#Dune

A Match Made in Heaven

When Dune announced that they would be launching a collaboration with my favourite designer, Rupert Sanderson, I was absolutely thrilled. Combined Dune and Rupert Sanderson make up a quarter of my shoe collection, with good reason too, both brands offer what I look for in shoes, that magical combination of beauty, comfort and (relative) value for money. Knowing Rupert, he would only put his name to something that was worthy of his name, so expectations were understandably high. While I love so many styles in this collection, I have followed my head and only permitted myself two pieces, so I would welcome anybody who owns a pair of these or Rupert’s main collection to provide opinions on this too!


Dune London’s first major collaboration, and who better to work with than Rupert Sanderson?

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The Real Deal
Following on from my post about Faking It a guide to how to get the luxe look without the price tag, I began to wonder how to quickly identify genuine luxury pieces. Have you ever found amazing bargain accessory in a charity shop only to end up walking away because of the uncertain provenance of the piece? Spotting the real deal is doesn’t have to be hard, there are already plenty of brand specific guides on the internet, especially on eBay. They offer some great advice, and I want to build on that and give you done tips which can always be relied upon regardless of the brand.

From a Distance
Before even looking into more detail, luxury shoes and bags have a certain presence to it. Shoes have a certain elegance and sleekness to them, bags tend to have good structure even after years of service. Leathers and fabrics will have a depth to their colour.

The Riviera Bag (left) was Made in England during the 1960s, 50 years down the line it’s structurally solid, zips and clasps all still work. Here pictured with Paris 105 by Yves Saint Laurent. The unbranded Snakeskin piece (right hand image) is likely to have been made in Germany in the 60s or 70s, and likewise still in exceptionally good condition.

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Hope you get the point
So with the weather warming up and more importantly drying out, it’s finally time to dust off your courts, pull out those leather soles, and show off your feet. Big surprise here, I’m a massive fan of pointy shoes, it never goes out of Vogue, and I think is a very flattering style, so I’m going through a selection of similarly cut shoes in a few different styles.


We have six shoes for you today, from high street to luxe by YSL, Rupert Sanderson, Dune, Charlotte Olympia and Chinese Laundry, can you tell which is which? Hint: followers of my blog will have seen all of these shoes featured here and there

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My Rescue Kit

Have you ever had a pair of shoes that were just too perfect? Comfortable, sexy, pretty and a perfect way to finish your outfit. For years these were my absolute favourite shoes, however too much love does tend to result in the shoes living a hard life. The trimming and piping has frayed, and even the upper has started to separate from the platform, of the black fabric does show dirt quite easily.


My faithful Multicolour Peep Toes from Head Over Heels by Dune. After three years of wear, the black is now grey, and bits are fraying.

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All animals are equal, but some are more equal

We are often told leather shoes are good because they are made of a natural, hard wearing and water resistant material. Traders in the UK are legally required to label the composition of footwear. However in an effort to simplify things for the consumer the system is both unclear and open to exploitation.

Clockwise from top left: Brooklyn in Burgundy Calf by Rupert Sanderson, Nude Peep Toe in Nubuck by Ted Baker, Elba in Python by Rupert Sanderson, Studded Black Court by Dune

If a section of the shoe is made of more than one material, they both have to be labelled, but unlike clothing which clearly defines the composition by percentage, shoes don’t. Potentially a plastic shoe could have a leather trim and still be labelled as being synthetic and leather, without you necessarily knowing which is which.

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