These shoes are available in red, green and silver – a bit like a Christmas gift, then – but I’m showing you the green because of course they’re my favourites. As well as the lovely colour, however, these also offer a nice twist on the traditional party sandal, with their woven upper and slingback heel, and I like the fact that they’re minus any glitter, crystals or other embellishments, relying simply on the vibrant colour and great design.
I also like the fact that these are on sale: they’re down to £42, and you can click here to buy them from Dune.
These shoes are missing the trademark Charlotte Olympia “half platform” (Um, I’m sure that’s not what it’s actually called, but you all know what I mean, right?), but they’re no wore for that: in fact, some of you may even like them a little better for it.
This is another example of three colours I probably wouldn’t have thought to combine myself, but which come together to create a stunning looking shoe. I’d say these were “bang on trend”, but I really hate that phrase, so I’d have to slap myself. Let’s just say they’re “very Spring 2011″ instead, hmm?
Aren’t these the sweetest little evening shoes? Sure, the satin uppers give them a bit of a “bridesmaid” feel, and they’d be just perfect for that, but the gorgeous purple colour and little flower embellishment means they’d be also perfect for just about anything you have to get a little bit dressed up for: and if you don’t have an excuse to get dressed up, just throw them on with a pair of jeans or trousers, and watch a casual outfit get instantly smarter!
Just before we go any further here, I want to make it clear that “hoodie pump” isn’t my name for these shoes, it’s how Gina themselves have decided to describe them. It IS rather apt, though, because the gathered front on these does look a little bit like a hood of sorts, doesn’t it?
I’m in two minds about these shoes. In the black and cream versions, I think the gathered toe makes the shoe look like it’s been wrapped up in some kind of protective dust-cover, which the owner hasn’t bothered to remove before wearing them. The red version, however… well, the red version I rather like, and I somehow think it works a little better.
I guess it’s no great secret that, if I possibly could, I’d probably buy every shoe Dune ever makes. Or most of them, anyway: they can keep all the peep toe boots, for instance.
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.
I’m starting to come round to the idea of feathery footwear. I’ve always had a very mild phobia about feathers, not just on shoes, but on anything other than birds, basically, but there’s no denying the sheer drama they can bring to a shoe, and in my book, “drama” is always a good word to be able to use about your footwear.
These Valentino sandals, then, get a tentative thumbs-up from me, although I do have my concerns about the amount of volume they’ll add to the ankles. Shoes + drama may be an excellent combination, but ankles + volume generally isn’t, is it?
Monsoon say these ‘Alana’ peep toes of theirs would be “perfect with a party dress”. Well, they won’t get any argument from me there: and hey, any excuse to buy a new dress is a good excuse as far as I’m concerned! As “party” shoes go, though, these ones are particularly delicious, and the rosette detail on the toe makes them look a little bit like they’ve been gift wrapped. I can’t think of many better gifts than a pair of shoes: if you’d like to treat yourself to these ones, they’re £55 and you can buy them here.
