Sunday shoe porn: somebody stop me!

This week, the shoe porn is all mine. Even by Llara standards, I've gone a bit shoe crazy in the last month or so. I've been too busy to blog them as they came into my life so I thought I'd round them up today. Ah, today. I'd describe what I've been up to today as "hunkering down". The forecasted "storm force" winds and driving rain landed in Edinburgh and it's been every bit as rough as predicted. So I cancelled thoughts of leaving the house and battened down the hatches. Quite literally in some areas - I have tissue paper stuffed around a point where a wire comes in through our window to hold back the leakage that happens when the rain pours!

And, so to the shoes. Last week, I showcased my beautiful Nicholas Kirkwood shoes. This week, all 6 pairs (yes, that does mean I've bought at least 7 pairs of shoes in the last month-ish. Some would be a bit disgusted by that. To them I say "bite me") combined cost less than that one pair so we're truly at the other end of the spectrum. And to really kick things off super bargain style, I picked up these shoes along with my grocery shop a few weeks ago at Asda.

I've always suspected that I was somewhat lacking on the snakeskin shoe front. That said, snakeskin shoes can often look really quite skankalicious and it's hard to find a nice pair that don't put me in mind of buckets of fake tan, too-tight shiny dresses and tranny style lip liner. However, the sweet almond shaped toe and mid heel on this pair struck just the right note for me: demure rather than manure, if you will. So in they went to my trolley. Want to know the best bit? They were £2 in the sale. That's a quid per shoe. 20p each per toe coverage. Insane. I can't walk away from a bargain that hefty. Powerless. So now they're mine.

Next up are these H&M stilettos. I've really gotten back into my stilettos again lately (and this time around, I will NOT sell them all on eBay! I will remember that fashion is cyclical and so is my taste and keep them for the future) and, once again had a sneaking suspicion. Which was that I likely needed a nice basic multicoloured glitter pair in my arsenal. So, imagine my joy when I stumbled across this twinkly pair for a tenner in the H&M sale. Woop! And I had a gift card - so, in fash-math terms, that means FREE.
. 

Next up, we have the most expensive purchase. My insane, sort-of-wedge-but-heel-less neon shatter boots from American site Nasty Gal. I saw a blogger wearing them some time ago. I can't remember where sadly. I'm sure I made some of sort of noise along the lines of "gnuarghhhhIHaveToHaveThem" when I first clapped eyes on them. Sadly, said blogger hadn't linked to them and could I find them anywhere? Could I buggery. But sometimes fortune smiles upon us. One of my colleagues was about to buy some shocking pink spiky efforts from Nasty Gal and asked if anyone else wanted to order anything and split the postage. Oh, and their shoes all had 25% off too. Donkey. Stick. Carrot. Other figures of speech that imply the ease with which I was reeled in. So, off I went, browsey, browse when: what should I stumble upon? Only the EPIC neon heel-less shoe boots that I'd seen on the blogger! I couldn't bloody believe it. And so, I was IN on the Nasty Gal spree! And on the off-chance that they're just SO your bag too, you can get them here. They don't call Little Scribbler helpful for nothing...

And so back to British shores. These shoes are from New Look. I'd admired them a few times but hadn't actually got as far as even trying them on. A plain black peep toe upper isn't really me (see the shoes above) but the watercolour-esque platform and heel caught me and I LOVE the shape of the heel - quite slim from the back but really wide from the side. It's got such a grace to its chunkiness which made me swoon every time I saw them. And, earlier this week I was in a New Look and they were down to £11 in the sale so it was rude not to at least try them. And they fit perfectly and looked awesome on. Done deal.

