1. Ted Baker Mayter brown glitter bow court shoes

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    Ted Baker Mayter brown glitter bow court shoes

     

    Ted Baker Mayter brown glitter bow court shoes

     

     

    Ted Baker Mayter brown glitter bow court shoes

     

    Ted Baker Mayter brown glitter bow court shoes

     

    Ted Baker Mayter brown glitter bow court shoes, £72.10

    After several weeks of being “sensible” by only buying shoes I knew I’d be able to wear by the end of my Shoe Challenge, for this month’s Sarenza Brand Ambassador pick, I decided to take full advantage of the fact that the Challenge is over, and go for a pair of beautiful-but-not-exactly-practical glitter encrusted beauties!

    I also took full advantage of the Sarenza sale to do this. I’d had my eye on a pair of Ted Baker Mayter pumps ever since they first appeared on the site, so when they went down to £72 in the sale, it seemed like a good time to grab a pair before they sold out. Sarenza stock these shoes in silver glitter, plus nude, red and black satin: I decided to go for the brown glitter version, partly because brown is a colour that’s under-represented in my shoe collection, but mostly because I have a brown shimmery dress which I’ve always struggled to find the right footwear for, so I thought these might come in handy. I should say here that I wouldn’t normally buy a pair of shoes just to wear with one specific item of clothing (In fact, I rarely buy shoes at all these days unless I’m sure I’ll get lots of use out of them: the Shoe Challenge has definitely taught me well!), but, well, as I said, the Shoe Challenge had just ended, and January is a long, dark month: sometimes a purely frivolous treat is in order, I think!

    As it turned out, these shoes are actually a slightly different shade of brown from the dress, but as soon as I took them out of the box I knew there was no possible chance of me ever being persuaded to return them: they’re just so beautiful! The bow is, of course, the stand-out feature of these shoes, and it’s the kind of feature I just can’t stop staring at. The rest of the shoe, however, is beautifully made, with a slimline, elegant shape and a 4″ stiletto heel.

    These are my third pair of Ted Bakers, so I was able to be fairly confident about the sizing, and went for my usual size 4. I’ve only worn them around the house so far, but I’m really happy with the fit, and would say they’re true to size, although they do seem fairly narrow, so if you have wide feet you might want to consider sizing up.

    I meanwhile, am now trying to decide what my next Ted Baker Mayter colour should be. I have a feeling this won’t be my last pair in this style, somehow…

    Buy them

    [Disclosure: these shoes were purchased using a gift code supplied by Sarenza. All opinions are my own.]

  2. Buffalo ‘Beyza’ pointed court shoes in black patent

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    Buffalo 'Beyza' pointed court shoes in black patent

    Buffalo 'Beyza' pointed court shoes in black patent

    Buffalo 'Beyza' pointed court shoes in black patent

    Buffalo 'Beyza' pointed court shoes in black patent

    Buffalo ‘Beyza’ pointed court shoes and Dune ‘Banby’ clutch bag, both c/o Sarenza

    With my Shoe Challenge now complete, I’ve been very much looking forward to being able to acquire new shoes without having to worry about having to try to wear them before the end. With that in mind, I deliberately steered clear of the sales, and avoided buying any new footwear in the  final few weeks of the challenge. These ones are the first new shoes since the challenge ended, and I was a little worried they’d arrive before it ended, so I went for a “sensible” purchase I knew I’d have no trouble saving if I had to: Buffalo’s ‘Beyza’ court shoes in black patent.

    Now, as some of you may recall, I already own the nude version of these shoes, and really like them. I originally bought them as a “pre-Pigalle” purchase: I was waiting for a pair of Louboutin’s ‘Pigalles’ to come into stock, and figured the Buffalo shoes would be a useful stand-in until that happened, as they’re a similar, pointed shape. I got my Pigalles in October, but still wear the Buffalos fairly often, mostly on days where I’d like to wear the Pigalles, but know the weather, or amount of walking I’m planning to do, would make that a bad idea. (I don’t believe in keeping shoes for “best”, but I also don’t believe in ruining expensive shoes in the rain!) I decided to get the black version for exactly the same reason: I do already have a pair of Pigalle stand-ins, in the form of my beloved ‘Olsen’ pumps from Dune, but as much as I love them, they’re definitely “car to bar” shoes, and not much use for actual walking. I know the ‘Beyza’ shoes are very comfortable, so I figured they’d be a useful addition to my collection, and allow me to fill that “black patent courts that are actually comfortable” shaped hole on my shoe shelves.

