Tunnustan punaista?

Tänään on eduskuntavaalit. On lähes päivälleen 100 vuotta siitä, kun ensimmäiset eduskuntavaalit vietettiin Suomessa. Vaalien historiallinen merkitys on suuri: Suomi ensimmäisenä maana maailmassa antoi naisille yhtäläisen vaalioikeuden kuin miehille - sekä äänestää että olla itse ehdokkaana. 19 naista valittiinkin eduskuntaan.



Niinpä tämäkin nainen voi kävellä äänestämään. Nämä punaiset Bruno Magli -kävelykengät ovatkin juuri oivalliset lyhyttä, muutaman sadan metrin kävelymatkaa varten äänestyspaikalle*. Sää on aurinkoinen joskin hieman kylmä; hiemankaan pitempää reissua varten tukevampi kenkäpari on vielä tarpeen. Tämän huomasin tänä aamuna, kun vein kissani Ingelin ulkoilemaan valjaissa pihalle pienelle kävelylle - ensi kertaa tänä keväänä - jalassa mustat ballerinat ja lämmikkeenä vain ohut villatakki - aivan liian vähän.

Nämä olivat muuten ensimmäiset punaiset kenkäni. Ne ovat oikein mukavat, ja näyttävät hyviltä monenlaisten asujen kanssa. Mutta kun olen tottunut korkoihin, käytän näitä matalia kenkiä sittenkin melko harvoin.


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*punainen kenkävalinta saattaa tietysti liittyä äänestyskäyttäytymiseeni, mutta voipa se hyvin olla siihen liittymättäkin ;)

The Colour Purple

I just love the colour purple, so providing this post was a great pleasure - in more ways than one.

I am still at home ill, so I have the time to photograph and write. I also took the time, after a long time, to build an ensemble for the picture - a real still-life.

These purple Bruno Magli sandalettes with golden heels and decorations date some 15 years back. I've only worn them a couple of times, maybe twice or thrice - I'm not sure. They are surrounded by items in similar colour: In the background there is a Chinese bag that I bought quite recently, maybe 2 weeks ago. The shoes are placed on top of a Tibetan or Indian scarf that I bought in 1998 from Tibetan monks who came from the Dharamsala monastery all the way to Finland, to build a mandala from grains of coloured sand inside the exhibition halls of the Design museum I was working at at the time. There was a whole exhibition on Tibetan culture, and even Dalai Lama himself visited us! Those were truly interesting moments!

The ensemble is completed with a cute little brooch from Pilgrim.

The name of the blog came to my mind from a film with similar title by Steven Spielberg (1985). This is an important film about the rights of black women. Oprah Winfrey, whose talk show I just love, was playing one of the leading roles as Sofia in it. So, I dedicate this post to that film and to human rights in general!

Duck Egg Green Is My Favourite Colour

I bought these shoes already last summer, but somehow never got to wear them. In a way that is not so surprising - it sometimes takes me a long time to get used to some shoes. Also, I buy them to my "stock", so to speak - if I see a bargain, I do grab it.

I really like the colour of these shoes, the pale hue of green often described as Duck Egg green. The leather is nicely soft as can be seen from the way it has been gathered to form tiny folds in the front. The colour of the lining nicely enhances and compliments the main colouring.

The shoes are very very sweet, and just nice to look at. However, I have made a definite plan to wear them this year!

Is it really my favourite colour? Well, truth to be told, I have many favourite colours, and this is indeed one of them.

Cream

..is the only right word to describe this lovely pair from Sandro Vicari I purchased several years ago. Funny to notice from the company webpages that they also are behind the label "Linea Wally's" - I used to have many pairs from them years ago, which I truly liked.

These shoes always earn me compliments, still I get to wear them rather seldom, since they are so delicate. I tried to photograph the shoes showing the Louis XIV style curved heel, too, since it is so rare these days in shoes. At least it is the only pair with such heels in my collection!

When do I wear the pair? To more festive day events, of type, when my sister throws a birthday party for relatives, for example.

Sometimes I have been asked, "How many pairs of shoes do you have?" The answer to this somewhat meaningless question is, "I don't know." A most appropriate answer would probably be "Not half as many as I would like!"

