If you're at all familiar with the RoSa Shoes collection, you will know that what makes it what it is, is the way Roger has taken traditional, classic shoe styles and cleverly reworked them, adding to classic shoe-design elements the uniquely and wickedly ultra-pointed, extremely long toes and ultra-spiky stiletto heels that are the trademark of RoSa.
One such shoe is the Mary Jane - a rounded, closed-toe shoe or sandal with side-fastening instep straps, traditionally worn by little girls, but historically boys as well. Did you that that the name Mary Jane originates from the early 1900's from the cartoon strip by the American Richard Outcault - Buster Brown? Mary Jane was the sister of Buster, and they both wore this style of shoe. I couldn't find a picture of her wearing her shoes, but I did find this charming frame representing what seems to be the arrival of Mary Jane into the world, showing Buster wearing his shoes:
On an early Autumn weekend visit to Paris, my RoSa "Button Fastening, Wing Cap" Mary Janes were lucky enough to be invited along too. They accompanied me for a daytime shopping trip to Rue du Faubourg St. Honore (damn this English keyboard) - and I must say, I was quite pleased with the way the black suede (with shiny black leather wing toe-cap) looked against the russet of the Autumn leaves:
And they came with me to the Jardin des Tuileries, for a quick pose amongst the fallen leaves on the steps:
We spent that evening in Montmartre, for which I invited my lace-up Oxfords:
Well, of course this is the way the traditionally men's brogued style usually looks. As some of you may know, we've been offering brogued and lace-up styles since the time we were known simply as "Roger and Sarah Adams" -
On the left is our low-heeled Oxford and on the right our high-heeled stiletto Gibson, both from the 1980's - at that time the toes were as pointed and the heels as thin as we could get them.
We are now able to offer, in our High-Heeled Oxford Lace-up, much more extreme length of toe and slenderness of heel:
I loved the way the shiny black patent of my Oxfords reflected the brilliance of the night-time lights as I wined, dined and teetered around on my (almost) five inch heels on the cobbles and up and down the endless steps of Montmartre.
The above two pictures are taken from the movie "A Night in Montmartre in Black Patent High Heels" - hence the appalling photographic quality. But you can view the movie here (if you want to).
There's also a movie of the daytime shopping trip "Autumn in Paris with RoSa Shoes" - view here.
There should also (by the time you read this) be a MySpace photo album of the trip.
Toilet? What toilet? Oh, that toilet. That's Amelie's toilet, that is.
Dumbells and Balls - Keeping Fit in High Heels
Current mood: strong
Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping
Bless you, Dr. Maria Cerruto (an Italian, high-heel wearing urologist) for your recent discovery that heels are good for women’s health, because of the way they influence and work one’s pelvic muscles. (Reader, you know the ones - they’re also known as one’s "pleasure muscles", and not just because, if strengthened through regular targeted exercise, they stop you peeing yourself at unexpected times..) So much so that, she claims to have proved, if worn during daily activity, heels may actually reduce the need for pelvic exercises to keep these important sexy little muscles toned and elastic. Ave Maria!
Now if, like me, you have a regular fitness routine, this doesn’t mean you don’t need to wear your heels. Of course you do. In fact, I’ve discovered today that it’s perfectly possible to even keep them on DURING your regular exercise routine.
FIG 1:
Biceps
FIG 2:
Triceps
FIG 3:
Vertebrae muscles
FIG 4:
This one takes a little more concentration in order to locate those vital hidden muscles.
WARNING 1: Ensure the ultra-fine spiky heels and wickedly extended pointed toes of your RoSa Shoes are kept well away from your inflated ball.
WARNING 2: Ensure the weights you use are not too heavy for you. As you can see from the whites of my knuckles, I placed more importance today on colour co-ordination than on safety. The lighter weights I usually use are purple and these heavier ones looked so much better with the silver buckles on my RoSa Anklestrap Court Shoes.
WARNING 3: Always read the date of any blog before jumping to conclusions about the wisdom contained therein.
