I know I’ve already talked about how orange will be a big colour for Spring, but did I also mention the floral invasion you can expect to see happening any day now? No? You probably didn’t need me to, though, did you? To quote Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, “Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.”
These florals take us right back to the 70s, courtesy of a huge platform, a eyeball-searing colour mix, and a caged upper. I guess the question is, then, do you really WANT to be taken back to the 70s by these shoes? It’s definitely not my favourite decade in fashion, so I’d probably pass on these ones: sorry, River Island, I still love you, but the 70s influence is just a little too strong with this one…
OK, I think I’m just going to have to re-name myself “Striperwoman” here. Is that OK with everyone?
Look, it’s not really my fault. Well, OK, it IS my fault. But am I slightly less to blame than I usually am for showing you lots of pairs of stripey shoes. You see, fashion seems to be going through one of those stages at the moment where it has aligned perfectly with my own personal tastes. The stores are just FULL of stripes, polka dots and the colour green. It is TORTURE for me, seriously. I mean, I know stripes and polka dots are always around in some form or another, and green has been quite prevalent too over the past couple of seasons, but at the moment I feel like I can’t visit a retail website without adding about 10 more items to my Wish List: or to my “To Be Blogged” list at the very least.
Which brings me to these River Island sandals. They have stripes. They have a bow. I wish they didn’t have a raffia platform, but they do, and I will live with it. They have a red twin, which…
…I really don’t like at all, actually.
The blue version, however: the blue version I would happily wear, even although there’s a good chance they’d made my ankles look like tree trunks. I think I’ll put that theory to the test next time I’m in River Island…
If you want to put it to the test RIGHT NOW, however, they’re £65, and you can click here to buy them.
And just in case you don’t believe me that fashion is deliberately trying to taunt me right now:
I always feel like I should go on some kind of glitter diet in January: after all the sparkliness of the festive season, I really start to crave the simplest of styles, from clothes to shoes: in fact, I’m writing this wearing an old pair of ballet flats and some plain capri pants and I do not care. In fact, I’m rather enjoying it.
Still, I couldn’t let these shoes go unrecorded, glitter-diet or not. River Island have been bringing out quite a few designer-inspired pieces recently, and all of these shoes reminded me of Miu Miu’s most recent collection, with their curved or flared heels and their suede/glitter uppers.
I’ve found my tolerance of glitter shoes has been considerably higher following my Ted Baker Keanah2 purchase, and I actually quite like all of these. I’ve no idea how I’d actually wear all of them, of course, but hey, it could be an interesting challenge, don’t you think?
(And yes, I’d ever give the glitter ankle boots a go. Well, why not?)
OK. Let me start out here by saying that I LOVE River Island. As anyone who’s been following my Shoe Challenge will confirm, I wear a lot of their clothes and shoes, and there are many, many more which I WOULD buy if I could possibly afford to. So I’m a big fan, in other words.
With that said, I have to be completely honest and say that I’m struggling to find a lot to love about the Spring/Summer shoe collection. Lots of flatforms, very pointed toes, perspex and 80s-style sneakers make up the preview, and that’s more or less a list of the things I don’t like! Still, this is obviously just a small selection of what will be on offer this summer, and there are a few pairs of sandals I can easily imagine wearing, so fingers crossed there will be more covetable styles still to come.
Take a look at the gallery below and tell me what you think of these!
I mean, look at them. The green colour, the bow: they may as well have my name on them. And while I do own enough pairs of dark green shoes to have been able to successfully talk myself out of the various new pairs that have tempted me this year, I don’t have a pair in this particular shade of green. Which is, like, totally different you guys! Ahem.
Anyway, River Island have been using this very distinctive bow shape (now copied by various other brands) all year, and I’ve loved it every time. This time they’ve put it on the heel of the shoe, rather than on the toe, and it works rather well there, too:
This is the coral version, which is slightly less lust-worthy to me, but which I wouldn’t kick off the shoe shelves, if they were to magically appear there.
These are £85, and you can click here to buy them from River Island.
It happened again: River Island added so many new shoes to their site, all at the same time, that I had no option but to show you them all rather than choosing just one. If I was FORCED to choose just one, though, I know exactly which pair I’d pick:
Stripe slingbacks, £55
These black and white stripe slingbacks have gone straight onto my wishlist. I absolutely LOVE the bold print, and the shape is perfect, too. These are just so much fun, and while I’d like them even more without the slingback, I don’t object to slingbacks in the way so many people seem to, so I could definitely live with it.
These shoes, meanwhile, fall into the small, but distinctive, category of “shoes which remind me of lingerie”. They look a bit like they belong in a French boudoir, don’t they? They’re pretty, but I have no idea how or when I’d wear them. I’d give it my best shot, though…
Yes, it’s that’s distinctive “River Island bow”, which now seems to be popping up everywhere. I guess you know you have a popular design when other brands start copying you, right? This time it’s attached to a beigey-pink Mary Jane.
I don’t wear flat boots unless I absolutely have to. If I absolutely had to wear these ones, though, I’d at least be able to take comfort in the fact that they’re probably as “glamorous” as a pair of flat boots can get.
A lot of stores have had sales on recently, which is great news for bargain hunters, of course, but bad news for poor shoe bloggers, who like a constant stream of new footwear to write about!
Thankfully, some new stock is starting to appear now, and, as you’d expect at this time of year, the focus is firmly on the festive season, with lots of sparkly party sandals. These ones from River Island are one of the more interesting examples of the new arrivals, and they come with a thick toe and ankle strap, combined with a diamanté covered stiletto heel. Of the three colours available, I actually like the one I HAVEN’T shown you – a plain black version – best, as it’s the most classic of the bunch. The orange and pink combo, meanwhile, are probably the most fashion-forward, while the black and blue sits somewhere in between.
Once again, these aren’t an exact copy: the placement of the spikes is different, and the CR version looks… well, cheap… compared to the Louboutins, but the inspiration is unmistakable, no?
(Yes, I know they’re a different colour, but both CR and RI carry this style in a range of shades.)
This style has popped up from a few different designers now: does this mean River Island is starting to provide “inspiration” to other designers, too? Nothing would surprise me…
