Apologies for the delay in posting; things have been so hectic, my feet, or should I say my Manolo’s have barely touched the ground!

On my trip to Bradford, the girls and I decided to go bowling.  Now bowling on the Wii I am pretty good at (that is to say when I am playing against a 7 year old!)  However in reality, my skills aren’t so great; any chance of putting the guards up??  As if my bowling skills or lack of, weren’t embarrassing enough, then there are the bowling shoes!  These really are the ugliest shoes; which is definitely a good reason not to go bowling on a first date.  I really don’t think anyone can look fetching in them.

Added to the vanity aspect, is the thought of putting your foot into a shoe that hundreds of others have also worn.  Being dippy, I forgot my socks but luckily my friend lent me some, putting a bare foot into them is definitely a no no.  Having said that it seems some people are happy to wear shoes that many others have worn in the name of fashion.  Thought Louboutin’s were out of your price range?  Check out Cinderella me.  You can join for a nominal fee and then hire designer shoes.  What a brilliant idea, why didn’t I think of it? A cheap way to ensure you are always in the latest designer shoes!

On the subject of Cinderella, I sat down to watch the DVD in the name of research you understand!  I know, you don’t believe me for one minute; I’m just a kid at heart.  Now from Cinderella’s glass slipper to my own special purchase.  Last weekend I went to my Mums and it was like Christmas all over again opening all my internet orders.  As I opened the package containing my LK Bennett shoes, my heart started to race in anticipation.  There they were, the most beautiful shoes ever and they were all mine; or at least they will be when I pay Barclaycard back!  You can tell quality shoes as they even come with a dust bag.  Now I just need to try to avoid falling over in them and damaging them; another reason for me not to enter into hiring shoes!  I also have bought a lovely gold glittery pair of cheap heels this week; my inspiration taken from Carrie in Sex and the City 2, along with a chiffon cream dress to wear on my birthday barbeque.  Sadly I couldn’t stretch to the actual Halston Heritage dress and Louboutin gold shoes as Carrie wore.  Perhaps I should consider this renting lark; you can rent the dress at Girl Meets Dress and there are even sites that you can hire designer bags from.

I brought from Mums quite a selection of shoes and managed to somehow fit them all in the wardrobe although the shelf is bowing.  The others may just have to stay at Mums for now.  I think my boyfriend is already freaking at the number of pairs!  I read that the average number of pairs of shoes a woman buys in a year is 5.  I think I have already bought more than that and we are not even half way through the year!

I had a thought today, I love shoes so much that I am now writing about them so I guess I should research a bit more into the history of the shoe.

To most men, shoes are simply a functional item which protect the feet which is of course why they were invented.  The earliest shoe dates back to about 8000 BC.  To us women however they are far more than that.  They are a status symbol and have been as such since the ancient Egyptians used long peak toes on sandals to denote priests or royalty.  The popular saying of being well heeled, meaning of money came from being able to afford good shoes.  As recently as the 19^th century can you believe both shoes were the same, rather than there being a right and a left!  There was me thinking my 4 inch heels were uncomfortable; can you imagine wearing essentially the shoe on the wrong foot?  One of the oldest shoes which is enjoying another revival this season is the espadrille which dates back to the 14^th century.  I must invest in a pair actually.

For me, shoes complete an outfit.  They can make you feel a million dollars.  I will often buy shoes and then look for an outfit to go with them rather than the other way round.  I’ll leave you with that, whilst I try to source same espadrilles and a nice pair of wedges!

I want to start my post today with clearing up a matter.  In my excitement of getting a ‘like’ on my blog and trying to look at the kind persons own blog, I accidently liked my own post.  So no I am not arrogant, just technically challenged; to think I made fun of my Mum not fully understanding the wonderful world of ‘facebook’!  Considering I have grown up with computers my knowledge can be at times extremely limited.  To be fair to my Mum she has mastered texting which is more than many people her age and after all the older generation never grew up in a computer age so I guess we can cut them some slack, things are very different now; or are they?  I was happily reading the latest issue of Glamour magazine or should I say my bible, on my commute to work and it got me thinking about fashion and how it comes full circle.  When we were young teenagers many of us probably turned our noses up when out shopping with our Mums, they turned to us and said ‘I remember that the first time round’.  However in more recent years, vintage has become popular; or perhaps its more that someone realised you could make a killing by inserting ‘vintage’ in front of the description of something, as is the case with ‘wedding’.  This year it’s the turn of 70’s fashion to make a revival, bell bottom jeans, fringed jackets and maxi dresses.  In recent years, trousers also seem to have been reinvented.  There were jeggings (jeans crossed with leggings for those of you who were not familiar).  At least this name makes some logical sense and it got me thinking about some other names for popular clothes items.  Many girls my age will remember ‘palladiums’ which were canvas shoes with a block heel.  Now why a shoe was called a word that generally means in the image of Pallas whichTroy’s safety depended on I would love to know!  Next came Harem pants.  These are loose around the crotch trousers that tapper to the ankle; a kind of cross between trousers and a skirt.  Now I wonder how many of you know where this name came from?  A Harem was where the Muslim women of one man could rest.  It had Turkish associations and the trousers were commonly worn inTurkey.  This brings me to my next question; Pallazzo trousers, a yes or a no?  These are very wide leg, long, loose trousers.  I have yet to try a pair but perhaps it may be something I surprise myself with and like, in the same way as the jumpsuit, which I thought made me a fashion victim but has since proved to be much loved and I am keen to make myself another one from a vintage pattern. So Pallazzo literally translated from Italian means palace.  Not quite sure how that relates to the trousers but I am open to suggestions!  Before I sign off for tonight, I must confess to my latest purchase.  My graduation is fast approaching and of course for a shoe lover such as myself an excuse for a new pair.  Now I wanted them to be special so I started to look at Louboutin, Jimmy Choo and Manalos but sadly my modest wage or my credit limit do not stretch to these!  I have also always wanted a pair of L.K Bennett shoes and promised I would treat myself as a reward for getting out of debt; however my solvency didn’t last long enough.  On browsing their website tonight, I fell in love.  Now  these are beauties and they were in the sale.  Yes it was a splurge but I like to think of it as an investment.  I will wear these loads and feel a million dollars in them and the added bonus is they look very similar to the Manalo’s in the first Sex and the City film that Carrie first puts in her new wardrobe.  I know these will look great in my new purpose built wardrobe my boyfriend made for me.  Ok now I have confessed I can sleep soundly tonight.  Until next time ……………..