Next up, good old Topshop. Their shoes, by high street standards always feel at the upper end of the cost scale. That said, often they have really original stuff and you can see why they're pricier. I'd been eyeing up these stilettos for a good while but kept telling myself I didn't need them. I also kept not having £65 going spare so, really the conundrum "to buy or not to buy" was squashed right there. BUT (and spy a theme emerging here), they went in the SALE. Yay for sales! I was in my local store a few weeks ago and they'd gone down to £30. And then the ever so nice dude in the shop inexplicably gave me student discount too. I must have a studenty air about me. So I bagged them for £26, which I am most pleased about. The leather's so soft and glitter's so sparkly in such an understated way: it'll look a bit nothing-y, then the light hits and it twinkles like the night sky. Look at it twinkling away down there:

Lastly - yes, you're nearly at the end of this rambling and slightly obsessive collection of what now appear to be short stories. I thought the whole thing was going to be one short story. But no. I chattered on, as is my wont. Still, if you've made it this far, maybe you're enjoying the ramblings. And maybe, just maybe, you'll enjoy these shoes. I first clapped eyes on them in plain black in Urban Outfitters down in London. I tried them on but told myself to behave and that I didn't need spiked lace up creeper/flatform soled ankle boots. And I probably don't. But, I was online a week or so back and Urban Outfitters were doing 50% off their sale. Basically it was "please buy our dregs before the real winter sale starts". So it seemed rude not to take a look. Urban Outfitters' sale can be a magical thing. I got my neon pink Cambridge satchel from them last year for about £40 (they were still selling in Harvey Nichols for over £100 at the time) and one of my favourite pairs of ankle boots came from there for £20, down from £220. Yes you read that correctly - £20, down from £220. Insane. This time, I got a bra, a bumbag (no really. And, yes it will be up here at some point) and a hip flask. And these! £10, down from £55. That's 81.81% recurring, off, fash-mathletes! And they have leopard print on them! What in life is not improved with a splash of leopardy goodness? And, on that note, feel free to go forth and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Have a fabulous Chrimbo when it arrives!

How to be a bag lady. Minus the bag...

Some days I look a  bit like a bag lady. It can't be helped. There's just some sort of edit thing missing in me. Like when whoever it was said that, before you leave the house, you should take off the last accessory you put on, I just can't do that. I'm just lacking in some kind of aesthetic vision. Therefore, I'll never be one of those dead chic minimalist folk (though, frankly, I wouldn't want to be) and it's more likely that I'll look ramshackle than put together - possibly because, regardless of what I've already got on, sometimes I just really want to wear a specific jumper or something and on it goes, without a proper thought about how it might look. So - here it is - my master class in how to get the bag lady look, without a single bag in sight...

Put on a pretty and summery vintage dress. Winterise with black tights...

...black shoes (Red or Dead from schuh)


...and a black belt. I can't remember where I got this but I enjoy the smoochy birds!

Whap on a giant shiny necklace. This one's from Primark.

And then...

Decide to wear a jumper (from ASOS) you love but that, with the dress, loses your waist and cuts you in half. Ideally you should have two, totally at odds, prints involved.

Then, for shits, giggles and warmth, cover it all with a parka (H&M). Ideally, if you can make like me and forget your eye make-up for that nice tired look, it works even better. I'm pretty fresh faced though and I'll take that!

How about we finish on the shoes again?

Sunday shoe porn: embellishment

Sunday. A day of rest. And of shoe ogling. So sit back, relax, have a cup of tea (or a gin) and let your eyes enjoy this shit. It's all designer and unlikely to be in my life any time soon...

Alexander McQueen. Sigh. And for £700 and something for actual McQueen, not just McQ, it's really not bad. Here's the thing though - I like the shoe shape: classic peep toe with a chunky heel. Very practical. And I L-O-V-E the skull! But, I'm not wild on the colour and a really quite hate the little flower things. Here's the skull...

It is good.

And, on the topic of heads on toes - so macabre. Or religious in a kiss-my-feet sort of way - here's a leopard's head on the toe of a pair of Charlotte Olympias. The rules of my religion dictate that I must love a leopard/Charlotte combo. And if I was gifted these, I'd definitely wear them. Grr.

