Kent schoolgirl sent home for having pink stitching in her shoes – whatever next?

Shoes are important.  They certainly provide the easiest solution to adding a touch of individuality to an outfit.  Which is why we love them…in pink, in green, in silver, with skyscraper heels or cute kittens, clompy and sturdy or dainty and girlie.

But for one thirteen year old a touch of individuality in the shoe department has hit the headlines.

Stacey Pearson, from Ashford in Kent, missed a whole afternoon of lessons recently after being ‘caught’ with pink stitching in her shoes.

According to teachers at Christ Church Secondary the addition of a touch of pink went against school uniform rules, and thus Stacey was sent home to change in to something more sensible.

Stacey’s mum is, quite rightly, outraged that her daughter missed out on lessons over the shoes which her daughter had been wearing since September with no complaints.

Good for her we say – whatever next?  A ban on heels in hospitals  Smart shoes only in the supermarket?  No bad shoes in bars (actually we’d welcome that one)?  Today its shoes, tomorrow it’s our basic human rights.  Ok, maybe that overstates it but we like shoes, ok?

We salute you and your shoes Ms Pearson, wear your pink stitching with pride.  We’ll expect to see you browsing Shudoo’s fine range of individual and stylish footwear very soon.

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Topshop issues a disclaimer at the till when buying four-inch heels

When did shoes start getting so perilous? Only last week I bought a deliciously to-die-for pair of four-inch sling backs from the new Topshop Unique collection only to be issued with a disclaimer at the till stating that, should the heels break or dysfunction in any way, then I wouldn’t be allowed to return them.

Fair enough, these particular heels were clearly designed for leaning against a bar rather than a Saturday shopping marathon but still, when exactly did law start creeping into a spur of the moment spending splurge?  What next? A ten-page contract to be signed with every purchase? Witnesses when I hand over my Visa at Harvey Nicks?

It all started last summer, when a student ventured out in a new pair of Dolcis strappy sandals only to fall flat on her face hours later when the heel snapped.

She ended up with a broken ankle and in plaster for the next few months. The result? Dolcis paid out £7,500 in compensation, thus opening up a door and bringing the realisation that the consumer has far more power than we first realised, not something the shops really wanted us to know.

It’s not just us mere mortals suffering at the hands of fashionable heels after one too many cocktails either. At the Oscar’s last week both Amanda Seyfried and Alicia Keys had issues with their heels.

First, Amanda got her heel caught in a stocking during one of the show’s performances, then Alicia’s heel snapped as she ran from the green room to the stage to present an award with Zac Efron.

It’s no wonder we’re all having to cope with footwear malfunction, heels have significantly grown in height in recent years, rising from a modest two-inch heel in our parent’s days to a perilous four to five inches today thanks to the platform.

So what can you do to ensure you don’t spend half the day hopping along with one heel? Stick with a sturdy heel and as many straps as you can bear to keep things in place rather than wobbling about all over the shop.

Hoss Intropia do a wicked pair of blue suede heels that will liven up a pair of opaque tight or a floral dress or, better yet, forgo the heel entirely without giving up the extra height.

The United Nude Eamz Pump is designed with a sturdy steel support emerging from the sole which lifts the shoe rather than putting all the weight on the heel making them fashionable and functional.

We can’t think of a better excuse than our own safety to shop for new shoes and, with lots of new brands now available at Shudoo to celebrate a new season, you can put your feet up and shop from the comfort of your own sofa!

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Shudoo’s low-down on the top footwear trends at London Fashion Week - Part 2

As promised, here is the second installment of our final 5 top footwear trends, from London Fashion week…

Exotic Reptile Skins: Exotic reptile skins are dyed in a variety of rainbow shades. Matthew Williamson and DKNY went for nu rave brights, while John Galliano went for an iridescent sheen.

Achieve this look with the Terry de Havilland Aries, or if you’re not feeling as flush this month they why not go for the B4you Fatma.

Spaghetti Ties: This trend combines lacing and tie fastenings, as thin cord-like shoestrings wind their way up feet, tied in skinny knots at the ankle.

