White: Do you dare to wear?

When the sun’s out, we’re all naturally drawn to white, no? A staple of the summer wardrobe, white evokes images of sun-drenched Greek islands, blue skies and golden skin. This season, the fashion world has gone head over heels for this palest of trends, so why are we still so wary of white?

Just this week, I made my monthly trip to Zara, that delicious middle of the road brand via which we can all look like we’re dressed in Celine for a mere fraction of the price. I was there to buy white; presumably that flash of sun we had last week sent me into some kind of over-exposed frenzy. I selected these beauties for upcoming weddings/days I want to be Carrie Bradshaw – and I would have been satisfied had my accompanying friend not said:

‘It’s funny, how things that would’ve seemed horrible a few years ago are okay now. Like white shoes.’

I still bought the shoes. But the thought remained; is white always right?

Well, no, it isn’t. It’s a veritable minefield, but this is not news to anyone. So to assist us all in the hazardous embracing of white this season as the gods at Vogue and Elle decree, here are a few danger zones to beware.

1. Stain street. The first one is obvious. Christ, who hasn’t this happened to? Just one errant swirl from your pasta salad and that dress is a goner (this happened to me featuring a forkful of lasagne, a white trench coat and subsequently an embarrassing visit to a bemused Hermes store in Paris). A misjudged seat on a bus or garden chair and sniggers will ensue for the rest of the evening. Even the gentle tugging of your head through a white blouse and suddenly half your foundation is on the collar. White, you cruel mistress.

2. To tan or not to tan? Secondly, the irrational need for a tan that white seems to inspire. It may have escaped your notice, but we don’t get much in the way of sunshine here, so options are limited. Fake the sunkissed glow, and run the gauntlet of tan transfer – see above. Or, go natural and work the slight browning you’ve achieved thus far. I face this dichotomy in a few months’ time – I anticipate I’ll fake it, lest I resemble a haddock fillet in a shift dress.

3. The price is white. Lastly, is the fact that you’ll probably need to flash a bit of cash to pull off white, or else embrace visible underwear and cheap material forever. Depressingly, I can’t afford Christian Dior; Zara is pushing it, realistically. White on a budget is a risky affair – I have yet to succeed, although I’ve found H&M and Topshop to be regular safe havens.

So, if you’ve got especially delicate eating habits (or a stick of Vanish, just in case) go white. Hey, if it’s good enough for Anna Wintour…

5 of the Best: These Jazz Age shoes will have you Charlestoning in no time

Ankle strap? Check. Peep toe? Oh yes. Stiletto heel? And how.

Right now, the high street has got some high heels on offer that are so retro style-y that they wouldn’t look totally out of place on a dance floor in the 1920′s. Maybe it’s the Great Gatsby effect – Baz Luhrman’s remake is out in less than a month now – or maybe it’s an offshoot of the nineties ankle strap heels trend, but whatever the reason, I sure do like them. The open-toe style and manageable heel height make them a decent investment for wedding season, because let’s face it, a strappy sandal goes with almost anything, plus you just know you’re going to end up doing the Macarena with your Nan/little cousin/unidentified drunk relative at midnight so you may as well get your dancing shoes on. Here are five of my top picks.

5 of the Best: Fruity shoes

Usually with my ’5 of the Best’ posts I peg the chosen items to a new season trend like stripey skirts or silk shirts. But not this time. This quintet collection was inspired by the discovery of one awesome pair shoes, the Ooh La Las from Office, a pair of platform stilettos that looks a bit like a couple of watermelons in disguise. Turns out there are a whole fruit salad’s worth of fruity shoes about at the moment, from Jeffrey Campbell’s chunky Fruitbowl heels to River Island’s lemon print espadrilles. So here’s a juicy Polyvore compilation…

FRUITY SHOES by blondekatie featuring office shoes

Office shoes
office.co.uk

Jeffrey campbell heels
office.co.uk

Shellys suede shoes
£76 - heels.com

Ego and Greed floral shoes
£49 - solestruck.com

River island shoes
riverisland.com

Shellys platform wedge sandals
£76 - heels.com

5 of the best: Snow boots

There’s more snow forecast in the UK in the coming weeks and the pavements are still covered in slush and ice, so now’s a great time to invest in a pair of sturdy snow boots.

We’ve rounded up five pairs of high street winter boots that will provide maximum foot warmth and minimum risk of a bone-breaking fall. They may not be pretty, but they sure are comfy. Plus, with some sales still on they start at less than £30 a pop.

1. Teig black patent snow boots, £26.99 (were £60), Aldo

Waterproof, with a slip-resistant heel, a nice bit of faux fur trim and a practical ankle height – these boots are seriously good value for money.

