Fur Real?

(Image via Harvey Nichols)

So it is that time of year again, when my thoughts turn to spending a lot of money on a dress that I might only wear once. Yup, it is Christmas time, and more specifically Christmas party time. I have two work Christmas dos this year. One is casual and starts with some ice skating so I will be going for cosy chic and the other I suspect will be a bit more dressy. It is at our offices in Lytham, near Blackpool so I'm guessing, and I might be way off mark, but I'm guessing that they might go all out. I think there might be some DRESSES, do you know what I mean? I think there might be more than the odd sequin in town. I mean we will be practically within spitting distance of the Tower Ballroom and if there is one thing that Blackpool loves more than a donkey ride and a drunken stag vomiting on the promenade it has got to be a sequin.

Of course I am a contrary beast. I always crave being out of kilter with the general flow, I like to swim against the current. So while I might tend to be over dressed most of the time when a dress code requests you go all out that is the point I tend to hang back,  to want to be a bit more nonchalant, a bit more, you know, Parisienne. I want to look as though I am not trying too hard.

So while I was looking at delightful black sequin dresses in All Saints

(Image via All Saints)

and LK Bennett,

(Image via LK Bennett)

with maybe a loose fitting tuxedo jacket thrown over the top, what I am actually more drawn to is a black trouser, flashing just the right amount of ankle, a short sleeved top of some kind (maybe white lace) and a really shit hot pair of shoes.

I was drawn to something similar to these

(Image via Telegraph Fashion)

 

which I think are awfully sexy. But I while looking for something similar I fear I have lost my heart to the Sophia Webster pair at the top. Aren't they to die? I truly would feel like the silliest and sexiest girl in all the land. Sequins be damned!

You Ain't Got No Alibi

(Image via Farfetch)

You ugly!

And that is why we love you. For once fashion is embracing the practical and the unconventional in the form of the ugly sandal. It is the shoe trend of the season and I want in. I am entirely in love with the See by Chloe white chunky sandal above, but as a possible one-season-trend I might refrain from spending the big(ger) bucks and look to the high street instead.

I can't even remember the last time that I bought anything from Topshop but that might well change because the are hard at work on the ugly sandal trend.

Prada, Celine et al have been championing the pool slide/Teva style adventure sandal and the fashion elite have been going nuts for them. Who can blame them, quite frankly. The cost of being at the forefront of the fashion biz is surely the constant discomfort of dressing out of season and  sporting perilously high heels. So flat chunky sandals with wide straps must be an absolute delight in comparison.

Another great thing about an ugly trend is that you have to be quite brave to try it, so while the comfort might mark you out as being anti-fashion the ugliness (weirdly in this case) reels you back in to being right on the fashion money. Get in! Being fashionable by wearing just one item? It couldn't be easier.

A probably unnecessary  warning is that those not interested in fashion and particularly those with XY chromosome WILL. NOT. GET. THIS. TREND. It is basically a fashion prophylactic.

But fear not, ladies, if you are the type to dress for the fellas this is no doubt the furthest trend from your thoughts anyway. So as you were.

I wear trainers almost exclusively these days and as the weather is getting warmer I was getting concerned about how to maintain the levels of comfort I have recently become accustomed to. But I can breathe a deep sigh of relief because the ugly sandal is going to keep my feet blissfully happy while doing the same for my fashion sensibilities. I couldn't be more chuffed!

(Images via Topshop)

Too Much to Sandal

 Ancient Greek Sandals

It's probably not a surprise to you that it's cold out. And it's only going to get colder. I don't mean to bring you down, I'm just being realistic. Winter only officially starts tomorrow. There are many more months ahead of thick tights and boots (which I am very fetchingly accessorising with a ropey old bandage around my ankle having sprained the damned thing).

So what is the last thing that I should be fantasising about?

And what is the absolute thing I am fantasising about?

That's right. The sandal.

And quite frankly the skimpier the better. I want to flash some skin, and lots of it. On my feet at least, the rest of me is more than happy to be swaddled in voluminous knits.