Achieve this look with the Hoss Intropia Honey.

Gold Rush: If you want to cheer yourself up from all the doom and gloom of an economic crisis, then why not add a bit of glam to your feet with luxurious metallic’s inparticular gold.

Achieve this look with United Nude’s Porn-toe, if you still want to be wearing the seasons key colour but live a hectic life where you need to wear flats then opt for the French Sole Pirouette Platine or Gola Python.

Sunshine Yellow: Yellow is always recurrent come summertime, but this season the sunshine shade arrives teamed with black accents, such as contrast soles, piping or ribbon ties.

Achieve this look with the Hoss Intropia Honey or if you’re going to be hitting the festivals this summer than what better boot is there than the Festival Tall Hunter wellington in bright yellow.

Tribal Reds: With the tribal trend influencing several key designers this season, a palette of sun- baked reds plays a dominant role for footwear. These colours conjure ideas of scorched earth deserts and blood-red tribal prints. You can mix textures and tones together as at the Louis Vuitton runway show

Achieve this look with the Roberto Botella Lipstick peeptoe, or if you’re going for comfort this season then try the new Ugg Australia Classic tall in Baked-Clay or get ready for summer with Birkenstocks Madrid of Gizeh flip flops in red.

So there you have it, you should now be fully equipped with the shoe-knowledge to step into Spring in style.

Which of the top 10 footwear trends will you be strutting your stuff in this season? Leave your comments below…

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Pixie Geldof to appear in the March issue of Italian Vogue - Does she deserve this privilege?

Pixie Geldof has very much become one of Britain’s ‘It’ girls and rarely does a day go by when her face doesn’t appear in the tabloids.

The 18 year old daughter of Sir Bob ‘Do they know it’s Christmas time’ Geldof is forever being snapped at events and is fast becoming a house-hold name.

Sunday saw Pixie waltzing down the catwalk in bondage platform sandals, a scarlet cap and belted tunic, at the PPQ fashion show.

You too could try jumping on the statement shoe bandwagon with a pair Terry de Havilland Margaux Wave wedges.

The young star also took to the runway on the fourth day of London Fashion week at the Luella Bartley show.

Her stint in London Fashion week isn’t the first taste of high fashion that the youngest Geldof has had; Pixie is gracing the cover of the March issue of the prestigious Italian Vogue.

With her bleached, cropped hair and deep-set, smoky eyes she lays beneath a banner headline reading: “So young so cool.”

In the issue Pixie and her best friend, model Daisy Lowe, feature in a 14 page editorial.

Pixie being on the front cover has somewhat split the fashion world– many believing that the cover should only be graced by those who are far more established in the field of modeling.

But here at Shudoo we love her style, and, in our oh-so-humble opinion, think she takes a gorgeous picture.

Arriving at the NME awards at the Brixton Academy last night, Pixie looked every bit the fashionista in her bang on trend leather jacket with studding detail.

Funky tight detailing and some killer patent platforms accompanied her black dress and the whole look was finished with a medley of necklaces in gold and silver.

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Shudoo’s low-down on the top footwear trends at London Fashion Week - Part 1

With today being the final day of London Fashion Week, we thought we’d give you the low-down on the key footwear trends seen on the catwalks for Spring/Summer, and how to achieve these enviable looks with Shudoo’s growing collection of fab designer brands.

We noticed 10 top trends that were prominent on the runway: Keyhole cut-out, T-bar straps, wedges, novelty heels, PVC and Perspex, exotic reptile skins, spaghetti ties, Gold Rush, Sunshine Yellow and Tribal Reds

Here is the first 5 key trends, check back tomorrow for the final 5…

Keyhole-cut out: Give your toes a good airing this Spring with the hottest new trend, key-hole peep-toes. Alessandro Dell’Acqua and the cut-out heels at Halston and Veronique Leroy highlighted this growing trend at London Fashion Week.

Achieve this look with Roberto Botella’s black suede peep-toe.

