I spent quite some time thinking about what to wear to this shindig, and then one blessed day it came to me – glitter shoes. Really, really glittery shoes.

However, I am a serious lady on the day-to-day so I knew that these also needed to be cheap glitter shoes. That immediately ruled out 99.99999999999999999999999% of the Internet (also, I am lazy and couldn’t be bothered searching any further after I realised that the glittery Christian Louboutin’s were a touch out of my price range). This left me with only one option:

D

I

Y

To know me is to know my inability to do anything with finesse. I cannot count how many times I have hot-glued my own hand. The other week I made a cushion cover which was AMAZING except that the zip is funked up. Most of my DIY attempts look okay until you turn them over and see the unholy mess I made. This couldn’t really happen with glitter shoes as they would be clearly visible from many angles during the evening.

You might think I would have done tonnes of research then. Nah. This is what I did:

I bought glitter (three colours VERY IMPORTANT), good old PVA glue, and cheap-ass shoes from The Warehouse for 50% off. They weren’t as high as I wanted them to be but this was probs for the best. I already had newspaper, various bowls, and a paintbrush.

Yes, that is gold wrapping paper. I didn’t have any old newspaper and I am awesome like that.

I mixed the THREE glitters together in a plastic cup, thusly:

Then I poured the glue into a bowl, got the glitter back into its convenient sprinkle containers, and got amongst it. Basically, I brushed some of the glue on, then sprinkled that area generously with the glitter mix. Observe:

Yeah, I got glitter all over the joint. It is still all through my flat and the place has been vacuumed several times. Try not to be so…flamboyant…with the glitter, okay?

I would then kinda shake the shoe and the excess glitter fell off. Perfect.

Eventually, the shoes looked like this:

Which I feel is pretty good for shoes that cost $25ish. They also held up well (some mild areas of wear) which is great considering I ran around in these holding various cocktails for many hours. However, I didn’t go dancing in them, which might have been another issue.

If you want to make these, I suggest the following:

• really look at where the glue is going. You can always wipe off extra glue and glitter, but make sure you get right to the edges on the first go as this is much easier than going back to do the fiddly bits;
• seriously, use various similar shades of glitter. This created a cool effect. I think red, pink and gold might also look good together;
• you can buy sealant sprays to lock the glitter on, but if you’re just doing it for one night, probably save the money and buy a drink instead.

However, winter can be cool too, just in a different way (I feel like I’m explaining an affair as I write this). While reviewing my shoe collection to put together a gratuitous shoe post for Julie, I realised that while my bright orange sandals with the stacked heel are the bomb, so are my purple suede “shoeties” with the ruffle on the front. So I decided to celebrate (and catalogue) “My Winter Faves: 2011″.

Boots

Oh, believe. I used to struggle to find boots to fit around my legs but apparently sitting in an office for 8 hours a day has bulked out my calves, and now I have a much wider range to choose from. My favourites are:

Which I appreciate don’t come up to my calves and so don’t illustrate my point. However, these boots are my fun new friend, and I enjoy people doing a double-take when they realise they’re different in the front and the back. One problem: the front is suede. So let’s hope for a dry winter.

Scarves

They’ve saved many a dull outfit before, and they keep my neck nice and toasty (since my hair stops at the nape of my neck. Didn’t think that haircut through, really). Plus, you can find scarves for relatively little cost so they can let you get a bit more creative without breaking your bank manager’s heart. I’m told that faux fur scarves and collars will be big this year so it might be a good time to get thrifting.

Winter cosmetics

Coral, we’ve had a good time. Sometimes you and Bronzer would get together and make a symphony of sun-kissed goodness on my face. But my tan is already fading, and so it’s time to say au revoir. It’s time for my old friends, burgundy and wine, to make an appearance. Starting with this pretty lipstick:

Corporate Femme (matte) by ChiChi. The packaging is horrendous, I grant you. I find little diamantes in my purse after using this and I’m kinda ashamed to bring it out in public due to the high level of cheap blinginess that’s going on. However, it’s the right colour for winter and the matte effect makes it even more fun. I feel like I should wear suits with huge shoulder pads when I wear this – and that’s exactly the attitude I need to get me out of the house on a cold and windy day.

