Saturday adventures

Sometimes its fun to just go wherever the will takes you. The boy and I decided to have an adventure yesterday and drive out into the Hampshire countryside. We drove through all manner of examples of the great English pastoral, thatched cottages with wisteria (Range Rovers out front - of course), perfect cricket lawns and then naturally we saw a fair amount of stately homes.

Funny really how in the middle of a village in West Sussex you can find fashion inspiration. This particular village was an homage to the antique industry with almost every shop peddling their bygone wares. The first one we went in was full of wonderful (and wonderfully odd) pieces, but these gorgeous shoes really caught my eye.

Made in the 50s in Sweden (the tag said so) they were in mint condition and super tiny, my heart did a little skip. Unfortunately though, they were too tiny for even my size 3 feet so I had to let them go. A good thing really, as even though we were in the middle of nowhere they were pretty vintage shopper savvy, with a £50 price tag. Although for shoes that were almost never worn I'm sure I'd be parting with much more in London!

I also found this very fetching handbag for only £14 - an unexpectedly good day for fashion. Maybe its time to buy some Hunters and head out to the sticks.

For the love of Choos

An exciting piece of fashion news has landed on my desk this morning... This Autumn Jimmy Choo will be collaborating with H&M to bring high-end designer shoes to the highstreet loving public. (Whoops of joy).

This Swedish brand continues to go from strength to strength with their hugely popular collaborations which have seen bargain seeking fashionistas queuing outside from the early hours for a chance to shove their way to owning the coveted pieces. I'm sure that this November will be no different.

Promising shoes, bags and accessories, the chances of getting your hands on any outside of London will be slim, but if you do you can proudly jump through puddles in the driving rain - it is London after all - knowing that you've got three more where they came from for what will certainly be a snip of the usual price.

This collaboration might even get me queuing with my thermos and (super chic) sleeping bag....

As for their next collaboration?... Come on H&M repeat after me... Louboutin.... Louboutin...

(A girl can dream)

Not sure why...

I know that everyone has already been there, done that and gotten the proverbial t-shirt when it comes to these Melissa shoes, but my interest has been piqued today for no reason whatsoever. Whilst looking through all the fab things that will be going into various summer sales in a few weeks, I have disappointingly found out that these shall not be included in any reductions anywhere. Most probably because at £75 they're not too badly priced (for Westwood) in the first place.

If I actually get to go anywhere on holiday i'll probably buy them and proudly hot-step in the most expensive jelly sandals for miles around.

More colour...

To some monochrome isn't exactly a colour choice. The technicality of which is far too arduous to go into. But after doing some street style research on the subject, I came across this fabulously dressed lady and I suddenly find myself wanting translucent skin and black hair. Oh how cool to be pale in summer, to be completely monochrome. Not even a slash of lipstick to break the theme. What would I give to get my hands on some brogues like that... clearly my next challenge...

The £2 shoe dilemma...

Today whilst taking a lunchtime peruse at Primark, amongst the usual £8 jumpers and £12 dresses I stumbled upon something which was truly cheap. Not in a tacky Wag type of way, but actually truly inexpensive. A pair of simple white plimsolls. Practically impossible to get your hands on come summer time due to their timeless appeal, and yet they get horrendously dirty very quickly (white does tend to) and then when they are no longer washable we throw them away. At £18 a pair this could be a slightly expensive form of disposable fashion, so the Primark £2 is an ideal.

It looks the same, feels the same and I'm sure smells the same, but there's something which makes me question how a person can justify paying that amount for a shoe. Unlike the justification for spending £400 on a shoe, it is the human cost that worries me. I could be happy in my disposable shoes, even buy another pair when they bite the dust, but will the people who made them even see a fraction of that price?

Maybe this is the first sign of a conscience. Or maybe I'll go back and buy them, but I've realised that this is something that I really should be thinking about...

When the high street comes through...

Yes. These Saharas by Topshop do resemble the Luella heels I'm after quite impressively. Vintage inspired and will go with any number of outfits, from tea dresses to jeans. So they don't have the exact colours I wanted, or have cute cut out hearts, but they are definitely a copy that I may have to sink my teeth into...

Irrationally wanting a pair of these...

Oh so cute! There are no other words to describe them really... if i find a spare £280- £320 i'll be popping into Luella very soon...