Irregular choice?

I have been the lucky recipient of not one but two late Christmas pressies of shoes in the past week :) The first are these stunning Irregular Choice cortesan ribbon flower courts from my lovely twin.



They're a deep red suede on gold, almost like the wallpaper in an Indian restaurant in the 80s, with a row of confetti-like flowers, ribbons and beads, and they've got the classic Irregular Choice toe shape.

The second are a fab 50s style polkadot pair from my brother and sister in law:



They came in an Irregular Choice box, and it's written on the insole, but I'm pretty certain they're not, mainly because they're not as detailed, and they aren't as well made. Also, having worn them twice they're already damaged:



I really like both pairs, and as long as they don't show too much more damage I expect I'll get more wear out of the fakes, as they're rain proof and not quite as high. Hooray for late Christmas pressies, just what I needed to brighten up my January!

Sticker fascist

Why do people leave the price stickers on the soles of their shoes? We can see them you know. What's the point of wearing a lovely pair of sexy black knee length boots if you're flashing white stickers everytime you lift your feet, girl I saw on the way into work this morning?

I have absolutely nothing against cheap shoes, in fact I love them. But I don't want them to look cheap. Take the labels off. Do it now. It gets harder the longer you leave them on.

Rookie error

I had a job interview last week, and as usual I spent an inordinate amount of time beforehand worrying about what to wear. I think this is probably a form of displacement to distract me from worrying about the actual interview, and it generally works surprisingly well.

The interview was for a web job in a public sector organisation, which is actually fairly easy to judge from a sartorial point of view - smart and understated, preferably black. I decided on my Hugo Boss petrol heels to perk up my otherwise sensible outfit.



These are classy shoes - the photo doesn't do the colour justice at all. They're an almost oily blue-green suede, with black heels and a pretty silver buckle detail. They're also cripplingly uncomfortable to wear, so I usually only wear them when I know I'm not going to be walking far or standing for long periods. Unfortunately I rather misjudged the amount of walking I'd be doing. When I arrived at the tube nearest the assessment centre it was pouring with rain, so I had to dash to find somewhere to tidy myself up before running down a seemingly endless road to find the centre (thus undoing the tidying up and potentially destroying the shoes in the rain).

I was left alone for an hour to do the written test part of the assessment towards the end of the day, and I kicked my shoes off under the desk and forgot about them. So when the assessor came back to tell me the time was up I had to rather sheepishly fish around under the desk to retrieve them, while she stood there in silence. Awkward.

Although parts of the day went well I suspect I'm not going to get the job for various reasons. Certainly if it were awarded on the basis of ability to select appropriate footwear I wouldn't have a hope.

Style: 5 (classic, classy and just a tiny bit naughty)
Comfort: 1 (the t-bar cuts into my toes and the toe pinches - ok I admit it, they're a bit too small)
Value: 3 (£75 in the Hugo Boss sale last year)

The mighty boosh

My sale purchases from asos turned up last night.



A bargain at £15, and having worn them all day today, pretty comfortable too.

But are they boots or are they shoes? Asos describe them, unimaginatively, as shoe boots. Please! Surely shoots. Or Booshes. Actually I reckon there simply isn't enough of them to describe as boots at all, but whatever they are I like 'em a lot and intend to wear them into the ground over the next couple of months.

Shoes or boots? You decide.

Comfort factor: 4
Value: 5 - £15! I love asos!
Style: 5 - check out the red soles! They're like a cross between the Louboutin and Stellas I've been drooling over

Size matters

So here's the thing. Don't tell anyone, but I think my feet are getting bigger as I get older. It's not quite so shameful an admission as drooping boobs, facial hair or grey pubes, but it does rate quite highly in the reasons why getting old sucks list I'm gradually compiling as I potter through my thirties.

I'm not blest with the daintiest of feet in the first place, having been, for most of my adult life, a UK size 6 (39 / US 7). Over the last few years I've started buying summer shoes in a 6.5, because they're a hell of a lot more comfortable for hot swollen feet. But I've suddenly realised that on the whole I haven't gone back to buying 6s, even now, in January.

Worse, the last pair of boots I bought - these soft grey suede calf length beauties from Fly from Harvey Nicks in Edinburgh - were a size 7, and they fit well, even without thick socks! (Which is presumably how one would wear everything in Edinburgh in January.)



I'm certainly not proud, and I'm not going to force my size 7s into shoes a whole size too small for them, at least not to wear for any length of time or if I have to walk anywhere. But this will leave me with a wardrobe full of well-loved shoes I can no longer wear.

Perhaps if I got rid of several of my longer toes...

Comfort: 4 - deceptively high
Value: 3 - £70 in the sale
Style factor: 4 - grey and fairly platformy, really rather now. Or last season according to Harvey Nicks.

all time favourites

These beauties from Irregular Choice have been hogging the top spot as my all time favourite shoes since I bought them last year.



First time I wore these shoes someone asked if they were Vivienne Westwood. Sadly not, but they could be. They're high as hell, but remarkably comfy, I think because of the peculiarly shaped toe. I wore them to a Basement Jaxx gig in the summer and danced like a loon for hours without crippling myself.

I love the way Irregular Choice shoes are so beautifully detailed, from the pattern on the soles (which inevitably wears off the first time you wear them) to the detailing inside.

I bought them in the Schuh shop on ebay for around £50.



mm mm mmm.

Comfort factor: 5
Value: 4
Style factor: 5