Skirts that are inappropriate without tights

In summer, I like to keep my skirts at approximately knee length (for work – weekends are another kettle of fish). As we all know, as soon as you sit down in a fitted skirt, it wants to ride up your leg. This is not okay when you’ve got naked leg on display. However, in winter I wear tights that are at least 100 denier, and so I also wear skirts that are slightly shorter. Dunno why, but it feels less inappropriate to wear a skirt an inch or so above the knee when you’re wearing black tights.

My favourite “slightly too short but totally adorable” skirt is this one:

A bronze-coloured miniskirt in PVC from H&M. It is, unfortunately, a little too big around the waist because I wanted it to be a leetle teensy bit longer than my actual size was (which was more like a belt). However, in winter I wear a cardi with it, which disguises the waist issue, and with black tights and black high-heeled boots, it is the perfect party-dinner skirt. It’s totally the wrong colour and weight for summer, so this is one item I can’t wait for come May.

So really, although I’ll be sad to say goodbye to sleeveless tops, al fresco ice cream, my orange sandals and my retro sunglasses, there’s still plenty to embrace. And of course: a new season means new clothes in the shops and, if you’re so inclined, shopping trips with the girls fuelled by hot chocolates and cheese scones!

Left: Ipanema from The Warehouse’s Garage range
Right: Pretty also from The Warehouse Garage range

Left: Raska Court at Number 1 shoe warehouse
Right: Verity Fast at Number 1 shoe warehouse

A googlefest on floral shoes will hook you up with loads more images of flowery shoes.

Have you seen any others in your shopping travels? What do you think – is this a trend that’s pretty to the power of 3?

And if I wanted to (afford to), I could get shoesofprey.com to make it for me to my exact specifications for $345.

That is the coolest thing ever!

And if you don’t like your shoe once it materializes you can get your money back.

Look at the gallery of designs and actual shoes here and be inspired to create your own designs here. Go on, make the shoes of your dreams come true!

There’s an interesting article in the motoring section of stuff.co.nz right now. Some car companies are now tailoring pedals to accommodate all types of shoes. I’ll bear this in mind when I next go car shopping. (My household doesn’t have a car at the mo. We’re trying to see how long we can last without one. I reckon by the middle of winter the bus stop will seem far too far away. But we’ll see…)

So do you ever/sometimes/never drive in heels?

On a vaguely related note, I saw these beautiful Vivienne Westwood heels in Smith & Caughey’s. They are made out of a rubbery plastic that reminds me of Barbie shoes.

While it’s annoying when companies exploit our fondness for childhood toys, these shoes look like a sincere homage.  I’d drive in these! Because I’d never take them off if I owned a pair.

I personally like the storm trooper heels and I needs to get me some o the USB heated slippers.

My idea for a geek shoe is a peep-toe platform with a matching nail polish concealed in the heel so as I can give myself a pedicure any place. Just ’cause I’m a bit of a make-up geek.

Here’s what Gizmodo says it is:

Designed by London architect Julian Hakes, the Mojito shoe is made of carbon fiber—to give it strength and spring—and laminated with rubber on the bottom and leather—from furniture manufacturers in High Wycombe, England—on top.

Tucked away in foot labs at Auckland’s AUT University, researchers are quietly working towards triggering an all-out, all-woman stampede.

Their aim is to find a technology that will end – or at least greatly ease – the pain caused by high heels, suffered by fashion-conscious females worldwide.

Pairing up with comfort-conscious shoe manufacturer Kumfs, the researchers hope their ground-breaking project will unlock the secrets of what really makes a shoe comfortable.

Within 12 months female feet of all shapes and sizes will be required to test-drive a new insert.

Hope there research goes well! Read more here.