Shoe challenge #82: Orange flare

Right after my Carvela Grass wedges arrived, these Dorothy Perkins wedges went on sale. They're pretty much the same shoe, in an equally vibrant suede, real leather and marked down to £17. Let's just be honest here, I couldn't not buy them, now could I?

I bought the dress in last year's sales, but I hadn't worn it until now. I thought it complemented the shoes perfectly, it was comfortable, and I got lots of compliments in the pub. And just like that, the weekend has come and gone again.

dress Closet / shoes Dorothy Perkins

Shoe challenge #78: Layers

I don't wear these half-wedges nearly enough, but to be brutally honest, they don't always fit. Luckily today was a good day, and the squeezing was limited to a minimum. Like last year, I paired them with turquoise. These shoes have quite an effect and they do get lots of looks on the street. I love how you can't see all the differently coloured layers from the front. I love sneeky little touches like that.
It was the first time that I wore this skirt, since it's quite a thick fabric and therefore not very suited for hot weather. But now the weather has taken a turn for the worst and this skirt has the loveliest movement to it (perfect for twirling!), so I'm guessing it will become a staple piece this Winter.

skirt Red Label / cardigan New Look / belt came with this dress

shoes Office (last year's challenge)

Shoe challenge #77: Dots on dots

Finally I can call these babies mine! I've been on the hunt for a pair of Minnies for a while now, and like a couple of other scores this month I'm pretty happy to be checking these off my wishlist. They're not quite as comfortable as I expected them to be (I'm usually pretty chuffed with the fit of Kurt Geiger shoes), but that's mainly because the inner sides are still quite stiff and rigid. It'll probably get better with more wear. That said, I'm a bit surprised by how big these look on my feet. Oh well, still pretty! I especially adore the oversized bow and the angular shaped heel.

As far as the dress goes, I can't even believe how long I've had it! For a while there it got stuck in my wardrobe, but since the big move last year this one has been going strong in all kinds of outfits. Like I said in the last challenge: the rushing drapes beautifully over my tummy, hiding possible food babies, which is always a huge plus. And I think the two polka dot prints work splendidly together, especially with the splashes of red. Very happy with this look, signature Daisy! As you can tell, I'm still being stubborn and refusing to wear tights, in spite of being almost blown away by the fall storms that have been hitting Belgium the last few days.

On other exciting news: my dad and my uncle are installing new furniture in my "shoe room" tonight, so you better be ready for a photo overload soon! The thought of displaying all my shoes and neatly colour coding my dresses is already making me giddy! I've got butterflies in my tummy just fantasizing about it. (my god, I am a freak)

dress 3Suisses (seen here) / belt New Look / shoes Miss KG

Shoe challenge #76: A quickie

Another pair of electric blue heels, which I wore with my red shirt dress for a day at the office. Since I just swapped the shoes, I figured there was no need for a full outfit post. I took quite a risk by wearing my blue suede shoes today, as it's bound to be raining on and off all week. Luckily I only ventured outside during the dry spells and these shoes survived the day (and the shoe challenge) just fine.

shoes New Look (last year's challenge)

Shoe challenge #74: Grass

You guys, I've been feeling kind of down. My personal life is a bit upside down right now, and I'm not sure how much of it I'm willing to share on this blog. Let's just say I went out with some friends on Friday night to get my mind off things, and well, it helped. Lots. I've gotten pretty good at handling the punches life throws my way, and I've pretty much got the "carry on and live life, because things still need to get done" attitude down to a tee. If life hands you lemons etc etc...

Anyway, the shoes. These are one of those pairs that I finally got to cross off my wishlist, and I knew I wanted to make them the focal point of the outfit, so I paired them with a little black dress. I love this Mango dress to bits, because of its simple, slightly 50s shape, and I figured it was due a night out on the town anyway.

dress Mango / shoes Carvela / doggy mine

Assess

I immediately loved these when they came out, in every colour way (though I think I liked the pink/purple version slightly better, especially after seeing them on Shoeperwoman Amber), but noticing the resemblance to my Asos Pace platforms, I vowed back in February to only hunt for the yellow version. Well my friends, the moment has finally come, so I'm a happy puppy. And it's Friday night too! Enjoy your weekend!

Shoe challenge #71: Red on red

What's not to love about shirt dresses? They're so easy to wear, yet they're totally elegant and stuff. This little number only set me back 30 euros or something at my local H&M a couple of years ago, but it has proven to be worth a lot more than that.

I don't think I've ever worn it with any other pair of shoes though. In my mind, these two are made for each other. Both are just so comfortable, it's unreal. One of my favourite go to-outfits, for sure! Best enjoyed with bare legs, and I'm being very stubborn and not giving in to tights just yet, even if the temperatures have dropped a few degrees.

