MS About Town

Black Monday

2006-05-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hi All

This Bank Holiday Monday, the cool club Cargo, in Shoreditch, became Black Monday courtesy of those trainer fiends at http://www.crookedtongues.com/ in celebration of the launch of their new Crooked Tongues adicolor Black Series BK3 trainer range.

Aside from being in the company of some of the most beautifully attired feet in London, the adicolour party highlights included a fantastic huge ice sculpture in the shape of, yup you guessed it, an adicolor trainer, whose tongue provided a perfect chute for vodka.

The host DJs getting the party started were female duo Skills and Sterling, spinning a well chosen selection that got people happily bouncing around on the dance floor. Although the crowds enthusiasm could also have been encouraged by the copious amounts of free Cobra Beer. Interesting fact one only finds out after the bar runs out of standard Cobra: Low Carb Cobra is actually really nice, seriously!

A random, I guess in keeping with the Black theme, Ozzy Osbourne tribute act followed. Certain sections of the crowd were going wild to this; never being a heavy metal fan myself I was rather more reserved.

Back to the important facts: The Crooked Tongues adicolor trainer is certainly neat and unique. It comes with a set of six removable tongues and six sets of laces in different colours - red, yellow, black, white, purple and green. Hopefully this could solve forever those ‘do my shoes match my outfit?’ emotional dilemmas one can encounter.

Whilst I can see the sheer beauty of having ‘six pairs of trainers in one’, being a total girly girl my heart now belongs to the Fafi designed adicolors I spotted in the projected visuals at Cargo. I think as well as winning my heart they are officially the CUTEST trainers I’ve seen this year. It’s also nice to see a female artist designing trainers, haven’t we come far ladies! Check out http://www.fafi.net/ to see more of her French avant-garde graffiti sketching.

If you want to keep up with trainer-trends worldwide and access one of the best vintage ranges ever, do log into http://www.crookedtongues.com/

Many thanks to Grace, Dean & Tobes @ Crooked Tongues.

Thanks too to Fatsarazzi for the cool pics of the ice sculpture, keep snapping those shoes!

By for now, MS About Town

Antwerp

2006-04-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hi All

God it's been ages since we've talked. Or rather I talk and too much too!

Here at MyShoes we've been so busy getting it together for the MS life show in Manchester this coming Saturday: there's cookies to bake, signs to make, clippings to press into a book... Hardly any time for shoe shopping. But don't you believe it! I managed to make time and in Antwerp too!

We left London on the Saturday (via a cheapie offer from the Mail) and got into Antwerp very late. Just enought time to sip a Belgian beer or two (actually I had three large ones and could hardly stagger to my bed just upstairs). I thought we had blown it for shopping (everything being shut on a Sunday) and in the land of Dries Van Noten, too!

However, we jumped out of bed on the Sunday morning and took the tram into town to a wonderful flea market. Loads of lovely flowers, bric a brak, etc. I really recommend it. The weather was lovely and cool and my walking was great.

We went to see the baroque painter Peter Paul Ruben's house. In his day, 1577 or so, he was the most famous painter in the world. Whatever, he was a painter after my own heart, glamourising us rather rotund ladies beautifully. If only we could have these days back!

Would you believe it, right around the corner was a tiny really old fashioned shoe store with the most wonderful selection of Birkinstocks. Now you all know how partial I am to Birkis. Got the most lovely flowered black pair of the clog style with red and yellow flowers all over them. They are perfect for running to the shops in (and they happened to go with what I was wearing that day. Too often we buy this way).

We ambled on to the main square in town and by this time I was geting a bit pooped. Along came an old fashioned horse drawn Omnibus. So we hopped on. It was a wonderful, slow ride but bumpy over the cobbles. Back to the main square we saw a street with what seemed like just about every one in town walking on it. So we headed that way. We soon found out why it was so busy, it had the only open shops on it.

