I’ve touched on this a few times, I know, but the hardest part of this Shoe Challenge (and the one which preceded it) for me has been the outfit photos, without a doubt. There is, however, one big advantage of taking photos of your outfits, whether you post them on the internet or not, and that’s the fact that they allow you to see the outfit in a whole different light: literally, I mean.
Very early on in the first challenge, I realised that an outfit which looked perfectly fine in the mirror, for instance, could look totally different on camera, and there have been a few occasions in the past couple of years where I’ve taken photos of an outfit, looked back at the first few shots… and then gone straight back to the closet to change into something else, because the camera has picked up things I just hadn’t noticed, and I can see from the photos that the outfit just doesn’t work.
Saturday was one of those times.
On Saturday evening, we’d been invited to a friend’s birthday party. I’d planned to wear these Colette pumps from Schuh, because these are total party shoes, and this is the last party we’ll be attending before the end of the challenge, in two week’s time(!). Despite having decided just to post shoe shots for these last few challenges, I had a dress I was really excited to wear, so, against my better judgement, I decided to take a few photos.
I’m doubling up on this Shoe Save, because both of these shoes are styles you’ve seen here lots of times before: my third (and final!) pair of Miss Selfridge ‘Polly’ platforms, and another pair of nude pumps, this time from Dorothy Perkins:
These shoes both fall into the category of shoes I’ve already worn this year, but haven’t photographed: in the case of the nude pumps, it wasn’t really much of an issue because they can be worn any time, but the ‘Polly’ shoes are really a “dry weather only” style because of the pale colour and fabric upper, so I have to confess, I’m actually just wearing them around the house today because I can’t really imagine the current wet and muddy weather lessening up much in the next few weeks! It’s only a very small “cheat”, though, because as I said, I did wear them during drier days this year!
And with that, I have just two pairs left to go: they’re both “party” shoes, but luckily I have two events lined up to wear them at, so I think I’ll manage. How’s everyone else getting on with the challenge?
Because I exchanged my last pair of Lady Dragons for another size, I find I have a Sarenza voucher code which must be used by the end of this month: I know, such a hardship, eh?
I’ve decided that this pair of shoes will also be exempted from the Shoe Challenge due to how close to the end they’ll be arriving, so this makes my choice both easier (yay, peep toes!) and harder (ooh, choices!). This is where you come in, and get to choose my shoes. Well, sort of: I’m not promising I’ll go with the most popular choice, but it will definitely have a big impact on my final decision!
Yes, I know, I know. No, seriously, I KNOW. But I love them. And I don’t actually own a pair in this style, so really, they’re completely different from the others! (This isn’t working, is it?)
I already have these shoes in red suede and absolutely love them. The gold glitter version would definitely not get as much use, but they look every bit as spectacular, and it’s always handy to have some “special” shoes, just in case the occasion arises!
I wasn’t sure about these shoes when I first saw them, but as we inch closer to Spring, they’ve started to really, really appeal to me. I’m mostly imaging wearing them with blue jeans, but they’d look fantastic with some of my sundresses, too – and possibly even a touch of colourblocking?
I’ve always liked the shape of Pour la Victoire’s ‘Irina’ pumps, but have discounted them because of the price. This gorgeous red version has just gone on sale, however, which brings them within budget.
Speaking of the Sarenza Brand Ambassador programme (have you entered the competition to join it yet?), here’s my latest pick from it: and yes, I went for ANOTHER pair of Vivienne Westwood/Melissa Lady Dragons! Well, I did say in my post about the latest collection that I probably wouldn’t be able to resist the pink version, and as they arrived on the Sarenza site at roughly the same time I was given a gift code, that prediction turned out to be a true one!