2. Neeve Ella GTX brown snow boots, £64.99 (were £130), Clarks

Using Gore-tex fabric and something called Active Air cushioning, these boots are way more high-tech than their sensible brown suede exterior suggests. The waxed finish means they’re hard-wearing too.

3. Black nylon Moon Boot, £79.99, New Look

Some people might shudder at the sight of these, the winter equivalent of the Ugg. But given the choice between a Moon Boot and a pair of soaked Converse on a sub-zero day and I know which I’d choose.

4. Helly Hansen Iskoras snow boots, £130, John Lewis

If The Killing’s Sara Lund wanted a pair of boots to go with her iconic jumper, I think she’s choose these. Not only do they have a suitably Scandinavian sheepskin upper, they’re sturdy enough to chase after murderers in.

5. Valenme Snow Flake Bootie, £169, Topshop

OK, admittedly these boots aren’t the best for braving snow-covered roads and freezing temperatures, mainly because they’re made of wool, but look! The little snowflake! Isn’t it cute?

Is this the ugliest shoe ever?

Is it a flip-flop? Is it a trainer? No, it’s the Converse All Star Sandal, and, oh my, is it a beast.

I came across these beauties (note the irony conveyed by my use of italics there) while putting together a fashion spread for Chat magazine, as I often do on Mondays at the Press Association. As it wasn’t a spread to collate the worst shoes of all time I wasn’t able to utilise said pair, but I just had to share them with the wider world. Surely I can’t be alone in being utterly repulsed by these sneaker-sandal hybrid monstrosities?

The Condal (that’s what I’m naming it) has actually been around for a while, but I can’t imagine sales have been booming because I’ve never seen any human sporting a pair in real life. Funny, huh? They just raise so many questions for me: Why would you want to wear flip-flops with a high top? Or, why you want to wear Cons that are open-toed, wouldn’t you get cold toes? Wouldn’t they get full of sand on the beach? Since you couldn’t wear them with socks, wouldn’t they end up seriously ponging, as anyone who’s worn Cons with bare feet can attest? Most of all, Wouldn’t strangers point and laugh if you walked down the street in such an aesthetically and functionally appalling choice of footwear? They really do boggle my mind. But, hey, if you’re into that kind of thing, you can get a pair over on the Bank website. Go on, I dare you.

Converse All Star Sandals, £35 from Bank Fashion.

Do you know what this weather calls for? Shuella, the umbrella for shoes

File them under ‘inventions you never knew you couldn’t live without.’ These are not just wellies, they’re Shuella.

When I first heard about Shuella, the self-proclaimed antidote to rain-ruined shoes, I scoffed. I might even have LOLed. Who on earth would bother with such a ridiculous contraption?

But then the summer arrived in London.

The summer that brought us officially the wettest June on record, the reversed hosepipe ban and the most rain since that scene in Forrest Gump with all the different kinds of rain. But it’s also really schizophrenic weather. Just yesterday, I set off on my bike for work, bare of leg and free of care, in the little black canvas Mary Janes I wear to death every summer, with the sun beaming down (it lasted all of about 40 minutes). By the time I got home at the end of the day, my MJs and I were thoroughly rain-drenched as the day’s five-hour allocation of torrential rain had just set in.

Now I’m thinking whoever’s behind Shuella should be awarded the Nobel Prize for Fashion (I can’t believe this category doesn’t exist either) and I want a pair in every colour to slip on whenever the heavens open. Then I wouldn’t have to keep lugging round spare shoes all the time, swapping from heels to flats just to walk to the tube and risking trench foot every time I walk out the door. ‘SHUELLA’S are easy to put on and strong enough to walk in with a slip free sole. I’ve also included a cloth to wipe off any excess water before you fold them up and put them back in their convenient pouch,’ explains designer Rebecca Miller. She’s thought of everything! (Except grammar, because I’m really not sure there should be an apostrophe in Shuellas.)

Anyway, want some Shuellas of your own? You can order them from the US Shuella website for $47.45 (about £31) including P&P or you can get them on this UK website for a bargainous £8 but they’re currently out of stock.

Five Signs You’re Getting Too Old for Heels

1. You keep your Jimmy Choos/ Kurt Geigers in the box.
If all your purchases end up in a shoe shrine, never to see the light of day, you know you’re too old for heels. Any self-respecting teenager buying their first statement shoe would scuff those bad boys within hours of handing over the money.

2. You’d rather eat the latest issue of Vogue than trade shoe collections with Daphne Guinness
Heels can turn you into a power woman but flats are the best way to play it cool – dress down trend-heavy outfits with flats and you’ll feel a lot less self-conscious making your big entrance.

