The One About The Shoes

I want to blog more. I've slacked the past few weeks. I just don't know what to write about. So this is the post where I ramble about what I've been up to the past few weeks. Not much really except it seems shopping and cinema-ing.

Let's start with the shopping. A few weeks ago saw the most wondrous shoes on a website. They were so awesome I immediately wanted them. Pink suede Sam Edelman 'pumps' with spiky jewel encrusted heel area. Look... wouldn't you want them too?!!

Now these shoes aren't cheap a little shy of £200 but if figure that I don't buy 'going out' shoes that much. In fact the last pair of 'going out' expensive shoes i bought were from Topshop about 4 years ago. I was overdue new fancy schmancy shoes. I decided upon first viewing, that they were to be mine.

I scoured the web and realised that perhaps the closest place to sell them (that i could actually try them on) would be Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh. I'd get round to that eventually. I headed off to Glasgow one Sunday to the cinema with a customary scoot around the shops and allowed myself to be drawn to Fraser's on Buchanan Street. I'll just mosey to the shoes department to see if they have anything else in that would catch my eye. Lo and behold. There they were. They shoes. Sitting at a jaunty angle that enticed me ever more closer to them. I grabbed it from it's stand and checked the size 5/36. American sizing. I knew a 36 was a 3 1/2. Tried it on. Oooohhhh how lush was it. The sales assistant came over and asked if i need any help. I promptly asked her is there was a fresh pair. This one now adorning my right foot was a bit manky and i could see it'd been tried on a fair few times. "I'm not sure but you can try them on and we can order you a fresh pair". Deal.

A few minutes later. Come to think of it, it was a good five minutes later that she brought the box out. It wasn't a fresh pair but she handed me the left foot. Shite. The right foot had obviously faded from sitting on the shelf, understandably. I tried them on as a pair. I was in love. Official. I hoiked my jeans up so i could see them better. They were so awesome. Feminine with the perfect amount of rock chick. Perfect. Only thing was the heel was 4 and a half inches high. Higher than i am used to considering i spend most of my time in a beat up pair of Converse. Boys - this is a high heel! "how do they feel?" was the question from the sales assistant. "they're killing my feet but they're gorgeous" was my reply. It would take a lot of breaking in for me to get used to almost walking on my tippy toes in this new pair of shoes. I wanted them. I bought them. Right there on the spot. In my mind i had them already worn with three different outfits.

I took them off while the sales assistant went to order me a fresh pair from the computer. Two minutes later she was back "I'll just get you over at the till to pay for them". I handed over my card and felt a little guilty. Was this my gut telling me something? Should I be spending this much money on a pair of shoes, which, let's face it, would spend most of their time in a box on top of my wardrobe? Hhmmm.... The shoes should be here within the week and i could collect them whenever i wanted.

Two weeks later I headed back to Fraser's to collect my new shoes. My new sparkly, awesome shoes. Dis-a-pointed was an understatement. I headed into the busy shoe department, the designer section as my shoes were from there. Told an assistant i was here to collect shoes. She took my receipt and headed off. Five minutes later she was back. I noticed the box was a bit...bashed. Hhhmmm. She opened the box to reveal a pair of the shoes in a size 5/36 (3?). There was something not right immediately. The paper inside the box was ripped. The shoes weren't wrapped in their own piece of tissue paper. The plastic rod you get to keep shoes on shape was in the bottom of the box. Around the peep toe they were a bit dirty. There was a green mark on the side of the left shoe. The soles had clearly been used. Not used as in stepped outside but you know when you can tell they'd been stood on and walked in? that!! I was not happy with this. Spending nearly £200 on a 'fresh' pair I'd expect them never to have been out the box! Wouldn't you? I questioned the things i mentioned above and this sales assistant (note: a different one than who originally served me, she was lovely, this one not so much). "No, they've not been worn". Clearly they have I said, look at the soles. "Nope it's not possible". Look at the soles i said. There's a mark on one of them. They're a little bit faded. The box has obviously been opened and they've been worn. "no, they haven't. I can give you a refund". Well actually you know what. Just do that. Her customer service skills were lacking. Perhaps it's because she thought I'd taken her away from another customer who was just about to spend £5million pounds on a pair of Jimmy Choo's!!! A smile wouldn't have gone amiss either. The refund was back on my card within minutes and I was out that door quicker than you could say Sam Edelman. It's such a shame and a disappointment. Shame the shoes weren't a NEW pair and such disappointing service from a high end department store.

I couldn't stop thinking about the shoes. They were truly awesome. But as luck would have it I wondered up Buchanan Street and into New Look to find some clothes for my sister. I called her and she asked me to look for a pair of shoe boots for her. I wondered around and lo and behold (yes I've used this twice now) i saw a gorgeous little pair of red suede shoe boots. I was immediately drawn to them. Looksee below!!

New Look shoe boots

And at £25 they weren't going to break the bank like those spiky pink ones. Plus they are a much more manageable heel size. With the money i had left over i bought a pair of black skinny Levi jeans and a cool little black top. That's my outfit sorted. I now need somewhere to wear it to! *wink wink*

Now, i'm away to practice walking in them... could take a while.

Angela xx
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