Shoe challenge #48: To the beach

I wish I could've actually gone to the beach, with the heat wave we've been having, but instead I just wore this to work. I'm not complaining about the weather though (or not yet anyway), as it's proven to be quite useful to get a couple of urgent shoe challenge out of the way. That said, it has been boiling hot these last few days, and it didn't take long for me to get sticky with sweat. Ew!

So it was only logical for me to pose in the shadows. It doesn't deliver the best lighting and as a result the photos aren't great, but at least you can't see me melting in my own skin. In the end my beach scene dress (which I love to pieces!) wasn't the best idea, as it is cotton, but with a polyester lining. You can imagine how I felt after only half an hour of huffing and puffing by yourselves, I'll spare you the intimate details.

Dress Primark (seen here) / shoes Asos (seen here)

Shoe challenge #41: Ombre hues

New shoes, so you just know I had to wear them as soon as possible. I decided to play up the ombre effect of these crocheted platforms with my mustard yellow shirt dress, and I quite liked the result. I had a sushi date with my BFF after work, which explains the rather grainy, unfocused and underlit photos (taken at 10.30 PM).

I must say, I absolutely adore these shoes, but I do not like ankle straps. Am I the only one who can't handle the rubbing? The backs of my feet are killing me right now, I'll have to think carefully about which shoes to wear next...

Dress Modcloth (seen here and here) / shoes Jeffrey Campbell

You asked for it

Look what popped into my inbox a couple of days ago. Oh, the irony! When I think about how much effort it took for those shoes to get here... But yes, you've read that correctly, they are finally here. I will have to reconsider buying from the States though, as I've been paying my ass off on customs fees and taxes. They almost cost as much as the shoes themselves! I've got the idea that I pay more whenever I buy discounted items, it's as if they add up the discount to the customs fees, and I end up paying just as much as I would have before the sales.

The Bette platforms are definitely a lot nicer than I had expected. For a purchase that was essentially an afterthought, they are stunning in the flesh.

The colours are much more vibrant, the crochet lace is gorgeous and elegant, and they'll look good even with tights come wintertime. And the best part? They are very comfortable, the US7 fits me perfectly as usual with Jeffrey Campbell shoes, and the padded soles make all the difference.

Bonus points for the major toe cleavage! Ssssexy!!

The pair of shoes that all the fuss was about, the Rockettes, are a bit of a letdown actually. They are gorgeous, as I was convinced they would be, but the sizing is completely off. When I tried them on this afternoon, it was tight but bearable. I could walk in them. Tonight, it has proven to be damn near impossible to get my feet in.

Lengthwise I can barely fit in them, but the problem sits within the very narrow toe box. My Daisy D's are narrow in the front as well, but at least I can get my feet in. I don't really understand the problem, as all my other pairs of Jeffrey Campbells are all size 7's and I've had no (real) problems with any of those. With the massive taxes I've paid for them, I guess there's nothing left for me to do but to try and stretch them out a bit. I'll keep you guys posted, that's for sure!

Cherise

I honestly can't believe these cost only $60. Like, I truly cannot believe my eyes. These babies look very designer and thus expensive to me, and I would wear them in a jiffy. The cutouts in the fuchsia suede work wonderfully against the neon orange patent leather, and I simply cannot stop staring at these. If the website delivered outside the US, I would be entering my card details right. This. Second.

Shoe challenge #35: Bugs

Today was a very relaxed day. The boyfriend and I enjoyed a glorious day off, and as the sun was shining (28°C baby!) we ventured into town for some cocktails and a book. Summer is finally here! I saved these new orange flats today, with my bug dress from Istanbul, but since I didn't bring my proper camera, we had to make do with the camera on my Blackberry. Not the best photo, but a pair of shoes saved nonetheless! (and I'm hoping that the boyfriend will take pictures more often, but with my good camera)

On another note, my dad and I finally made a plan for my dressing room last week, so I'm hoping that I'll get to display all my shoes soon. I'm really getting fed up with having to dig through towers of shoe boxes and still not finding the pair I was looking for in the end. It's going to be awesome!

Dress from random boutique in Istanbul (seen here) / shoes New Look

New Look haul

I think I even outdid myself with this one. Four pairs of shoes in one order! Luckily not one pair cost over £10. And the craziest part of all? Not one pair of heels! I'm totally ready for summer now, especially for daytrips with the boyfriend and festivals with my friends. I can't wait to take these babies out.

I've been thinking about getting a pair of Converse sneakers for a while though, but decided they were a bit expensive for a style that I wasn't sure I would get much wear out of. So when I saw these cheap knock-offs on the New Look website, I didn't hesitate. I would've loved a hot pink pair like the ballet flats, but I'm so glad I chose these turquoise ones. They give my legs an instant tan!!

Two weeks ago I ordered the strapless dress with the pink car print, but I decided against this white palm tree print dress. And then my size was sold out. So as soon as I saw my size pop up again (on sale!), I couldn't help but slip it in with my overload on shoes. I'm in love with the cutout in the back.