The New Indian Slippers

Again, I'm at home sick, with yet another flu. Alas! I am so tired of falling ill all the time, all over again.

This time it was the early spring that tempted me outside with too little on, lured by the wonderful sunshine that has lighted this city for a few days in a row now. As I left from work on Tuesday, I was freezing, and next day I already had to leave early. Since then I've stayed within four walls, once more confined to my little flat. But with the sun finally there, I can bear it - but only just so!

So, on my feet, as most of the time these days, my new pair of Indian slippers I purchased in the sales some time in January. I had spotted the pair earlier, but hesitated, since I already had a pair. However, luckily I realised that the 5-year-old pair was developing holes in the soles, and I would soon be really needing a new pair. (There are many types of needing of shoes, this is, I guess, the most authentic one in a way.)

These new slippers are very nice and this time I was better prepared to stop my cat from ripping the inside stuffing out of the soles as she did last time - she just loves the smell of new leather! In fact, I originally bought the first pair because of her: I wanted to get a pair of slippers that feel like there is no sole at all, so that I would notice if I'm about to step on her tail!

The Shoe List x 2

1. Shoes that changed my life

My first baby shoes? I don't know about a complete makeover, but I do feel like a new person sometimes with new shoes on. My black Dumond boots do a lot for me in that respect. Also, I felt quite "new" after the switch when once in Estonia, my shoes were giving me a hard time and I "had to" buy new shoes to be worn immediately..


In the picture, my very first shoes, which my Mom saved for me. Nice souvenir from time past, and an adequate one at that for a shoe-enthusiast!

2. Shoes I've worn more than once

The truth is, I have plenty of shoes I wear very frequently or even practically every day (such as my work mules or Indian slippers at home, or my black ballerinas I have on when I go the hallway with my cat morning and evening), and I have plenty of shoes I've worn only once (my pink Brumo Magli sandalettes, the silver shoes, the pink Dumond stilettos..), and I have plenty of shoes I've never had the chance wearing as yet (my Laura Ashley silk mules, the bronze shoes, the duck egg green pumps, and so on) - which is why I think this shoe-business I'm kinda in is so closely related to collecting something like, say, cigars.

3. Shoes I'd like to take with me to a deserted island

Tough one! Probably my golden sandals by Dumond, since I picture a deserted island as one of constant sunshine and warmth.

4. Shoes that turned me into a giddy

Whenever I wear my polka dot CJ's I am kinda.....well, lost to the moment.

5. Shoes that made me cry

Many shoes have made me want to cry since they were too uncomfortable or otherwise just plain impossible. Well, I have to say, the too small burgundy suede mary janes pumps I got when I was maybe 10 yrs old..

6. Shoes I wish would have been made

Hmm. This is a tough one, for I am no designer - I just enjoy and admire the creations of others. Maybe I wish they'd start remaking the Bruno Magli sandals I had years ago, since they were just so perfect.

7. A pair of shoes I wish would not have been made

Most shoes by Manolo Blahnik fall into this category, since they are sooo beautiful, yet I can't afford them! See for example this pair

8. Shoes I am currently wearing

I'm at the office, so I'm wearing my black buckled mules (and yes I know very well thank you, I should not be writing on my blog right now). These are shoes that are quite versatile and comfortable, yet stylish. I have them in black and in light green: the black ones I wear at my office nr 1 and the green ones in the office nr 2!

9. Shoes I am going to get

I'd like to finally find a pair of red stilettos that are just purrrfect.

Barefoot

...in bed, I cannot but continue making more lists.