I've been making good use of the dry weather we've been having this week, and I'm planning to take full advantage of the weekend as well. I'm spending another few days in my home town, so it'll take some effort to take a couple of pairs with me, but I'm guessing it'll be worth it when it starts pouring down real fall-like next week or so. I do want most of those suede pairs out of the way.

These are not as high as I'm used to, which makes them perfect for nights out with a lot of walking. I was supposed to meet up with some ex-classmates tonight, but I really just don't feel like it. I'm burried with work at the office and as I said, I won't be spending the weekend at my own place either, so I'm going to enjoy my boyfriend-free evening on the sofa with my favourite television shows.

And tomorrow, tomorrow is another day to save shoes.

dress H&M / jacket Zara / shoes Next (last year's challenge)

Corset

Man, Sam Edelman never seizes to amaze me. At first glance this Evan pump might seem a bit plain, but wait until you see its backside!

I love them, but not so much that I have to have them right now. But if they would pop up on sale somewhere, I won't pretend I wouldn't be tempted. So far I've spotted them in this gorgeous black, in a cheetah version and in a beautiful metallic snake upper.

Also: booties! The pumps will set you back €175, the Elsa booties €240.

Shoe challenge #64: Floral

With statement shoes like these, especially if they have a lot going on (like these), I tend to keep my outfit as non-fussy as possible. But, being who I am, I couldn't resist a bit of colour clashing with the orange dress and the red belt. This was a perfect work outfit for a sunny day, simple and comfortable, yet very bright and cheery.

These Northern Floral wedges provoke pretty strong reactions: people seem to either really love or really hate these shoes. My male coworker who I share an office with, has said multiple times that these are his least favourite shoes. The boyfriend said they were the tackiest pair he's seen me wear so far. Pretty harsh criticism, isn't it? Then again, girls really dig them. Maybe it's just the girliness of them throwing the men off? After all, Irregular Choice shoes aren't for everyone and these shoes do pile on the embellishments: a floral printed wedge, teal suede, orange contrast stitching, a floral printed bow, an orange lace bow, and some cherries on top... What do you think? Are these simply too much? (Not that I would love them any less for it, mind you)

dress Dorothy Perkins (seen here and here) / belt from peplum top New Look

shoes Irregular Choice (last year's challenge)

Jekyl

It must be crystal clear by now how much I love Sam Edelman's Lorissa. Which is why I don't understand why people would pay £99 for an inferior version of them. It's not that I'm against designer inspiration on the high street, that's to be expected as a natural reaction of the fashion industry after all, but I think the price on these is still quite steep, to be such poorly executed as well. Who in their right mind would pay £99 for a pair of shoes that aren't even real leather, I ask you?! To quote the product info on the New Look site: "Shoes with personality! Dollybird brings a unique look to any outfit with a vibrancy that is difficult to ignore". "Unique", yeah right!!

Shoe challenge #63: Hint of leopard

It's no secret that I pretty much hate trousers. I'd rather wear a bikini than jeans, it's that bad. I just don't think they do anything for my figure, as I have quite a bum and heavy thighs. But, like I said earlier, it was weirdly cold on Friday, so bare legs were not an option I'm afraid. You've already seen my evening outfit, so here's the day look. I wore this to work and as you can see by the background, I visited my mum this weekend, so my little doggy (he's so cute and I miss him so much!) made a surprise appearance as well. For some reason he always storms the camera when he hears the shutter click.

I wore my new peplum top and my trusty China shoes. These are one of those pairs that have emotional value to them and are comfortable on top, so if I'd have to get rid of all my shoes except for ten or something, these would definitely make the cut. Keepers, they are! My BFF bought them for me in China. She doesn't know much about shoes (although I make sure she wears nice ones, haha), but what she does know is that red soles are special. I love their classic shape, the black (fake) suede (I love the boldness of a black suede) and the little leopard print touches on the platform and heel.

 

And there he goes again! He hears the shutter click and he goes mad, I tell you, MADDD!!

And then he goes cute again. He makes my shoes look goooood!!

pink jeans Zara (seen here) / peplum top New Look (seen here)

leopard print belt Asos / shoes gift from China (last year's challenge)

Shoe challenge #57: Do the peplum

I don't often jump on the bandwagon of trends (I think), but I was very curious to try out the peplum. I've been seeing it everywhere online (not (yet?) in the Belgian streets though) and I figured it might be flattering on my kind of curvy bod. And I know you just saw this red lace skirt recently, but I try to mix and match my clothes, and not wear them only one time on the blog. After all, this is real life blogging here yo! At least now you get a good peak of the intricate detail of the lace.