In one of the comments left on my new Covent Garden video posted last night on YouTube, I was described as "brave" for wearing a skirt so tight around my knees. Well, after having heaved myself up onto the high boarding platform of the 1963 bus at the Transport Museum, I would have to add the word "strong".
Gracious me, those 1960's stilettoed women who wore their skirts this tight and still managed to run and jump onto the bus (and I have this on good authority from one who remembers) must have been of Amazonian strength. Admittedly I was in a post-viral state of weakness but I'm not a very bulky lass, so not too much weight to pull up. Perhaps it was all those steak and kidney puddings they consumed in those days - personally I prefer tofu stir-fry and lamb's lettuce.
Anyway, I'm afraid I couldn't manage the run (although I did get quite a speed up later on once I'd decided to go and find a cocktail bar...) And I also failed the test by using two hands for the hoist rather than the one (apparently) used by those formidable sisters of the past. Well, I did try this actually, but the result was not one I'm happy to share with my viewing public. Ha!
I think I had more success walking on the cobbles in my high RoSa Shoes, though. Now THAT was brave!
Not wishing to turn my ankle (known as "doing a Dick Emery" to those of a certain nationality and generation) - or (more importantly), ruin my beautiful thin stiletto heels - it meant I had to walk with extreme caution, but still retain a certain grace.
And, look - here's the heel of one of my shoes after walking around all day:
Sorry, the brightness of this photo means you can't see the ingenious reptile scale effect of my faux snake shoes - here's another photo to show this fabulous finish:
From this, you can also see how well the RoSa extended point toe stood up to the day's exploits.
And I too survived the day (with a little help from the rather yummy espresso coffee cocktail):
Oh, and by the way, for all those of you who are up in arms about my use of the term "hobble" to describe my short skirt in this video, here's another YouTube comment and my response:
Comment (from "Tell-It-Like_It-Really-Is") - "That's not a hobble skirt. They go down to the ankles. Please learn about your fetish!"
My response - "Zounds! Escaped the Fashion Police only to fall foul of the Fetish Patrol! In fact, if we're being pedantic, the "hobble skirt" was originally a fashion design rather than fetish item at a time when all skirts were ankle length. I've borrowed the term here for my shorter, but extraordinarily tight skirt as I couldn't resist the hobble/cobble rhyme - I have a word fetish you see lol"
Shoes, Blues, Corsets and Cream Teas (RoSa Shoes First Year Celebration!)
One grey autumnal Sunday afternoon in early November, a rosy glow was seen to emanate from the Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham as, with lashings of strawberries and cream in the scones and the pink bubbly flowing freely, RoSa Shoes celebrated the end of a successful first year, and the launch of a new website, www.rosashoes.com.
The shoes (our ultra-pointed stilettoed lovelies) took pride of place of course.
To honour the occasion, I wore my red patent RoSa High Heel Court Shoes:
What? You can't see them in that picture? How about this?
Or perhaps this?
Naturally, I was not the only one wearing RoSa Shoes. Roger and I were delighted to be joined for the occasion by the beautiful RoSa Sisters (who I'm sure you remember from our Gallery Page on our original website) looking as gorgeous as ever in their shoes and beehives:
Their lovely manager and stylist Clarissa came to chaperone them (wearing her RoSa Shoes):
Bev Baker (singer with the band Copperhead) looked stunning in her black patent high RoSas:
That's our good friends Bob and Sue behind us (Sue was lucky to be let in the door in her Nine Wests but we love her so we forgave her..) Our wonderful photographer Jenny Ventris was also wearing her RoSa slingbacks, but as she was on the other side of the camera, you'll just have to take my word for it!
Guest of honour was Chrissie Nicholson-Wild of Curve Couture who made my beautiful corset and skirt (seen here on the left with our friend Jessa from Fetique on the right):
Other highlights of the afternoon included the delicious refreshments provided so smoothly by Andrew of Shoreham's Angel Bar (seen here with the beautiful Michelle):
And me attacking some of the guests:
(On the left is Malcolm Buchanan-Dick, artist in residence at the Ropetackle Arts Centre - that's his brilliant glass bottle sculpture over by the window. With him is Sue Orton-Flynn, web-mistress extraordinaire!)