Pink glitter sandals
Orange raffia sandals
Pink velcro ballet flats
Turquoise sneakers

Flamante

If Louboutin were God, Rupert Sanderson would be a demi-god. The man is genius. These Flamante pumps are proof.

€625 worth of proof.

Perfect for a Saturday night, aren't they? Not that I'm wearing anything nearly as glamorous on my feet right now.

Apricot

Another one of my all time favourite shoe designers, Nicholas Kirkwood, has created this spectacular shoe to feast our eyes on.

These won't be to everyone's taste, but we've established by now that I like loud colours, especially when they're put together with some more loud colours, and suede, so I could just eat these up.

Not literally though, because that would be a huge waste of $1275, not to mention a beautiful shoe.

Splash

Will I ever get tired of colour blocking? In fact, I hope I never do. Not as long as New Look keeps making such cute shoes on the cheap.

Helium

Oh, will the colour block trend ever fade away? Not too soon though, I hope, because personally I'm a rather big fan of wearing as many colours as possible at once. I know it, and you know it, which is why you can probably guess that I'm a big fan of these Dune sandals as well. I fear they'll look to clumpy on my feet, but I do love me some vibrant suede, especially when there's pink...
And they don't look half bad in blue tones, either.

They will set you back €122 though... At least you get real leather and 14cm worth of heel in return.

Orange stripes

These just scream beach and sunshine to me. Oh, how I wish! Maybe if I buy them, Summer will miraculously show up? Would be the best £25 I'd ever spent...

Pastels

It's not even Summer yet, and already I'm getting sick of pastels, mainly because I never wear them myself. The shops are filled to the brim with pale pinks, yellows and blues, and my only resort is to buy my summer wardrobe online, where I can still find bright colours. Two weeks ago I had some quality time with my mum, and we both returned home empty handed from our shopping trip. Luckily, I more than made up for it with my online purchases. Internet, I love you!

As much as I like the shape of these, I'd only really wear the blush ones, and they make me wish that they would produce these in brighter colours. I seem to remember New Look had a similar style in corn yellow and burgundy a while back, but why not a turkoise or raspberry pink? Just venting some ideas, just in case New Look is listening in...

Guess who

On Saturday I had some quality time with my mum, and we woke up at a reasonable hour to go to the Saturday market in my home town and hit a sunny terrace and some shops afterwards. Big surprise: I didn't buy anything! All the shops were filled to the brim with pastels and sheer fabrics, and I didn't find anything I liked well enough to take home with me.
I did try on two pairs of shoes though, and these Guess slingbacks were one of them. Even if I left them behind, I liked them very much. They were stunning in person, but orange seemed very hard to match my wardrobe. They were very comfortable though, but if you don't believe that, you might prefer them as a ballet flat...

The slingbacks will set you back €150 and the flats €145.

Mint+tangerine

I've only ever once bought a pair of shoes from H&M (and they turned out to be my all time favourite shoes), but these might just persuade me away from that habit. Their assets: a towering wedge, breezy straps and the combination of next summer's most trendy colours, mint and tangerine. Get them here, they'll cost you just under €60.

Sloane

The sun may be shining outside my window, but it is still quite chilly here in Belgium. I'm counting the days until I can go out barelegged again. And these sandals aren't helping either, they're making me long for summer even more! I'm loving the subtle colour blocking that's going on here, but I also like the pink and orange combo very much.

The good news? Only $21. The bad news? These would make for some ugly tan lines...

Muffy

I like these, they remind me of a fluffy rainbow. A very expensive one though, as these sandals go through the till at £260... So I guess that means they'll never be on my feet.

Basic

These Zara sandals had already caught my eye when I visited the site earlier, but it wasn't until I saw them on the feet of this blogger that they really grabbed my attention. They don't fit my usual aesthetics or personal style, but I still think they are a more timeless approach to the colour blocking trend: classic enough to still be worn after the hype fades away. And they're pretty to look at, that too.
If you want to do more than just feasting your eyes on them, you can order them here. Expected collateral damage to your bank account? Only €40.

Thuja!

I don't know about you, but I'm still not quite tired of the colour blocking trend yet. So it may come as no surprise that I think these Ted Baker jelly flats are pretty cute. Sure, they remind me a lot of what Melissa has been doing for years, but who can say no to an adorable pink/orange combo? Well, I almost can't. Not with that generous bow on top. Although that plaque on the back really annoys me. If you prefer your shoes slightly more subdued, you can opt for the black on cream or the cream on black options. They'll set you back £45, which is less than you'd pay for a pair of ... .

Orange for Summer

These would be so perfect for Summer, I'm hearing (and guessing) orange is going to be BIG this year. Obviously Guiseppe Zanotti knows what he's doing, because the leather looks so buttery soft! Although the platform looks very beachy (with the ropey brades going around), am doubting they'll be suitable for anything other than car-to-bar activities, since these are gigantesque! They're $695 at Amazon.

Ahoi sailor!

I love these striped sandals, they make me long for Summer so much! The navy version is no doubt more versatile and wearable, but I just adore the candy stripes on the coral one. If you want to rock these once the temperatures go up again (not that we've seen a decent Winter here so far), you can just hand over your £30 to New Look.