Footprints 27 Feeling Ticklish ?

What is it about being tickled on the toes and soles that gives us all such an attack of the screaming ab dabs and gorgeous giggle-itis, leaving us helpless with squirming laughter? Search me but it feels good ! So get out those tickling sticks and fab feather dusters and give your self, and anyone near you, a little ticklette. Tee hee!!  And don't stop til your laugh resembles The Laughing Policeman! Happy guffawing !

Foorprints 26 Male-lettoes in Stilettoes

Hello My Little Peep Toes! Judging by the overwhelming toes up for my man varnish tips from all those Foot Fellows out there, here is a pair to set your lil legs racing to break another gender divide - the male high heel. Presenting a new kind of glamorous , it's flambouyant, fetching,  and delivers toe curlingly fabulous height on a perfect spike. Can you really resist boys ?

Footprints 25 Walk Like An Egyptian

The exposed foot has many a head turning.So taking time to give your tootsies a summer detox is essential for the fabulous foot about town. The sandal is all about dressing the toes and ankles in a flattering web of straps and loops to make it the most divine little item you can travel on. So spend some time pamapering your feet with peppermint foot balms and honey based creams to soften and sweeten.Pummel away any dreaded hard skin, buff and scrub tired skin to reinvigorate and energise the blood flow south. Choose a nail colour that matches your mood or dare to go bare with a lttle help from a whitening and brightening varnish to perk up the nail bed and make your cuticles smile.The shops are full of the prettiest confections for feet right now from flats to heeled varieties like these babies from christian lacrox, so go shopping dear foot friends and honour the scrumptious sandal. Once you slip them on your feet, where ever and however you walk, life will be a sandy beach.

Footprints 24 Pixie Boots

Fashions come and fashions go but the pixie boot never quite gives up its little ghost. And I say "Hurrah !" Because there is nothing like a cute little bootee to turn an ankle into an errogenous zone and a pair of pins into comely curves.The pixie comes in all shapes and sizes and its style variations keep us on our fashion toes.Deeply comfortable and effortlessly wearable they are fun and fashion all wrapped up in a neat little package.If you go down to the woods today be sure to wear your best pair...

Footprints 23 Paws for Thought

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have four feet. You see! I can read your strangest thoughts little Footsies. We all know Orwell had a point when he said " Four legs good two legs bad " Take the hound. Doggy pads are so varied compared to our human footprints. True, our canine pals don't have the pleasure of owning a foot-changing shoedrobe, or get to enjoy applying nail varnish in multu colurs to delight and dazzle. And henna stencils are just too messy! But, all the same, there is something rather grand about a noble paw held out in greeting or a double pair of paws hot footing it across the wet sand leaving a specatcular set of prints to follow. Woof !

Footprints 22 Festive Festival Feet

Aren't these footettes an exquiste sight for sore eyes?! Aesthetic, beautiful, tasteful.... drawing on artistic and cultural traditions ...If you have booked  a summer festival ( and if you haven't why not?) now is the time to try out some stencils and get ready for the summer parade. Some henna, a steady hand and a flair for a flourish, a curl and a serpentine coil or two and away you go. Practice makes perfect! Happy henna-ing my little footsies!

Footprints 21 Slip Slops

It has to be said that a pair of comfy old slippers beside the bed to slip familiarly into on rising, is a potential  fashion hazard waiting to happen. Can a slipper be ironic ? Should a slipper be iconic ? Can we afford a little utility at dawn before we make those feet of ours work the runway of the day ahead ? The answer is Yes, obviously. There has to be a moment in every day when your toes, arches and ankles touch sloppy old base, shuffle and slouch, prior to greeting the foot press pack. There is something deeply reassuring about the humble shapelessness of the dear old faithful slipper. Keep your fluffy kitten mules tucked under the bed to impress when necessary but alone, keep up those double standards and scoff your branflakes with style less delight in a pair of warm shapeless snuggies. Check out these Nokia cosies with their witty nod to vintage Flo and Andy Cap. And they could come in useful on Comic Relief's Red Nose day too.  Ah! That's better!

Footprints 20 Taylor Made

So dear Liz has passed on - our very own home grown queen of sultry style; seductive mistress of the arched brow and the smouldering look...She was the hottest cat on any roof and my god the girl could act too.This still from Tennessee William's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof shows us how to wear shoes to bed to perfection. The white satin slipper so deceptively dicreet concealing and revealing all at once. The turbulent Liz whose glamour and  beauty were a lush confection of creamy skin and liquid eyes set off by a perfect pout made her the most iconic  Cleo the screen has ever seen.She is a star in the Tootsie firmament and we will miss this sassy siren of stage and screen. She has rightly been awarded the Golden Footprint for her life long services to style.

