16 Sept 2011

Hestia...attempts a shoe blog

I think I love you....
So Greece may default on its debt, leading to widespread turmoil in the fiscal markets of the Eurozone.  One in four of the London rioters had 10 previous run-ins with the law prior to the riots.  The Japanese nuclear plant is still in crisis....but LOOK!!!!! New SHOES!!!!!!!



These are from Mary Portas's shoe collection, entitled 'Mary at Clarks', where she has worked with the eponymous footwear company to create a range of very spiffing shoes!

I mean, honestly, CLARKS!!! Of the sensible T-bar and mid heel.  CLARKS!!!!  Who knew they could make such divine shoes when one's hazy recollections of their shoes were either a sensible black patent T-bar for a Sunday School  Christmas party or a smart flat leather Mary Jane for school?

This style is called Magdalene - after Jesus's favourite hooker, rather than the Oxford College, I'm hoping - and comes in teal suede (these ones!), black satin (perfect for Christmas parties!) and the most glorious lipstick pink and purple which are a colour-blocker's wet dream.

I was first entranced by the shoes on Mrs TNMA's blog where she readily admits to having a Bit Of A Thing for the flame-haired business guru.  Mrs TNMA confirmed that these were Clarks and I hurried myself over to their website where then I visited DAILY to see when the shoes would be in stock.  As soon as they were available, I pounced.  And lo! Here they are!

ignore the sock marks!  And my ankles aren't quite so
cankley in real life.  It's just the camera angle. Honest.
They are really beautiful shoes, available in several width fittings and only from the Clarks' website (unless you are lucky enough to live near the House of Fraser store where the actual 'Mary and House of Fraser' collection resides).

I've never bought shoes over the internet before and I would recommend that you really do your homework on what the various shoe sizes and widths really equate to in inches (or cm if you're one of these new-fangled decimalised people).

These beauties are in the standard D width fitting and with hindsight, I might have been better with an E.

The other thing is that if you have a high instep, you are going to struggle just as much to squash your tiny toes into these shoes as you would a pair of boots - a high instep just doesn't want to go around the inside of that narrow 'neck' on the shoe.

Nonetheless, I struggled onwards - like one of Cinderella's less attractive siblings and am pleased to say that once my foot had managed the 'neck' the shoe fitted beautifully!

Portas's collection at House of Fraser already has many frocks and separates on-line and I'm hoping that she will bring in more things with a v or scooped neckline for those of us with ampler frontage.

As Faux Fuchisa would say, run - don't walk people!


15 comments:

  1. My, those shoes really are quite spiffing! And I would NEVER have guessed they were from Clarks. The variable width options is a great idea. Nevertheless, my main memory of Clarks' shoes is of a pair of "sensible" brown flats my mum forced on me. Despite being fitted by one of their shop people, those things gave me blisters every single time I wore them (a whole term as my mum insisted I just needed to break them in). If "sensible" shoes can do that much damage, I hate to think what these would do to me :o I shall stick to my Sketchers :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Inner Whispers - it doesn't matter if shoes hurt your feet and they look FABULOUS, one is prepared to suffer. But if theyr'e horrid AND hurt? I've had a small 'accident' with the toe of my shoe and a bicycle emergency stop or something lol!

    These don't hurt (only been wearing them around the house to break them in though!).

    Don't think I'll be hill-walking in them. They're car-to-restaurant shoes ;-)

    Viv - And there was me planning the Great Northern Run in these babies!

    Ali x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Clarks? No way! They are far too fabulous and sexy to come from the place of the sensible shoe! I totally love them. x

    ReplyDelete
  4. They look the absolute opposite to Clark's shoes! Clark's shoes are sensible!

    They are SUCH a pretty colour!

    ReplyDelete
  5. LM - they're a long way from Start-Rites!

    Vix - ta!

    Ali x

    ReplyDelete
  6. What is it with women and shoes?
    Every guy I know has a number one priority when choosing his footwear.

    COMFORT.
    All else is secondary.

    Yet all you lovely liberated ladies actually choose to put your feet into these torture machines, with every step (if not actually torture) threatening to sprain an ankle?

    Just don'tunderstand.

    Pretty colour though.
    Kind of like the shade of a varicose vein.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wear them with matching underwear and nothing else next time Tertarus returns (but not to meet the boat) x

    ReplyDelete
  8. love Clarks......saw a tanned pair pf bootettes in a mag today i may purchase......love Mary......love your autumn look!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I did not know that pretty shoes came in wide widths. I have wide feet and most high heels function like some sort of medieval torture device on my feet.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Clarks???? really, since when did they get with it? They look fantastic. Good shopping!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lovely new shoes Ali, so good to see Clarks having a makeover, glamorous shoes that are comfortable, that has to be the way to go. I have very fond memories of Clarks, I remember being whisked into the Ladybird/Clarks department of Fenwicks in Newcastle shortly before the beginning of the new school term. I had this weird childhood fetish, I loved having my feet measured in Clarks, by those thingy's that came out of the special shoe shop footstools, then around 1976 they went all high tech and brought in foot measuring machines, you put your foot on the base and metal plates would come out and on the screen above you would get the exact measurement of each foot, width and length, not bad for 1976.
    XXX

    ReplyDelete
  12. Clarks have had funky shoes for years. Admittedly you do have to climb over the Hush Puppies and you won't find 6" stilettos, but they have some good stuff, especially boots.
    As for those - love the colour but wouldn't ever wear that style.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I always buy clarks shoes,because of the width fittings.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I was first entranced by the shoes on Mrs TNMA's blog where she readily admits to having a Bit Of A Thing for the flame-haired business guru. Mrs TNMA confirmed that these were Clarks Shoes Sale and I hurried myself over to their website where then I visited DAILY to see when the shoes would be in stock. As soon as they were available, I pounced. And lo! Here they are!

    ReplyDelete

I'd love you to comment, but I get a phenomenal amount of spam comments on here for some reason - so everything is moderated. But only for spam. Any other comment will be posted :-D