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.

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

WEATHER OR NOT

I often harbour the perverse wish that summer wouldn't roll back around; my love for layering, trousers, knitwear, fur and boots is far too strong to be embodied for only six measly months per year, and to be hidden cruelly way for equally as long as that, crying out to be relived. I always seem to forget that in England, 'summer' does not mean lazy long evenings and floaty dresses, and although we sporadically relish this most of the time we require a lighter version of winter wear; boots are perfect for rain and snow, for November drizzle and the torrential bursting of summer storms mid-June. It is, in fact, raining as I type, which is what inspired me to write this post.

If I were able to afford any boots, these would be my choice, the perfect 'punch', the incredible details... for want of more eloquence, 'swoon'.

These are my favourite ankle boots; a Christmas present, and although comparatively cheap, well out of my proce range. They are a little too high and uncomfortable to enter every day wear, but every now and then, when an outfit calls for a little more attitidude, they are my alternative to a leather jacket, to a studded cuff or an outlandish tattoo. My own tattoo is far too pretty and subtle to be considered 'tough'.
I thought they complimented my newly bleached jeans perfectly, and so I will wear them whether or not it rains.

BOOTS: TOPSHOP, JEANS: DIY (TOPSHOP), VEST: VINTAGE, TOP: H&M

SLIP UP

"Maybe," I thought to myself this morning, as I revised mindlessly and stroked the puppy that was nestled on my knee in the manner of Dr. Evil stroking his cat. "Maybe I'll go into town and buy Harper's Bazaar, see my through the week,". And now the idea was planted there was no repressing it's growth, so I wandered up the road to the bus-stop in the most ridiculous amount of draping I could lay my hands on (think jersey harem pants, a baggy white t-shirt, a draped cardigan and a cape/coat with extra, sumptuous folds of material draped over the front and back)... my personal take on the 'I don't care if it's raining and I don't care if you think I am a living pile of dirty laundry. I LOVE DRAPING' kind of a look.
Once in town, with the depressingly slim magazine tucked under my arm (no bag! I'm saving the environment!) of course I had lots of time before the bus home arrived so I had a nonchalant browse of the charity shops in the area, and somehow found myself in the shoe department of Dorothy Perkins... this left me delirious and somewhat clouded my judgement, and when I spotted the basket-weave red platforms I had seen and admires on the otherwise infuriating Fearne Cotton, with £5 off, I accidentally bought them and bounced home with glee and a tiny bit of guilt... (I even had a bag... shoe boxes are a tricky thing to lug across the city). So I'm not going out tonight, I spent my alcohol on the shoes, but hey; saved myself a hangover and gave myself both a literal and metaphorical lift!
Once home, opening the box I crossed my fingers I would find these, by a stroke of insane luck and a bit of magic from the footwear fairy...

But no, sadly that was not the case. I'll settle for these anyway.