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Loafing around

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Yes that's a terrible title but surely it would be rude not to?

It's loafer time.

The sun is out (ish) and I can SMELL Spring so it's time for some loafer love. You don't have to bare the ankles like I do (fast walking puts pay to any cold feet or frostbite, I promise!) you could always wear socks.

We're heading into that time of year when it's difficult to know what to put on your feet. In-betweeny weather. Clearly not a proper fashion term but it pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? You're sick and tired of the boots (not me personally but...), it's not warm enough for sandals but you want something smarter than trainers.

There are of course ballet flats - there are also sling back courts (having a vintage style revival). But there are also most definitely loafers.

I invested three years ago and again last year in Gucci ones which I LOVE but you really don't have to spend that much on them at all.

Very VERY similar to the Gucci ones I have from Russell & Bromley.

Snaffle Loafer from Russell & Bromley £195

Snaffle Loafer from Russell & Bromley £195

KOKO loafers from Topshop £48

Stradivarius Black Studded Slip on Loafers £29.99

These are probably my favourite. The epitome of European chic. LOVE them. I think they look infinitely more expensive than their price tag. Although alas, they're not leather.

Miss Selfridge Woven Loafers £35

Leather suedette at New Look £19.99

Backless now and yes, I wore mine today and that's my backless cherry broken for the year. Bring it on.

I bought these Gucci ones last year with a gift voucher I got from friends for my birthday.

These are a great alternative if you don't want to spend that amount though.

Mule loafer from Russell & Bromley £195

But there are others for a LOT less if you like the look.

River Island Backless Loafer with Knot Detail £32 These have a Bally vibe for me. They're faux leather but well - if it's good enough for Stella McCartney...

Dune London Gene Red Leather Croc Loafer Shoes were £60 now £40

Black ones at ASOS DESIGN. £35

And now I've randomly got some men's ones which, if you're a size 6 or above are definitely worth looking at.

ASOS DESIGN backless loafer in tan £40 (and yes, these are leather. These are AMAZING!).

Here I am in mine from the last couple of weeks. Definitely getting my loafer on this evening. Going to a conference and will be on my feet for hours so these are a comfy must have.

Grey jumper - Jigsaw (GIFT - current)
Long Blazer - M&S (from part partnership 2yrs ago)
Jeans - M&S (sale ss18)
Loafers - Gucci (3yrs ago)
Bag - YSL at Selfridges (aw18)

Jeans - MiH (sale 4yrs ago)
Tee - MKT Studio (gift current)
Jacket - Zara (aw18)
Bag - YSL at Selfridges (aw18)
Loafers - Gucci (ss18)

Yay or nay? And if you don't like them why? And if you do - what's your favourite way to wear them? I appreciate that they're very marmite and I also think they are quite tricky to style. I shall be trying them with some more outfit options - all pics will be over on Instagram.

New kid on the block

Ok so it's not new new, in fact it's almost as traditional as you can get. But it's something I've always really struggled to get my head round.

However, you know when something suddenly CLICKS! And yes, I've had my click breakthrough moment. Ok I appreciate that I've hardly found a cure for a rare disease here but - well, this is a blog about fashion and lifestyle and how I'm working out how to be a woman in her 40's when I still feel 28 and YES - it's sometimes the very small things that make the big things more manageable.

So yes, finding an awesome pair of shoes that works for all occasions and makes me feel really good and smiley and happy, may seem incredibly shallow but if it means a confidence boost makes the daily grind and challenge of life a bit more manageable, then I'll take that.

Which is why I am now doing an inner yee hah over the loafer.

Chances are you may already have a pair in your wardrobe (of any make) that you either love, or aren't quite sure what to wear with. *hands up here*.

I - as you may have noticed - have been experimenting with my old Gucci pair that I've had and haven't really fallen in love with. And then it happened. No, I didn't reinvent the wheel - I just wore them with outfits that I wouldn't usually have worn them with and loved them. A replacement option for my trainers. An alternative to a pair of ankle boots. The ideal transitional piece of footwear, now that sandal weather seems to have passed (errr how is it September by the way?!).

So when I remembered that I had a Net a Porter voucher than friends had given me for my birthday, burning a hole in my account (seriously - HOW can I not find anything to buy there? A pair of Burberry gold heels that made me look like I was auditioning at a strip joint went straight back, as did a whole slew of clothes I had ordered in the sale), I ordered the Princetown backless pair in black straight away.

These have been on my "will I or won't I love them and will or I won't I wear them" list for a couple of years.

I went in. And I ADORE them. And it made me think - these ARE a lot more versatile than I had thought.