And RoSa Shoes' own Roger Adams provided some fabulous musical entertainment with his virtuoso guitar-playing, in the company of other highly accomplished musician friends including Lee Pryor of Copperhead, Mick Nixon of Micro and Bob Brookes of Desperate Dan :
The afternoon grew darker.
(I just wanted you to see this photo that my friend Chris took, as it's such a good photo and shows off my roses so beautifully!)
I went out for a spot of night air by the bridge over the river:
Then it was time to go home. We woke in the morning, to find it had all been naught but a dream. (Or it could have been a hangover....)
Before I explain how the planet is being saved by my pink lovelies, let me share with you some scientific facts, of which you may or may not be aware. In either case, please be patient.
a) Wetlands (which include marshes, wet grasslands, swamps, bogs, mires, fens, ponds, peatlands, lakes and streams) are among the most productive ecosystems on earth – that is, they support a huge and diverse variety of plants, animals and waterbirds.
b) Beyond this, they deliver a range of benefits that contribute to human well-being the whole world over – apart from the obvious life-giving properties (in developing countries, wetlands provide sustainable livelihoods for billions of people), they also help in the regulation of flooding and protection from storms. Not to mention the wonderful recreational opportunities they offer.
c) The degradation of wetlands is more rapid than that of any other ecosystem.
d) Global climate change is expected to worsen the loss and degradation of many wetlands. But in fact, the preservation of, for example, forested peatlands of South East Asia, can play a vital role in climate regulation – the loss and erosion of these actually CONTRIBUTES TO CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS -accelerating further climate change. The two main causes of peatland loss and degradation (drainage and fire) contribute a carbon dioxide emission equal to the total combined annual emissions of ALL human activities including industry and transport in Western Europe.
PHEWWWW!Thanks for bearing with me on that!
After last weekend's musical planet-saving quest, (Live Earth – remember?)my mind turned to thinking about ways that I was contributing to the cause.As a member of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust(who, through their Wetland Conservation Department, are helping to conserve and protect wetlands across the world), I figured I'm doing my bit.
Helped by my trusty high-heeled pink RoSa shoes, I decided to pay a visit to the local wetlands centre at Arundel (which is where these photos were taken – and there's a MOVIE on my MySpace channel, too...) This visit led to some surprising scientific discoveries:
a) It is perfectly possible to walk around a wetland environment for a sustained period of time wearing very high, very thin stilettos. There is absolutely no need to dress like Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
b) Chicken-wire covered decking takes a little effort, but is worth it to have the ducks and geese follow obediently for food.
c) When feeding from your hand, the beaks of waterbirds can make you quite hysterical.
d) Some geese seem to think their toes are as long and pink as mine. I think the jury might still be out on that one.
NB: For every pair of pink high-heeled RoSa court shoes sold (www.rosashoes.co.uk) 10% of the profit goes to WWT (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust) www.wwt.org.uk
Doesn't every girl dream of owning a pair of red shoes? Deep in the psyche (or maybe not so deep, actually) are those ruby slippers magicking Dorothy back home to Kansas; those red ballet shoes transporting Moira Shearer to the heights of dancing ecstasy... (Well, ok - transporting her over the balcony to a gruesome death but I try not to focus on that part of the tale...)
Do you know, until last weekend I had never owned a pair? I think my mother perhaps didn't think that a nice girl ought to be seen in such flagrantly provocative footwear (although she was quite happy for me to wear an assortment of other red clothing). This is rather sad really, as red was always my favourite colour.
Since I've been old enough to buy my own shoes, I have still never owned any red ones. I've never found any which came up to the dream, I suppose. Until the new high-heeled, pointy toed dream of a court shoe by RoSa Shoes that is. Oh yes. The thinnest and curviest of heels, the pointiest and longest of toes, the loveliest of Italian leathers. I am, quite simply, in red-shoe heaven!