The truth is, I have always loved list-making. It is so futile and yet entertaining. So I wrote some more lists:

10 most extraordinary books:

1. Djuna Barnes: Nightwood (Yömetsä)
2. John Fowles: A Maggot (Ilmestys)
3. John Irving: The World According to Garp (Garpin maailma)
4. Yevgeny Yevtusenko: Ardabiola
5. Gore Vidal: Myra Breckinridge
6. Malcolm Bradbury: Rates of Exchange (Vaihtokurssit)
7. Mihail Bulgakov: Master i Margarita (Saatana saapuu Moskovaan)
8. Alberto Moravia: Desideria
9. Albert Camus: L'Etranger (Sivullinen)
10. Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid's Tale (Orjattaresi)
11. Franz Kafka: Die Verwandlung (Muodonmuutos)

10 favourite artists:

1. Fra Angelico --> at wiki; --> my favourite piece
2. Georgia O'Keeffe --> the museum; especially --> the flowers and --> the skulls
3. Giorgione, especially --> La Tempesta (c. 1505)
4. Giovanni Bellini
5. Piet Mondrian
6. Mark Rothko --> description; --> introduction
7. Kiki Smith --> introduction
8. Niki de Saint Phalle --> at wiki --> official website
9. Jeff Koons --> official website --> the exhibition at Berlin Guggenheim I visited in 2000
10. Constantin Brancusi --> especially the "bird in space" works, abstract beauty materialized

10 favourite Finnish artists:

1. Kari Cavén
2. Marjatta Tapiola
3. Wäinö Aaltonen
4. Marie Brask
5. Outi Pieski
6. Martti Aiha
7. ...

10 favourite composers:

1. Claude Debussy
2. Nikolai Rimski-Korsakoff
3. Einojuhani Rautavaara
4. Jean Sibelius
5. Frederic Chopin
6. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
7. Johann Sebastian Bach
8. ...

10 all-time favourite shoes:

1. brown summer sandals by Bruno Magli
2. silver and gold summer flats by Bruno Magli
3. polka dot heels by Charles Jourdan
4. my new black Dumond suede embroidered boots
5. chestnut brown ankle boots I bought from a shop called Nectarine
6. brown laced pumps from Bruno Magli (hard to describe)
7. black and brown checkered suede pumps from YSL
8. the too small burgundy suede mary janes pumps I got when I was maybe 10 yrs old for school spring party - I got sores all over and could never really wear them ever, yet was happy to find a colour matching my dress - my mother and I had to search all the shoe stores in Lahti, my hometown at the time
9. the Estonian shoes
10. the blue silk shoes by Bruno Magli

Indian Slippers

2007 starts with...feet up and a list! So no shoes today, just my dear and extremely worn Indian slippers.

In other words, I'm lazying at home, reading this and that, surfing both on TV channels and on the Net. I came across Professor Kemppinen's lists of the best books, so I decided to make my own imitation of it to kill time. Here it is:

10 best books (in random order):

1. Simone de Beauvoir: L'Invitée (Kutsuvieras)
2. Jose Saramago: Ensaio sobre a Ceguiera (Kertomus sokeudesta)
3. Mihail Bulgakov: Master i Margarita (Saatana saapuu Moskovaan)
4. Umberto Eco: Il nome della rosa (Ruusun nimi)
5. Stephen King: The Shining (Hohto)
6. Debi Gliori: No Matter What
7. Bret Easton Ellis: American Psycho
8. Gore Vidal: Myra Breckinridge
9. Anthony Burgess: Doctor is sick (Pipopää potilas)
10. Villy Sörensen: Ofarliga historier (Tarinoita)
11. Erlend Loe: Naiv. Super (Supernaiivi)

I don't really read any Finnish literature for some reason, so I'll skip the "best Finnish books" list Kemppinen has made. But I do read Finnish poetry, so some Finns will enter my poetry list:

10 best poets:

1. T.S.Eliot
2. Aaro Hellaakoski
3. Eeva-Liisa Manner
4. Pentti Saarikoski
5. Raymond Carver
6. Federico Garcia Lorca
7. Fernando Pessoa
8. Aleksis Kivi
9. Eino Leino
10. Sylvia Plath

This entry seems to become my "book meme". Let's enter another list, copied from some blogger called Tuomas whose blog I came across since he, too, has read Burgess's book on my list. So, the second book list:

1. A book that has changed my life

- No single book has changed my life - except maybe the first one I was able to read by myself. But, since I was about 4 at the time, I don't remember which book it was! Probably one of the Barbapapa series....