T-Bar Straps: The humble T-Bar was seen at several key shows. Styles were thin and strappy at Burberry and Cavalli, while Riktor and Rolf and Sophia Kokosalaki offer more adventurous takes on this design.

Achieve this look with the Steve Madden Pascha.

Wedges: The wedge heel has dominated the catwalks for several seasons now, so is always an easy way to up-date any outfit and will be a key piece season after season. This season has a funky take on the wedge with cut-away detailing, or sculptured insets seen at Giorgio Armani or a split wedge seen at D&G.

Achieve this look with United Nude’s Stealth Peep-toe, Ugg Australia Rochelle, Terry de Havilland Margaux Wave or opt for a more casual wedge with Crocs Sassari range.

Novelty Heels: Are always a favourite on the runway and are slowly increasing in popularity at a commercial level, with the help of celebs such as Mischa Barton wearing the Fertility God heels by John Galliano for Christian Dior.

Achieve this look with United Nude’s Eamz pump; you can’t get more novel than a sculpted chrome heel.

PVC and Perspex: Footwear went plastic fantastic on the catwalk, with an abundant use of clear PVC and Perspex for straps, heels and even soles. The most obvious style was for strappy sandals in transparent PVC. Giles used clear plastic studs and Sonia Rykiel embellished the clear panels of a court shoe with sequins.

Achieve this look with the Holster Toe Loop Jelly.

Remember to check back tomorrow for the final 5 key footwear trends…

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Girls Aloud - Could Nicola Roberts be the true fashionista of the band?

Nicola Roberts, youngest member of our fave girl group Girls Aloud, was spotted leaving the Mayfair Hotel in London looking rather chic and stylish.

Miss Roberts, who is the new face of Vivienne Westwood, was wearing a flirty striped cream and black knee-length dress, cut on the bias flattering her petite figure.

The cut out back adds a bit of sauciness to the outfit, accessorised like a true star with the must-have black quilted Chanel bag.

The real show-stoppers however have to be those killer Louboutins and heart design sheer tights, get them here >

The soaring silver Christian Louboutins were a great accompaniment to this sleek outfit and we love her cheeky heart pattern tights, which are a fun take on the original back seamed tights, popular with the likes of Dita Von Teese and Marilyn Monroe back in the day.

Nicola has always struggled with her unique appearance, with red hair and very pale skin she has always stood out, which is the reason she was chosen as the new face of Vivienne Westwood.

In the early days of Girls Aloud, make-up artists used to cover Nicola in fake tan from head to toe so she was the same colour as the other girls.

However she has now learnt to embrace her look, so much so that she launched a new make-up range, ‘Dainty Doll’ specifically for pale skin.

The 23-year-old has commented previously that she “looks like a chav” when she is covered in fake-tan, we think Nicola looks much happier embracing the au naturel look.

Fellow band mate Cheryl Cole might have the reputation as stylista, but we think Nicola can give her a run for her money.

With her classic/vintage style she always has her finger on the fashion pulse (sitting front row at Vivienne Westwood’s catwalks may well help!)

She’s notched up several appearances at London Fashion Week; perhaps it’s time for a fashion line as well as a beauty range?

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Shudoo’s top tips for re-vamping your Spring wardrobe

Now here at Shudoo we’re no economists, but we can tell you one thing that we have learnt from the economic slump, it is all about making your money travel further and buying key pieces that will last.

You can still follow trends, but you don’t need to be constantly spending, spending, spending, to keep up. There are certain pieces that you can stock your wardrobe with that will last you for years.

And what better time to revamp your wardrobe than now, just as we’re entering Spring.

Here’s a few pieces that we think no fashionista should be without:-

-A good shoe that can transcend from work, to evening, and then to night is priceless:

Take the Hoss Intropia Hope shoe for example. This heeled sandal can be teamed with a smart pencil skirt for work, and then thrown on after a pair of skinny jeans for the evening. For a night on the tiles they would look great with a cute mini dress. Genius!