And you get to tsk tsk at Daphne Guinness for clinging to banisters as she teeters around in ever more ridiculous shoes. Just think what that poor woman’s feet must look like.

3. Your toes are a wreck from wearing “simple” black Havianas to parties when everyone else is in stilettos
Summer’s a great time to give up heels – or maybe just vow to stick to wedges wherever possible. I’m also a big fan of wearing black raffia sandals on nights out.

OK, they’re basically little better than flip flops but you can wear them with everything. Good for: the beach, the park and running across cobbles looking smug.

4. Those Sunday morning knee grazes are starting to annoy you
It used to be funny wobbling into gutters and twisting ankles on the stairs. But according to some (no doubt) pretty unscientific research quoted in Avril Mair’s latest Beauty Extremist in Elle magazine, 40% of women admit to having had accidents because of their heels.

What does the ordinary fashion ed do then? Simple, wear heels when you know you’re getting a cab to and from wherever you’re going and sit down a lot when you’re in them.

Blue brocade pool flats, Christopher Kane SS12

5. You like ‘haute casual’ footwear like these Christopher Kane abominations
If a talented British designer combines comfort with well, flowers it must be fashionable right? Wrong – but do use this kind of design to your advantage when you’re championing the merits of flats to the Amazon in the 5 inchers towering above you. Acceptably stylish flat shoes include ballet pumps, brogues, leather sandals and even plastic jelly shoes when combined with high fashion underwater-themed outfits. But not these.

Main image: Faraz Pourreza-Jorshari

Can Mary Portas be the Queen of Shoes too?

Versayce went along to the Clarks’ press day last week on behalf of S&TS to preview the autumn/winter collections. 

Given some of the excruciating situations and characters on TV show Mary Queen of Shops, anyone would think Mary Portas was addicted to pain. Her current level of ubiquity certainly suggests she has a schedule punishing enough for an incarcerated criminal.

Not so her capsule range for Clarks‘ autumn/winter 2012 collection, which despite featuring dangerously high heels, is constructed, we were told, using comfort technologies allowing for striking looks without so much as a squished little toe. This continues Mary’s relentless quest to make businesses better understand and provide for their customers. Her line is squarely aimed to meet the demands of women whose lives are chock full of kids and work, and who insist they’ll look stunning while keeping the entire dinner service spinning. Running around maybe more conducive to trainers and flats, but where’s the fun in that?

Clarks unquenchable thirst for collaboration continues in their main and Originals collections. Harris Tweed and Jaguar Shoes Collective are recruited from the UK, while Velour (from Sweden) and Rocky Mountain Featherbed (US) bring accents from further afield. While the shape of the shoes are on the whole conservative and comfortable, you can’t fault Clarks for their determination to balance these core values with relevance to today’s trend-led shoe buyers. Where they succeed is with those designs which eschew the clunky and deliver on sharp lines, or where the choice of material really hollers quality and charm. Here are our pick of the pairs…

Why Kate and Catherine should steal each other’s style

When tasked with blogging about ‘pure British style’ by shoe heaven website Sarenza (we went to their bloggers event last week) there were two style icons that immediately came to mind for me. Easily the two most famous brides in the world this year, they’re both British style icons and they’re both called Kate (sorry, but I can’t get used to this Catherine business). I got to thinking about what the Duchess of Cambridge and Kate Moss could learn from each other when it comes to footwear fashion…

Personally, I’m a bit bored of the same old mid-height courts in neutral colours that Catherine is always wearing. I’d rather see her in something way more daring, like these lipstick red Alvery heels by Pour la Victoire, £249. They’d look great with a floral Erdem dress.

Mrs Moss, on the other hand, could have a go at a look that the Duchess chose for about half a dozen weddings this summer – the nude patent court. But rather than a delicate stiletto, the leg-lengthening platform-soled Jupiter by I LOVE SHOES (£63.75) is much more Moss’s style.

Which Brit style icons do you think should take a leaf out of each others’ wardrobes? Tell us in the comment box below.

Check out the rest of the new autumn/winter collection on Sarenza.co.uk.

Shoe of the week: the Miss KG Hello!

I kid you not, that’s what this shoe is called – ‘Hello!’

I’ve been after a pair of black ankle strap platforms for a while now. I think it’s partly because they’re used so often on the catwalks and in look books – the platform and high heel add the requisite extra 5 inches to those already tall enough models, but the simple ankle strap design means they don’t detract from the clothes on show. I found a pair of ridiculously beautiful black suede Alaia heels, but with a equally ridiculous price of more than £700 they were way out of my league. The Miss KG ‘Hello!’, on the other hand, is well within reach at just £39 (reduced from £85). Get it in the Kurt Geiger online shop.