2. A book I've read more than once

- I don't usually read books many times, except detective stories sometimes. I am thinking of reading Bulgakov's Master and Margarita again since I read it first time when I was only 19. I'd like to see if I would experience it differently now. Well, if poetry counts, then I have been reading T.S.Eliot's Collected Poems over and over again. I used to take it with me on the train between Tampere and Helsinki, when I visited there frequently while working at Nokia.

- When I was in high-school, I strongly found myself in the character called Lol in Marguerite Duras's book Le Ravissement de Lol V. (Lol V. Steinin elämä). So about two years ago, I bought this book and read it anew. I must say I do not identify with Lol anymore, at least not as much as back then. I guess this type of angst of existence is related to only certain periods in life...

3. A book I'd like to take with me to a deserted island

- Naaah, I'd take the Net instead. Ok ok ok - I'd take a book about "Building a Boat from Banana Leaves and Coconuts for Dummies" (a good candidate for item No. 6, then, as well!)

4. A book that turned me into a giddy

- I have always been giddy. I read a lot of "Chick lit" these days, such as Gigi Levangie Grazer's Maneater or Helena Frith Powell's "Two Lipsticks and a Lover", Bridget Jones's Diaries, etc.

5. A book that made me cry

- No matter what by Debi Gliori. This lovely children's book I found in Edinburgh in 1999 always brings tears to my eyes, since it is such a wonderful book.

6. A book I wish would have been written

- Enough good books are written all the time. Maybe I'll say: my first novel. But I'm planning to write it only a bit later.

7. A book I wish would not have been written

- Stephen King's The Shining is so scary that it almost should not have been written. Then again, it is a great book! Also the film made based on it by Stanley Kubrick is really, really scary.

8. A book I am currently reading

- Donald Sassoon's book about Mona Lisa, the painting.

9. A book I am going to read

- How the Rich Get Thin by Jana Klauer

Falling for Marina

Enter Marina, the very nice ankle boot from Peter Kaiser I found in the sales two days ago. I feel I am in love already.

I have been desperately looking for good shoes this winter, with little success till now. Most boots so fashionable at the moment are too long for me, and also the style is not according to my taste. Or, the shoes I spot have been a bit too expensive, my budget being as 'low' currently as allowing for max 200€ only, which excludes most lovelies from little shoe shops from within my reach unfortunately. I feel this is a lot to pay for boots, and I must say the prices have gone up considerably since we started using the Euro. I cannot imagine before not getting any kind of boots for under 1000 Fmk (~150 €) as is now the case. But now the sales have changed all that, even if I still didn't go to too many little boutiques but to the big department stores only.

Which I regret, since even though I prefer the anonymity in shopping that these big stores allow for, the selections of the little boutiques would be more according to my taste. I do need to find the perfect girlfriend or two for shopping! One needs an accompanying friend to go to these little shops, to lure the sales personnel away, since they rarely are of any use, not knowing either my taste nor wallet. Perhaps I can allure Ekaterina to start shopping with me..? She is so beautiful, and her taste is somewhat similar to mine. Small wonder, then that I am often taken to be Russian, I've been told this many times - and I am proud of it, for Russian women can truly be quite elegant and beautiful. I think I'll complete the impression by trying to take up the language again this spring.

These shoes were long overdue - I didn't have any such black stiefeletten, only brown ones. These will go beautifully with all black trousers and jeans that I have, maybe even with skirts.

Currently, I am at home with a flu - again. I developed a temperature last night, and I am so disappointed in it all, mainly for two reasons. 1) It is not too long ago that I was sick for two whole weeks the last time, I think three weeks ago or so; and 2) I cannot go anywhere wearing my new boots! Poor me!

Is this Christmas

...or not, it must be, for now I finally have these beauties, in black!

The sales have started, in other words, and I have been rummaging the city! I am sooo happy!

I bought this and that, including some morning robes in silk and a pair of ankle boots, make-up stuff, and so on and so on. It has been quite rewarding, to say the least.

I am now at home, and finally dared to take the boots off my feet after two hours ;) My cat was wondering. For her, the most intriguing thing about my new shoes is, apart from my excitement which she easily can sense, the smell of new leather, which she loves. She is a true kitten for sure!