Do you know what I'd wear even more though? These Christian Louboutin stilettos. Red upper, soles and spikes? It's like blood and lipstick and fiery passion! I love a spike but I am a little tired of seeing them on everything. So this twist of having the spikes the same colour as the background gives me a reason to feel it again. And feel it, I do!

Speaking of which...
Killer. Just killer. That is all. 

The EPIC cat t-shirt of awesome epicness

If you followed me on instagram (plug, plug @llarasnappedwhat. I'm bloody entertaining, as you'd expect) or Twitter (llara_has_2_Ls), you might already have met this chap...

It's a cat! With a crown, a red cape and a locket. I mean, he could be a queen, a superhero and a sorcerer all rolled into one by my reckoning.

But he's not real :(

He's just a print.

ON MY NEW T-SHIRT!

BAM!

cat t-shirt: eBay, coat: eBay, skirt: H&M, shoes: schuh

If I was you, I'd be so mind blown by its giant and immense epicness that I wouldn't bat an eyelid at the fact that Mr Scribbler's shoes are photo bombing me again or that I've barely a scrap of make up on, so drawn would I (as you, remember) be to the t-shirt. Cue pussy jokes.

I'd hoped it would be long enough to wear as a dress but it's not. And one pussy on display is quite enough, don't you think? I saw a picture of the t-shirt somewhere a few weeks ago and made it my mission to track it down. And track it down, I DID. It was only about £11 or £12, including delivery.

And, in the interests of not flashing anything inappropriate, I wore the t-shirt with a nice shiny silver mini skirt and stuck my belting H&M necklace over it:

And it seemed only appropriate to complement kitty with some interesting shoes. So I busted out these gorgeous gold wedges that I got for a song in the schuh sale last year. Stick on some socks (it's bloody freezing in Scotland, don't you know!?) and you are ready to rock and roll!

I think Mr Kitty approves...

The best jumper dress EVER! And some naughty spending.

I started this year yapping about how I needed to cut back on spending. I am not doing a very good job of it. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm a slave to store or credit cards (I'm no-one's fool and I won't be paying interest to some giant corporation when I could be spending that money on more shoes. That's just bad maths!), it's just that, sometimes if I see something nice, I can't resist! Sometimes I am sensible. Case in point, this dress:

Dress: H&M £29.99

It's a wee H&M number and pictures can't do justice to how pretty it looks on. It's boned in the top and whittles my waist to a tiny nothing then kicks over my hips and thighs. It's like the ultimate disguise - who needs fugly shapewear, right? Amazing flattery in an item is one of my sure fire deal makers when it comes to buying things I shouldn't. Plus, the sweetheart neckline is so very 50's lady on holiday at some chic seaside resort - I can't help wanting to wear very bright lipstick, big shades and, perhaps, a glamorous head scarf or neckerchief when I put it on. 

Anyway, to the spending. I tried the dress on and it fit beautifully etc but I decided that I couldn't afford it and put it back, intending to come back for her on payday. Now, truth be told, I didn't quite make it to payday. The reason I jumped in early and drained the bottom of my bank account was because I got a cheeky wee email with a 25% off code, so it seemed rude not to go for it. Shopping sucker or chiconomics?

Today I found myself in H&M (yet again - I'm such an H&M freak. It's kind of embarrassing.). In my defence, it was on a shopping trip initiated by Mr Scribbler. So, technically, I was just along for the ride. And, yet I got sucked into sly shopping again. Using bills money if you're paying it back next week's OK, right? This time, it was two over sized and slightly garish shirts. One in a black and white leopard print (we know how I feel about leopard print) and one in a pastel-y floral. I'm thinking Miami Vice meets Morrissey, meets girl with these babies. I'm also still deciding whether they're keepers or whether I should head back to the shop, tail  (I actually have a tail - like the dude in Shallow Hal. I don't really.) between legs to return them. Miami Vice meets Morrissey, meets girl is just so darn appealing though...