    Well, I was right. I’ve only had these for a few days, and they’ve already had their inaugural wearing (so I needn’t have worried about getting them through the challenge!), so I can report that they’re just as comfortable and easy to wear as the nude versions. I was forced to go half a size down with my first pair of these, because it was the only size left, but that size fit well enough I’d have gone for the same size in these, except this time IT wasn’t available, so I got my usual size 4 instead. The fit is fine, and perfectly comfortable: I still think the 3.5 feels a little more secure on the foot, but as I say, these were perfectly comfortable (even when walking over cobbles in them!) so it’s not a big deal.

    I had some money left over on my voucher, and used it to buy this little nude/black clutch by Dune. I’m a little bit obsessed with clutch bags, and frequently carry one during the day, instead of a shoulder bag, and this is a colour combination I really love. It also works really well with the black patent of the shoes, which was an added bonus!

    Shoes and bag are both currently available at Sarenza, and both currently on sale, too: find them here.

    Black court shoes

  3. Shoe Save 111: Christmas Day

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    Ted Baker Keanah2

    SHOES: Ted Baker ‘Keanah 2′ silver glitter peep toes (c/o Sarenza)
    SAVED: December 25th, 2012

    If you can’t wear glitter shoes on Christmas day, I don’t know when you can, and with that in mind, this year I wore my Ted Baker ‘Keanah 2′ peep toes to celebrate the day. I absolutely love these shoes: they’re one of my very favourite pairs, and I just wish I had more opportunities to wear  them – the silver glitter is just a little bit much for casual daywear, unfortunately! It’s very suitable for a day full of celebrations, though, and although I did have to add a pair of tights when we went out to visit Terry’s side of the family, the fact that all of those celebrations took place indoors meant that it was easy enough to save the last remaining pair of peep toes!

    One more pair to go!

  4. Shoe Save 110: Giuseppe 2

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    Giuseppe Zanotti teal suede peep toes

    Giuseppe Zanotti teal suede peep toes

    SHOES: Giuseppe Zanotti teal suede peep toes (partially paid for with Shopbop credit)
    SAVED: Sunday, December 16th, 2012

    I know: suede peep toes aren’t exactly practical for the middle of December, but it goes without saying these were worn for an “indoors only” occasion  so I managed not to freeze in them!

    With these shoes, I made the stupid mistake of saving them for a “special” occasion. I try really hard not to do that, because I think it’s silly to keep things sitting around unused, but sometimes it can be hard not to feel like a special pair of shoes deserve an equally special occasion, and that’s why it’s taken me until now to get around to wearing these.

    The special occasion in question was the 7th anniversary of Shoeperman’s kidney transplant: the anniversary itself was on Saturday, but we were both out all day, so we decided to celebrate on Sunday instead. We went for our usual “dinner and drinks” option, but it was still an excuse to get dressed up, and, of course, to save another pair of shoes!

    These definitely aren’t the easiest shoes in the world to walk in. As you know, I’m no stranger to high heels, but these ones are super high, and take a bit of getting used to, as the ankle is at quite a steep angle. They’re very much “car to bar” shoes, in other words, but luckily, that was exactly where I was wearing them, so I managed fine!

    This save brings my remaining shoes down to just two: I’m planning to wear one pair on Christmas day and the other on New Year’s Eve, so if all goes to plan, my challenge will be finished by  the end of the year. I’ve already had my Christmas present for this year, so I don’t think I’ll be getting any more shoes – I just need to make sure I avoid the sales until January 1st!

  5. Shoe Save 109: Giuseppe

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    Giuseppe Zanottii grey wedges

    SHOES: Giuseppe Zanottii grey wedges (c/o Shopbop)
    SAVED: Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

    These shoes are another pair that have to be reserved for days when I’m not planning on doing a huge amount of walking, for obvious reasons. They’re actually more comfortable than they look, but the sole of the shoe is so small compared to the rest of it that, as I mentioned earlier this week, I find it really changes my centre of balance and forces me to walk a little more carefully than I would in regular heels!

