So I’ve been on a bit of summer spending spree recently as I had sold some stuff on eBay and had some money hidden in my PayPal (so L wouldn’t see it! I’ve given my secret away now…). One thing I really need was some summer shoes. I love ankle boots more than anybody should – but I own way too many and they’re not always great for the occasional summer day, and can often drag down an otherwise summery look! I wanted to get some with buckles – my favourite shoes at the minute are EVERYTHING at Opening Ceremony in Covent Garden. So anything Proenza Schouler, Acne, Christopher Kane… and I love a good chunky buckle. I’m not and never have been a dainty shoe girl. I love clumpy shoes, I am a child of the nineties so obviously the Spice Girls have stuck with me more than I like to admit. Except for jelly shoes. You will never find me in a pair of jellies. Sorry. Anyway – I was conscious not to go too far with the buckles and look like a goth, I am far too pale and dark-haired to risk running into that territory. I also like to have a tan version of anything I have in black. Call me boring, I don’t care. There is no colourway in the world that won’t go with one or the other of these. So anyway… here’s what I ended up buying. All of which were bargains…
£15, eBay
These black faux leather ankle strap heels are exactly what I was after. Chic enough for the office (sometimes a girl needs a lift) but also cool enough for non-office hours (whenever they may be). The gold detailing is great as it goes with everything, and the ankle strap makes them look much much more expensive than they were. People in the office thought they were Acne/Zara. The heel isn’t too high and they look good with jeans AND midi-skirts and erm I think I will stop singing their praises now. But I love them and they love my wardrobe. They’ll probably save me a fortune as I won’t have to re-do all of my summer outfits – they bring it up to date… [/end of justifying fifteen pound shoes].
£12, Primark
These were not an intended buy – my budgeted black sandals were meant to be as above but JUST LOOK AT THEM. They are a blatant rip-off of Acne but who cares, it meant I could have them AND go out at the weekend. They are black (again) and have buckles (again) and have an ankle strap (again) but they are super comfortable, especially if you’re awkward like me and can’t wear the post between your toes. Normal thongs are bad enough, don’t make me wear shoe thongs too. They were quite wide fitting which sucks if you have narrow feet like me but…the joy of buckles!! I adjusted them and they now fit perfectly, the silver detailing is very cool AND they look tres expensive. Win win win.
£3, Topshop via eBay
Did absolutely 100% not need these shoes BUT. These are the holiday version of my office sandals. Raffia heel, canvas straps, silver detailing – a lighter sandal to wear on sunny days and holidays. Though they did give me carpet burn the first time I wore them. But for £3, I have no shame. I love a buckle, so sue me. Plus they look very cool with some baggy boyfriend jeans. Not that I wear those as they are very unforgiving on someone with a generous sized bottom. But they do. I’ve seen them on a blog. Somewhere. I’ll find the post eventually.
I know this post was a bit boring but sandals took me forever to find (so long, in fact, that the sun had disappeared by the time I wanted to wear them) so I am doing this as a public service. Having been round every shop in Central London, these are the best of the bunch. Apart from these ones I saw in Topshop………