This is where I found the Most Comfortable Stylish Shoes in the World... Trippen, even the name trips off the tongue. I bought two pairs. Actually I bought one pair and hubbie bought one. We were bargining right there in the shop. I would have mortgaged hubbie for a pair! So what are they like?

The pairs I bought were called Cute and Charm. You can see them on the link above in the shoes A-Z section. They are handmade from the softest Elk skin with elastic bands that sort of ruch them up. They are kind of artsie but many other pairs were totally high fashion, wooden platforms, ankle straps. But I was keen on the walking styles. Why two pairs? Well, one was black and the other? The most lovely gentle burnished gold. As nice as a Caramel bar.

Trippen is German and has a whole philosphy behind it. Handmade, comfortable, a bit kinky in parts, super fashion in others, The girl in the shop told me people become real Trippen addicts. I could become an addict myself but I'm not too faithful (when it comes to shoes at least).

So three pairs of shoes later, we made our way back to the Eurostar terminal. Exhausted but happy... I recommend Antwterp completely.

By for now shoe shoppers everywhere, MS About Town

Sniffing Around

2006-04-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hi All

I was in town today doing errands and happened by the wonderful new shoe shop, Sniff at 1 Great Titchfield Street (just behind and around the corner from Top Shop's flagship store). Open all of 5 weeks, I had heard the buzz around Sniff from my sister shoe blog, A Clean Pair Of Heels, and from a piece in Time Out, London's guide to all things cool in the capital.

Sniff is the new offering from shoe designer, Lynsey Hand and Sean Farrell, both of Office fame. There's loads of 40s and 50s American influenced wedgie styles from Lynsey's Miss L-Fire brand - many you just will not get elsewhere! Some of these were covered in bamboo while others were dripping with strawberries and other fruit. There were also many other styles from the highest heels to the most funky flatties. Both Sean and Lynsey were the creative side of Post and Post Mistress which are still truly wonderful stores. Here at Sniff, they have created another destination for all shoe lovers!

Of course, I did not get off lightly. I bought a pair of Dries Van Noten lookalikes with green ankle straps and some 30's vintage pink, teal blue and mustard slightly heeled peep toes. I know I won't be able to walk far in the peep toes but I just had to have them. I must have good taste as the lovely girls in the shop, Emi and Mena assured me the peep toes were their best sellers while the green ankle staps just came in today! By the way, the prices at Sniff are very good.

Otherwise not much happening. I know we will be going to the Footwear awards in May but before that we'll be hopping up to Manchester for the MS Life Conference and Exhibition. Do stop by and say hello if you are coming! We will be making some of our shoe shapped cookies that you can eat with your coffee.

By for now, MS About Town

Variety is the Spice of Life

2006-03-30T07:28:00.000-08:00

Hi All

It's been ages since I've written, you must be bored...

Firstly, while I am writing to you I just want to say I shall never again bother trying to write something just to get noticed. It's bad enough being ignored but trying to be noticed and being ignored is even more depressing. So no more on the naked eskimo or naked anything else for that matter.

So on to something more interesting. Last week the shampoo and soap people Dove invited MS About Town to a press event for their Campaign For Real Beauty - the Next Generation. You might remember this campaign from last year. Dove had billboards and posters showing a variety of women, black, white, redheaded, brunette, grey, old, young, fat, slim in all their glory and asked us to rate them for beauty. The idea was to counteract all those pictures of skin and bones that we are bombarded with on a daily basis. It turned out to be a great idea as it's been a huge hit for them (now we have Dove everything, shampoos, skin creams, suntan lotions, etc...).

So here I was, along with some cool press people sitting in the lovely Berkeley Hotel in London's swanky Knightsbridge sipping champagne. Hosted by Kay Adams (you know, the blond one from ITV’s ‘Loose Women’ daytime TV programme), Dove got up a panel of experts including Susie Orbach (of Fat is a Femist Issue fame) from the London School of Economics, Dr Pat Spungin, the founder of the parents website, RaisingKids.co.uk and Susan Ringwood of the Eating Disorders Association to explain to us how even very young children (age 7 or so) now worry about their weight. And moreover this worry translates into action or in fact, inaction. Many girls will not take part in sports or swim because they worry about what they look like.