-A good waist belt:

Does wonders for your figure and is brilliant for jazzing up an outfit. A wide waist belt can be worn over dresses, tops, cardigans, and even coats. What a nifty little piece!

-We cannot get enough of some of the cute print dresses around at the moment:

They’re great for wearing with tights and a chunky cardy, but they’ll still be good to go in summer with bare legs and a pair of sandals!

Sometimes you’ve gotta spend a little to save a little, girls!

What key items could you not go without? Post your thoughts below.

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Jade Goody marries Jack Tweed - Who makes the fashion faux pas?

There’s no escaping Jade Goody at the moment. Her last minute marriage to 21-year-old Jack Tweed on Sunday only fueled the media frenzy that is surrounding her at the moment as the former Big Brother star battles terminal cancer.

The 27-year-old married long-term boyfriend Jack at Down Hall Country House Hotel in Hatfield Heath. She told OK magazine that she had experienced “the happiest day of her life, now I’m ready to go to heaven.”

The wedding was hastily organised in just a week after she was told she only had a matter of months to live.

Determined Goody managed to walk down the aisle and stand for most of the ceremony despite her illness which has meant she has been constricted to a wheel-chair on many occasions.

At one point the new Mrs Tweed had to take her shoes off as her feet were hurting from standing so long and wearing new shoes, now we can all sympathise with the pain of new shoes! Didn’t anyone tell Jade you have to wear new shoes in; well I guess she did only have a week…

Jack Tweed arrived for the wedding in a blacked-out Rolls-Royce, before the bride was fashionably late arriving in a helicopter. She wore a wedding gown estimated to be worth £4,000 by Manuel Moto, donated by Harrods owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed.

It seems with all the commotion surrounding the wedding that Jack made a big fashion faux pas as he married Jade, by leaving the label on the bottom of his new shoes, now we’ve all been there, and nothing looks less-classy than flashes of a big white label as you walk in your new killer heels.

Jack’s mother noticed the mistake as her son bent down, during the heart-rending ceremony, both their entire outfits were brand new and we’re sure there was no expense spared.

Jack’s outfit came with the unusual addition, in the form of an electronic tag, a condition of his early release from prison where he served a sentence for assault. The Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, relaxed Tweeds curfew so he could spend his wedding night with Jade.

OK! Magazine are rumoured to have paid £700,000 for the image rights to the ceremony, while an existing contract with Living TV to film the wedding is thought to have earned Jade a further £100,000.

In total she is estimated to have made nearly £1 million from the day, which Jade admits is to secure the financial future of her sons.

P.S Get Jack’s shoe style with Converse All Star Ox in Optical White

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Melanie C is the last Spice Girl to give birth - Read to find out which celeb baby name was chosen?

Mel C is the final Spice Girl to enter the world of motherhood.

Sporty Spice, real name Melanie Chisholm, gave birth to Scarlett Starr in a London hospital on Sunday morning.

A message on her website said: “Melanie C gave birth to a beautiful little girl at 4.10pm on Sunday February 22. Both mum and baby are doing well.”

Melanie Brown was the first Spice to become Mum 10 years ago with daughter Phoenix Chi and, later, Angel.

Victoria Beckham has three sons, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. Geri Halliwell has a daughter, Bluebell, and Emma Bunton has a baby boy, Beau, with boyfriend Jade Jones.

Sporty, 35, flew the flag for girl power through the late nineties and early naughties and is best remembered for her cropped tops and tracky bottoms finished, of course, with a pair of white trainers.

OK, so maybe it’s not the look we’d go for these days but girl power was all about individualism!

These days Melanie is quite the chic sophisticated celeb, and seems more than comfortable following trends. Gone are the days of scraped back ponytails; Mel now wears her hair down and sleek.

Even during pregnancy, when women are allowed to don their comfiest baggiest clothes, Mel could be seen in dresses and blouses that showed off her bump – and she looked gorgeous for it!

P.S we love Mel’s comfy flat biker-style boots, get Mel’s look with Bumper Boots, see here

Scarlett weighed in at a healthy 8lbs 3oz.

Congratulations Mel!

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