Last Friday I spent all day in them. In the morning I wore them to hurry along to my fitting appointment for a new skirt I've commissioned Chrissie at Curve Couture to make for me. (That's Chrissie, the Brighton designer and creatrix extraordinaire who's showing her latest stunning collection at Brighton Frocks on 15th June - get your tickets!!) As I was followed around on that day by my ever-present escort with a camera, I am able to show you a little bit of that adventure:
That evening, we went to a party in our friends' beautiful garden. Although I was able to change my outfit (an early 60's style pink rose pencil skirt suit), the shoes could not be removed from my feet. As they were still blissfully comfortable, I was quite happy about this. There are a couple of photos of this lovely evening in "my pics". Luckily, my red shoes behaved themselves and did not force me to dance wildly to my death. But how I would have got home again at the end of the evening without them, I just don't know. "There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home..."
I attended the Classical Brit Awards Ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall on Thursday night. So did Sarah Brightman. She looked stunning in a billowing scarlet red feather dress and towering red patent platform shoes.
I looked rather fetching too in my.... (sorry, you'll have to wait a few days for this information - photos and movies yet to sort through!) For now, you'll have to be content with some photos of myself taken in my garden today wearing my towering brown suede platform shoes, which I am posting to illustrate the fact that the reports in the press of Sarah's "10 inch platform shoes" are greatly exaggerated. Her shoes, and mine, are a mere 7.5 inches high.
Dolly Parton famously once said "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap." Sarah B. on the other hand, seems to have adopted the reverse philosophy - her shoes can be picked up on the internet for around the £45 mark (if you know where to look....) and yet she looks a million dollars. I, on the other hand, paid quite a bit more for mine, which should mean I look as cheap as Dolly Parton and as wonderful as Sarah Brightman (er, have I got that right???)
The Anatomical Reason Why Women MUST Wear Stilettos
According to the history books, the stiletto heel was "invented" by Italian shoemakers in the 1950s, led by Salvatore Ferragamo.Roger Vivier has been credited with "creating" in Paris the prototype for the stiletto in the early 1950s to complement Dior designs.
But in fact the stiletto heel was neither "invented" nor "created" by either of these fine gentlemen but merely "discovered".I can now reveal that, as this exhibit of Lucy, a 3 million-year old female hominid, clearly shows (even though most of her foot, the poor dear, is missing) the stiletto heel was in prehistoric times an integral part of the female skeleton:
Incidentally, perhaps it is not a coincidence that I took this photo in Italy – in the Milan Museum of Natural History to be exact.Does this mean that this particularly elegant specimen from the species Australopithecus afarensis was unearthed from beneath the streets of the Italian capital of fashion, rather than in Ethiopia?
I digress.Whatever the reason for the disappearance of this natural appendage from the female form (perhaps the subject of a future blog……), women can now return to their former state of elevation and elegance thanks to that artificial add-on, the manufactured stiletto heel.
And what finer example than that offered to the female of the human species by RoSa Shoes?Wearing this beautifully shaped stiletto heel, perfectly positioned in line with the Achilles tendon (as was Lucy's) we can now once again achieve our elegant, natural, bipedal stance and walk tall.
Hobble Skirt and Pointy Shoes - a Giant Step for Womankind?
You know that bit in "Funny Girl" when the girl in the (Edwardian, obviously) long hobble suit totters down the platform at the station?Yes you do – you know you love those old Barbara Streisand movies.In case you don't remember it (courtesy of hobbleskirt.com) here it is:
WELL, I've often wondered how she had managed to get on that old steam train in the first place.Apparently, after the introduction of the hobble skirt (usually attributed to Paul Poiret in 1910) the steps of trams were adapted so that women could board them without an indecent show of leg (heaven forbid…) I've wondered also how our modern transportation system would accommodate the stylish commuter of 2007 wearing a similarly restrictive mode of attire, should the hobble return to popular day wear.