According a study commissioned by Dove, apart from Japanese women, UK women have the lowest self-esteem in the world - all due to dissatisfaction with their bodies. And worldwide, 90% of all women surveyed wanted to change something about their body, only 2% of women would describe themselves as beautiful. And this starts early.

So Dove says it will make an investment of $10 million (worldwide) to develop programmes that build up girls' self-esteem. This includes setting up something they call Bodytalk Workshops, a teaching pack that has been sent to all secondary schools in the UK. There is also an advert that highlights the issue along with a video that shows teenagers how models are made to look more attractive by lighting, airbrushing and digital manipulation. All good stuff but they forgot disabled people. So very politely, we pointed this out. And you could see the lightbulb go off over their heads. I think we'll see something on this in their next campaign.

It can be hard to feel gorgeous with something always making you feel less than your best (like MS). But with a new and lovely pair of shoes, life always looks a bit better. So on to a cool shop in Islington called Spice (no website so google their address). They have another shop in Primrose Hill too. Independent, they do a very small selection of shoes but so fab. A few Campers and some of their own brands. Loads of 40s heels at the moment but the most fantastic bronze and fudge leather fluted flattie with an ankle strap. Not inexpensive at £120.00, but I think I just might have to have them! I've already got a bronze ballet pair. Can I justify this extravagant purchase? You'll just have to wait and see.

By for now, MS About Town

Naked Eskimo

2006-03-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Hi All

I've read somewhere that if I use the words naked eskimo in my blog it will shoot up the search engine. As I am desperate to have this blog read and for someone (anyone, anybody, anywhere) in the great big wide world out there to notice me, I have now decided to use it as my trump card. So I will say it again, naked eskimo. There I've said it.

But upon saying the words naked eskimo, I began to ponder... what do shoes do naked eskimos wear? Do they wear those funny tennis racket like things? I suppose whatever they wear they need socks and if they are wearing socks are they truly naked? Answers by return please.

Then my mind started to work overtime, I imagine a girl eskimo waiting for her hubby (or lover eskimo) in their igloo for him to return home after a hard day (or summer's) hunting with just a pair of Louboutins (red sole and all) on and nothing else. The Louboutins are bright pink with very high heels. (I know about these because Christian Louboutin himself gave us the most wonderful pair to auction last year. Bright pink patent leather with the red soles and signed. They were the only pair I really regret not keeping for myself - I think they went to Pam in Minnesota). She's lying on a fur rug...

Stop it! This is a clean blog. I just want to see if it works. Now for more important things. I keep promising you I will add photos of shoes to my blog and I will. But the camera on my mobile phone is too rubbish. I took loads of pics at Neal Street in Covent Garden last week but they're all awful. So I am going to get it together and get a camera. I promise.

Bought more shoes the other day, but will probably take them back. Another red pair and I have four already.

By for now, MS About Town

Bluewater - Two Stars Only!

2006-03-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hi All

I am sorry about keeping you waiting for the next blog for so long! I've been so busy but I did slip in some cool shoe shopping in between everything.

First though I need to have a rant. What is happening with Bluewater? For those of you not from London, Bluewater is what is supposed to be the non-plus ultra shopping mall in the south of England. Located at the base of an old chalk quarry, it has 330 shops, 40 caffs and a 13 screen multiplex cinema.

I love it, for as a girl with MS, it has cafes in every corner so when you get a bit pooped, you just sidle up to a seat in a cafe and one water, coffee, cake later you're rested and happy to carry on shopping! It's also got loos right next to the cafes and so many of them you never have to wait! And the best shops while everything is clean, clean, clean.

But there is a proviso, it's not so clean any more. There was graffitti in the lifts and elsewhere. And the shops are not what they used to be. No more independents - something that made Bluewater special. And (the worst crime of all) not very good shoe shopping!

