TREAD-SETTERS: FROM DESIGNER TO HIGH STREET TO FINDING YOUR FIT

THE HIGH STREET CUT

For the girl who walks. From affordable to treat-yourself: The Tread-Setters.

Aldo – Dokter

London Hub Fashion Razor Heel Shuffle Boots Black

Zara – HIGH-HEEL LEATHER BOOTS

Dolce Vita Montreux Boots Rose Gold

Zara – Leather Cow-heel Boots with Ankle Trim

Zara – HIGH HEEL STRETCH LEATHER ANKLE BOOTS

Pretty Little Thing – NUDE HIGH BLOCK HEEL POINT ANKLE BOOT

Pretty Little Thing – WHITE KNEE HIGH BLOCK HEEL SOCK BOOT

Pretty Little Thing – BLACK THIGH HIGH SOCK BOOT

Pretty Little Thing – NUDE THIGH HIGH STILETTO BOOTS

THE DESIGNER CUT

Some beautiful shapes for you to feast your eyes on this morning, and day dream through your first hour of work – sorry… These were meant to be my knee and above collection of loves, but I couldn’t resist adding two or three ankle boots too.

Gucci – Platform boot with G rhombus

Gucci – Ribbed fabric platform boot

Gucci – Leather ankle boot

Jimmy Choo – Toni

Miu Miu – Leather Booties

Givenchy – Storm Over-The-Knee Sock Boots

Balenciaga – Embellished Knife Thigh High Boots 80

Alexander McQueen – Tread Lace Up Boot

Yves Saint Lauren – OPYUM LEATHER ANKLE BOOTS WITH BRONZE SNAKE HEEL

Yves Saint Lauren – 76 OVER-THE-KNEE BOOTS IN SMOOTH LEATHER

Yves Saint Lauren – 76 OVER-THE-KNEE BOOTS IN LEOPARD-PRINT SUEDE

Dior – ECRU NAUGHTILY-D BRAIDED CALFSKIN HIGH BOOT

Dior – BLACK NAUGHTILY-D FISHNET AND SUEDE HIGH BOOT

Louis Vuitton – Podium Platform High Boot

Louis Vuitton – Podium Platform High Boot

Louis Vuitton – Silhouette Ankle Boot

Louis Vuitton – Silhouette Ankle Boot

Louis Vuitton – Silhouette Ankle Boot

Louis Vuitton – Silhouette Thigh Boot

FINDING YOUR FIT

I’ve had a few conversations with women recently, and we all have had similar issues and I think, before we’ve spoken about it, we’ve all felt like we are the only ones with this problem: that boots… no… clothes(!) …don’t always fit! They may fit on the foot but not the calf, or the thigh but not the foot, or the waist but not the legs or the boobs but not the tum etc. etc., you get the point.

In short, we are not the problem.

The problem is that mass-produced, ready-to-wear garments are fitted to an average, a calculation that is, at best, neeearly right, for most of us. I repeat, at best. The human body is unique, like our DNA, like our fingerprints, and, suffice to say, it would be mad to think we all have the same ratio in calf size to thigh size to foot size etc etc.

But …we make do, because most of us are loath to fork out the couture figures $$$$ and sacrifice eating out (or just eating at all) for figure-fitting cloth.

Before I begin, just letting you know that I haven’t spoken in terms of size as a number, just because I really feel like it can be triggering for a lot of us, and can even make us rate ourselves according to some nonsensical idea of self-worth-to-size ratio… Made up by who? The media, and even by the fashion houses we all know and love …and then consumed, hungrily, by none other than …ourselves. Sadly.

Anyway, here we go. This is a quick quick guide to online shopping for boots!

