Alice + Olivia ‘Gwennie’ ankle strap sandals, $180
I know I’ve said it before (many, many times, in fact), and I’ve no doubt I’ll say it again (probably many more times), but black and tan is such a classic colour combination that I just can’t resist it.
These shoes are on sale at Shopbop, and are down to $180 from the original $360: all sizes still seem to be in stock at the time of writing, however, so I’m crossing my fingers and hoping they’ll still be in stock by the time you read this. They’re a simple, two-part sandal, with a few anything-BUT-simple features. The over-sized buckle on the wide ankle-strap is one of them (and the doubled-up ankle-strap is worth a mention in itself), but its the heels which really make these stand out. From the side, it’s just an ordinary, 4″ stiletto: turn the shoe around, however, and you see the stitches running all the way up the back, giving the shoe a bit of an edge.
As much as I like the shoes themselves, though, I have to confess I owe their discovery to this Oasis handbag:
♥ Oasis handbag ♥ Topshop dress ♥ Prada sunglasses ♥ Larson & Jennings watch ♥ Boohoo cuff
I discovered this a couple of weeks ago, and really liked the back and tan colours, plus the cute little scarf tied around the handle (such an easy look to replicate with one of your own scarves!), so I set out to build an outfit around it. The shoes were my next discovery: I think they work really well with the bag, and decided to style both of them with the kind of simple black dress you can wear anywhere. This one is from Topshop, but is the kind of style you can find in a lot of different stores, and which provides the perfect blank canvas for any pair of shoes you like!
I’m not so sure about the double ankle strap but I really do like these shoes.