Footprints 19 Bovver Boots

Well my scrumptious ones, the time has come to tackle the sticky issue of big old boots that cause a bit of bother.The rock chic's staple is for all time, the disjuncture between arch feminine artifice and the cheeky  acquistion and appropriation of the masculine.And feet are at the rocking core of this look.Wendy James did it.(Poor bovvered balerina)!Tina does it.(Return to the Bovverdome immediately and do not pass Go!) and Cher will be doing it forever(Gypsies Tramps and Boots are always Walking in Memphis with this fully paid up member of the Rockocracy!).So let's hear it for the boot with attitude that makes our feminine curves all the more desirable by stark contrast
"Are you ready boots ? Start walking !"

Footprints 18 Man Varnish

Hello my little Shoodles, Your Aunty Flip Flop is pleased to know there are some saucy Footfellows out there following in my fabulous footsteps.Hot footing it off today's pressing questions is a gender teaser .Can man toes wear varnish? It is a quandry many men face at this delicate time of year.If you are already a secret toe polisher who primes their toots before slipping on a discreetly sensible pair of Oxford brogues, you may be wondering whether this is the year to bare all and let your painted toe nails finally see the light of day in a pair of manly man sandals.Which begs the further question  - should you match your mates' and dare to share in the Red Devil brush strokes ? The answer to both is a resounding Yes ! Mascara, moisturiser, man bags .it was only a matter of time boys..Walking out together with matching pinkies never felt so unisex or so damn good..

Footprints 17 Flats

Hello My Little Shoe Crazies,
As a self styled authoruty and Shoe Guru on all footwear, I am often asked that age old question "Are flats sexy ?" Well, as in most matters pertaining to style and taste, it rather depends on the wearer.One woman's frump is another's Va va voom! The flat may not inspire a wiggle but it is a cute little number when teamed with the right ensemble. Think of willowy Diane Keaton as Annie Hall. Think of the divine Audrey moon-rivering her way in figure hugging capri pants and crop top. Think Marilyn jazz dancing in an outsize sweater.Think marvellous Madge singing "Holiday" Think countless vintage Ray Coniff covers. You get the message . A siren in flats can work it where a heel may feel too outre.And what you lose in wiggle and  height you can make up for with the liberated energy of having your gravity centred. You are ready to jump hop and jive til the break of dawn little sister.Flat but still fizzy.

Footprints 16 Foot Sketches

The beauty of the human form presents an aesthetic that most artists worth their salt engage with on their journey towards personal style and expression. And hands and feet are high on the list of artistic endeavour. These delicate line drawings from a sketch book by Burne Jones show the delicate shape and movement of the foot as it flexes and arches in a range of movements.Beautiful n'est pas ?

Footprints 15 Barefoot Contessa

Spring is here and gentle sunlight is starting to make us long for the warmth of sizzling summer days when sandals and strappy little pastel numbers can come out to play (without feet risking a dose of frost bite in the process!) And better yet we think of slipping barefoot on to mainicured lawns, grass soft and silky against our heels or idly wandering along the shoreline with sand between our naked toes blissfully washed clean by in coming waves.Well a girl can dream even in March. There really is nothing quite as liberating as going barefoot. Getting close to nature and letting the air get to those little tootsies, so long confined and booted up for winter.So imagine leaving a trail of perfect foot prints upon fine golden sand as the sun sinks on a burnished horizzon. It could happen very soon !

Footprints 14 This Little Piggy

Those early nursery rhymes have alot to answer for! How many piggies of yours went to market and how many stayed at home over those junior formative years? The fascination with scrummy infant feet with their perfect little nails like miniature pink shells placed on the end of each teeny toe is something every doting parent can relate to. Add the predisposition of toes and feet to being one of the most ticklish areas of the anatomy and you can see why they get such attention from the start. Little knitted booties tied with white ribbon and later little shoes with soft button fastenings are enough to get most adults cooshie-cooing. Look at all the little casts made of baby feet displayed in silver, bronze and alabaster- something Queen Victoria herself was partial to with her growing family. Pretty keepsakes of special times crystallising moments of perfection and beauty in the infant calender for ever.This way little piggies..

Footprints 13 Let's Face the Music

Some feet were made to climb mountains others to walk the desserts but the ones I like are born to dance. And who else epitomises the effortless elegance of dancing in the dark than fabulous Fred and graceful Ginger. As a couple they could work a floor like a pair of whirling mirrors synchronised to perfection. In jodhpurs( and being sexy is hard in those there leggings let me tell you) or floating diaphanous feathered ball gowns, Ginger is a sassy act  for any one to follow. Fred's immaculate timing and poise are the essence of  fancy footwork made to look dashingly easy.They set the gold standard and are still first choice in the world of Hollywood greats. So brush out your tails and start putting on the Ritz next time you step out with your baby.