I am currently watching this and that on tv, waiting to be picked up for my tennis lesson. There is a show on about Hollywood's beauty secrets. Because of this, and also because of a book I'm currently reading - a very entertaining "Two Lipsticks and a Lover - a Year in Suspenders" by Helena Frith Powell, a former model turned into mother of five living in Southern France - I have come to realise that I, too, have some "beauty secrets" I can't do without. These include: Dior moisturizing concealer; Dior hand cream; Dior facial creams; Stendhal eye cream; Chanel lipsticks, one for day and one for night; Guerlain creampowder eye shadows and blush; YSL light pen; Dior loose powder; Chanel nail polish at least in 5 different colours; YSL lipliner No 8, Versace lipstick in red. Hmm, I think that's it. And of course the various perfumes I'm used to, such as Chanel Allure, YSL Opium, Dior Poison, Kenzo Flower, Lancôme Ô, and Guerlain Chamade. New additions include Sonia Rykiel and Chanel Chance (a lovely gift with a meaning) as well as reacquinting with Estée Lauder's Beautiful (a gift; originally bought to me by my parents from their trip to N.Y.).

Yes, I think that's all

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ps. Now here is a record I'd like to find somewhere - I discovered this 70-something piece playing at the Chantal Thomass website and immediately fell for its strangeness

Snowwhite comez to town

These lovely white, laced boots would make one feel like a princess come to town, stepped right out of a fairytale. Truly impractical, they would be the perfect choice for anyone spoiled and surrounded by luxury.

Or perhaps exactly vice versa, these boots could in fact be the luxury for those who most need it. Such as myself, for instance.

I have hardly any idea what they could be worn with, except maybe with my brown-and-grey Marella tweed shorts, and the Georges Rech ivory cardigan with fur trimming around the neckline. Yes, and then some extraordinary stockings from Wolford. Hmm, that would in fact be a nice combination. Plus the perfect - and compulsory - accessory these boots clearly require: the taxi.

Li-li-li-lizardyyy

These lizard-printed boots, also have spiky heels. These
would complement my collections with the already existing green-coloured lizard boots with more angular, heavier heels. These boots would look very nice with many skirts that I have, I believe.

At the moment I don't even have a single pair or brown
coloured boots, so I would have a desperate need for them...also, I do not really own any pair that would go very well with skirts that I have (I would need a few new skirts also, for sure!). Instead, I tend to wear the boots with jeans, black or classic blue, or with black trousers with wide cuffs.

It is a bit hard to find good boots because I'm so petite, unfortunately. In general I like being of small size, but when it comes to finding appropriate boots or, say, a winter coat, I sometimes find myself regretting it. A trip to some nice shoe country down south could solve the problem, though. (Oh, and I could take those thighs too.)

Uu, spikyy!

Still ill (with a serious case of hives broken out now, I have no choice but stay at home, not to scare the kids on the streets), I have been sleeping for most of the time, reading quite an interesting book by Anchee Min on Madame Mao, or browsing online for this and that - by definition nothing useful. I promised that to myself as I fell ill.

So, among other things, I've been browsing the Victoria's secret collection this year, and come up with some beauties I really feel I should have.

In the picture, you find studded sinful niceties in silver. Very classic in a way, but also quite sexy. Could be worn even to work if long pants are covering the leg. I love the spiky heel - which might even turn out to be practical on the icy streets of wintery Finland. I mean it! I can picture myself, hacking my way up the hill with theses beauties on. Another type of ice-climbing, nah?

See how the heel curves outwards just a little bit at the end? This kind of detail just nails it. All I can think of now is, so how come I don't have them as yet??

More boots

Well, since I started, why not continue? So here some more boots I'd like to have.

I'm still (!) at home sick, apart from a trip to the doctor's today and abt 3 hrs at work. Even if I truly hate being ill, it kind of has put things in perspective. I'm not irreplaceable, things proceed without me, too. It's a very nice realisation.

