RETURNING SHAMEFACED

Hola! After a week of lazily sunning myself poolside then partying it down in Spain, and a day or two to recover from my immense tiredness, I have returned to the arid desert that is my blog. I hope not all readers have cast their anchors and abandoned ship, as I have no more holidays planned... for now.

To the subject at hand, Spanish is undoubtedly one of the least style-orientated countries I have ever visited, but there were a fair few pairs of silk patterned hammer pants circulating the cities, perhaps the Mediterranean alternative to the oh so attractive British white linen trouser.

Just a re-introduction really, I would share holiday snaps but nobody needs to see me either in a bikini, nor jumping around in a drunken manner and dancing on tables, perhaps the only girls who bothered to don heels. No offence if you are a Stylish Spaniard, hats off to you for powering through the multitudes of fashion tragedies!

Some of my favourite sandals, Proenza Schouler, Balmain and Givenchy.

P.S. I need a new candidate for the Secret Life quiz. Email camillashoeshine@live.co.uk your answers to the questions posed in previous posts.

SECRET LIFE QUIZ: Nadia of We Were Damsels

The first guest answers are here, and I am jetting off to the oh so glamorous Majorca for a cheap, boozy holiday to celebrate the end of the tiresome and wearing boredom of College, exams, and certainties in my life.

These answers are of Nadia, one half of those incredibly coiffured and cheek-boned Damsels in something less than distress. If you haven't checked out their blog, you should definitely get over there and lose yourself in their incredible style and witty wording. And now for her response!

WHEN I WAS A CHILD I WANTED TO BE... really young ? an ice skater

MY GREATEST INSPIRATION... in life ? other people .

MY STYLE ICON...Charlotte Gainsbourg, Victoria Beckham . Amy Winehouse.

THE SHOP I CAN'T WALK PAST... Hmm any thrift store

A BOOK THAT CHANGED ME...Crime and Punishment and the hours also the short story THE WALL by Sartre

THE LAST ALBUM I BOUGHT... Bibio Ambivalence avenue

THE PERSON WHO REALLY MAKES ME LAUGH... my BF , My friend Cathy and Laritza

IT'S NOT FASHIONABLE BUT I LIKE... ripped tights and cigarettes

MY FAVOURITE ITEM OF CLOTHING... Don't have one , my shoes are my faves

MY FAVOURITE PAIR OF SHOES... no way can i ever choose

THE ITEM I WEAR AGAIN AND AGAIN... bleach jeans and my ck flannel shirt

YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IT BUT I'M GOOD AT... cleaning. astrology ?

ALL MY MONEY GOES ON... shoes , saving for my rebel

MY MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION IS... hmmmmmmm? dunno

MY FAVOURITE PLACE IS... SOY a restaurant

MOVIE HEAVEN... The Hours , Beautiful Mind , Rudo y Cursi

I WISH I'D NEVER WORN... anything from 12-15 yrs of age

MY LIFE IN SIX WORDS...high, low , depressing , interesting ,crazy ,and funny

See y'all in a week!

THE SECRET LIFE QUIZ...

I will be asking bloggers to complete this for me and then will post it on my blog, rather than them posting it on theirs. Please email me your own answers to these questions on camillashoeshine@live.co.uk along with your name and blog address, and I will post it on this blog. I will complete it first to start it off and provide the questions.

WHEN I WAS A CHILD I WANTED TO BE... my sister, and a writer.
MY GREATEST INSPIRATION... in writing, Donna Tartt and the Canonical texts.
MY STYLE ICON... Kate Moss, Emanuelle Alt, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, Rachael McAdams.
THE SHOP I CAN'T WALK PAST... Topshop, 'Magic', the vintage shop in my town, and charity shops. Waterstones.
A BOOK THAT CHANGED ME... Donna Tartt's the Secret History, and Hamlet.
THE LAST ALBUM I BOUGHT... Paolo Nutini: Sunny Side Up, and the Maccabees: Wall of Arms.
THE PERSON WHO REALLY MAKES ME LAUGH... Michael McIntyre, the writers of Green Wing and The Mighty Boosh.
IT'S NOT FASHIONABLE BUT I LIKE... BIG woolly jumpers and tramping around the countryside in wellies.
MY FAVOURITE ITEM OF CLOTHING... my Sequinned Jacket, but possibly soon the leather jacket I'm getting for my birthday.
MY FAVOURITE PAIR OF SHOES... My H&M Wedges, and all of them really, universally.
THE ITEM I WEAR AGAIN AND AGAIN... at the moment, my grey Roisin Murphy for fashion against aids body/leotard.
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IT BUT I'M GOOD AT... Writing... erm, housework?
ALL MY MONEY GOES ON... clothes/shoes/alcohol.
MY MOST VAUABLE POSSESSION IS... A ring and a desk I inherited.
MY FAVOURITE PLACE IS... anywhere in a book, watching the sun rise.
MOVIE HEAVEN... The Notebook, Forrest Gump.
I WISH I'D NEVER WORN... a green 'Laura' dress for topshop, and a brown maxi-skirt... not together, but still hiiiideous.
MY LIFE IN SIX WORDS... Drunkenly, headily dancing through life's challenges.

JANE ALDRIDGE

A variation on "WHAT the Dickens?" was my first and foulmouthed reaction to the fact that Jane Aldridge, seventeen year old blogger and owner of shit hot shoes probably collectively worth more than my house, had collaborated with Urban Outfitters to design a shoe collection. I mean, she's younger than me! Although she has illustrated talent it is noticeably lifted from her Prada boots and her Ann Demulemeesters, but that's no bad thing, as in the same way Kate Moss lifter her ideas for her first Topshop collection from her own wardrobe.

