Fashion

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Flat shoes are sooooo my new thing – yay shoes, shoes, and more shoes

Published February 1, 2014 by iftheshoefits

Don’t blame it on the sunshine
Don’t blame it on the moonlight
Don’t blame it on the good times
Blame it on the boogie…

Don’t worry, I’m not channeling the Jackson Five, but I have rediscovered flat shoes after several decades in heels.  I’m actually blaming this phenomenon on OBB – I’m trying to walk everywhere – it’s free, it’s healthy and in this lovely winter weather, utterly and painfully bracing.  I do have some flat boots, albeit a tad on the chunky side for work, as well as a couple of pairs of lovely brogues, but I was missing some neat little ballet pumps.

My office wear usually involves a smart outfit and heels – as I’ve grown up a bit (i.e. turned 40) I’ve discovered wedges and they’re usually my heel of choice, but they are still a challenge to walk two miles in over uneven terrain and cobblestones.  I do have a shoe cupboard at work with many abandoned pairs which are either too impractical or too uncomfortable to wear for any significant period of time (note to self, clear out required).  And so I’ve been trailing the sales for some bargains.

Ta da 🙂

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I’ve worn and loved the navy ones so much, I ordered exactly the same shoe in emerald which will give me a splash of colour for Spring – if it ever arrives that is.  Interested shoe fiends can find them here

They are very very flat though – apparently nobody at work realised I was as short as I am.

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go…

When your clothes love each other a bit too much – that static cling thing

Published January 22, 2014 by iftheshoefits

You know exactly what kind of day you’re going to have when you have to stop and adjust your clothing every few steps on the two mile walk to work.

 

 

 

 

 

I was trying to bring some sunlight into my day with a lovely summery daisy-hemmed halter dress, a white shirt, corduroy blazer and woolly tights with chelsea boots combo.  A little bit of spring to be precise.

But alas, instead of a cute little outfit, I found myself in “my dress is mating with my tights” kind of hell.  This is not a big deal – there are many more problems in the world than my dress turning itself into (vivid flashback) a puffball number from the not distant enough past, but it’s enough of an annoyance to pique you prior to your morning coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve had many more embarrassing clothing malfunctions – pinging buttons exposing a bit too much flesh, burst trouser seams, stuck fast zips, that awkward moment when you realise you can’t get a dress off in the changing room and have to call for help – but the static cling thing annoys you all day long.

Here’s hoping that tomorrow I’m footloose and cling free.  Vive la elegance.

Hats – the best expression of self

Published January 14, 2014 by iftheshoefits

I love hats – they can transform your look, turn you invisible, and quite literally save your life.

Stockport has a museum dedicated to them where they have a plethora of information and displays.

I love the onset of winter where I can turn to some old faithfuls.  I have a black Kangol fluffy hat that is more smurf-esque than anything else, I have my cream bobble hat and I have a new grey and black cossack hat.  The cossack hat has won hands down in outings this winter – it looks fabulous on, but sadly looks like a dead cat when in my handbag or resting on my desk.

dead cat in bag

dead cat in bag

dead cat on desk

dead cat on desk

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a tad on the ostentatious side having a hat stand beside your desk in an open plan office thus my dead cat is now the office pet.  Maybe I should invest in a head mannequin instead, although I can see kidnappings and ransom notes as a direct consequence.  What I like most about hats is that they have the power to transform an ordinary outfit into something extraordinary, the only downside being hat hair – less traumatic than helmet hair (don’t believe the Zovirax ads, your hair never looks that good if you’ve had a helmet on for longer than 10 minutes) but you will have some grooming to do once you’ve removed it.  I can go one of two ways, uber fluffy haired or very very flat and smooth.  Neither work for me, so I just tame it back into shape and wait longingly until I can put my hat back on.

My favourite hat muses:  Bjork, Queen Elizabeth II and Lady Gaga – who can forget her Louis Vuitton headpiece?  Be brave, wear a hat.