It was only a couple of years ago that trainers with dresses and skirts were thought the height of super weird and "fashion". Yet now, everyone wears them. I remember turning up at the school gates with more than a couple of side eyes being given, whereas now, it's verging on standard fare.

So it's not that big a jump to replace them with a different sort of footwear. And chances are, you already own a pair.

If you don't - I have some options here to suit all budgets - and I should also point out, they come into their own with cropped trousers too. We all know I am a huge fan of the cropped pant - it's usually the wide leg but the straight leg made a comeback in the Spring and this AW, I have tried on more than one pair of kick flares that I have loved. I'll be bringing you them shortly but in the meantime - have a look at the loafers and let me know what you think.

And obviously with jeans...

Gucci Princetown horsebit loafer from Net a Porter £515

Brixton collapsable heel loafer from Gucci £540

I love them in the white.. (do not need, do not need...).

Gucci Brixton Horsebit Loafers £540

Another pair at a minimalist price with a minimalist look at Mango. Quite different from above and a teensy step away from a traditional loafer but perfect for those who are looking for a style between a more androgynous loafer and a ballet flat.

Leather moccasin from Mango in black £49.99 again with a foldable heel

In white - again £49.99 from Mango

Or the metallic silver again £49.99

Classic black leather at ASOS £35

Similar at Kurt Geiger.

Karima Black Flat Loafers £119

Key Trim Loafers at Topshop £46

Green at River Island in the sale were £45 now £36 You could easily be forgiven for thinking these were the Gucci ones. I did a double take!

Red Suede leather at ASOS.

ASOS DESIGN Magnet red suede ring loafer £35

White at Kurt Geiger - Kenner2 Loafer £129

Kenner Tan Suede Loafer from Kurt Geiger £129

Autograph Leather Block Heel Ring Loafers from M&S £69

Back to the backless. These. Now I know it sounds bonkers but these are insanely versatile. Throw them on with jeans during the day but they are simply the perfect dressy shoe when you're not looking to wear a heel. They would look sublime with longer skirts or dresses and transform a suit from day to night.

Kaiser Crystal Metallic in gold from Kurt Geiger London £150

Also available in the black again £149

More traditional metallic at Miss KG.

Nessie Metallic Flat Loafer £44

Perfect for the inbetweeny seasons at Topshop.

Woven Loafer Mules £32

Woven Loafer Mules £32

Red ponyskin at ASOS.

ASOS DESIGN Movie Leather Mule Loafers £35

And finishing with my favourite pair which are again very expensive so are definitely an investment. I probably would have gone for these - apart from the fact that my gift voucher was for Net A Porter and they didn't have them on there. So it was either - virtually free or not. Not a surprise at which one I went for.

Hamelin Loafers from Bally £430

And here I am in them yesterday - trip to London with all three children. Seemed like an awesome idea at the time. It was. Now that I think about it the day after. But at the time, not going to lie - there were more than one or two fraught moments (son with ASD and teenager who decides to do a running commentary on how appalling my parenting is, is bound to make anyone lose their shizzle...!).

However the moments WERE few and far between - we did have a great time and got a lot packed in (three different requests for things to do).

My request - which they all agreed to actually - was to go to the National Gallery. A genius suggestion from someone on Instragram was to go to the shop on the way in, each pick a postcard of a painting you loved and then we had to go and find each painting. Are my children now complete art experts? Have I converted them to the finer things in life? Not remotely.

But I'm a great believer in putting enough in at the top of the funnel and some of it will filter through. There are definitely more attune to art than they were when we went in so I am taking that as a parenting win. And some vaguely cerebral conversations were had (there was also a lot of chat along the lines of "I can't how small that willy is"... obvs.)

The face here though, is most definitely at a "losing my shizzle" moment...

Tee - FWP by Rae (gift aw17)
Leather Trousers - Autograph by M&S (part of paid partnership)
Bag - Balenciaga (2yrs ago)
Loafers - Gucci from Net a Porter (current)
Coat - ASOS (sale ss18)
Sunglasses - M&S (part of paid partnership)

Am now about to continue with a parenting moment of doom - try to get them all to go for a walk. I have even bribed them with cake at the end. What could possibly go wrong and how long do we reckon it will take for us to leave the house? HA!!

In the buff

Yes we're talking nude today.

I don't have enough nude. Primarily as I mostly look crap in it.

But there's one thing that you can always rely on to work - oh hello lovely shoes.

So I started this blog with the idea of talking about nude shoes and how amazingly useful they would be - inspired by a pic I saw on Instagram.

Voila....

