from the bottom up

Do you ever have one of those days where you just can't summon the energy to get anything done, least of all a post? I am just feeling so.. defeated at the moment, at the injustice of it all. My and Roz's family's Elle Hell is so not over (anyone who wants to know more, just email me, I don't want to dirty my blog with it, it's just dominated my December) but it's making me feel like just throwing in the towel. I've tried ALL DAY to get this post up and I just can't feel all perky and excited about anything at the moment, let alone shoes. I just feel like 'what's the point in putting my watermark on' and further: I don't want to keep putting up my photography for free so someone else on staff at Elle or somewhere else can just swoop down like a falcon and steal my baby birds from my nest and laugh at me when I say that's so unfair.

Whew. Rant over. Feel better. Not really, but I'm visiting our lovely friend Major Bobby in the hospital and I need to put on a smile.

The reason for this shoe post is I was thinking about what someone commented recently in regards to how we dress ('purple reign') - and now I can't find who it was to credit them! - about starting with the shoes and working their way up from there. Something like that.




These were all shot either at Next's Style Challenge day last week, or at Shini's place the night before. We all fell in love with one pair or other of the Next shoes: I've already used some of my voucher to buy the ones I chose, the Two Part Knot Sandals in black (£46) - we tended to fall into two camps, the ones who chose nude, as Jen did, above, and the ones who chose black - but other favourites were the Raffia Criss Cross sandals for £38, and the Tan Colour Block Loafers (such a pedestrian name for such an elegant shoe) at £45, below:






So many more looks I'd like to show you, but if you want to see each blogger's style challenge results (including me looking particularly unstylish and rather bottom heavy - I was wearing my jeans over leggings and they were six sizes too large) simply click here.

I totally forgot my point but the gist of it is: when in doubt, I start with the shoes and work my way up from there. It's amazing what a good pair of heels can do to lift a girl's spirits.

How's YOUR day going so far? Thank you to Jennifer, The Style Crusader, for posing for this post. I really hope it doesn't end up on Spanish Elle's blog. Again.