APHRODITE’S

You may often find it hard to get the zipper up, maybe when it gets to the top of your calf, or your ankle. Look for a wider, stiffer material, especially ones that are made to have a gap at the top of the boot, these will be the snuggest, most comfortable fit for you. Stretches could be a bit tricky especially in PVC, but, again, trust your intuition, and look at the picture.

https://www.zando.co.za/public-desire-public-desire-thriller-boots-black-patent-166733.html

ATHENA’S

You may often find that thigh high, or even knee-high boots slide down your legs, or the shape looks a bit odd because your legs don’t feel like they are encapsulated properly in the fit, and maybe the sides of the material bulge out, and not in a good way… For you, the best bet would be to look for stretch fits rather than stiff material, as these are made on the less bulky side. Always take into account the picture on the model and assess by eyes, we usually know ourselves better than we think. Also, have a deeper dive into product details, they may even have measurements included if they are really On, and then it’s up to you to get your tape measure out!

https://www.zando.co.za/ego-ego-addicted-stilleto-long-boots-black-17721.html

Always check the returns policy, and the small print, just in case, and factor in the postal, to return if they don’t fit right.

And, if all else fails, ankle boots usually work for all of us 😉

Next blog: Hottest Boots Online (Right Now) For All Budgets

XOXO

JJ

Mauritius …impressions

Sometimes it’s easier to write in hindsight, when your view is clearer, and you aren’t still giddy from the swell of it.

Mauritius,

To begin with, the first thing I noticed was how clean you were. How hot and humid the air was. Taking me back to my childhood. To the first time I stepped off a plane onto Hong Kong soil.

You felt exotic. Like potential. Palm trees of every species perched precariously from concrete blocks in well-lined islands of the sterile airport.

You felt like a place where one could walk freely and calmly around brightly-lit areas at night.

Safe.

This was a new feeling, having spent a year back home, in South Africa, where, unbeknownst to the conscious mind, one is always aware of what’s around the corner.

We began our journey at night, through the windy sea-hugging roads in deepest-dream darkness.

We chose to stay in a lesser populated side of the island, having heard and read a lot, and wanting to find morsels of ‘authenticity’, whatever that means, and to feel the island’s beneath.

The things I remember most are:

The Water – the temperature, oh so heavenly, rocking you like a lullaby, as you lay back in shades of turquoise-green. The colours changing so shockingly as the sun dips in and out, and the days turn over and the weather lazily chooses whether it will be cyclonic storms or shady clouds or postcard blues.

The Animals – the wealth of fauna took me back to the seaside town I was born in and flashed memories I’d forgot I knew about, bringing up a nostalgia and childhood longing. The big croaky frogs on the humid steps at twilight greeted us like Faraway Tree creatures, with the childlike feeling that fairies might be peeking out mischievously from a nearby glen. Snails …everywhere. Just like in Hong Kong. So many that we spent the beginning of a before-the-rain evening picking them up off the gravelly, rural roads. Bats. Wide-winged, high-flying, moonlit creatures of the night, swooping across sunsets, and the sea. These are the things that coloured my stay in shades, no, feelings of warm, bright, orangey-pinks.

The Villages and The Community – late night festivals alongside the sea with brightly coloured tents and aromatic spices lingering in the air. Washing, and plants, still in their plastic cases, happily bobbing out of windows and hanging off balconies of paint-peeling primary-coloured houses. And everyone coming out at night. And the lights being off at night. All the houses gone blank, only one or two TV screens, glittering hazy pictures through roughly-curtained windows. And the blockades next to the beach, littered with people soaking up the evening’s rays. And picnics galore, not on the sand, but on the grass, under the umbrella of tall fir trees. And Tupperwares, everywhere, with what looked like hearty curries spooned into them, cooked from scratch, no doubt with sweat and love. And babies, galore. And little children running about. And laughter. And an atmosphere of celebration, every evening, as the sun’s rays crept down the sea.

The Dolphins – One of the most astounding feelings I’ve ever felt was diving into a pod of dolphins as they submerged in a triangular formation, ebbing rhythmically through crystal spheres of light, getting darker and darker as they plummeted into the depths of the sea. I can’t put it into words, but it felt something like being part of the beginning and the end and the in-between… Maybe it was the way they danced in unison …maybe it was the colours… Maybe it was something to do with a primal feeling, in deepest waters. I don’t know. It belittles it, but the closest I can get is… It felt like my heart and soul had overflowed into the sea.

Hope you are having a beautiful Thursday!!!

XO

JJ