    Luckily, however, December brings plenty of opportunities for activities which don’t require me to be outdoors for long (hence the sheer tights I wore with these, too: it would’ve been much too cold for them if I’d been out for a long time, but they were fine for the small amount of time I was out in the elements!): Wednesday, for instance, was the anniversary of my first date with Shoeperman and while we’re planning on celebrating it properly at the weekend (When we have another anniversary to add to the list!) we did treat ourselves to a couple of glasses of champagne on the day itself. It was a low-key kind of celebration, so I dressed these shoes down a bit with jeans. This is the first time I’ve worn them with a casual outfit, having always gone for dresses and skirts in the past, but it’s something I’ll definitely try again – as long as I don’t have to walk for miles in them!

  6. Chocolate Schubar ‘Cael’ flats

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    Chocolate Schubar Cael flats

    Chocolate Schubar Cael flats

    Chocolate Schubar Cael flats

    Chocolate Schubar Cael flats, £47 (co/ Sarenza)

     These little Chocolate Schubar flats snuck in with my Sarenza order this month: I’d written about them before, and I had some credit left on my gift card, so I figured they’d make a nice change from the gold or red I usually go for with red shoes. Tan and black, as I’ve mentioned many times before, is one of my favourite combinations, and that was the initial reason these appealed to me, although as I’m sure you can imagine, the oversized bow had a fair bit to do with it too!

    When the shoes arrived, however, I found a lot more to love about them. I’m particularly keen on the very low vamp, which leaves a hint of toe cleavage of show (controversial, I know, but I like it…), and also helps give the shoes a very elegant, dainty look which can sometimes be missing from flat shoes. I also like the almost shaped toe and the soft upper: these aren’t real leather, but they do feel high quality, and are comfortable to wear.

    I tend to avoid ordering flats online, because I have a hard time getting a good fit with them for some reason. With heeled shoes, I can pretty reliably guess my size, and will only have to exchange them if the shoe runs larger or smaller than usual, but with flats I find sizing a lot more hit and miss, and I’m often either walking right out of them, or having my toes pinched. In this case, however, I needn’t have worried: I went for my usual size 4, and would say they’re true to size – I haven’t worn them outdoors yet, but have tried them out around the house, and have found them really comfortable, so I don’t anticipate any issues with them.

    I’m not including flats in my shoe challenge, so these don’t count towards my final total, but I never have trouble finding reasons to wear shoes like this, so I’m sure they’ll be getting plenty of use next year!

    [Buy them]

  7. Shoe Save 108: Astroid

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    Carvela Astroid pumps

    SHOES: Carvela ‘Astroid’ pumps in green
    SAVED: Tuesday, December 11th ,2012

    I’m racing through the remaining few shoe saves, in the hopes of being finished by the end of the year, so I can start a brand new challenge at the start of 2013. I’m not totally sure what that challenge will be yet, but whatever it is, I hope it gives me plenty of opportunities to wear these Carvela Astroid pumps, which are another favourite pair which got neglected this year during the frantic race to save the sandals. These are gorgeous, comfortable AND my favourite colour, so I’m looking forward to lots more outings for them in the future!

  8. Shoe Save 107: Corso Como

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    Kurt Geiger Corso Como pumps

    SHOES: Kurt Geiger Corso Como pumps
    SAVED: Monday, December 10th, 2012

    I think sheer socks/tights are going to be my saviours this winter. I know they’re probably the least sexy items ever invented, but I have a couple of pairs that are basically invisible on the foot, and although it doesn’t seem likely that something so sheer will actually be warm, I actually don’t notice much of a difference between them and regular opaques, so I’ve been forcing myself to get over my aversion to them and just enjoy the fact that they allow me to wear shoes like these ones without having to worry about matching tights. I’ll obviously have to switch to something warmer if the temperature dips (or if I’m planning on being outdoors for hours at a time), but as long as I can get the last few shoes through the challenge, I’ll be happy!

    These shoes are by Kurt Geiger, and are one of my favourite pairs ever. Unfortunately they’re not very comfortable: for some reason the low vamp on the right shoe seems to hit my foot at an awkward point: I haven’t figured out a fix for it yet, so these really have to be reserved for days when I’m not going to be doing a huge amount of walking. Last time I wore these was with a very dressy outfit, so this time around I decided to keep it causal, with blue jeans and a black turtleneck – one of my go-to winter outfits. These are the kind of shoes that instantly dress up anything you wear them with, though, so they made up for the plainness of the rest of the look!