Shirts £7.99 H&M

So that's money in account wrung as tightly as it'll go because of a discount code and bills money pilfered to work a bad 80's/pop fopp look. My next fly shopping fuelling device is........Paypal. I sell a bit of this and that on eBay and then, because Paypal money isn't in my bank account, it doesn't feel like real money and, boom, before you know it, I'm getting spend happy! Again. This time Paypal came in handy for stocking up on Lush essentials online (normally I'd pop to their shops bit I needed some stuff from their retro section which is online only):

They even popped in a free pot of creamed almond and coconut smoothie. How nice!

So far, so 'stocking up on essentials' via Paypal. The, 'all thoughts of reason flying out the window' moment came when I saw this. The 'BEST JUMPER DRESS EVER' of 'title of this blog post' fame:

Dress: Tarquin and Petunia vintage, boots: Schuh, belt: French Connection.

If this was the 80s, I'd be the coolest kid at school, at the roller disco or down at the ice cream parlour, with my shiny, bejewelled, metallic, leopard adorned confection. No joke. This purchase was one of those "shit, if I don't buy this now, some other punk's gonna snap it up and I shall spend the next 3 week ruing what could have been". I came across it when awesome Grace of Britain's-Next-Top-Model-judging fame tweeted to say her new favourite online vintage shop was a joint called Tarquin and Petunia. Finding Grace to be awesome (though, frankly you should have got that from 'Awesome Grace'), I decided it was worth sticking my nose in, figuring it would probably be loaded with well expensive designer vintage and, thus thinking I DIDN'T EVEN STAND A CHANCE OF BEING ABLE TO SHOP. I am aware of my means and while I may idly browse gorgeous designer stuff from time to time, I know that my budget doesn't stretch there. However, this shop was not rammed with designer items or waaaaay over inflated 'vintage' tat you swear you saw recently in Primark. No, their prices were (whisper it) affordable. And their selection tiny but well formed and containing the above piece of leopard embellished joy. So, thank the baby J for Paypal money! And slap my wrist.

Going forward, I do intend to try to be more frugal and less consumerist. I really do. I may fail, but I really will try.

It's amazing!

I'm off to eat a crumpet and think frugal thoughts. Payday is Thursday. Wish me luck.

Turquoise and leopard and red all over

When I was a kid, (confession time!), I DID NOT get the, what's black and white and re(a)d all over joke for years. (In case you haven't heard this, inarguably brilliant, joke, the answer was 'a newspaper'). I probably heard it first aged about 4 or 5 and I took it too literally, went with red, the colour, and simply didn't understand how a newspaper which, clearly, was black and white exclusively (this was the 80s people), could POSSIBLY be red all over too. It just didn't make sense. I'm genuinely surprised a giant sized shiny penny didn't drop out of the sky when I finally twigged its word play. Or maybe it did and was so busy being eureka-ed out my tiny brain that I didn't notice.

Weirdly, I totally got the joke: Q: why did the apple turn over? A: Because it saw the jam roll. In fact I and positively revelled in the food-tastic wordplay. Ah well. And, these days, there's little that satisfies me more than a cheeky little pun or play on words. Seriously - love it.

Anyway, the title of this post is somewhat misleading as the shoes in question are not in fact, as described in the title. They do have a GLORIOUS turquoise shimmering fabric,  embossed upper and they DO have a fabulously furry leopard print heel but, in light of these facts, it's probably become clear to you that they are NOT red all over. Oh no.

You see, the heel tip is red (nice touch Irregular Choice), as is the side of the sole but the rest of the shoe is very definitely not red. Not even the sole...

 

...which features an adorable bunny-in-a-teapot (of course. Why not?) and black heart print on a blue background. Sadly, in wearing the shoes, I've begun to stamp on the bunnies. Still they have their teapots for protection and, frankly, I'm sure they were aware of the fate that might befall them when they chose to reside on the sole of a shoe.

