinations have quite as much impact as the simplest one of all: black and white.

    These shoes are from the Principles by Ben de Lisi line at Debenhams, and pair a strappy upper and thin ankle strap with a pretty double-bow, and a 4.25″ heel, which is higher than it looks in these photos. These are a really nice combination of traditional and modern, and while the monochrome uppers will make them very much “on trend” this summer, I don’t think you need worry about them ever going out of style.

    You may, however, have to worry about them going out of STOCK. These are currently on sale, and while all sizes were still available at the time of writing, I can’t guarantee they’ll stick around forever!

    Buy them

  5. Shoe Deja Vu: Colourblock sandals by Zara and New Look

    by
    1
    | High Heels, High Street Shoes, Sandals, Shoe Deja Vu
    April 29, 2013

    colurblock sandals by Zara and New Look

    Missed out on THOSE Zara sandals from last season? Don’t worry: not only has the brand released a re-vamped version for this year, it looks like New Look have taken a huge dollop of “inspiration” from the originals to create a version of their own.

    The problem here, however, is that this isn’t exactly a “new” look at all, is it? (boom boom!) A lot of the time when two high street brands release what appears to be the same shoe, it’s because it actually IS the same shoe, in that it was created by the same designer, made in the same factory, and simply given a different brand name depending on which stores will be selling it.

    In this case, however, you can see from the photos that these shoes aren’t EXACTLY the same. The colours on the New Look version are bolder, the buckle is orange rather than metal, the cut is slightly different, and while it’s hard to gauge quality from a photo, it looks to me like the New Look version has a velour-effect upper, while the Zara one was faux-suede, if memory serves. This does seem to be a case of “inspiration” then, with New Look presumably trying to capitalise on the success of these shoes last year.

    Will it work for them, though? If you’ve spent the past few months searching eBay for these shoes, then I guess it just might. Personally, I prefer the updated version from Zara themselves, but if you’d rather stick to the original design, albeit not from the original brand, New Look’s version is £24.99, and you can find them here.

     

  6. Miu Miu turquoise satin platform sandals

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    1
    | Designer Shoes, High Heels, Sandals
    April 29, 2013

    turquoise platform sandals turquoise satin high heels

    turquoise heels

    Miu Miu turquoise satin platform sandals, 475 euros

    Very chunky sandals don’t normally do it for me, but these ones had me at the beautiful, turquoise colour, which held my attention for long enough to get me thinking that, actually, the overall shape isn’t half bad, either. In this case, the chunkiness is the very thing that gives the shoes impact: on a strappier sandal, that wonderful colour (Which, by the way, Miu Miu call “pavone”)  would seem a little more subtle, but these allow it to take centre stage and, well, show off a bit, basically.

    These have a 5″ heel with a 1″ platform, making a walking height of 4″. The fact that they use a thick heel rather than a stiletto should make them feel fairly stable, and there’s also a substantial-looking ankle strap for added security. With a colour as bright as this, I’m always tempted to go for the safe option, and style them with a neutral like black, white or grey, but I also think they’ll lend themselves rather well to some of the  floral prints which are always around at this time of year, for a dressed-up summer look.

    Buy them

  7. Brian Atwood Coraline flower sandals

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    1
    | Designer Shoes, High Heels, Sandals
    April 25, 2013

    flower sandals in snake print

    Brian Atwood ‘Coraline’, $1,295

    I’m mentioned before that I’m not a fan of snakeskin, or other reptile prints, and I’d actually go so far as to say that I actively DISlike it on shoes, bags, or really anything other than the animal it belongs to (or is inspired by, in the case of prints). This, then, is the only way I’d consider wearing snakeprint shoes: when the print is used in very small doses: so small, in fact, that I didn’t actually realise it WAS a snake-print until I zoomed in. Even then, I’d probably like these better without the texture on the leather, but I like the small flowers crowded onto the simple leather strap, and twining their way around the ankle.

    This is a design that could be a little busy if you’re not careful: I’d probably wear these with a block colour, rather than a print – luckily there are lots of colours for you to choose from on the flowers themselves – and an outfit with very simple lines.

    Buy them

  8. Carmen Steffens ankle-strap bow sandals

    by
    1
    | High Heels, High Street Shoes, Sandals
    April 22, 2013

    black peep toe sandals with gold bow detail

    Carmen Steffens sandals, £198.99

    Two-part sandals aren’t a type of shoe I wear very often. Oh, I DO own some. Of course I do. But as much as I love the ones I own, I have a tendency to keep pushing them to the back of the pile every morning in favour of some other style which will feel a little more secure on the foot: I’ve always found a classic pump or peep toe, say, a little more comfortable than a two-part shoe (and ankle-straps are often problematic, for various reasons), and while the difference isn’t a huge one, it’s often enough to make me overlook those ankle-strap sandals lurking on the shelf. I feel sorry for them now. I must rectify this situation. Back to the matter in hand, though…

    Because of all of this, these Carmen Steffens sandals have been on my Shoeper Shoe List for a long time now, and today I thought it was high time they actually made it onto the site. Although these have a two-part shape AND an ankle strap, they have one little detail which more than makes up for it as far as I’m concerned. I’m sure I don’t need to point out what that detail is, exactly, but just in case you’re new to this site, I will: it’s the bow. Or BOTH of the bows, rather – there’s one hiding up at the ankle, in addition to the one on the platform.

    It would take a stronger woman than me to resist such cuteness, but even if you’re not the type who usually goes for bows on shoes, I think these could be subtle enough to persuade you. They provide a little bit of contrast to the black vamp, and while they’re definitely the stand-out detail of the shoe, they don’t overwhelm the design, or knock you over the head with their unashamed girlishness, like some bows I know.

    At £198, these won’t be the cheapest sandals you’ll ever find, but they could well be one of the cutest: up to you to decide!

    Buy them

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