I joked to a colleague today who had met a computer security guru, Ross Anderson that to me, "as first association, 'Ross' denotes something quite different, namely, a very nice shoe manufacturer". It made him laugh, which in turn made me glad. So, it should not come as a surprise that in the first picture, lovely black mocha boots from this Ross are presented. I have actually tried them on, and they are very cool.

The second picture shows boots laced all up. This pair is from Rizzo, I've tried on something very similar by a label called Via Vai, or Vai Via, or...something. Very nice also. Kind of decent and seductive at the same time. The pair I tried on was very comfortable and I would have bought the pair, if the price weren't so high. Unfortunately, girl can't have everything! (or anything, as it often seems these days on the academic joke-of-a-salary).

I like laces, the way they look, but luckily there is a zip on the side - it would be quite tiresome to really lace them up in the morning! Would add yet another hour to my morning rituals (now taking abt 2 hrs, including getting out of bed, feeding cat, making the green tea and two pieces of rye bread, reading the newspaper, shower, playing with the cat, dressing, re-dressing, re-re-dressing (just kidding here!), going to the hallway with the cat, catching her, running for the bus) for sure.

So tired..

Again, at home, sick, down with a bad case of flu & high temperature. I've got the whole week of sick leave - doctor's orders - I looked so 'dead' at the doctor's office, she said.

Is it because I visited a friend's family with one of the kids recently recovered from a flu, or was it meeting my friend in the evening right afterwards, whose child had also been ill? Or was it walking home at 3 a.m. in the rain on Saturday night? Even if it was light rain, I remember feeling quite cold as the walk home seemed endless, with no taxis to catch. I kinda hate this "Little Xmas" season.

Anyway, this sick leave is welcome relief - I've been working way too many hours this autumn, and have been exhausted, and tense, for several weeks already. However, the input has not been wasted, since many things are proceeding now pretty well. Maybe I was not able to achieve it all, but, then again, who is?

I include here pictures of boots I'd like to have - since I'm way too tired to take any pictures, all I do is sleep, sleep, sleep...sometimes I read a little also: just finished a rather hilarious book by Gigi Levangie Grazer called Maneater, which I bought in Calgary on a business trip (no, no shoes bought unfortunately, just one wonderfully violet bag of the softest Canadian leather). About Gigi herself, now there's a role model for any shoe enthusiast (I don't know if she's really crazy abt shoes, even though several shoes are mentioned plenty of times throughout the book, but at least she married off well enough to afford any of her choice). The book was ok, not anything you could call 'great literature', but entertaining - and lightweight- enough for a flight over the Atlantic.

Now that I'm finished with that piece, I'm doing two things: a) thinking of writing something a bit similar of my own b) concentrating on lovely book by Donald Sassoon on Mona Lisa, the painting. The former is just some play of a sick mind (literally!), whereas the latter is very, very entertaining - almost like reading a detective!

Otherwise, Saturday was quite nice, started by getting up around 1 p.m, followed by shopping tour of two hours or so, then an hour of tennis with my friend and the coach, and then sauna and dinner at my friend's house, from where I took a taxi home to quickly change, feed le cat and then rush into a nightclub where my friend was desperately expecting me, all alone, surrounded by men she did not want to get to know! I immediately bought her a drink when I arrived - that was by far the least I could do, having put her into the situation!

There was supposed to be some stand-up comedians performing; however, it all looked a bit dull so we decided to try something else instead. We ended up in an old jazz club nearby. It was crowded, but we felt terribly misplaced - too young to be there, a surprising feeling these days. My friend made a sarcastic comment about there being hope for decades to come, still. It was hardly a consolation. Things got even worse when minutes after our arrival, the band that was playing announced a change on the piano, none less than my former ex, the Jazz Pianist. Shit! He noticed me almost immediately, and things were not helped my being grabbed to the dance floor by some eager middle-aged man. I felt awful, I knew that my ex would think I'm trying to show off. Or something.

It took a while to get away from the man (only thing that helped was to point to him that my young 'friend' was on the piano - an immediate downer to someone of his age, or anyone: a former tennis champion and current jazz virtuoso is not an easy combination to most) and return to my friend. She insisted I go say hi to my ex during their next break. I opposed, since we didn't end it all with a whistle but with a blow (or something). Yet, as I soon saw him standing right behind us, I went over to exhange some words with him. Mistake. He was grudgy, and left almost immediately. Oh well, who cares, anyway?