Now, as far as I can see, it seems only appropriate to wear a shoe with such a high caliber of clash with some extra clashery...

...so it seemed only appropriate to throw some flowers and green lurex in the mix. Am I right? And, thank you for noticing, yes this is, I believe, the first time you've had any hint of my backside in a picture. And yes, you're also right that, with its magnificent proportions, it is a wonder it hasn't made an appearance any sooner! On a more serious note, this is the only picture that truly shows off the shimmery shine of the upper of the shoes so please be sure to peer closely and appreciate.

The shoes are pair # 51 in my 'wear all my shoes' challenge. Here are some nice big pictures so that you may admire them up close. They're Irregular Choice and were purchased on a wee website called Branch309.co.uk. It's a site that sells branded shoes cheaper than you'd maybe otherwise find them. Definitely worth a look!

1/1/11

New Year. A chance to start afresh. To be whoever, whatever you want to be, to make and break resolutions. Or just another day? I always get all contemplative around New Year, wonder where the last 12 months went, how I'm another year older and when I'll get it all figured out. It's impossible to say, isn't it?

However, in light of the fact that it is a New Year, here are some things I'm going to half heartedly think about doing resolve to do:

• Eat a little bit less - I eat too much right now!
• Exercise a little bit more
• Make good progress with my career
• Keep enjoying my blog and, hopefully, have others enjoy it
• Be kind

What resolutions are you all making this year?

So the reason this post is entitled 1/1/11 is because the outfit below was from that day. Well, you didn't think I was going to get all sombre and resolution-y on your asses and not chuck some shoes in there too, did you?! Goodness me! 

On New Year's Day we always all pile round to Mr S's Aunt's house and have a big family buffet (everyone eats and drinks a bit much and generally makes merry) so I decided to make the effort and wear 'something nice'. Cue pretty floral dress and leopard print aplenty, topped with a set of vintage pearls that belonged to Mr S's Gran. Well, that's my version of 'something nice'. Plus Mr S's aunties appreciate a good pair of shoes so I always try to entertain on that front.

Dress: vintage reproduction, cardi: H&M, shoes: schuh, pearls: vintage

 The shoes are pair #44 from schuh and they were a bargain £17 in the sale last year. You know me and my leopard print and I enjoy the black and gold twist on it here. I love it when a print that might ordinarily be tacky ends up on a shoe and works. I also enjoy the concealed platform and squared off toe of the shoe. They're a good un but not the most comfortable!

Look, look - I also got a haircut. I still have a long fringe but the rest is even shorter than it was. And, I am still figuring out what to do with it. The problem is that enough weight has now come off my hair and it is now immune to the effects of gravity. AKA, after I wash my hair it all stands on end and I look like a Chuckle Brother...(weird 80s kid's TV guys)

So, if you have any tips for dealing with sticky up hair, do let me know!

I hope 2011 has got off to a good start for you all and continues to treat you well! (Look, there's me being kind already)

Saved by the hearty socks.

Bit of a public service type announcement for you before this one kicks off - this is not a particularly exciting outfit. There are elements of the enjoyable in there but, overall, it's more of a 'I can't go out naked, pass me the clothes' sort of an ensemble. I'm really selling it aren't I? However, there are shoes involved in the look that haven't been previously documented and, on account of my 'wear all my shoes in a year' challenge, I feel it would be rude not to let these little guys get their 15 seconds of fame...

They're shoe #37 and they're schuh Cherie Ballerina. They're still online (yes, for once I'm not wearing something I got ages ago!) and, I think, a bit of a bargain at £19.99. And while they may not be the most exciting and glamorous shoes ever to have lived, they're shiny and leopardy and have a nice little bow on them. Ordinarily, I am NOT a fan of leopard satin shoes (they're for hookers, innit?) but on a flat shoe it's kinda cute. Plus they didn't take the skin off my ankles/dig into the front of my feet/hurt me in any other way - always a winner.

