These are possibly a bit much. Very slightly OTT. I mean, with a corsage that big, you’ll never have to wonder whether anyone’s noticed your shoes yet, will you? But maybe that’s your aim? To wear a totally extravagant, can’t-be-ignored, show-stopping pair of red heels? If so, here they are: they’re by Karen Millen, they’re £140, and you can click here to buy them.
What do you think of these, though? Is the corsage too large, or is it just right? Personally I think these would have to be worn with something very simple: not just to allow them to stand out in the way they deserve, but because too many fussy details with a shoe like these could just be overwhelming. It’d be a classic, plain-cut dress for me, then, but what would you wear with them?
Oh heels, glitter can look a little bit over the top, if you’re not careful. (Although it can also look fabulous, depending on the shoe.) On a pair of flats, however, it can be a great way to make what can be a rather boring style look a whole lot more interesting, and Oasis have added to that effect on these ‘Anella’ flats by adding a tulle corsage to the toe. The result is a very pretty flat which would be great for special occasions, but could look just a good with a simple pair of jeans.
They’re better known for their clothes than for their footwear, but Monsoon do a really nice line in shoes, many of which have a bit of a vintage-inspired feel to them, like these ‘Florence’ court shoes. I really like the contrast of the gauzy corsage against the black suede upper, and these have a sophisticated style to them which will see you through many a special occasion (or a not-so-special occasion you just want to dress up for). They’re £90 and you can click here to buy a pair.
There used to be a time when a pair of white shoes were considered horribly tacky (yes, I am old enough to remember these times). No more, though: in fact, add a black platform, heel and corsage, and you actually end up with something quite classic and striking, like these Red Herring ‘Tinkerbell’ platforms, which are all dressed up with their outsized corsage, but which will also look great as day-wear, with a pair of opaque tights,
These also appeal to me because they’re a bit of a steal at the reduced price of £28. Click here to buy them.
As up-to-the-minute as New Look always are, these shoes are still a little more runway-inspired than the majority of their offerings: those gigantic corsages on the heels don’t look like the most wearable of shoe embellishments, but I guess I’d need to see what these look like on an actual foot to be able to know that for sure!
Underneath the corsage there’s a beautiful, curve-sided court shoe in pale pink satin, which would actually have been rather stunning all on its own (and I’d love to see this shape in a handful of other colours, too). I think I’d like these shoes better if the corsage was detachable, allowing you to wear it or discard it at will, but with that said, for just £39.99, you’re definitely getting a show-stopper of a shoe.
Suede uppers with a metallic overlay, a generously sized corsage on the toe, a feather sticking out the side of it, and… actually, I don’t know what you’d call the detailing on the heel. There’s definitely rather a lot going on with Irregular Choice’s Toodle Loo Mowkawk pumps, but I love all of it: well, almost all of it – I could live without the feather and the heel… thing… but the gorgeously curved heel and beautiful uppers make up for those two minor points. These look like old-fashioned court shoes in the true sense of the phrase, and I’d have to agree with Schuh’s description of them as “opulent”.
Like them? If you do, you can click here to buy them for £79.99.
I’m speechless. In a good way, I hasten to add. I guess some of you may well be speechless in a bad way at the sight of these, because “extravagant” isn’t the word here. With a huge black corsage atop a white patent peep toe, in Louboutin’s signature shape, these are true show-stoppers, and I love them. Do you, though? If you do, the bad news is that I haven’t yet found an online retailer that’s stocking them, so if you want to buy a pair, take a look at the Christian Louboutin website for stockists.
Like the corsage peep toes from Next, which I showed you last week, these shoes will probably be of limited use unless you happen to be attending (or involved in) a wedding or similarly formal/dressy event. If you do have a suitable occasion on which to wear them, though, the £45 price tag, combined with the super-feminine look of them, may well appeal. I don’t like to spend a huge amount of money on evening shoes, purely because I know I won’t get a whole lot of use out of them, so these seem fairly reasonably priced, and ASOS.com have quite of few of these semi-bridal styles in stock at the moment, all for similar prices, so it could be worth a look if you find yourself facing a summer filled with special events.
