I have too many shoes

I spotted this article online and wondered if this is a 'step too far'.  Protect your heels or let those stilettos  been seen in all their glory and face the consequences!  Heelbopps - is it a do or a don't?

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I wanted to try something a little bit different with my outfits.  I've been a bit boring in my style choices and working full time and doing a part-time college course has meant that I have spent zero time on planning my wardrobe.  Now, with my final assignment submitted, I've got plenty of 'style-time' to get my fashion groove back. One of the main things I realise is that life is too short to keep shoes 'for best'.  So, each week I'm going to give a pair of my neglected shoes a chance to escape the shoe cupboard.  With autumn finally here, those shoes needs some great hosiery accessories to perfect my styling choices.  These Veneziana Circus Knee Highs gave me the inspiration to dig out my red heels for work.  I have to admit that these are the first knee highs I've worn since clubbing in the 1990's, but these were perfect for the 'post-club, I am over forty' Clare.   The Knee Highs were g...

I've just discovered (probably months after everyone else) that if you have a gmail account, store your images on google's picasa online image storage and use google chrome, then there is some great editing features to make even the most basic photo stand out from the crowd. So I've had a little play to make some of my images look a bit retro, vintage or give the colours a bit of a pop.  What do you think?

I'm loving the change in weather, I'm definitely an autumn girl.   I love digging out my scarves and gloves for brisk walks and seeing the leaves turning brown and gold.  Its that feeling of coming in on a dark night into a warm and toasty house.  But I just have a little problem with the colder weather, as my feet (and hands) get ridiculously cold.  When you're a 'heels lover, wearing a pair of stilettos with options to keep those toes warm and stylish is important. So these cute ankle socks from Veneziana are perfect for 'warming up' those style moments I still need to have.  I chose the Sandro Traforato socks in beige to try out with my Ravel nude heels, which are a big staple in my capsule wardrobe.  The socks are a perfect fit, lovely and soft and most importantly look good. A perfect accessory to my wardrobe revamp on a budget.

Its the perfect time of year to start thinking about tights.  I'm sure you've all packed away your sandals and holiday clothes now and are gearing up for the Autumn months.  With this in mind, I'm currently re-working my wardrobe to create some cool, fashionable outfits without breaking the bank.  I've been getting very staid in my outfit choices, so I'm choosing this Autumn to take forward some new stylish new looks both for work and home.  I'm been saving my lovely shoes 'for best' instead of using them for my everyday outfits and life is too short to leave them in the cupboard! So its the perfect time for receiving some lovely tights, ankle socks and knee highs from the lovely people at Veneziana to try out.  I can't wait to start accessorising my outfits and will post you the results over the next week.  

I'm sure some of you are already planning your Christmas season outfits, so these shoes from Dune are perfect for party time.  The Bebe shoe reminds me of a tuxedo jacket, so its spot on if you want to add some sharp 'stiletto' tailoring to your outfit.

Its always been said that you can find some hidden treasures in charity shops (and some of those fabulous bloggers out there are testament to that fact) but now Tatler are giving people a chance to find some designer fashion treasures in charity shops across the UK with The Tatler Treasure Hunt The treasures, items from designers such as Louboutin, Jimmy Choo and Prada for the next three seasons, will be stashed in Cancer Research UK shops waiting to be discovered.  A perfect combination of getting a fashion fix while raising money to cure cancer.  Sounds like the perfect reason for making charity shops an essential detour on your retail route map, if they're not already.  Happy hunting!x

I admit it, sometimes I have to consider my feet.  I love my heels, but they don't really love my feet.  Especially during holidays and city breaks, unless I am traveling door-to-door, heels just don't cut it, not if you want to go sight-seeing or mooching around food markets.  So, during a city trip to Manchester, I invested in these high tops from Dorothy Perkins during a pop-up 30 per cent sale in store.  Not quite as flash as Nike Blazers, these trainers give a fashionable hit to a casual wardrobe.  Plus the comfort level is very high, so my feet are very grateful for a break from the norm.

Usually I'm defying gravity with my high heels but last Friday I got to watch the cast of Wicked defying gravity instead. Wicked has been on my bucket list   'things to do before I'm too old to enjoy them' list for a long time, so it was great to be able to get tickets on the current UK tour, while the show is at the Manchester Palace Theatre.  It was well worth the wait; beautiful theatre . . . amazing cast . . . gorgeous songs.  I went into the show with a basic idea on what the story was about - the younger days of the witches from the Wizard of Oz - but wow, I loved how the story linked into the well-known Oz story that we have all grown to love.  I won't spoil it for anyone who's not had chance to see the show, but, if you can make sure you have chance to get Wicked !

I've been on a heel hiatus for a few months now.  Taking comfort in my existing shoe collection, I've been resisting the call to 'spend, spend, spend' on some much-needed retail therapy.  Its been hard to resist a cheeky shoe purchase, believe me walking into Harvey Nichols little Louboutin shop almost sent me into a shoe frenzy.  So, I finally succumbed to the lure of a bargain pair of heels in the Dorothy Perkins sale due to the over-encouragement from my husband.  His reasoning was quite logical . . . I liked them and they cost £22 in the sale.  I know it makes sense but I really was trying hard not to buy more shoes but I haven't got a pair of black heels with block colour so these fill a gap somewhere (who am I trying to convince!). So here they are, the latest edition to the 'I have too many shoes' shoe closet.  I'm thinking these are the perfect basis for the my Christmas Do 2013 outfit.