 

 

 

 

 

vrzhu.typepad.com

vrzhu.typepad.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January is a funny old month

Published January 10, 2014 by iftheshoefits

Well, it is, isn’t it?  It’s a month of reflecting on the past and being excited about what lies ahead.  It’s the time when our clothes feel a bit tighter and our skin looks a heck of a lot grayer due to epic over-indulgences.

It’s also time to embrace winter and all of its layering opportunities.  This week alone I’ve rocked an artic explorer look , an ice-skating princess ensemble, and tried out being a russian spy for the day.  All good fun.

January, aka the month of good intentions – of being good to our bodies and our minds.  I started well, but failed on wine-down Wednesday.  It turned yesterday a very long day indeed.  This first full week back in the office has been long – we were all knackered by mid week (hence the afore-mentioned wine-down) as everyone is used to working in small, concentrated bursts.  I’ve had to lure people into meetings with the promise of biscuits.  But it’s now Friday and the energy levels are rising appropriately, we can smell the weekend coming, and it smells of duvet.

I’m in the midst of hatching a grand master plan for 2014, and that’s what I love most about January – I make the first in a series of plans.  Compulsive list-making session imminent.

 

How many pairs of shoes does one girl need?

Published January 4, 2014 by iftheshoefits

As with the answer to the meaning of life in The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, it’s 42.  Co-incidentally, it’s the age I’ll be this year.  So that must be right, mustn’t it?

Actually, I don’t actually know how many shoes I own.  If MrShoeThatAlwaysFits is asking – it’s twenty pairs – it’s still too many in his estimation but almost reasonable.  The truth is somewhat higher, which means that I need to have a clear out, a big one.  Out go the scuffed, the worn, the almost never worn because I just can’t break them in, and the really really high ones.  The keepers will be those which go with my clothes, the comfortable and the still smart; along with a couple of implausibly spindly heels for proper black tie events.

The only problem with having a clear out is the urge to buy more.  I must desist.  I must desist.

I’ll be sad to see these beauties go, but with a 5 inch heel height both of them are just a tad too impractical to be contenders.  They’ve been a talking point over the last two years, but it’s time to say goodbye.

oh you pretty things

 

 

 

 

Goodbye my friends, to my faithful purple suede wedges a well-worn favourite.  Being a wedge, they were surprisingly comfortable and only steep downhill slopes could be deemed dangerous territory.  

hard to let them go

 

 

 

And lastly, a pair that I’ve only ever worn once because they were so high that my feet took a week to recover after wearing them to a dinner.  Pretty, glittery death traps.

too high

 

 

 

 

There will be others that I’ll have to say adieu to, but these four pairs will be the first to go.  And for Mr ShoeThatAlwaysFits, that’s me down to 16 pairs.  A completely sane and normal amount. 

 

It’s hard to swagger in a bobble hat

Published December 28, 2013 by iftheshoefits

I grew up in the windy northern isles, and I do mean windy.  My trademark windswept and interesting look was earned the hard way – no amount of hairspray in the world can keep you looking neat and tidy in 70mph winds, and trust me, I’ve road tested more than my fair share of brands.

So it’s rather unfortunate that I have sensitive ears – the kind of ears that hurt when the music is too loud or feel as bad as toothache when gale-force winds come a-calling.  My youth was spent swathed in knitted hats, hoods, and when all else failed, ears stuffed with cotton wool.

Over the years I’ve learned to love hats, and have found what works for me: top hats, baker’s caps, cossack hats (the bigger and fluffier the better); and what doesn’t: berets, beanies, cloche hats, the trilby, cowboy hats.  What can I say – my small head with big hair needs a big hat.

This season, new coat = new hat, and the hunt was on.  I have a hat which compliments my dress coat or cape which I wear over suits.  However, I have a new sensible weather proof coat this year – it’s windproof and I’m in love – and it’s winter white in colour.  All I needed was an outdoorsy type hat to compliment it too.  My folks gave me a beautiful cap as part of my Christmas, but I can’t wear it when it’s really windy as it’ll fly off into the yonder.

