Do you have a list of fashion rules you follow?

 (A night out - Gianvito Rossi sandals, Dolce and Gabbana skirt, ALC top and Ally Cappelino bag)

There are rules and regulations everywhere, even in the world of fashion. And whilst I love structure, I’m not a huge fan of being told what I can and cannot do or wear…One of the things I come across a lot when googling fashion is “What short girls should avoid wearing.

”Whilst I find these lists useful as “guidelines” (I’m 5’2”), if I steered clear of everything I was told not to wear because of my height: midi skirts/dresses, maxi skirts/dresses, stripes, shoes with ankle straps, draped blouses and dresses, prints and carrying oversized handbags to name a few I would have never discovered some of my greatest wardrobe loves - sandals with ankle straps for instance:

(Brian Attwood sandals)

Totally avoiding midi and maxi lengths as a short girl is a weird one too - as you immediately cut out so many options. And though I often wear shorter dresses and skirts – I choose my outfit depending on how I feel and what I am doing that day and sometimes it’s just not appropriate to be wearing a short skirt - at my son’s parents’ evening (!)

What I would say about longer length dresses and skirts, actually clothes in general, is fabric is key. Recently, designers have been using a lot of matelassé fabrics for their clothes and these don’t work for me. They feel too stiff and I feel swamped, so in this respect the rules are right.

However, there are always exceptions. You may have seen on my socials I have been raving about Self Portrait dresses. The lace is quite heavy - but the cut and the nude linings work and if I hadn’t tried, I wouldn’t have ended up this this gorgeous number:

(Self Portrait Azaelea dress)

Now obviously I am looking at this from my diminutive perspective. But I discovered the other day my mate Cristina, who is 5’10”, who shares my love for fashion, also finds fashion can be a challenge.

There must be a list of "tall girls rules" too – but like me, but she has learned what works for her.

Apparently cropped jeans are a nightmare as they often end up looking like Capri leggings. And dresses can also be tricky, as the waist doesn't always sit in the right place.

This hadn’t occurred to me at all, as I thought being taller made fashion altogether easier.

I guess my own rules come down to shape and proportion – mine, and the clothes I try on. Fabric (as I said), colour, print also come into play.

We all know our body shapes and have bits we want to accentuate and bits we’d like to skim over… we build our own set of fashion rules and our personal style follows.

And perhaps most importantly, we instinctively know what we love and what we don’t,  and how good we feel in what we are wearing.

I’m going to leave you with a non-fashion quote, which I feel is relevant here from Sir Isaac Newton (I have as scientific past in case you didn’t know). Newton said, “ You have to make the rules, not follow them.” I completely agree…so what are your fashion rules?  

Shoes, shoes and more shoes

Shopping is an addiction I enjoy, and dresses and shoes are two of my weaknesses. I think maybe shoes edge it slightly. I will pretty much always start an outfit from the bottom up.

I think Marilyn Monroe said, “Give a girl the right pair of shoes and she can conquer the world.” I’m with Marilyn on this one… perhaps not the world, but certainly your bit of it. A lovely pair of shoes gives you "instant sassy" on your feet.

Anyway, I thought I’d share a few of my favorites that go with pretty much anything, and my most recent footwear purchases, from the Christmas sales.

Firstly, Sam Edelman. Sharkskin Anastasia Kid Suede Shoe. Not crazily expensive for designer shoes and really comfortable. To be honest, these tick so many of my boxes. Shoe boot - check. Comfortable - check. Suede - check. Grey - check. I love all colours but there is something very chic about grey in my opinion. I think these come in black and a burgundy too and are still on sale. For me, these are a "do anything, go anywhere" shoe. The next pair are Vicmatie, an Italian brand who have boots sewn up, as far as I'm concerned. Also, grey, suede, but I promise there is some variety coming! These are probably my most sensible pair of shoes/boots. Sturdy and hard wearing, provided you spray the suede to protect it against the rain. In my head these are basically flat... Now come the two Christmas splurges that I secretly put on my credit card. When a pair of shoes feels and looks good sometimes budgetary constraints go out the window and lust takes over...These are the first offenders ;-) They are Dolce and Gabbana, Crystine lace ankle boots. Again a shoe boot, but so delicate. I was deliberating for a long time about lace shoe boots and some were ridiculously expensive and and a lot of the high street versions didn't look like they would stand the test of time. Whether I spend £20 or £200, I really like things to last. This next pair were a real extravagance but in my defence the leather is like butter, they fit like a glove and are an awesome colour. Without fail, when I wear these someone compliments me on the shoes. They are Gianvito Rossi. Whilst looking through my current favs, I rediscovered, these lovely black, suede boots from Office. I love Office. For me, they produce fantastic shoes and boots that are often so close to an exact luxury brand design at a fraction of the cost. These are a few years old. I remember lusting after a pair of Christian Louboutin boots that I simply couldn't justify, even in my contrived mind. Then one day I was running chores in Wimbledon town and I walked into Office for some R&R and, to my delight, found these. Not exactly the same as the Louboutins obviously, but a definite nod in the right direction. Admittedly they are a bit scuffed, but they make me smile. As you may have realised I am a heel girl. I’ve been wearing heels since I was sixteen, I'm short (5'2") and walk a lot better in heels. Put me in pumps or sneakers and I tend to waddle like a duck. Heels seem to make me stride along and improve my posture.

To me, the shoes that stand the test of time are the ones that don’t date, go with a multitude of outfits and are comfortable.Shoes that I can’t walk in, or stand in for hours, when I’m performing for instance, are no good to me.

Like anything, walking high heels takes practice. I’m not for one minute saying I am the perfect heel wearer, but no one likes to see someone tottering and stumbling along in shoes they can’t walk in.

Just to reinforce the power of my addiction, I took a picture of the bottom half of my shoe cupboard (!).I know some people take photos of their shoes and put them on the outside. I like to label them, by make, style, material or an event that reminds of the shoes. I have some shoes from Aldo that I wore in a music video several years ago, that I think you can see at the bottom. I would love to know what your current fave shoes are and if/how you like to organise them. Leave me a comment below so we can compare collections!