The only standout was Shoon. They've been a great supporter of ours in the past but I don't let sway me. Their shop was bright and filled with the most fab things. Not high fashion, admittedly, but full of those shoes you really wear (and wear, and wear and wear). It just stood out. Everything else was just so... blah.

I don't know but the whole complex seem to have been raided. Perhaps the retailers thought they were not going to have a good season and so just bought less. Certainly, they have not done their best at Bluewater. My recommendation? Go into London and hit Oxford Street or even better Neal Street.

This is just what I did and I'll let you know more about the great shopping there a bit later on...

By for now, MS About Town

Wow! Brilliant MyShoes Shoe Party!

2006-03-01T07:14:00.000-08:00

Hi All

I said I let you know about our very first Shoe Party. What a fab night!

We all met up upstairs at the Gallipoli Bazaar in Islington (cool part of "Norf" London). The Bazaar is the central one of three Gallipolis on Upper Street. They are great party places. Bazaar in particular is stunning with huge chandeliers from Egypt upstairs and a chill out parlour downstairs. The food was wonderful- donated by the rather gorgeous Erdal. They threw in all the Turkish mezes including delicious hot starters and even mussels. Lovely but I'll be slimming today.

We formed into teams to try to win the MyShoes "funky shoe quiz" and of course the team that won had Samatha Lyster on it. She's a girl after our own hearts as she write the Times Online shoe blog, A Clean Pair of Heels! They all won a special MyShoes pedicure pack full of goodies from the Body Shop in it.

One or two Pink Stilettos (cocktail receipes soming soon to the MyShoes website) later and we were all strutting our stuff, showing off our shoes for the pretty Turkish waiters to judge the best pairs. Three top prizes were awarded which included MyShoes Ts, a neat little shoe book and a copy of How to Walk in High Heels by Camilla Morton. There was even a "Needs More Glamour" prize awarded to the other Sam who wore hiking boots! So I think a good time was had by all!

We are running bit behind on the website but there will shortly be a shoe party page with all the details about how to hold a MyShoes shoe party of your very own. Check in soon...

By for now, MS About Town

Selfridges, Lorraine Kelly and Shoes

2006-02-28T00:52:00.000-08:00

Hi All

I am so excited! Tonight is the first of our MyShoes shoe parties. I'll let you know how it went, hopefully tomorrow. I do know there will be lovely mezes (Turkish starters) and fancy shoe cocktails (the receipes for which you will be able to get off the MyShoes site soon).

I do want to do a bit of name dropping. My girlfriend came down to visit me yesterday. Susy's from beautiful Bath (or actually a very posh village called Box - where Peter Gabriel's studio is and Hugh Corwall from the Stranglers lives - both blasts from the past!). Tall and blonde, I hate her!

We met up in Selfridges and as soon as Susy arrives, she announces "I need shoes!". Nothing loath, we headed for the second floor. I spotted the most delicious flatties from Emma Hope. I say spotted because they are in a fab leopard spot print but with the most funky pointed (but not too pointed) toes. I loved them but restrained myself. Just at this point we spotted Lorraine Kelly doing a bit of shoe shopping too.

Lorraine didn't buy either. Maybe the cold weather got to her. It's hard to shoe shop when so bundled up. I hope she buys loads more though for Spring, as her's are some of the celeb's shoes you may occasionaly grab on our eBay shop. The last pair she donated were the most lovely pale pink suede kitten heels. Thanks again, Lorraine.

Susy's still here, at this moment in bed. We may do a bit more shopping but I've got shoe things to make for the party, so by for now, shoe-aholics everywhere!

xxx, MS About Town

Shoes Parties??? It's all thanks to Melissa O'Shea!

2006-02-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Hi All

I thought I would explain a little about our new MyShoes Shoe Parties. We have always been called (since we began two years ago) MyShoes and as you may (or may not) know, MyShoes is dedicated to raising awareness of the fact that it is younger people, particularly women (as 2 women to 1 man are likely to be affected) that are now diagnosed with MS.

