That Lovin' Heeling

Like many of my female counterparts, The Biscuit has a serious Heel fetish. No sooner do the Clarkes come off than the teetering foot candy is slipped on. More often than not the objects of her cordwained desires matching her in height and personality.

 It was with this same enthusiasm that she recently approached (or more accurately, instructed me to approach) a tall, bottle blonde with the all important query as to where she obtained her beautiful cherry red shoes. “Punky Fish” was offered in response, as the woman turned on her very high heel out the cafe door. And so it was that “Pucky Fish” stilettos became the topic of discussion for a good half hour following our brief interaction....which brings me to the subject of this very post.

There is something so undeniably alluring about Heels. Women fantasise about them, men fantasise about women in them and little girls teeter down the hallway in them.As an experiment, I once wore a pair of jeans and T shirt with loafers and walked out the door - not one rubber neck or double take between here and the High street. I returned home and swapped my loafers for a pair of  Heels – miraculous! Two wolf whistles, one horn toot and a few “I wonder where she got those”   looks from random female passers-by. 

So, it was with much anticipation that I planned to treat the biscuit to an afternoon inside ‘Shoe Heaven’ aka The Selfridges ShoeGalleries, dubbed “The world’s largest shoe department”.  Housing a total of 100, 000 shoes with 5,000 of them on display at any one time, it was a safe bet that good times awaited.

To add to the excitement, our planned trip would coincide with the SGG’s champagne popping first birthday celebrations; including not least Ex - Prima Ballerina, Sarah Toner’s “How to Walk in Heels" master classes (Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22, and Friday 23 September 2011)....yep, a non CGI Ballerina teaching the art of graceful gliding on designer tippy toes.... Get me my heels!

P.S We promise to take some lovely snaps for you.

Selfridges Shoe Galleries

Selfridges

400 Oxford St

W1A 1AB

London

0800123400

http://www.selfridges.com/en/StaticPage/TheShoeGalleries/

Punky Fish

Unit 3 Gaunson House

Markfield Road
London
N15 4QQ 

http://www.punkyfish.com/

*Photo credit - Selfridges &Co

Hobbnobbing with Their Nibs

After a year’s hiatus MTFS is back with a bang. Or should I say a shoot!

The biscuit, being the unashamed clothes horse that she is, jumped at the chance to be photographed for beautiful designer children’s label, Their Nibs. The added incentive of a free item of clothing did not go unnoticed and judging by squeals and star jumps, I was certain she was going to enjoy her first foray in to the world of fashion.

And so it was that we headed to the magical Willy Wonka style treasure trove that is Dalston Heights.  Despite sounding more like a bad reality programme than a fashion destination, Dalston Heights is a wondrous, magical enclave overflowing with a multitude of nick knacks, artefacts and bric-a -brac from yesteryear; the perfect place to photograph a gaggle of inquisitive pre-tweenies.

After hair, make-up and wardrobe checks by Denise and Rachel, the girls (and boy) were snapped by photographer, Emma, in various locations throughout the enormous warehouse cum studio. They were also treated to buckets of fun (literally, thanks to Cameramen Michael and David who brought along a huge trunk full of bubbles and games) during filming for the behind the scenes video.

Their Nibs burst on to UK Kid’s fashion scene in the summer of 2003, in London’s fashionable Notting Hill. A second store in the very hip Kensal Rise followed six years later (More recently, the two stores have merged into one at the Chamberlayne Rd site). Founder, Fiona Bell, started the company as she felt that children’s clothing lacked colour, fun and vibrancy. The idiosyncratic brand name originated from the nick-name she gave her son “His Nibs”.

Since its fruition, Their Nibs has become the fashion destination for London’s Yummiest Mummy set.  It  has also developed a strong celebrity fan base, including the likes of Jude Law, Kate Moss, Juliette Binoche, Marielle Frostrup and the folks at ‘Take That’  (Howard and Mark).

Aside from the retro styled children’s wear, the stores also offer a unique line of homewares and gifts, featuring the brand's signature prints.

Products are also available online; and iconic Gruffalo PJ’s are now available in most Debenhams stores.

Their Nibs 79 Chamberlayne Road

London
NW10 3ND
Tel: +44 (0)20 8 964 8444
http://www.theirnibs.com/
Dalston Heights

http://www.dalstonheights.com/
Debenhams
http://www.debenhams.com/

Hipstamatic photo credit - Mimi Van Der Looy

footnote - dress in first image is model's own