As those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook may know, I had a bit of trouble with the sizing of these. As something of a Lady Dragon addict, I was pretty sure I knew my size: I’ve had to size down with all of my other Lady Dragons, which, in my case, means going from my usual UK 4 to a size Melissa mark as a 2.5 – 3.5 UK (US 5, Eur 35/35). Those all fit me fine, so I didn’t even think about it when I ordered these, and went for the same size I always wear…
SHOES: Zara toecap court shoes SAVED: Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 WITH: Zara pants; D&G shirt (ancient); Primark scarf; Marc by Marc Jacobs bag & Michael Kors watch (both c/o Shopbop)
Some of you may recall me saying a few months ago that if these shoes ever ended up in the Zara sale, I’d probably buy a pair. Well, to make a long story short (and trust me, it’s a very long story, because these were part of the order Zara decided to duplicate: and which I’m still waiting on a refund for…), they did, and I did. And I’m really glad I did, too, because I’ve now fully embraced pointed toes back into my life, and I’ve already worn these a few times, even although I’ve only had them for a couple of weeks: the tan and black combination is definitely one of my favourites!
SHOES: Black Pelle Moda suede pumps, c/o Shopbop SAVED: Sunday, January 15th, 2012 WITH: River Island pencil skirt; black turtleneck (a gift); New Look coat; American Apparel hair bow; eBay sunglasses
OK, before we get on to the shoes, I have to first of all stress that this hairdo was just for fun: I had a bit of time on my hands on Sunday afternoon, and I’ve always wanted to try out a gigantic beehive, so this was the result! (This is also why Shoeperman doesn’t leave me home alone too often…) As much as I love big hair, though, this was a bit much even for me, so I did take it down before I went out: but not before I’d snapped a few pictures!
These shoes are by Pelle Moda, and are yet another pair of simple black pumps. I LOVE them, though. I spent a long, long time trying to track down exactly the right shape of black pump, and these are it, so even although they’re dull, they’re dull in a “perfect black pump” kinda way, which makes up for it.
I figured such a ridiculous hairdo needed a very plain outfit to balance it out, so I went for my good ol’ black pencil skirt and turtleneck!
SHOES: Miss Selfridge red ‘Polly’ platforms (via eBay) SAVED: Saturday, January 14th
With all of the effort I put into finding these shoes, you may be surprised that it’s taken me this long to get round to actually saving them. It’s not that I haven’t been wearing them, though: it’s just that I haven’t really been thrilled with any of the outfits I’ve worn them with, this one being no exception, which is why I didn’t bother to photograph it.
These shoes aren’t the easiest for me to wear, I must admit, although every time I do, I always get lots of compliments on them, and I love looking down at them. But the combination of the very bright red upper and the chunkiness of the style means that they have to be styled carefully. This time, I balanced out the chunkiness with a pair of cropped pants (skinny ones will just make me look like I have enormous feet if I try to wear them with these shoes). Next time, I’ll try and come up with something a little more interesting!
SHOES: New Look navy bow pumps; Topshop green ‘Glam’ pumps SAVED: January 12 & 13, 2012
I wore two almost identical outfits this week. Yes, we’re talking good ol’ pencil skirt, turtleneck, and pumps: a Shoeper Staple if ever there was one! I didn’t bother taking full outft shots for either of them, because I figured you’ve all seen me in pencil skirts n’ pumps enough times now, but I did record the shoes themselves, which are my navy New Look platforms, which I’m wearing today:
and a pair of Topshop’s green suede ‘Glam’ pumps, purchased in the sales and worn yesterday:
As much as I love green, it was actually the yellow version of these shoes which I’d been coveting. Those were sold out by the time the sale started, though (an eBay alert has been set up, never fear!), and the green ones were on sale for £25, so I allowed myself to be talked into it. By myself, I mean.
I’m really glad I did, though, because I absolutely love these – the photos just don’t do them justice. The only slight problem is the sizing: I ordered my usual size, but they seem to come up very small – I actually wondered if they’d sent me the wrong size when I opened the box, but nope, it’s the right one according to the soles. They do fit, and were fine for a day which didn’t include a huge amount of walking, but I’m hoping the leather will ease up a bit with wear, and if I were to purchase another pair, I’d size up – unfortunately the size 5s were sold out by the time I got these, so I’m just going to persevere with the 4s instead!