Footprints 12 "It fits!"

There is no doubt about the sexual correlation between shoe and foot as every good foot fetishist knows.As illustrated most beautifully in Cinderella's original rags to riches journey from down trodden barefoot slave to shoed and booted  bagger of the prince's heart and credit card.Twinkletoes leaves him a calling card in the form of an exquisite glass slipper and he searches the land to find it's enigmatic owner. At last after many mis- shapen plates of meat have attempted to ram and squeeze their bunions into the dainty shoe, he finds his love, and down on one knee he goes to cradle her slender foot and restore the shoe to its rightful place; effectively proposing to the ragamuffin before him, knowing they are destined to be a pair of shoe crossed lovers! Bring on the wigs and weddding the panto in almost over kids.

Footprints 11 Fairy Feet

Hello Petals,
I was thinking about seminal images of pretty little toes that feature in the spectrum of childhood illustrtations.The Twleve Dancing Princesses who wear out their shoes each night from secret dancing.
Arthur Rackham's delicate fairy creatures "Fairies don't feel happy they feel dancy!" floating gracefully across dreamy meadows and babbling brooks, quintessentially English, feminine and fragile. And Cecily Mary Barker's definitive Flower Fairy Collection, where angelic children personify the qualities of native flowers from fields and hedgerows with  a delicate and subtle grace. What could be more appealing than to enter these timeless worlds of tiny creatures cradling petals or hiding under giant bell flowers, their feet in little acorn boots  or circles with anklets of daisies? Doesn't  it make you want to run barefoot through sleepy dawn forests as the mists rise in the hopes of seeing a fairy child at play ? Shhhh...they are very secretive!

Footprints 10 What's In A Name ?

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Above, incientally, are a replica pair like what he might of worn apparently! !Seems he knew a thing or two about the allure of the red ped. (I jest dear Yorick !) The bard had a point but what we like are names! Words! The vocabulary of shoes ! I mean, where else would you find such mouth watering beauties as winklepickers, brothel  creepers, chisel toes, stillettoes, platforms, cuban heels, mary janes,wedges, peeptoes, brogues, pixie boots, slippers, pumps, sneakers, plimsoles, kittten heels, biker boots, mules, hush puppies,court shoes, clogs, pointe, sling backs, slip ons, ghillies,espadrilles, jazz shoes, tap, tango...

I could go on.

Footprints 9 No Place Like Shoemart

That's right you guessed it - but come on shoe peeps - it has to be..La Garland's ruby red scorchers . When did you last click your heels and make a wish? I strongly recommend that is the first thing you do tomorrow what ever the shoe wear involved. If it helps, sprinkle some red glitter over your shoes as you shut your eyes and think of Oz. "If I only had a .. pair of  Manolo Blahniks...

Footprints 8 Iconic Red Shoes

And talking of ballet let's not forger the shoes to literally die for - Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes surely the most definitive tribute to a pair of wickedly red satin pumps the celluloid screen has ever known.
You thought you might not be able to sit still when the Bee gges came on but I'm telling you this is a compusive dance story like no other. If you have ever been obsessed by a pair of shoes, consider what it would be like to be possessed by a pair !! Norma Shearer tells us how in gloriously suureal technicolour. It is a tale of darkly camp corners. And filled with self destructive and heartrendingly impossible choices ( just  like the ones yours truly faces in fabulous shoe store s, daily !) It is for the true shoe afficianado only You have been warned little Shoelets..Are you ready to dance ?

Footprints 7 Satin Pumps

Every girl and some boys' dream is to slip on the pink satin and feel those ribbons wrap a criss cross around their legs. I'm talking about the siren call of the ballet darlings where one's toes must suffer for the priviledge of one's art. And we're not talking about the gurning face of Natalie's devilish Black Swan, just plain old practice at the mirrored bar day after day til those toes are ready to fly across the boards in a leap of faith. Well we know that many a pair of small and perfctly formed sugar pink shoes are destined to eventually lie forgotten, abandoned and left - wrapped in paper for the last time and placed in a now dusty box under a thousand beds, silent witness to the fleeting dream. So my advice is to rescue them , rummage and get them out ! Hang them proudly from your bed post. Celebrate those early flights of fancy and ambitions to dance. Blow a kiss to Nureyev and Nijinsky once more in your dreams and let the satin lift you up where you belong.

