New Term, New Shoes!

One of the disadvantages of being a supply teacher is sitting waiting for someone to give you some work whilst you watch your bank account empty and worry about paying the bills. September tends to be a horribly lean month as teachers return refreshed from the holiday and less likely to go off sick and they don't go on many courses as they want to stay in school and get to know their new classes.

So, I was delighted to be asked to work on the very first teaching day of the new term and in fact have worked all but the two Fridays. In addition to this I've had a bit of a tax rebate, enough to pay some bills and have a couple of treats. This all makes me very happy! And what did I want to buy as a treat? Why shoes of course! Now, as I have previously mentioned I am quite a practical person. Much as I love the killer heels you see on the catwalk, I realise I wouldn't be able to walk to the bus stop in them or spend a day in the classroom. So when I look for beautiful shoes, I look for beautiful, comfortable shoes. And I found them.

Now, I'm not sure that this picture does justice to their plummy beauty so I'll take some pictures of my feet when they arrive (my local shoe shop didn't have an eight in stock so I've ordered them). I am ready to fall in love with them.

I also got a pair of trainers to wear to the gym but that's a whole other story...

Total Wardrobe Freakout!

So parents are having a big Ruby Wedding Party next week. They're basically having the wedding reception they didn't have back in 1970 as they already had four children under ten between them when they met and the whole wedding industry was in its infancy back then. Dad was a widower and Mammy an "unwed mother" (gasp!) and they found each other and lived happily ever after or at least as much as you can in the real world. All five of their children (they had one together 18 months after the wedding) will be there including the brother who is flying in from Andulusia and the sister who is flying in from California. I'm hugely excited not least by the fact that they're having the same caterers we had for my wedding and I'll get to really enjoy the canapes without having to pose for photos the whole time.

However...
I don't know what to wear. I have body image issues at the best of times (English size 18-22) and find formal wear stressful but when in the company of my sisters the situation reaches crisis point. My sisters are slim. And beautiful. My youngest sister was briefly a model. She's six-foot, a size 8 and has that enviable ability to look effortlessly elegant, poised and gorgeous. Next to her I look, dumpy and scruffy and slightly chaotic.

I went into Monsoon yesterday and tried on some dresses. Oh my good lord...sack of potatoes anyone?

Then my lovely friend BermudaGirl lent me her party dress

It's beautiful and I got myself a shrug in the Monsoon sale so I won't have to show my hated upper-arms (and the tattoo my dad still doesn't know about,and a BARGAIN pair of bronze shoes from ebay (£3.98 including postage) and then I tried it on. I can't get the flippin' zip to do up. I'm hope, hope, hoping it's just I'm at the wrong angle and someone else will be able to do it for me and will be taking it to MrsB's with me later.

But, just in case, I've also ordered a dress from ebay...

It's plain but will look great with some retro accessories(polka-dot shoes, a red-velvet rose in my hair, scarlet lipstick) and I love the full skirt.

What do you think?

Clarks Originals

Those of you who know me in the real world will know that I am more than a little in love with shoes. I'm having a few health problems at the moment that cause swollen ankles and I'm genuinely less concerned about my circulatory system than I am about the possibility I may have to give up wearing high heels.

In the meantime I will be saving my pennies for these beautiful Clarks Originals.

Now Clarks say,

Victoriana-inspired ladies shoes in soft black suede, with luxurious red velvet laces. This feminine style combines an easy to wear mid-height heel and delicate stitching, with the natural comfort of the Originals crepe sole.

but I think they'd look perfect with a 1940's inspired outfit. The heel is high enough to give your posture a little lift and add elegance to your walk but low enough to still be comfortable after a day in the classroom and a bus ride and walk home. The ribbon adds a touch of quirky stylishness and fun to a classic shape.

I'm a huge fan of Clarks shoes, they're comfortable, hardwearing and often very chic, and I think their Originals range is fabulous. There are a number of t-bar and Mary-Jane style shoes in the range that need to find a home on my shoe rack so I'm hoping I get lots of work over the coming year so I can buy them all.

Most of the shoes are in the £50-£70 range so they aren't cheap compared to budget ranges but they're hardly in the designer price range and they will last you for years with the right care.

If you'd like them you can order them here: http://www.clarks.co.uk/Originals

Why They Called Me Dorothy...

This picture in no way does justice to the beauty of these shoes. The suede is soft, the patent shiny and they are the most vivid red. I get compliments whenever I wear them and they're amazingly comfortable.
They make me happy...

You can find them here at Next where you can find some of the most beautiful shoes on the high street. They have many pairs of red shoes which are my current obsession, not least because the wonderful Shoeperwoman challenges her readers to wear red shoes every Ruby Shoesday.