As (nearly) all women love shoes, we thought they might begin to appreciate the impact of MS by realising that it is just at the point that girls are out clubbing and wearing their tallest heels that MS is most likely to strike! Often they have to give up heels entirely!

So after having been on the web for some time a gorgeous girl girl from Boston with an entirely appropiate Irish name, Melissa O'Shea got in touch with us. It seems her day job was to help raise funds for the Accelerated Cure Project - an organisation dedicated to finding the cause of MS.

But Melissa's real love is shoes! And in her other life, she started a Shoe Club! And very generously she told MS About Town all about it. It seems she and her huge list of shoe club devotees get together every two months or so to wear their finest, funkiest, tallest or most glamourous shoes! They have a competition for the best pairs and a meal or loads of drinks. MS About Town was even invited to Boston to see how much fun these parties are and Boy, They Are Fun!!!

So it's all thanks to Melissa that we have our new shoe parties. We are holding our first one in a secret location in the next week. We'll be publishing our photos on the MyShoes website and giving you all the lowdown so you can hold a MyShoes Shoe Party of your very own in the near future.

Got to go now as cocktails in NoHo* call...

MS About Town

* NoHo's that cool bit north of Oxford Street in central London

Fab New Black and Gold Shoes

2006-02-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

Hi again all

You must be patient with me as this is only my second post. My friend showed me today how to link stuff so hopefully there will be loads of cool links in the future. Learn something new everyday I say!

So what did I do today? I went shoe shopping, of course. I was looking for a flat pair to wear with some new cargo type trousers and ended up with evening shoes (typical!).

I started off with a visit to at the MS Society's offices (Edgware Road) to go over the details for our first shoe party. Then a quick drop in at Brent Cross in North London. It was certainly buzzy (if you like loads of kids) - fell into one of our best supporter's shops, Office. I was laden down with food shopping and stuff from Boots so plomped myself down on a huge bench they have there. A fab girl called Fem took great care of me (running and getting many pairs for me to look at) along with her colleague Kasim.

I left with a brilliant pair of 80's style little boots and the aformentioned black shoes with gold shiny sides. I really will try to photograph these for you. Don't forget too that you can shop at Office online!

So take care all for now, hopefully more soon.

MS About Town

I Love Shoes!

2006-02-14T03:49:00.000-08:00

Hi there all. It's MS About Town here with my very first blog entry. I Love Shoes! In fact, I am a shoe addict! I quite like fashion too! But shoes are my true love.

Normally, I spend my time swanning around London but I've just got back from Tucson in Arizona (you know, where Kate Moss went for treatment) so I thought I would tell you about my shoe findings in the good old USA.

Tucson is the place where the coyote and the roadrunners hang out and is totally informal. 80 degrees even in Feb is the norm so my mind turned to sandals. I always start out with good intentions. I am going to wear stunning summer fashions and lovely heeled sandals all summer long. But by the end, I have turned to my trusty Birkenstocks and find that the flat reverse heels seem to work quite well with my MS and allow me to walk comfortably (except for the bus - need more support there).

So I headed out to the local Birkenstock shop. I saw the most gorgeuous silver Birkis with just two straps and diamonte buckles (Look for similar in the Heidi Klum collection at www.footshopping.com.) but I plumped for a great bronze roman style instead. I know that these will be what I live in this summer.

But just in case you think I was totally practical, I certainly was not. I also found the most amazing 3 1/2 " platforms. These have both silver and gold straps and if I can photograph these in the next day or two, I will and post them up on this blog. I tower over hubbie but I need them to try to win the funkiest shoe competition at our first shoe party for MyShoes. Starting at the end of Feb, you will be able to find out more about these on the MyShoes website soon.

So keep checking in. I bought two more pairs of shoes which I am going to try to photograph and I will keep on looking for the most brilliant shoes around town on your (and my) behalf.

All the best, MS About Town