I Love Shoes ‘Phorient‘, £47
Of all of the awesome, affordable shoe brands out there right now, I think I Love Shoes is well on its way to becoming one of my favourite. This is a brand which has a fantastic range of those “basic” styles I always seem to be searching for (And why ARE the black pumps and nude peep toes always the hardest styles to find, when, really they should be the EASIEST?), and with prices generally hovering around the £50-per-pair mark, at least you know you can stock up without having to take out a second mortgage.
These shoes, of course, don’t really fall into the category of “neutral basics”. Oh, the shape is pretty classic, sure, but rather than one of those nude or black uppers I’ve just been banging on about, these use a bright, exotic-looking floral print, on a red or blue satin upper. I found the blue version of these first, and it remains my favourite of the two shades: the colour is the same shade as the sky on a summer’s day, and it cheers me up just to look at it. The red version, meanwhile, is also very pretty, and both styles use a gold, angled insert on the platform sole, to add a bit of extra interest. (I could live without that particular detail, to be honest, but it’s not a deal-breaker for me, either.)
Perfect to wear dressed-up for a special occasion, or dressed-down with a pair of jeans, these are available in UK sizes 3.5 – 7.5 at Sarenza.
I didn’t even notice the gold platform until you mentioned it. I like these very much and would have a hard time choosing between the colours. Blue, I think. Or red.