And duly headed first to River Island to check them out. Two things. One, they didn't look *quite* as good as they do in this pic. And two, they may not have fulfilled their promise but oh my lord, I couldn't stop seeing other items of pure shoe porn.

I had intended to research and then bring you a selection of epic nude shoes on the market. Plot twist.

There are too many seriously gorgeous shoes at River Island not to share with you. So for today - my River Island picks (not remotely in collaboration of any sort, I feel I should mention) of the shoes that you may not have seen. As well as a couple of other things that caught my eye (clothes wise, there isn't an awful lot but there are a couple of bits that are definitely worth looking at). But nothing else buff, nude or blush. I will be coming back to that another day as I still maintain, in footwear, they do make a super useful addition to a Spring/Summer wardrobe.

Now speaking of the ones in the above pic.

Pink Tie Detail Shoe Boot £48 I think they're quite Sophie Webster? In a £48 sort of way?

If we're talking heels. Orange and graphite. The architecture of these for £65 is just amazing.

Orange tie up graphic heel £65 Limited Edition

They also have them in black. I do think they look more expensive in the orange though.

I was talking of mules the other day. I can't remember if I looked at River Island or whether these weren't in then but either way, move over all other mules.

Yellow metallic pony hair mules £55

Silver diamante and pearl backless loafers £45

In black also £45

But surely these are the cream of the crop. Unashamedly brutally gorgeous.

Pink jacquard pearl and bead backless loafers £45

Embroidered? £30

We've also looked at loafers and how could I have missed these off?

Bright pink velvet loafers £30. You had me at pink velvet.

However if you thought pink velvet was good - may I present... leopard print velvet. Dear lord. Lusharama (watching the Baftas on my planner so today I have zero excuse).

Leopard print velvet court shoes £35

Moving onto shoes that you may suspect have been smoking something they shouldn't have. You just have to wear these with pride. Mix them with other prints and adopt eclectic as your middle name. Or go for a totally plain outfit with these as the (unavoidably obvious) talking point.

Yellow Leather Snakeskin Stud Mules £65

Brown leopard print diamante stud mules £65

Whilst I was there I thought it was rude not to look at the clothes as well.

First up - the frill dress you can wear to a black tie event or throw over a bikini on holiday. A must have LBD.

Black double frill sleeve swing dress £40 V neck...

Black Shirred Neck Textured Top £28

And when you see it like this...

Khaki green distressed military jacket £45

All out for khaki - how amazing is this bag? Suede leather for £65

So come on... you'd never know they were from River Island would you? As I always say, there is a lot that isn't going to appeal. And I wouldn't recommend going into a store for a browse as it can be hard to see the wood for the skimpy trees. But if you know what you're looking for, there are some completely amazing amazing gems to find. Especially this season it seems, of the footwear variety.

Outfit from yesterday... cold. Cold cold cold. Leisure centre chic. Took the boys swimming. We then went to the supermarket. It was a day of high glamour.

Black and white polo neck - Second Female
Black Onyx biker jacket - hush
Phoebe jeans - MiH
Copeland leopard trainers - Air & Grace
Black Tools bag - Balenciaga
Belt - Jas MB
Dune scarf - Louis Vuitton

Today - first day of the hols here. And there was sun to be seen. It was verging on full on Summer. I was one step (admittedly the size of the Atlantic) off flinging on a bikini. Sort of. So obviously I went for the next best thing, boil in the bag dungas. But with a blazer... yes there was a blazer with no scarf.

Black silk shirt - hush
Black faux leather dungarees - H&M
Camel blazer - Stella McCartney
Leopard Rawi boots - Isabel Marant
Black Tools Bag - Balenciaga

100 mins of my life today that I will never get back watching the Lego Batman movie. I know, I know, what was I expecting, but honestly, I had thought it might be pretty good. The trailer was really funny. It was still funny in the film. And so were about another 30 minutes. Basically I would recommend watching the first half an hour, having a cheeky snooze for the next 60 minutes and wake up for the last 10. On the upside, I am feeling fully refreshed after my cat nap.

Tomorrow, dog walk with friends and then the12 yr old is off on a sleepover so I just have two boys. A couple of days off work, just blogging at the crack of dawn and in the evenings. So what to do with them? Decisions, decisions.. I'm assuming shopping in Bluewater isn't going to be high on their list of must do activities?! Instead, I think we might make sushi (from a kit that has been sat in my larder for about a year - impulse Lidl purchase). Keep an eye on Insta! Hope everyone else has survived the first day of half term and is enjoying their holiday if they're away. If you're skiing, take care... I have two friends tear their achilles and their cruciate ligament since Friday (hence I don't ski any more!). EEK.

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