SO on a recent train journey, I decided to put this to the test.Wearing my long leather hobble skirt (you know, the one I wore to the Christmas party – see my Christmas blog) and lovely RoSa buckle "monk" stiletto shoes (which, by the way, look pretty good under jeans too), I set off.I must confess to being a little worried about those gaps we're always being told to mind.But I'm a plucky lass. See how I got on:
So there you have it. Easy-peasy-Japaneasy! Hurrah for modernity! Hurrah for the Hobble!Wing-walking next, I think…
Now, I know what you're thinking – if it takes such a conscious effort to wear RoSa ultra-pointed shoes and boots (see my "Living up to Vivienne Westwood" blog) – are they suitable for day wear as well as partying?For instance, you are I am sure, asking - how does one negotiate one's way around a supermarket pushing a trolley whilst shod in such uber-pointy footwear, and not catch one's beautiful points in the wheels?Not only that, is one so busy watching and manoeuvring one's elongated toes that one inadvertently adds surplus or inappropriate provisions, or forgets the essentials?
The answer to your questions is to be found in this video of myself trolley-shopping whilst wearing a rather lovely pair of RoSa front and rear-laced knee boots.Judge for yourself – I can clearly be seen carefully and thoughtfully selecting my shopping requirements, whilst skilfully placing my long pointed toes to avoid any nasty wheel-related incidents.Almost second nature!
Living up to Vivienne Westwood (or The Inadvertent Bondage of Elegance)
As the co-perpetrator (and wearer) of the most extreme pointed-toe production shoes in the world (with the slenderest of stiletto heels) - RoSa Shoes -I am, amongst other things, paying tribute to that icon, that VeeDub (VW), of the fashion world. Her shoes are of course known for their excessive elevation rather than their elongation, but I have long been an admirer not only of her splendid designs, but her whole fashion philosophy and intellectualisation of clothes-wearing.
I subscribe to her view that the clothes people wear are not simply an expression of their identity, but actually contribute to the quality of their lives: "you have a much better life if you wear impressive clothes". I join her inher abhorrence of anything mediocre or conformist, and in her love for the eccentric: "Eccentricity is such a badge of honour to be given in these conformist times".I agree (rather I FEEL) that clothes not only define one's sexuality but also empower one: "I've never thought it powerful to be like a second-rate man. Femininity is stronger, and I don't understand why people keep plugging this boring asexual body".
Yes, my RoSa shoes ARE impressive, they ARE verging on the eccentric and they ARE damn sexy.Furthermore, in keeping with VeeDub's thinking that unless you have to work at wearing something, it's not worth wearing, one does have to employ the (preferably sober) mind as well as the body in order to wear them.
One does have to be careful not to catch the long toes when going upstairs, for example. But it's easy enough to turn one's feet slightly sideways (looks kind of elegant, too). Another danger point is when sitting on a bar stool with legs crossed-one has to be careful not to ensnare the end of one's elongated toe in men's private parts. Mind you, that one's quite a useful conversation starter.If you're that way inclined.Which of course I'm not.
And the heel is so thin, cracks in pavements can be a hazard, so one has to be continually aware of where one puts one's feet when out and about. Again, this can have the effect of improving your walk, giving one a dainty, feminine gait.
Of course, as anyone who's read my blogs or seen my pics will know, I've had years of experience at wearing (and surviving in) completely impractical and/or restrictive clothing.But I started young, so lack of years is really no excuse for slobbing around. And I am beginning to wonder whether my advanced years may in fact be causing a rather dangerously cavalier attitude, which may be my downfall:
Perhaps standing on a (wobbling) kitchen chair in the early evening failing light wearing a tight pencil skirt (the one in my Big Foot blog actually, but now sewn up to give a small 2" backsplit) was not the best way to put up Christmas fairy lights on my garden tree this year.
Perhaps going for a walk on a steep pebbly beach on a blustery day wearing pointy-toe boots and a fishtail skirt with a long train was not the easiest way to have an after-dinner Boxing Day stroll. (N.B. not RoSa boots of course – much too precious for this kind of escapade, but the toes were just long enough to keep getting caught in the billowing train, causing me to stumble and trip rather more frequently than would have normally been the case after most of a bottle of wine).