On the actual shoes, despite the fact I think of peep-toe boots as an abhorration and I don't tend to consider knee length boots as incredibly unflattering on my figure, the boots are actually quite nice, and I love the tongue detailing as it just above the rest of the boot (although I would never, ever buy them because I HATE PEEP TOE BOOTS). They really remind me of her Prada booties. The flats are sweet and the Demulemeester-esque lacing makes them more interesting than any plain black ballet flats, but I can't help but thing of black leather flats as an inherently schooly item. Especially with laces. The gladiators are 'fierce' and ever so Balmain, and I kinda love them but just WISH they had a platform! I have to say generally I like them and take my hat off to her for doing something so amazing at such a young age. Anyway, there isn't much more to say about them and although you've probably seen them on her blog, I will re-post the images here.

NOTE: IF ANYBODY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN A BLOGGER 'SURVEY' OR, MORE APT, QUESTIONNAIRE I WOULD BE HUGELY GRATEFUL SO EITHER COMMENT ME OR SEND ME AN EMAIL TO CAMILLASHOESHINE@LIVE.CO.UK AND I WILL EMAIL THE QUESTIONS TO YOU. THANKS A BUNDLE.

IN REAL LIFE

PROUST quiz, lifted and thrifted from 4TH AND BLEEKER

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF PERFECT HAPPINESS? Watching the sun rise, reading a book in my attic bedroom while listening to the rain drumming and drumming on the velux windows, writing, writing, writing. Buying shoes and watching the notebook. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR? Complete and utter loneliness, and having thin hair. WHAT IS THE TRAIT YOU MOST DEPLORE IN YOURSELF? My lack of drive in life, my obsessive shopping, and my innate and inescapable ability to mess up or taint everything beautiful. WHAT IS THE TRAIT YOU MOST DEPLORE IN OTHERS? Misogyny, The judgementality of people's attitude to life, and the complete lack of respect some people have for humanity, beauty and other people's happiness. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE? The way I choose to dress, drink, eat and live life to the fullest. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT STATE OF MIND? Listless, relieved and happy somewhere deep down. ON WHAT OCCASION DO YOU LIE? When I lie to myself, otherwise I'm annoyingly frank and moral. WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR APPEARANCE? Sometimes the look in my eyes, I have a love/hate relationship with my scars, and the size of my stomach. WHICH LIVING PERSON DO YOU MOST DESPISE? BNP voters and whoever initiated the idea of peep-toe-boots. WHAT IS THE QUALITY DO YOU MOST LIKE IN A MAN? Complete loveliness, genuineness and being able to instigate and crack a really good smile; the ability to make themselves the centre of my universe. WHAT QUALITY DO YOU MOST LIKE IN A WOMAN? Complete loveliness, reliability and the ability to make me forget the bad things in the world. WHICH WORDS OR PHRASES DO YOU MOST OVERUSE? 'Oh, man!', 'I nearly died', 'It's SUCH a good book' WHICH TALENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE? The ability to read minds, I would be able to choose to turn it on and off. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT? My self, my life, my writing. WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION? My sequined jacket, my dogs, my diamond ring I was given when I was a bridesmaid. WHAT DO YOU MOST VALUE IN FRIENDS? That they always make me smile, that I can have SO much fun with them, that I don't have to pretend to be somebody else around them, that I can trust them, and that they can see through people's flaws and love them anyway. WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS? Donna Tartt, Oscar Wilde, Byron... writers whose work has changed me somehow. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Life is too important to be taken seriously.

ON THE LOSS OF A SHOE.

STUMBLING in at some unGodly hour in the morning and falling into bed, only to realise when waking up no more than two hours after you first fell asleep that not only did you lose your rather expensive telelphone but also your purse the night before. But you still smile; at the heady summer evening, at the romantic prospects, at your incredible friends, at dancing the night away. And, optimistic about life and the world, you skip downstairs almost merrily, if not slightly queasily...

Only to realise the dog and it's six week old puppies have teamed up and meticulously destroyed your second-favourite and almost daily-worn shoes.

It may well be good to be you, but it is NOT good to be them right now!

AN ELEGY; ON THE LOSS OF A SHOE.

OH, Golden shoes,

I will miss you,

and the blisters on my toes,

and the glitter on the soles

of my feet.

OH, Glittery shoes,

How I loved you,

And the clicking soud you made,

and the way you caught the rays

of the sun.

IN LOVING MEMORY

ENVY

OK, I love my shoes. They aren't very plentiful, nor very good quality, but they serve me well and make my life a little more bearable and beatiful. Granted, a little more painful on top of that. Sometimes, though, I gaze at my shoe collection and feel a pang of discontent at it's meagre nature and the fact that it could be so much more... and I find myself just hating those people, those people who have jobs and lots of money, or just lots of money, and incredible shoe collections. I know it isn't the key to happiness, but money is important in the modern world. I know I say 'those people', and I mean those people like Jane Aldridge, who is younger than me and has better shoes that I could possibly ever hope for. People like Rumi, like Karla and the like, most of all Hanh, of Life in Travel. Here are a few snapshots of her extensive, expensive shoe collection.

WARNING: Green eyes and transformation into a monstrosity possible/imminent.