Which will you wear this Christmas?

As the end of November sneaks up on us, Christmas parties and nights out with the girls are on our minds. If you want some gorgeous shoes - quality, limited edition, amazing value - take a look at what Shoes Galore have on offer.

You can see me at the Cromwell House Hotel in Stevenage (Sun 22nd) or the Three Horseshoes in Norton (Thurs 26th). On 27th & 28th November, plus the 2nd December, I have private parties - so the chances are stocks are going to sell out quickly!

If you see something you like, better get in touch soon, or you will be disappointed.

Arriving tomorrow!

And that's just a sample!

Autumn colour trends

I get to see the Shoes Galore new season range in less than a week, which I am very excited about. I've had a sneak preview of a couple of styles in photos and they are delicious!

So what colours are we talking about to be on trend this season?

Like last year, purple is a key trend. Almost any shade of purple is going to work, from dusky darks to rich royals. Alongside purple, we have rich reds - ruby, cherry and all those colours that evoke decadence and royalty.

But just because those are the real vogue colours, don't feel you are limited to them. The days of having to slavishly follow the fashion magazines are long gone, and you can choose to express your own style too!

Natural Born Style Confidence

My 3 year old daughter is inspiring. I don't know if I was ever like her, but she is now my official style icon.

Let's deal with the clothing first. She puts together outfits with decisiveness and conviction, never caring that other people may find her choices somewhat unusual. My favourite was the sparkly party dress, with a Tshirt over the top ("Mummy, I knew you would tell me that I would be too cold") and a swimsuit over all of that. Yes, you read it right - a swimsuit. And she just knew she looked fabulous.

Today I was at a meeting with my partner in Little Luxuries, when my phone rang. It was my husband, and he sounded nervous.

"Um, while I was in the garden the 3 year old brought me a toy saucepan full of hair. Her hair."

I confess that I giggled. "How much hair?" I asked.

"Um..I don't think it is too bad, but you'll need to take a look," he hedged.

On returning home and viewing the results, I found that my daughter's once shoulder-blade tickling locks were now mostly jaw length. Mostly is an important word in that sentence. There were several sections that were still long. I gently enquired about whether she required my services to tidy up her new style.

"No Mummy. I cut the bits I didn't want anymore, and the long bits that are left are the bits I do want."

Perfect! And you know, she rocks that hacked-by-a-3-year-old look! I'm not going to force her to let me neaten it all up, because she planned her look and she loves it. Unconventional it may be, but if we all had her style confidence, wouldn't we be happier in our skins instead of worrying about what other people were thinking?

I frequently meet women who tell me that they love the pink shoes (or purple or green - you get the idea) but that they "just aren't me". Rubbish! Next time you are inhibited by style convention, think of my daughter, with her uneven hair cut and her swimsuit over her dress. I truly hope she never loses that creativity and confidence - and neither should you!

It happens, get on with life

Today I was at 4 Networking Stevenage, helping to run the group as usual. I felt great, there were great people there and I was wearing a gorgeous dress with my cherry red heels. All was well with the world...

Until the zip at the side of the dress - the one that runs from armpit to hip - broke. You know, when the two sides of the zip part company with each other and you can't make them meet up again...

Luckily I was wearing a camisole underneath, so it wasn't completely revealing, but hardly the image I wanted!

In situations like that, what else can you do? Nothing really was on show that shouldn't have been, I was decent and the only problem was my sense of dignity. The options were to leave abruptly, to borrow a jacket from someone else or to just carry on.

I chose to patch it up as best as I could with the single tiny safety pin available and carry on with as much grace as I could. I believe that was right decision and allowed me to continue networking and to demonstrate a confidence that (perhaps) I wasn't feeling! I certainly wasn't going to allow it to interfere with my day.

Still, I expect they'll all remember who I am! And compared to Lily Allen, I was demure!




Actually, I think my gorgeous Shoes Galore shoes draw the attention from the gaping dress anyway. Hee hee.

Wow! I want some of those!

I just got a sneaky peek of one of next season's styles, and I am lusting after them already. Our new Managing Director, Vivienne, has a real eye for a stunning piece of footwear - I can't wait to see the rest of the new range!

I should have my Autumn/Winter range in stock by mid September, so book your party now, because then you'll get the biggest range of sizes and colours to choose from. Only 36 of each colour are comissioned, so when they are gone, they are gone! When you own a pair of Shoes Galore shoes, you have a limited edition, high quality piece of design, at a price that the high street could never match.

That's why I love being The Shoe Lady!

Colour Clash - think shoes and bags!