Perhaps my ankle-length hobbleskirt (the one in my Christmas Presents blog) in which I can only take tiny, tiny steps was not the best thing to wear to a Christmas Eve party with all my family, who had to stand shivering in the freezing cold at nearly one in the morning, waiting for me to catch up so they could get in the car.I had to be picked up and slung over my husband's shoulder to avoid family bloodshed.I giggled all the way home, but I seem to remember no-one else was laughing….
On the other hand, perhaps these slight errors of judgement are nothing to do with my age after all. I did once years ago pop to the shops with my (1980's) batwing-sleeve leather jacket on upside down.
Do you think I should just give up? What would VeeDub say?
Oh, so Christmas has come early. OOOh, the corset is from my lovely friend at http://www.fetiqueuk.com/ (will I have room for the brazil nuts??) - hobble skirt (no split whatsoever - no good being stressed or in a chaotic Christmas state in this one - relaaaaax - skitter along - imagine you're a Geisha) - from my French friend at http://perso.orange.fr/la-dame-aux-bas-noirs/ and the open-sided VERY pointed court shoes are, of course, from my goodself at http://www.rosashoes.co.uk (Christmas present from myself to myself - and why not?)
Today I had a dilemma - wanted to go out wearing my delicious RoSa ghillie stilettos (for those who don't know, this is our variation on a classic Scottish dancing shoe as featured in my "toes" blog) - but just couldn't decide between the smart, mature, classic styling of an ankle length pencil skirt with matching fitted jacket OR, go the "smart tart" route with shorter length, fitted (well, let's not beat about the bush, disturbingly tight) skirt and little zip jacket with plunge neckline and faux fur shawl collar. Either way I knew the shoes would look great, but what look to go for, being a woman of a certain age? What could I get away with?
Let's try the longer length first:
Mm, quite nice, but a bit funereal, we thought. Let's try the shorter skirt:
Oh dear, perhaps it's too short?
Maybe I can get away with it.
Does my bum look big in this though? Yes? Oh, what the hell. I'll save the other outfit for the next funeral.
Isn't it strange what you discover when you least expect it? More on Big Foot in a mo. First, thought you might like to hear about two other discoveries, which may be of interest to anyone who places an importance on personal grooming when travelling. (If you don't, then scroll to the end of the blog to see Huge Foot).
We've just returned from a 2-day trip to North Wales (from Sussex) to visit a sick relative. On the way up what should have been a reasonably laborious five and a quarter hour train journey, turned into a gruelling seven hours, because we missed our connection in London trying to find an emergency sewing repair kit. I'm not one of these women who, when travelling, likes to (for "comfort") dress like a man, or as an explorer. So I wore a little tweed-effect pencil skirt with coordinating cardigan, silk scarf and Italian stiletto boots (not our own design, but nice anyway). I was most distressed, when climbing on board the very first train, to hear a sickening ripping sound, and to discover my modest 3" back split (enabling me to wiggle along nicely) had increased most alarmingly to 5" (enabling me to stride along rather like a navvy). As I tick-ticked across two station concourses, going from shop to shop looking for an emergency repair sewing kit, the split was unravelling to my arse, (making me look like a Shepherd's Market floozie) and our train was pulling out of Euston Station without us. Discovery number 2 - when travelling in London, you can buy a South Pacific travel adaptor, or a pair of flight socks, but you can't buy a needle and thread.
Still, the delay gave us a chance to while away the time on a leather sofa in a local watering-hole:
Now, Discovery Number Three - got to our destination (Fflint) - huge foot at the station.
Now, when you're a shoe designer, this get's you thinking .......
These are my toes. On the right they are naked toes, on the left they are hiding in a pointed leather toe. The toes on the right are more than 3 inches shorter than the toe on the left. The toe on the left is a finely crafted piece of Italian leather, within which is a complete replica set (in reverse) of the toes on the right. The toes on the right are happy, healthy and unsquashed. The toes on the left likewise. Both sets of toes have spent many years nestling inside similarly-shaped leather toes. They have asked me to tell you that they are quite happy either in or out of their pointed leather habitat, and have every faith that I, as their owner and guardian, will continue to nurture and care for them in the manner to which they have become accustomed.
strong
