Today, I Come Clean And Admit My Secret Love : Crocs

I'm on a mission to change your mind about Crocs. The words 'stylish', 'fashionable' and 'aspirational' aren't ones you would automatically pair with the world or Crocs shoes. They are thought of as a brand only worn by the under 5 year olds & the over 50 year olds around the house. Classic Crocs are those bright plastic clogs with ventilation holes around the toes, you know, your Grandad has them for gardening. 

I thought would rather go barefoot to a fashion event than turn up in classic Crocs and be 'that awful shoes girl' for the rest of my sociable life. That was until I stumbled upon an article about Crocs written by a woman about my age, about how she couldn't walk in heels, but found her feet in a pair of wedge pump Crocs. 

She said she never could master walking in heels, but wanted to be one of those women who walk around in heels all day with the same ease as if they were barefoot. She asked a friend how she did it, without having painful feet, ripped to shreds by the end of the working day. She shared her secret- Crocs branded heels. 

They take the biggest selling point of regular Crocs, their comfort, and engineer that into other shoe designs like wedges, sandals and cute pumps. The woman in the article bought her first pair of Crocs wedge heels and was a convert. My interest was piqued.

I guiltily opened up a private browsing tab and loaded up  Crocs UK website. I went first to check for bargains on the sale section of the store.

I found a pair of grey wedge heels for £20 and chose size 4. They arrived and were true to size for a size 4 wearing with tights. I couldn't believe the comfort. Usually even with flat pumps you are in with the risk of them hurting the back of your foot while you 'break them in', but the Crocs wedges were soft and comfy. And yes! I could walk in them! 

Crocs also sent me a pair of summery pumps, the Sienna design, in a bright red. Again the size 4 was true to size and needed no breaking in, even wearing with just tights. I've had compliments wearing them out and about, and everyone is shocked when I tell them they are Crocs!

So now I'm an unofficial Crocs ambassador! I sing their praises for heels to learn to walk in, and comfortable shoes that don't cut the ankles off you. And yes, I'm going to a fashion event on the 5th of May and I'll be proudly wearing my Crocs!

Here are some of the current styles on the Crocs website, and make sure you join the  Crocs UK Facebook page to be the first to hear about offers and new styles.

Stand For Something: Belfast Doc Marten's Store Opening Night

The Belfast Doc Marten's Store had it's official launch last night, with music by The Groundlings and a DJ set from Terri Hooley. The iconic building has two storeys of shop floor and features huge artwork by local artist Visual Waste on the winding staircase. 

I've never seen so many DMs in one place, both on sale and on feet, as everyone at the opening party had styled their boots or shoes to their own personal taste. I wore my cherry red Mayen Docs, which are incredibly comfy for a high boot. I've been wearing Docs since I was eleven (in 1991!), they are a brand very close to my heart, so it was a great pleasure to be part of the launch of the store.

Drinks were sourced from local brewers Farmageddon, and the food from Love & Death Inc. The fish and chips in cups were amazing.

The store is definitely worth popping into if you're in Belfast this weekend, as there will be discounts and offers running to celebrate the opening. The range includes women's boots and shoes, men's and also children's and even babies' Docs which are terribly cute. The clothing range also tempted me, lots of vintage vibe punk wear and smart mod styles. Make sure you call in and check it out.

Loafun.com Made Me Some World of Kitsch Shoes!

Loafun is a fledgling, fun, design community which allows members to design their own converse style shoe. The site gives you the tools to put together your custom design, then the in-house artists will hand paint your trainers, and ship. They also plan on running design competitions around a theme, a bit like Threadless does with t-shirts. So you can also buy designs by talented underground artists. 

For any user/buyer the whole idea behind the concept is "shoe is you" and you can create exactly what you want on the shoe using the online design tools. If you are a designer who just wants to exhibit your designs you can do so as well by uploading your designs and making them available to public. Once approved we display these on our site for people to purchase. We pay designers a royalty based on what design sells online. The designer earns points which he can later redeem for cash/ merchandise as he/she wishes. The designer has absolute control over his designs at any given time as he can control whether to display hide or delete a design he has created unlike blackbox submissions which other social commerce portals (including threadless) currently have.

Loafun wanted me to see for myself how a shoe turns out from design to finish, so here are my very own World of Kitsch shoes, with the logo which was designed for me by Neal McCullough.  The ordering process was very simple, and the trainers are with you quite quickly too, even to the UK.

Engage with them on Loafun's Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest to be part of the movement.