Clashing colours are a big trend this summer, but lots of women find the whole idea daunting. After years of carefully co-ordinating your outfits and accessories, how do you find the confidence to break the rules? When you get it wrong, this look can appear as though you are just wearing random items of clothing. Get it right and you'll look bang on trend and very "high end". So ease yourself into it - don't aim for a total clash-up all in one go.

This is where colourful shoes and bags can take you to fashion heaven! You no longer have to think "navy shoes need a navy bag", and discreet is no longer "street"! With Shoes Galore's ranges you can add funky colour without being overwhelmed. When you have more confidence, you can branch out and really live the look!

How about a pair of these? It doesn't matter which colour you go for, they're all bright and breezy. Wear them with skinny jeans, or with a more tailored look, and they'll work a treat. Colour is easy to wear on your feet, as it isn't a big scary block of brightness! Don't forget, you're not trying to match them to your T shirt - just put them on your feet and feel like a fashionista!


Then you need a bag. Big bold bags are still the thing, so once again, pick a colour and you're ready to go! These are stunning, whichever option you choose. I was talking about colourful handbags with women at a shoe party this week, and we all agreed that it is great to be able to find your purse and phone inside them - with a black bag they just tend to be camouflaged!



Try the trend for yourself. It's a fun look that doesn't need to be scary!

No more bad hair days!

I have always had a love/hate relationship with my hair. When I love it, I feel on top of the world. Whe I hate it I want to hide under the duvet. The trouble is, to everyone else, there is no visible difference between the two! (It drives my husband nuts). So I was very interested to find this site.

Wear My Hair has a great saying -

Be who you want to be now and wake up yourself again tomorrow!

How fantastic! You mean I can have long blonde hair today and go back to my reddish crop in the morning? You mean I can be an outrageous vamp on my night out and tomorrow the office won't have a clue? I could get into this!

There is a huge range of styles and colours. My favourite is Tilly - I can imagine myself as a flame-haired temptress! Since my own hair never looks any good once it gets past my shoulders, this may be my only chance to try it.

Of course, for some women hairloss is a genuine issue, either through medical treatment or illness. In 1981 when my Mum lost her hair through cancer treatment, wigs were nothing like this! What a confidence boost they would have been for her.

Prices seem very reasonable too - from just £55. I have spent more than that on a salon cut and colour before, and of course this style won't grow out!

Do let me know if you buy one - I'd love to see some pictures too!

In a lather - 2009 Soap Awards

The 2009 British Soap Awards. I admit, I'm not a soap fan and many of the "stars" could be next to me on the train and I would have no clue who they were. But as always, there are shoe lessons to be learned from a red carpet event, so I have been taking a close look at what was on show.


Top marks for colour creativity go to Samia Smith from Coronation Street. Her brave combining of aegian blue with lilac works because she is restrained with her accessories. She looks sophisticated and fresh, with a twist of individualty. Her lilac peep toes heels are a grown up choice without being boring. I like the twist detail at the front.

I'm a bit worried about Hollyoaks' Ashley Slanina-Davies. She looks like she could disappear at any moment. I know that some women are naturally very slim, and perhaps she is one of them (I have never watched Hollyoaks, this is the first time I have seen Ashley). She has a gorgeous face that her pixie crop is just right for. But I'm not convinced by the strapless dress. Maybe it is the position she has been photographed in, but I am not a fan of bones. The black shoes are very heavy in style and just serve to accentuate her petite frame. This may have been the idea, but I feel they are too much for her to carry off.

Another Hollyoaks person now. Hollie-Jay Bowes steps out of the wild west saloon for a night at the awards, in what can only be described as unflattering shoes. The black, the platform, the ankle strap - maybe on someone else, but I'm afraid they are not working here. Ankle straps can be very elegant, but if your ankles are anything less than delicate you should probably stay clear, unless you are wearing an ankle-skimming skirt or trousers. On Hollie-Jay they make her legs look short and chunky, which is a shame, as I don't think they really are.

Another person with the black shoe blues is Kym Marsh. I can't bring myself to comment on her dress, but here is a perfect lesson for all of you who believe that black shoes go with everything. They go with Kym's hair and her ankle tattoo - is that the kind of co-ordination we want? The style of the shoe definitely accentuates Kym's killer pins, but I can't understand why she chose black. Shades of blue, silver, gold, bgronze...so many options. Lack of confidence in combining colours can kill your outfit!

Kara Tointon from Eastenders went for complete co-ordination, with her dress, bag and shoes all in the same soft gold tone. The fluffy skirt is an interesting idea that is probably only an option on the red carpet (and I do think it gives her far bigger hips than she actually owns!), but the outfit works because the colours really do match. Her shoes seem to be scrunching her toes slightly at the peep toe, but that's just me looking for faults!