Soon my friend already had to go home, her nanny was determined to leave at 2 a.m. I stayed behind, talking to a nice guy who didn't try anything. Quite a relief, even if such behaviour always leaves a girl feeling a bit odd. Of course, the Jazz Pianist would come there during the next break, since he thought I was with this guy and got jealous. We talked some, he told he got some nice grant, but got mad when I enquired about any girlfriend..and left.

Well, he still holds some grudges, it's easy to see, but then what: I never really understood him. I always liked his playing, so soft, and could easily recognize the change on the piano with my back turned. I could not help but think back to some of the good times we had, involving Russian champagne, a certain red dress, reclining on his grande piano, and, naturally - some jazz. In memoriam...I think I'll buy his solo album - the one for which I helped to pick the right versions of some of the pieces. I think I'll enjoy, listening. I prefer things the way they are, now. Come to think of it, my life truly has become a lot more enjoyable during the passing year, even if health-wise it has not been one of the best ones.

To end with, the last picture shows a very nice design of flowers gilted on leather boots. These boots would look their best in brown, worn with sleek or not-so-sleek skirts, or with jeans.

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ps. 1st, 3rd and 4th boots from Victoria's secret, 2nd from Dumond. I'd prefer the 1st in black or burgundy, the 2nd in black, the 4th in brown

Summer rain

...at last, after such long season of dryness! But why just now, when I'm in a hurry to some place, and must rush to the bus stop, wearing my new white shoes from 'PK Paker', and when its pouring heavily and incessantly?! The shoes will be ruined!

But I must go. So I open my navy blue polka dot umbrella which I bought in Düsseldorf and which I love (even if that love is somewhat clouded at the moment because of the foreseeable damage of the rain) - and try to take the least wet route to the bus stop. But to no avail, not only is it terribly wet everywhere, but also the bus never appears! And, while I'm waiting for the next one, with my shoes all wet, the rain naturally deceases, and sun starts shining again. Yep. My typical luck.

A lady on the bus stop tells me as a small consolation that she has been caught by every rain this summer. This is possible since it has only rained maybe five times at maximum lately. It is the driest summer in 100 years now, if I'm correct. But still she managed to be under each shower, without an umbrella. Poor her. Still, I find it awfully mean towards me that I too should at least in part share her fate - especially so since I'm wearing the most comfy yet elegant new shoes.

Material for bitterness? Yep.

I could see this coming, however, so I photographed these beauties well in time. I just knew they would be destroyed by Mother Nature soon enough. Some things are just too good to last, right? So here they are, documented. In loving memory,

Blue velvet

Once again, the title of a film seems adequate to describe the topic of this entry: my blue suede & gold sandalettes by Folies.

The shoes are Italian. I have had them for at least 10 years, but only worn them maybe 5 times. The golden heel seems too extravagant for most occasions - or it used to be so. These days shoes have become so decorative that such hindrances are vanishing, and even this type of shoes, intended originally for the festive occasions of the night time and the mood reminiscent of the sinister hues of the film by David Lynch (with the amazingly beautiful Isabella Rossellini) , could easily be worn to work. Earlier, I would never have done that (well, stll haven't, but now I could consider it ;)).

A few days back my feet were so sore* that I was more or less forced into wearing them - most other shoes were hurting too much. This made me realise just how comfortable they are - the suede is so soft, the lining is very even and nice to the foot, and the heel is of very steady height. The shoes used to have gold 'pins' in the front, but I have unfortunately taken them off at some point, thinking they were too flashy. These days I wouldn't think that way at all, and tried to find the pins but to no avail, and I suppose I've trashed them.

As I was looking for the pins, I needed to climb a ladder to reach all the closets - and of course my cat would climb them too, despite my effort to stop her. When she reached the top of the ladder, which was packed with boxes et things of various sorts, she actually fell! Luckily, she landed more or less on her feet, and, looking quite embarrassed, withdrew herself to her pillow on the window sill.