For some reason I'm always scared about wearing these. Maybe it's because I know that it would be so hard to replace them if they ever got "injured". Apparently they are going on eBay for as much as £130! I believe I only paid €80 or something for them, and they're the real deal, so I'm very careful not to ruin them in the rain or on uneven pavements. They're very ladylike, but also very vampy and vixen-y. For sure I felt like a million bucks today.

I did accidentally flash my belly button to some strangers while I rode my bicycle to the train station this morning though. The wind got a hold of the peplum, and whoopsiedaisy, there was my bare midriff for everyone to see! Oh well, it was worth it! I'm already thinking about buying another peplum top in a colour or a print.

PS: These photos were the first ones I took with my new tripod. Obviously it was still an experiment, but I can't wait until my remote control gets here, so I can really venture out.

Top and belt New Look / skirt Mango (seen here) / shoes Zara (last year's challenge)

Scalloped

I stumbled upon these shoes on someone's blog (sorry, can't remember where exactly), and I couldn't take my eyes off these stunning Oscar De La Renta numbers. I'm drooling over that luscious mustard colour and the scalloped edges, and they look so comfortable too! That bow kind of reminds me of pasta, which, sure, I'm obsessed about, so that's actually a good thing for a shoe.

 It's a whole lot more expensive than a plate of pasta though, €570 to be exact.

Portrait

Some people actually did like those Acne shoes with the weirdly high vamp. I wasn't one of them. So it may come as no surprise that I'm equally appalled by this Asos attempt to do something similar. It's not done well enough to count as an actual knockoff, but similar enough to ring a bell. In my head at least.

They replaced the Thai silk by suede and mixed in some stripes, but that shape is truly gruesome. Yet Asos seemed to think we needed this shoe in not just one, but two colour ways.

Why? And more importantly: why would anyone spend €121 on such a catastrophe??!

Sabrina

Once in a while you need a palate cleanser, from all the weird and bright and OTT shoes out there. And I think these Miss Selfridge shoeboots might just be what the doctor prescribed. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm trying hard as I can not to think of Winter yet, but I can certainly imagine wearing these when the weather gets colder. Especially since I can do so for only £46.

Madden Girl

I give Steve Madden a lot of grief for his copycat tendencies, but sometimes he does get it right, all on his own. Because what's not to love about this delicious little bow court? A high yet sturdy heel, suede uppers in a bright blue hue and a double bow to top it off! If I hadn't bought so much this month already, I would gladly spend my £39 on these or their black sisters.

Djaldos

At first glance I would've never guessed that these were Louboutin. Which they are. Which is one of the reasons why I love Louboutin so much as a designer. Even though he is most known for his elegant stiletto classics, he still knows how to surprise us from time to time as well. With a studded pointy ballerina shoe for example. Or this magnificent wedge.

First up, I really dig the structural shape of the wedge itself, with the narrowness of the heel that is almost like a stiletto, and the way it creates a little overhang under the ball of the foot. This wedge is edgy, and looks a even a little dangerous, in spite of the girly colour scheme.
Secondly, it's those colours that I love. The bright pink suede and the red metallic straps look like they shouldn't work together, but for some magical reason they do. If you want to be part of the magic, and I can't say that I blame you, you better hurry up, as these are only available in a couple of select sizes anymore.

Shoe challenge #46: Knots and dots

Like you could already tell from Super Shoesday, on Tuesday I wore my grey Greissimo lookalikes from New Look. We've been experiencing a heat spell these last few days, so I've been wearing mostly open shoes and flowy dresses, to keep from sweltering. Sometimes a cardigan is vital for decency issues though.

The boyfriend and I spent a day and a night in Leuven, a Belgian city most known for its renowned university and the throngs of thousands and thousands of students that live there. We were there for the birthday bash of one of my work colleagues, and I managed to save not only these peep toes, but also two more pairs while we were there. Stay tuned!

PS: I love it when the boyfriend takes my photos. We're getting better and better at it! Thanks sweetie!

Dress Only / cardigan Mango / shoes New Look (seen here)

Ilene

Sometimes all you need is a really simple shoe, sophisticated and timeless, and not overly frilly or absurdly high. Enter these gorgeous Miss Sixty sandals.

I especially love that low cut vamp and the surprise detailing in the back. Sparkly!

These are currently 40% off, so grab a pair for €89.

Sierra

After keeping these candy pink platforms in my wishlist for a couple of weeks, I've finally taken them out. I guess that if I haven't bought them yet, I'll never will. I do still like them though, and thought you might as well.

I think they look particularly nice from the side, as they remind me a lot of both Jessica Simpson's Dany and Jeffrey Campbell's Foxy. They have a similar shape, with a massive platform and ditto heel, and feature both the wood finishing and the exposed platform in the front, but without the T-strap. I think these have a lovely retro feel to them, and of course I'm a big fan of the pink. You can get these in nude and black as well though, and they'll only set you back £29!