The Height of...: April 2014

As you may know I go on holiday at the end of May, so I have started to buy a few bits and pieces for it. In reality I'm using it as an excuse to buy myself new things during study breaks. I always feel like you have to get in quick with summer clothes, before you know it it's July and everything's gone. I learnt my lesson last summer when I spontaneously booked to go to Italy in September, absolutely no summer clothes anywhere! This summer I decided to be safe, start early and buy a few bits every month...which also helps spread the cost! So to add to my extensive range of bikinis (who actually needs 10 bikinis in Scotland?!) I acquired these pretty sandals.

Now I know they may not be every ones cup of tea, but I really like the chunky shoe trend at the moment and they are surprisingly easy to wear. They are from River Island and cost £40. The upper is made from a pretty decent quality fake leather and the sole is plastic. They have two ankle buckles to fasten, which if you have slim ankles and feet like me is ideal because they fasten quite securely so they don't flap around. The heel height (if you can call it that) is 6cm, so it gives a little height boost but they are still comfy.

I think these will be ideal for nights out while I'm away...I don't know about you but I think that wearing heels abroad doesn't feel right. There is far too much dancing to be done, I don't need heels killing my feet. So far they feel pretty comfy, I haven't worn them outside yet because I don't want to ruin them (yep, I'm one of those people). But I like the fact that I can wear them at home too, because they are a bit more chunky I will get away with wearing them when the weather brightens up a bit. They go with almost everything I've bought so far and they make even the simplest things are bit more interesting so in my eyes they are a winner! They also come in gold and light pink...you can get them here!

First off let me apologise for committing the cardinal sin of bloggers...my last post was almost a month ago. But I have good reason...I'm coming to the end of my last year at uni so I've been swamped with course work and studying and trying to figure out what I'm going to do with life after uni (you'd think this would be easier since I've already done it once...but nope). I absolutely hate not having a plan so I'm feeling a bit out of control at the moment. But hopefully once my hand ins are over and I've had a bit of time to regroup I'll feel better. Mean time, studying is my life. But I have felt very guilty about not keeping up my weekly post so I've decided to make time to blog.

These boots featured in my Instagram round up post and I mentioned at the time that I would do a full post about them later...so this is it! I love shoes...I think it's because they always fit, they don't get too tight after the Christmas season or shrink in the wash. It also has a lot to do with my Mums influence...we cannot walk past a shoe shop without "just looking". It's probably why I'm willing to spend more money on shoes than I am on clothes.

Recently I came across the shoe brand Windsor Smith who make the most amazing shoes. They are so simple in design but so beautiful. If I could have one of everything that would be awesome...but being a student they are slightly out of my price range at the moment. Although that's not to say they are ridiculously expensive, they are on a par with or slightly cheaper than Jeffery Campbell pricing. I fell in love with a pair of boots called "Grunt" boots which cost £111.17 (to be exact) but I pushed them to the back of my mind for the time being because I just couldn't justify that for sky high heels. However I was browsing through River Islands website and came across these...

Windsor Smith River Island

These are the River Island "Black Cleated Sole Extreme Platform Boots". They are almost identical to the Windsor Smith "Grunt" boots but with a slightly lower price tag of £75. Now normally I'm not a big fan of "dupes" because I always feel you get the quality that you pay for, and I am in no doubt that the Windsor Smith version will be of a higher quality. However for the amount that I will actually wear these boots, I felt that paying the lower price tag was the best option. I also used a 25% off voucher code that I had at the time which made them £56. Bargain(ish).

They are leather, with an elastic Chelsea boot style panel down either side and a rubber cleated sole. The heel is 14.5cm which is half a cm lower than the WS boots and have a 4.5cm platform. I have to say they are insanely comfy considering how high they are! I think it's the rubber sole, you almost feel like your feet bounce if they bang off the ground. Getting them on and off can be a bit tricky the first few times because the elastic is pretty tight but the tag at the back helps. On the whole the boots are really good quality I haven't had any issues with them at all. However be warned that after the smallest amount of wear the creases that you can see around my ankles start to form, but I don't think that's an issue it makes them look worn in. They have a higher rise on the ankle so they look best with shorts, rolled up skinnies or very short skirts/dresses so they don't cut off your leg. They are beautiful boots and add edge to simple outfits. They are available in Black, Grey and Pink from River Island.

What are your feelings on dupes? Do you prefer to save or buy the real deal?