100 shoes in 100 days

If I had to chose just one pair of heels from my closet to keep it would probably be these. Actually, they are starting to look a little worn on the sides so maybe these when they were new?

Gucci canvas and bamboo striped pumps with stacked wood stiletto heels. Cruise collection 2005. An absolutely perfect 7cm heel that looks fancy but also very down to earth.

I wore these shoes relentlessly in London. For work, for partying, for travelling. At a glance they look good as new, the secret is wiping them on the inside with hand disinfectant and the outside with a cloth dampened with carpet cleaner after every use!

Continuing to take advantage of the cooler weather to go through boots, boots and more boots.

Heading to Copenhagen this evening. Possibly did not wear the best choice for travel. I’ve run around all day lugging an overnight bag in these; just a little too high and just a little too uncomfortable. And a little too warm. Also a little ridiculous since they are essentially a pair of cowboy boots with a leather bow on them.

When you’re earning the equivalent of 20.000 GBP a year any luxury item of clothing purchased takes on a new level of importance.

Also the concept of luxury item is very relative. I remember walking into Whistles on the Kings Road and buying these boots on a whim. Not because I needed them, not because another pair had been won out and needed replacing, but just because I wanted them. In hindsight, I’m not even sure they were really that expensive but to me at the time they felt like the most decadent buy ever.

Turns out I really didn’t need them as they have been worn about 10 times in total. It’s all about perspective.

You haven’t really lived until you’ve taken the express elevator to the shoe floor at Saks (5th avenue NY).

My deep enjoyment of this mechanic marvel is perhaps a little over the top but there is something rather magical about the one button and the ping as the doors open. Just about every luxury shoe brand you can imagine, soft music in the background and a fleet of helpful shop assistants at your beck and call.

Baby K #1 loved to hang out in his stroller and slept like a log if we were out in public, but woke up the second we came home so I spent many a rainy and cold day in department stores.

The best thing about being something of a regular is that you start to get recognised, and just a little bit of special treatment. When the 70% sale hit  Saks these brown Chanel biker boots were discretely saved in the back room for me. You did hear me say 70% off, right?!

Sunday, raining, spent most of the day indoors but did need to go to the shops and to pick up my 93 year old grandmother to bring her to ours for dinner.

Would have opted for sneakers but I’m running a little low in options. Marc by Matc Jacobs ballerinas didn’t look right, neither did a pair of black Gucci car shoes from a back alley outlet in London. It’s perfectly normal to go to the shops in black platform pumps, right?

Today I had a temporary lapse in my motherly duties. Eurovision is in town and my very good Aussie friend Guy is here to support and represent his home country.

Hopped on my scooter to meet up with Guy and Co. In the Eurovision village in Kungsträdgården. five bottles of champagne and a whole lot of paparazzi moments later and I am not only convinced that Oz will win but have also totally forgotten that I have a family.
Considered wearing something super glitzy but the cold weather got the better of me. Very good boots though…

On a normal day, taking the bike to school would naturally mean sneakers of some sort. But not now. This spring is all about challenges and so I choose my least ridiculous pair of heels.

Tory Burch to the rescue again and this time with a pair of black wedges from last years winter sale at NK that go with everything. When I travel for work I try to do the impossible to keep my luggage down to carry-on size. If I only have space for one pair of shoes these are the ones. Equally appropriate for fancy dinners as they are for holding workshops with Spanish bankers and apparently they work on a mild workout as well.

Thank you Tory Burch!

When I grew up in Spain in the 1980s, it was perfectly normal for a middle class family to have a regular seamstress and a couple times a year Rosita showed up at our house to hem, alter and adjust. My mother would dust off her sowing machine and for a day the kitchen would be filled with the humming of the machine, piles of fabric – and Rosita.

She fascinated me; her harsh voice and sharp tongue were entertaining and a little scary at the same time. There was a very clear protocoll involved; The house was expected without fail to provide a full three course meal at lunchtime, and we children were expected to provide total obedience and attention.

Another thing that was perfectly normal in Spain was having shoes made to measure. In the back streets above Plaza de Castilla is the very unassuming Calzados Resan. Displayed with no classification whatsoever amidst boxes of boxes, it´s a bit of a scramble to find the right shoe. But once it´s done the magic begins. Length after length of suede, leather and fabric are produced to make your shoe very much your own creation. The shoemaker argues, sketches, haggles, a price is agreed upon and a few days later it´s pick-up time. The craziest thing – the price. Well below the cost of a designer shoe or even a high-street brand.

Today I´m wearing a moc-croc black pump with a regretably early 2000´s pointy toe. Perfectly good quality though!