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*will tell why later on :)

"Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho...

...The sailor with the navy blue eyes"!

These are my 'sailor sandals', and I have very blue eyes, so that explains the title for this post, taken from some sailor song, now doesn't it? ;)

These navy blue sandals always look very fresh. They are also very comfortable, and I like navy blue a lot. When I was younger, it was one of my favourite colours.

However, the colour is spoilt to a great extent, since it is the standard colour for all kinds of uniforms - Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with white) worn by sailors in the Royal Navy of the U.K. since 1748. So wearing a navy blue suit is therefore usually not a good idea, since people will think you are part of the staff and act accordingly, asking you for this and that!

Navy blue might not suit me that well, but I will wear it anyway. I especially like to wear this pair with a polka dot skirt of the same colour, or to pair them with red pants, for example. And why not with white.

I wore these shoes a few days back, when I went to a doctor's appointment - the third time this week, I have been very ill once again, with a temperature going all the way up to 40°C! It appears I'm allergic to penicillin :/ So the whole week was wasted on that...luckily I have now recovered. At first, the doctor thought I had nephropathia epidemica, which would have been quite scary!

The corrected diagnosis was a 'mere' allergic reaction...which also could have been deadly, since I also got the worst symptom, the Anaphylactic reaction, and had trouble breathing - but luckily it was not as severe as it could have been. But it left my bronchial tubes aching, still, and feeling extremely tired.

(2.8.06) Later on, I have been confused by the whole accident - it is so strange to think that what happened was actually quite dangerous. It kinda struck me only now...Life is fragile.

Finding Fio

As I was looking for the red espadrilles for a previous photo shoot, stashed somewhere away for this summer already, I ran into this pair of 'Fio' sandalettes in a delicious café au lait hue.

The pair was bought back in 2003, in Düsseldorf (yes, it's one of the five (or was it four..)). They used to have looong leather strands to tie around the ankle, but they broke down at some point and the shoes became unusable. Or so I thought - today I pulled off what remained of the strands, and it seems they might be used also as is. Well, we'll see about that, maybe they are "Fio the Fenix", and rise from the ashes to a brand new life ;)

At least I can wear them at home, or utilise the 'taxi-accessory' to move about with these on!

This shot was an immediate success, at least in my eyes, with very little post-processing with Photoshop needed.

Woman in red

Red is a colour that, with shoes (and probably with everything else) has something very specific about it. It is a very strong and bright colour that is connected with both love and aggression. It is also sometimes considered sinful, at least in the western culture.

I have always liked this colour, but wear it rather seldom. Currently, now that it is summertime, I feel ok with my nails short and painted with "Indian red", as the label on the side of the nail polish bottle claims - a simple, pure, clear red that only seems appropriate in summer, or maybe also when worn with mere black outfits. My red linen dress I have already described, and I also have one favourite bag from Laura Ashley with beautiful printed decorations on leather and made in India.

I used to have just one pair of red shoes - or two, to be exact, if we also count my espadrilles - but the ones I have are loafers and do not really incorporate the essential red shoe. I've always wanted to have high-heeled red stilettos, but never bought a pair. Why? Maybe I always considered it too much, maybe there weren't good models available....I don't know. What I do know is that I was hugely jealous when one of my dearest friends, Katja, or Ekaterina as she comes from Russia originally, described her latest purchase of exactly such real type red shoes to me a few years back! But for one reason or the other, I till this day do not own such a pair. Strange!

I am a little bit closer to this goal, however, since I ran into quite a pretty pair of red shoes at the summer sales at one point. A pair from this mysterious "PK Paker" from Spain, it has some very nice ideas on the top and is quite comfortable to wear - also to work. And, last but not least, these shoes present a perfect match to my red leather bag :)

My cat also likes red, even though I read somewhere that cats cannot see red, really. But somehow she still seems to prefer the red toys to play with, the red ribbons, even the red shoes...or does she? According to this little picture series, she might still consider the outdoors far more exciting than a pair of some such strange objects, red or not!


ps. the title of this entry of course refers to the film classic with the same name