Now, it's time for Gladiator School. No, we're not picking up spears and shields, I just want to show you how to wear them - and how not to! They are still a big fashion trend this year and there were a few pairs in evidence at the awards. Let's look at how not to do it:
Saira Choudhrey from Hollyoaks looks every inch the star...until you get to her knees! I'm afraid a dress that finished below her knees would have flattered more, but look at those glads! She has them so tight that you can see the straps digging into her flesh. That is not a good look.

So here's someone who got it right: Zoe Lister, also from Hollyoaks, looks amazing in her fun and flirty yellow dress and glads that fit! Her legs appear to go on for ever, and this a look that mere mortals could carry off too! So Zoe wins the Shoe Lady Style Award for this event!

I've said it before, and it definitely bears repeating - you may not have the cash to splash or a personal stylist, but if you know a few simple tips you can look stylish and pulled together on a very small budget. Avoid some of the mistakes here and try something new - because the Shoe Lady knows you're going to look amazing!

Red carpet style for everyone!

When you have a special occasion, you want to make an great impression, right? And we know that the devil is in the detail - a knockout dress needs the right accessories. You and I may have a budget to stick to, but for celebs on the red carpet, this goes out of the window - many outfits are borrowed. So how did they do at the BAFTAs this year?


Here's Michelle Collins, looking amazing for her age (I'm around that age, I'm allowed to say that!). Her dress shows toned arms, her hair is soft and glossy...I just think the whole thing is too, well, black! She has red earrings and a red bracelet, but the high neck of the dress with the big handbag and heavy shoes is just too much. Red and black can look stunning, but it doesn't have the Wow Factor here. A different highlight colour, carried through to the shoes would have had more personality. Maybe even a less obvious red - more of a garnet colour would have worked.

Next up we have Joanna Page. She looks young and fresh, which certainly matches her image. I wonder though whether she really wants to perpetuate that or whether she would like to market herself for some more grown up roles? The dress is pretty, though not very daring in black. She just about pulls it off against her pale colouring. Joanna's sandals are the epitome of understatement, certainly in photos looking nude. On someone as young and fresh-looking as Joanna this works, but it can be an aging look, so beware!


Gina McKee looks absolutely stunning in this green satin gown, I absolutely love it. Her clutch bag is understated and elegant. She has taken a brave step and chosen deep red sandals, which echo her lip colour. They have a platform sole, making them easier to wear. The only thing that I would change is the shoe size - if you look carefully at the foot bearing her weight, her toe is overhanging the front of the shoe. But this is, I admit, nitpicking!




Next we have model Karolina Kurkova (image - Getty). Well, I suppose if I was a model I would also rock this dress! Stunning, stunning stunning! And look at those silver gladiators! They fit like a dream, they are elegant and accentuate her enviable ankles. Really, I'm not jealous at all.


And here comes Thandie Newton (image - Daniel Deme, EPA) looking cute and sassy in a vintage frock and strappy sandals. Most women would give in to the urge to add a choker, but Thandie (or her stylist) knows that less is more! Even her gold bangle is a subtle tone. She lets that stunning dress and her petite frame do the talking! Her shoes are in perfect proportion to the dress, and complete the vintage look. I really think she has got it right.

The interesting thing about the outfits and shoes on show is that you cannot pick out any one trend. It demonstrates that style is personal rather than something to be dictated to us by the Fashion Gods (whoever they are!). The things I love, you may hate, and vice versa.

Shoes Galore celebrates this difference. If you have a special event coming up - wedding, christening, prom - then you should take a look at our range of occasion shoes. They look high end - but the price tags realistic! Red carpet style for everyone, that's what I preach!

Ready and waiting!

This morning we had blue sky and sunshine. The shoots are appearing on all sorts of things in the garden - flowering currant, honeysuckle, amelanchier. I was singing a happy tune and looking forward to skipping through the blossom in my gorgeous new summer shoes.

But outside my window now I see grey skies. You know the colour of nothingness when it is feeling miserable? Yeah, that's the one. It is pretty chilly too, so much so that 2 jumpers and sitting next to a hot radiator isn't preventing my from shivering. Do I think flip flops or peep toes are appropriate footwear today? No way!

But I do think it's a good thing to be ready for when the weather does warm up. (It can't be long now, surely?) There's nothing worse than realising that spring has sprung and you have nothing but winter boots and woolly jumpers to wear!