Footprints 6 First Footing

Shoes may come and shoes may go but the ones you will never forget are your first fitted pair. The Cinderella smell of shoe shops so clean and polished, the hushed atmosphere as shoes take a turn on silent carpets before low angled mirrors, test driven to see how they feel and whether they will fit the personality of the wearer. Tape measures across insteps and sliding rulers skimming the toes to ascertain the exact width and comfort of the tender growing foot. There were even strange wooden contraptions with photographic elements where you placed your foot under a green glow for spacing to be revealed below in an underwater green negative view of your booted feet. Start Rite sandals with their cut out patterns and shining side buckles nestling in a box of tissue paper. What could be nicer. And the Start Rite children hand in hand calling to you from a poster on a wall... Didn't you long to walk down that sunny country road alongside those two endearing emblems of vintage childhood in your new shoes just like them ?! Walking happy ever after... Of course you did!

Footprints 5 - Hand Shoes

Isn't it just one of those universal and seminal childhood moments when you find  yourself clip clopping along with your mother's shoes - first on all fours with your hands inside them; then walk talking your way through some adventure as you raise the stakes and finally totter toe upright as you waddle and toddle and sway and fall  - dizzy from that first intoxicating taste of heels. Out of such moments the future Carrie Bradshaws of the world are formed to skip hop and jump their way through the shoes of tomorrow.
Shoetastic !

Footprints 4 - Barbie Toes

I never was much enamoured with Cindy - too wholesome and horsey for my leatherette and sequinned taste. Give me my kick ass Emma Peel doll in her leather catsuit and popart beret "Avenging" crime. Give me Tressy - "Her hair grows!"- with her marvellous blonde mane of luscious locks concealed on a tiny spool behind the painted smile of her plastic face - one day  Doris Day the next Bardot. And give me prom queen all American apple pie cuteness in the impossible shape of bland and beautiful Barbie, with feet so teenie they must have been bound by a Chinese fairy godmother at birth. Yet even with such minute tooties she managed a fleck of nail varnish to finish each toe.The girl had patience! She was born to totter and mince through life held up by escorting, admiring males!! Her wardrobe always came with matching accessories and the silliest and most enticing of these was always the tiny slippers and heels that perched on the end of her slim line legs like little princess jewels.     
How easily that dream embeds in us impressionable girls !

Footprints 3 - Cinderella Feet

Hello Feet Peeps
Christmas is a time for dressing up. Especially feet. They cry out for glamour to get them through the chill winter blues.So the thrill of unwrapping a childhood present of silvery glittery clear plastic preform of faux dance shoes still remains.The thick elastic straps that went over the toes and another for the arch of the foot were impossible and  made walking in them a percarious activity. But they fired the imagination with Cinderella dreams even if they ended up on top of a wardrobe cracked and split from failed attempts to successfully wobble in them. And that is what the shoe is for my dears. Fuel for our personal dreamscape to run  riot  -where we can dance with princes - and princesses - twirl  whirl and swirl... And never trip up or turn into pumpkins.
Happy dancing little toes...

Footprints 2 - Dolly Mixtures

It seems the first pair of shoes are all important to formulating your future style choices. Your shoe ID in fact.That first fitting is a blue print for all that follows on the footwear scene.The first pair of shoes I recall in my life did not belong to me at all but to my first and most treasured oversized dolly - the big blonde and whimsically named Rosebud (and I hadn't even seen Citizen Kane - in fact I don't think it had been made! ) The doll with the waxy rubbery smell of old vintage toys and a pouty face that was somewhere between a smile and sulk. The shoes she came with were classic white shiny and flat, made of flexible plastic with a neat little strap that popped over the ankle to secure them in place and a tiny stepped heal beneath, with which to navigate the world of my bedroom carpet and eiderdown. She wore these little gems under a silver and white wedding gown - not the most romantic of nuptial attire but nevertheless pure glistening virginal and purest white peeping out from under the silver lace hem of her floaty dress like two scummy frosted meringues. Rosebud's wide waxen rosy feet tucked sweetly into little lily white saucer shoes....That's a memory that makes for a dolly mixture of a shoe story n'est pas ?

Til tomorrow my little shoe -ettes

Footprints 1

Hello Foot Fiends and Shoe Sharks Everywhere.
Here begins the journey of my fabulous footprint through this crazy little thing called life.
Don't you love to watch the way you travel this world  and marvel at the footwear you wrap up the journey in? After all it's the part of ourselves we see the most. No wonder shoes express our personalities and monitor mood swings so well. So here we go stepping out on my ground breaking foot journal. Keep up kids!

Keep on walking and don't look back !