In the end I ordered this bobble hat by DC Clothes and it brought memories of my childhood flooding back to me:

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And that’s part of the problem, when I wear it all I want to do is jump in puddles and fool around.  It brings my inner child out into the open.  It may not be elegant, it may not be cool, but it sure is fun and I don’t have to chase after it on a windy day.

Like I said already, it’s hard to swagger while sporting a bobble hat.

When Christmas comes early…

Published December 9, 2013 by iftheshoefits

Mr ShoeThatAlwaysFits and I have peaked too early this festive season.

In the last 2 weeks I’ve attended a black tie dinner, survived the office Christmas party and celebrated Christmas early with our families north of the border.  It’s only the 9th of December and I’ve eaten and drunk more in the last 10 days than I have over the previous 10 months.

We had a fabulous time with our families, where we had too much of everything, including the weather – one week into December and we had to sit on the Inverness runway for 45 minutes waiting for our plane to be de-iced – I’m heading back up on Friday 13th (cue ominous organ music) to see my brother, sister-in-law and nephews and like the proverbial Christmas family, I’ll pretty much be sleeping in the stables (well, under the dining room table anyway).

The office Christmas party was last Friday so today is the post-mortem.  I’ve heard about the £100 cab rides, the hi-jacking of a DJ booth in a Bavarian Christmas Bar, the colleague who slept in his car, a member of our senior management team having an impromptu quick change of clothes because of an unfortunate being vomited-upon incident, and an ‘as disturbing as Miley Cyrus’ twerking session.  All in all a roaring success – hmmm.  Thank goodness I was home, sober(ish) and sensible well ahead of the witching hour.

I’ve come through the first half of the month with my reindeer antlers, my dignity and my ankles intact, if not a little sore-footed.

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And I received an absolutely darling secret santa present from someone who knows me too well.

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Here’s to surviving the rest of the festive season with a bit of a swagger and a helping of good cheer.  Season’s greetings one and all.

 

40 + is a funny age

Published October 1, 2013 by iftheshoefits

I turned 41 this year which was a relief if I’m honest.  That benchmark year (the one with the ‘0’) is behind me and I can now completely embrace my fabulous forties, without lamenting the loss of my youth.

I’m lucky that both me and Mr ShoeThatAlwaysFits still have a full set (parents, siblings, etc), and know how incredibly lucky we are that we have been blessed in this way.  And then we watched “This is Forty” – and could relate to a lot of that film.  Left to our own devices we still feel as though we should be supervised at all times, but we know what we like, and are comfortable with the choices that we’ve made and the life that we’ve lived and which we continue to live.

We also understand each other, I’m cold in the evenings but suffer what can only be described as hot flushes in the mornings and the Mr is the opposite (well, without the hot flush part).  On our recent holiday, by the time I shuffled out of the shower, he had already opened all of the windows to cool me down (he gets weirded out by my sweaty upper lip – but then again, who wouldn’t?)

I also love clothes and admire those who have an individual style (hence my following of MasonBentley and Citizens of Fashion).  I think that I’ve found my signature look and and I don’t tend to veer away from it very often – if I feel weird in anything then it’s a no-go.  I still make mistakes – but regular readers know my penchant for internet shopping and those little (or big) parcels of loveliness – so any mistakes can be returned easily, sans embarrassment.  Occasionally my heart rules my head – this week I have a big return to make – I made the mistake of trying to recapture my rock chick days, but in a more grown up sophisticated way.  I opened the afore mentioned medium-sized parcel of loveliness that arrived, but realised my error when the office fashionista deemed my purchases ‘brave’.  And she’s 22.  She approved of one of the pairs of shoes, but when I put the chunky heeled size 3’s on, I felt like a real life Minnie Mouse.  Needless to say, it’s all going back.

And so, I reiterate, 40+ is a funny, but totally fabulous age.

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