Wedge you looking at?

I think I've discovered the World's Comfiest Boots*! Actually ridiculously comfy. I'd NEVER been a wedge girl. That is to say I've always liked them on other people and admired them on shop shelves but just never thought they were for me - I always thought they looked weird on my feet. However, having dipped my toe with my awesome leopard wedges (if anything was gonna reel me in, it was gonna be leopard print, wasn't it?!) I decided wedges weren't my enemy after all and the amazingly soft vibrant purple suede and £25 sale price tag on these Schuh beauties won me over.

They're pair # 52 in my shoe wearing challenge and, on account of their amazing wearability, I'm totally getting my money's worth out of them. The only things I can't do in them are swim and drive. Pretty good, huh? I could be Ziggy Stardust! Mind you, I'd wager that he'd have swum in wedges. But that's rock 'n' roll for you.

Look! The soles are starting to get all scuffy and manky already because I've worn them so much. Sadly (for you) there are none left online right now BUT there's a chance they will be back (insider tip!) in the next week or two. And they come in black too, if you're feeling boring a little less adventurous on the colour front.

I've mainly chosen to wear them with pretty casual stuff on account of their roaring fabulousness, hence the Uniqlo t-shirt dress (speaking of which, why can't I get nice basic t dresses in Uniqlo anymore? This bugs me. Their t-shirt dresses were one of my favourite things about them. Now they have the odd good thing and a load of crap.) and leggings and Primark cardi.

*The boots were put through a series of rigorous tests to gain this stature, including being worn on a sizable walk from the train station to my home in the drizzle, a full day's work on my feet and finally, and perhaps most conclusively, on a drunken run for the bus. They passed all tests with flying colours. I looked like Carrie Bradshaw minus the horse face, plus a few lbs stone, running for that bus.

Graftas

Like the Grammys, and the Baftas. Together. Graftas, geddit? Good Lord sometimes I shock myself with my sheer funny-ness. Anyway, start showering my inbox with a series of emails about people in posh frocks and whatnot and eventually you pique my interest. A few more and I start wanting to share. First, let me start by saying that I enjoyed the Bafta clothes best but that the Grammy outfits were more entertaining. You be the judge:

Baftas

Jesica Alba in a simple but be-yoo-tee-full maxi dress. I LOVE this colour! Even I would look good in this dress.

Gemma Arterton also in a relatively simple dress but, BANG, that cobalt gets me every time. Plus she is HAWT! And I love a girl who ain't afraid of a bright slash of lippie.

My notes tell me this lovely lass is called Bonnie Wright. To me, she's Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter. And I happen to think that, if she ditched that ugly lumpen black bag this would be a rather smashing outfit.

Ruper Grint is on here because, according to a 'what celebrity do you look like' website, he's my face twin. FACT!

Gosh, Emma Watson is just beautiful. Plus the dress is pretty too. Looks like it was a good night for the Harry Potter kids.

Tracy Emin - it's the face that does it for me. Haha!

The Grammys

Back to my notes for this one - apparently this girl's called Juliane Hough. I'm not even going to pretend to know what, other than wearing a dress I quite like (but also think looks a bit sicked on), she does.

I told you the Grammys' fashion charm lay in its entertainment rather than style. What is this on Katy Perry? I sort of love it! I shall christen it the Mermangel.

Just when Nikki Minaj (does anyone else really want to call her Nicky Minge) thinks she's out Gaga-ed Gaga, Gaga rocks up inside an egg. Kudos on the leopardyness my friend.

Yes really...apparently she's in there.

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!

I can't get no sleep

Honestly, at the moment, I feel like I should easily be as grumpy as my face to the left suggests I am (I've deliberately made the picture that small because I do look super ropey. In case you don't know or can't tell, I don't have a fancy camera and I almost always use the first picture I take so these images are always just pot luck! Yes, alright, I've been known to ai rbrush off a spot here and there). I've been sleeping (or not) so badly this week that it's ridiculous, and the last coupla weeks I've been fighting off impending colds and beastly mouth ulcers but for some reason I'm still feeling pretty perky! Yay me! If only I could bottle that feeling and have a wee swally any time I felt blue or couldn't be arsed with the gym.