My colleague is going to the Caribbean for Christmas and I am having some serious envy about my utter lack of opportunities to get my hoofs out without the threat of frostbite. I might wack up the heating, hose my legs down with some St Tropez, shimmy around in some sandals and to hell with it.

Failing that I will slaver over these delights. Sigh!

 Ancient Greek Sandals

 Dolce & Gabbana

 Gianvito Rossi

Giuseppe Zanotti

 Jimmy Choo

 Marni

 Nicholas Kirkwood

 Nicholas Kirkwood

 Nicholas Kirkwood

 Pedro Garcia

Reed Krakoff

(Images via Net a Porter)

Put a Sock in it

(Image via The Daily Telegraph)

I can't quite believe I am saying this because it is going against one of the most fundamental rules of fashion, but I really like socks with sandals here. Rest assured though, in most other contexts it is still an abberation.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

(Image via Daily Telegraph)

Dude, I really want to be cool enough to work a breton stripe, cropped orange trousers and leopard print sandals. Could someone just make that happen for me? Wicked!

Heaven Sent

(Image via Matches)

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't you think these are just the sexiest shoes you have ever seen? Yowza! I'm getting a bit hot and bothered...!

Face the Music

Wow, these mix tape/musical note goods are super ugly, don't you think?

(Images via Cleo B)

Open Sesame

(Image via Clarks)

Larks a lordy! My feet are sweating in this heat like no bodies business and my smart(ish) work shoes are rubbing.

I need to find an alternative asap. Something open to the elements but smart enough for work. I think these might be just the ticket.

Pop Your Cork

Giuseppe Zanotti

I saw a lady in the airport the other day in a pair of cork heeled sandals and I loved them. There are some serious cork treats to be had. And with a chunky heel rather than a wedge I think they look a lot more modern and less 70s. 

Kors Michael Kors

 Lanvin

 Michael Michael Kors

 Miu Miu

 Paloma Barcelo

 Stella McCartney

Free People

Hobbs

(Images via Net a Porter, Free People, Hobbs)

Black as Pitch

(Images via All Saints)

Now that I'm pretending to be a tough girl I feel the need for a tough girl pair of sandals for summer. I have never owned black sandals other than flip flops as I feel they are too brutal and harsh for summer. But with my pared down look that I am attempting to pull together I really want a pair and quite fancy this pair from All Saints.

What is even weirder though, is that I am also thinking about a black handbag from them too. And that just seems to be going against everything I believe in in terms of seasonal fashion.

But if I base my summer wardrobe around black and white with the occasional pop of colour, particularly if it is neon, then I think it just might work. Would you agree or am I off the mark?

Cold Comfort

It wasn't that long ago that the thought of comfortable shoes made me shudder. But I have come to the point where I have to admit defeat and say that when I buy shoes the comfort factor makes up any important part of the appeal.

Particularly when it comes to a shoe that will be worn for extended pedestrian jaunts in a warm country. You know, like when you are on holiday. Because there can be nothing more miserable than sore feet en vacances.

I have just about come round to the delights of Clarks (at least their cuter ranges) but have yet to be converted to other comfort over style brands.

That was, until this weekend.

My lovely friend Kate, the doyenne of comfortable feet, was in town and encouraged me into Hush Puppies. And do you know what? I was very pleasantly surprised. They have some real treats. Seriously, I do not tell a lie. In fact I bought the top pair and am now considering the sandals below them too. They could be cute, right?

And these adventures in comfort didn't stop there. Admittedly my style over comfort is still very firmly in place and I proved to myself that no matter how comfortable it is if I look like a four year old in sensible crepe soled sandals I will not be swayed. But on venturing into Ecco (not somewhere I ever thought I would admit to shopping) I realised that comfort does not always equal hideousness. Which makes me exceedingly happy because I am not ready to tip the balance. Not quite yet.

(Images via Hush Puppies, Ecco)