Anyway, here's the whole shebang:

Top and jeans (I almost never wear jeans now. I used to almost never not wear jeans): New Look

Cardi - either my Topshop or Primark one...

Belt - H&M I think. You can't really see (and I could not get a decent picture) but it's white with tiny gold palm trees on it. I enjoy a good palm tree. Ideally I'd enjoy it from underneath, with a cocktail in my hand. The cocktail will be in a coconut shell. There will be a good looking man fanning me with an enormous leaf. Possibly Fabrizio from the Strokes. Definitely Fabrizio.

Another dodgy picture alert! It's just so you can actually see the cute ruffled front. It's pretty sweet (I like dots and ruffles so combining them is good) and the little buttons are like flowers too - girlie-licious.

Whilst the shoes haven't previously featured on the blog, the socks have. They're fame whores. They're like Jordan without the orange, Peter Andre without Jordan, Kerry Katona without the drugs (or prawn ring) or anyone off the Hills without the inane 'issues'. Only far prettier. They're from ASOS.

Ooh, shiny lining! Let's hope Mr Scribbler doesn't notice that I've been shooting shoes on the bed sheets... 

We'll have a yabadabadoo time!

This is one of the those blog posts where I show you something I bought. But this wasn't just any old purchase, oh no. These are Wilma. They're from Aussie brand Senso via US website Solestruck. Uh-huh - serious international commitment to the purchase.

Although eventually purchased slightly on a whim (maybe more an impulse), I'd been coveting these boots for ages. I first blogged about them in straight up leopard print back in July when they were only my 9th ever blog post (my first few posts were genuinely just shite as I figured out what was even gonna go on this thing!). The pink version came to my attention in September and it's fair to say an obsession developed from there. They were out of stock in my size and I signed up to get an email alert when they were back. I got my alert and by the time I looked there were only 3 sizes left including mine so I took it as a sign, did a little excited dance, whipped out the credit card, bish, bash, zoom across the Atlantic, customs charges ahoy and they were mine! Kids, credit cards are NOT cool. Don't use them. For your peace of mind I'd like to inform you I shall be paying off the amount in full before the interest kicks in. Don't be a credit card sucka! Foo!

I enjoy Solestruck with their mantra to 'Rid the world of ugly shoes one pair at a time'. Plus their delivery boxes have quirky little slogans and stuff on them and that kind of thing just really appeals to me. I enjoy the detail. As far as Senso go, I don't know much about them although I'm sure I'll read up one day. However, they do fierce-ass kick-ass shoes and use freaky bunny heads in their ads.

And half naked dudes:

 

 

Really, they could use anything in their ads though, it's all about the shoes for me!

 

So why my excitement? OK, leopard print goes without saying by now, doesn't it? Here's the full list of awesomeness:

• Bumper chunky HIGH heel (6 inches fact fans)
• Whopping great platform
• Eye bejazzling pinkness - I'm not sure the pictures show it to its best advantage but they are seriously pink - Barbie ain't got nuffink on these bitches
• Foxy shoe boot shape with nice wide ankle hole
• Nutty almond shaped toe

• They make your feet look neat and that's always a bonus for my size 7 hooves
• They're hairy!! I've developed a bit of a thing for hairy shoes - I just want to stroke them. Luckily I'm pretty bendy so even if I'm out and about I can just double over and have a feel.
• They have a beautiful and luxurious leather sole. Mind you, for the price, I was kinda hoping for diamonds on the soles of my shoes. A wuh, a wuh! (Paul Simon - Google him. Or don't. Whatever)

Here they are on a fez. No, there's no reason, it was just there. It came from a wee shop in Turkey and I couldn't resist it. I'm adamant that myself or Mr Scribbler will one day go to a fancy dress party as a monkey in a fez.