Perhaps it's just that this week is good so far. I've done a zumba class and a swim, work is BUSY and engaging, I'm getting in some family and friend catch up AND my hair's not standing up on end anymore - thank the baby jebus! Plus, I'm going to treat myself to these summery little shoes from Schuh today. They're from a brand called Mel which, if you haven't heard of it, is a diffusion from Melissa who do the Vivienne Westwood rubber shoes and so on. The difference is that Mel are much cheaper!

Oh, they just make me think of summer! I can't wait for summer although, let me tell you, my feet are in dire need of some home pedicure action before they get themselves out in shoes like these! Too much information?

Anyway, back to things current, the shoes I'm actually wearing are pair # 50! 50! That's half way to 100! Although I do need to do a collection recount and see how many pairs I have now...

This particular pair are from Topshop but were actually a cheeky bargain off eBay - bonza! I have them in cream too (which I paid the Toppers price for) but the sole's beginning to crack and I loved them so much I couldn't resist picking them up again in gold! I'm such a sucker for a t-bar (so 'come dancing') and the immense ruffles on these made them all the more appealing. Add a platform, some metallic gold and a chunky heel and you've well and truly won me over!

Shoe layout craziness! I'm not at home and have very limited editing abilities right now so forgive the oddness.

Betsy

Today was a sad sort of a day. My friend's mum died recently and today was her funeral. So, while there are outfit pictures here, I'd actually like not to say any more and to simply dedicate this post to Betsy and her family. I didn't know her all that well but I know from my friend and could tell by the overwhelming turn out today that she was, and continues to be, a dearly loved lady. Here's to you Betsy, may you find yourself in a happy place.

Shoes: Irregular Choice @ Schuh, Dress and Jacket H&M

New shoes!

It's official people: I have a new favourite shoe. Well, I don't have it yet but, come mid February it's SO happening. Let me explain. 

I work with shoes (no, I don't get free shoes and yes that is the question I'm asked most often about my job). And, on the system at work, a wee while back, I clocked this little number. "Cute enough", I thought. The quilting effect is sweet, they have a platform and there's something interesting going on between the heel and waist and something's DEFINITELY happening up back. However, I didn't give them much more thought and carried on window shopping working

However, this week saw our bi-annual staff range preview and that's when I first laid eyes on the shoes, the Irregular Choice 'Sweety Bird Back Flower', in real life.The things is, for me, less isn't always more. Whether it's "should I wear another ring?", "should I wear florals, polka dots and leopard print at the same time?" or "should I leave some Haagen Dazs for another day?", some times too much just isn't enough. Which is why, when I clocked the full glory and eye popping colour and pattern of the back flower, which juxtaposes beautifully with the otherwise fairly plain styling, my heart was WON. I can't WAIT for it to be mine!

 

 ps - if you're so inclined, my insider info is telling you the black version arrived in the building this morning and will be on site, probably early in the week! Eek! 90 quid. Get saving.

Godzilla? King Kong?

Forgive me for being SO not down with comic book cartoon-y stuff and the subsequent films that arise from said stuff. However, Mr Scribbler described this as either my King Kong or Godzilla outfit (I can't remember which) on account of the Japanese sun type shoes:

shoes: Schuh

and the NYC necklace:

Necklace: Accessorize

I'm thinking King Kong maybe - I have visions of the giant ape hanging off the Statue of Liberty. Actually, when I clocked my thighs in these jeans I thought of King Kong! Oh the curse of the pear shape. I can rest happy-ish knowing that pears are amongst the healthiest of the shapes with our fat being stored around our arses and thighs and away from our hearts. Yay for pears! However, healthy shape or no healthy shape, I can glean no comfort in light of those saddle bags. Dobbin's sacks, along with the New-ish year can only mean one thing. Yes ladies, it's time to get in shape. Don't I look impressed at the thought?

 

My 'plan' if you can call it that, is to genuinely to make the effort to eat more healthily and to do more exercise. Eating more healthily will include:

Making the effort to get as close to my 5 a day as possible.

Cutting down sugary snacks and sweets

Not mindlessly eating in the evening

Watching and cutting down on portion sizes.

Not eating shitloads of dinner in the evening if I get in late.

NO diet. NO. Why? Because they work for a while then I get fed up and pile the weight back on.This is about re-training my brain to think differently.

And, as for the exercise, I'm aiming for at least 3 zumba classes a week plus a session or two of swimming. I'm signing up for a sponsored 51 mile cycle ride in September too so, as the weather improves, I'll be hopping on my bike too!

Anyone got any tips for success?

ps - the shoes are shoes #48 from Schuh!