So get planning, and get ready! If you've lived in jeans or boots all winter, review the leg-hair situation; the same applies to underarms, because when you peel off those layers you need to know what's lurking there! Book a pedicure and get your feet ready for the more revealing foot fashions of spring and summer. No more tights to hide your flakey feet!

Check over last year's sandals and you may find that they are a bit tattier than you remember. Did they get a bit mucky on that end-of-season stroll on the beach? Did you try to hold onto the summer season a little too long and trash them in the mud of autumn? That's why I've already introduced some summer styles to my Shoes Galore range - so you can be ready when the sun does come out. My diary is getting pretty full, so don't hang about!

The disappointment of Oscars fashion

So it's all over for another year, and everyone is picking over the frocks and the frills. But do you know what I'm upset about? That in most pictures you can't see the shoes! Who knows what's going on under Miley Cyrus's big pouffey dress? I reckon she's wearing scuffed-up trainers! And stand up straight girl! I really don't understand why commentators are raving about this dress. To me it is over the top, lacking class and too old for her.

Anyway, back to the shoes...

It can be a challenge to find shoes to complement a long gown, especially when the gown is a real statement piece. Do you go for statement shoes? A contrast colour? Or do you try to tone your shoes in and let the dress do the talking?

I've scanned the pics and picked out all the shots I can find which show the shoes, and my overall opinion is that Hollywood ladies need some shoe advice urgently!

Take this one: Lara Spencer, a TV host from the USA. Her dress is beautiful - demure but sexy and an attention-catching navy blue. The sparkling trim raises it from matronly to marvellous...but those shoes! No, no, no! Firstly, the silver stands out too much and draws your eye from her beautiful figure and smile. But from what we can see from the style of the shoe, they are too heavy and, well - clumpy. There you are in an elegant, chiffon dress - why would you put great big heavy shoes with it? What a shame.

Next up? Virginia Madsen, an actress with a string of film credits to her name, but possibly not anything you would admit to having seen. Now, she's looking pretty hot for a woman born before me (!) and she obviously wants to show off those sandals...I can see that she wants the dress to do the talking, so her shoes are more subtle, but with a split like that, the shoes need more pizazz. They may be designer label (I'm not getting into that in this posting), but she looks like she rushed home from the beach and forgot to change her sandals when she wriggled into her gown.

Amanda Seyfried (from Mamma Mia!) went the other way. Her sandals are too dark for her dress, and too detailed to sit well with that statement dress.

Now maybe it's not fair to comment on the non-celebs, but this one can't go without comment. Danny Glover is accompanied by a lady who obviously feels she is too tall. Fair enough, and she scores points for making a feature of her striking silver hair. But am I alone in thinking those shoes look like something you'd buy for £9.99 in Shoe Zone?

So how should you do it? Well, ignore the dress (let everyone else slag it off, I don't think it was the worst thing on show on the red carpet), but Heidi Klum has the right idea with her shoes. They match the dress, so don't distract from it, but they aren't so insipid that they underwhelm you. It's a difficult balancing act to pull off, but I really think Heidi does it.

Beware though - matching shoes and dress won't always save you. I confess, I don't know who these people are (please leave a comment if you can help), but that black dress swamps her and the clumpy black shoes do not add anything in the elegance stakes. She looks happy though!

Finally, despite all the criticism of her flesh-toned top, I really love Tilda Swinton's shoes. They are just right for the outfit - quirky, stylish and beautifully proportioned. I know I usually say that black shoes are the coward's option, but these work.

Shoes for a special occasion can be a minefield, and having endless pots of money doesn't mean you always get it right. However, with some thought and the chance to try on a range of styles and colours your shoes can enhance your outfit rather than ruin it.

Please note, to respect copyright, I have linked to the pictures rather than including them directly. I know the blog looks less exciting, but it was the right thing to do!

Who is the Shoe Lady?

The Shoe Lady (also known as Lisa) is me! I'm the Mum of 2 girls, aged almost 7 and completely 3 and I live in Letchworth Garden City in North Hertfordshire. I am a woman of many parts, which you will come to know through this blog, but I'm called the Shoe Lady because I spend a great deal of my time visiting women's homes and offices with my travelling shoe boutique.

That's right, I'm a Shoes Galore consultant, the UK's first and best shoe party company! What could be better than a night in with your mates trying on fabulous shoes in fabulous colours? I get a buzz out of every event I attend, because people have so much fun.

But this blog isn't just a sales pitch for my shoes! It's about family, style and living in North Herts. It's about the trials and triumphs of running a small business and it's about all the bits of life and experience that come in between. I expect there'll be a lot of cookery related stuff, some things about charity shops & a whole load of comments about shopping.

I hope you enjoy the ride!