Raindrops Keep Falling

Raindrops Keep Dirtying My Skirt :: Loftus // DC // No flashHow appropriate that it was my paisley print skirt that was spotted and splashed with rain on the way home tonight, for the paisley motif is based on a teardrop. And how typical of Melbourne at this time of year: 35°C heatwave in the morning, and a cool change by home time.

Those lying meteorologists did it again, forecasting thunderstorms and clearing showers in the evening. You really do need to carry an umbrella with you at all times if you live in Melbourne. Happily my Kookaï skirt is just light cotton and will wash out easily.

When in Roman Sandals

Gladiator sandals have been around for a long time. Ever since, well, the gladiators – that is since Roman times, at the beginning of the first millennium. Undoubtedly sandals were worn long before that of course, for their practicality and comfort in the warm weather.

Roman sandals from the first century AD discovered in LondonAbsolutely no Roman citizen would appear in public with bare feet. This would indicate dire poverty. Roman citizens wore sandals (soleae) – footwear without toe coverings indoors and shoes or boots (calcei or calceus), footwear with toe coverings with straps which covered the ankles, the calf, or up to the knee, outdoors. Sandals are believed to be the first rigid shoes crafted. A stiff sole was attached to the foot by leather cords, straps, or braided thongs. Sandals were generally the most worn type of footwear in warm climates such as the countries surrounding the Mediterranean – the Roman Empire. [Roman Colosseum Info]

Delicate sandals feature in this painting of a slave dressing a young girl’s hair; painting from Herculaneum

Parisian sandals and Grecian style dress in 1798In my tome A History of Costume in the West by François Boucher (Thames & Hudson, 1988), a silver pair from 6th century Switzerland rate a mention. These look a lot like engraved flip-flops – Havaianas for the wealthy. Sandals do not appear again in the book until Regency days, when the Grecian style – brought into fashion by Josephine Bonaparte along with all the tomb-raiding that was going on in that era – was all the rage.

In her book Vintage Shoes (Carlton Books, 2008) that celebrates shoes of the twentieth century, Caroline Cox does not mention gladiator sandals until the very last pages, when they reappear fittingly at the dawn of the second millennium. This current incarnation is most similar to those worn by the original gladiators, and most likely was inspired by the rash of films set in the ancient world.

gladiator sandals … reappear fittingly at the dawn of the second millennium

Gladiator sandals by Urban OutfittersI first remember wearing very simple brown leather Roman sandals (probably similar to the sort Roman slaves wore, for only Patrician Romans were permitted to wear red-dyed shoes) when I was a child in primary school. They were ubiquitous in summer. I owned another pair of white lace ups when I was about 16 – they left horrible tan marks on my feet, I wore them so much. Now I own this flat pair, and also a high-heeled pair in black patent that go up to the knee. Now, a real Gladiator chick wouldn’t be caught dead in those … or maybe she would have been – dead, that is, in those heels. 

See more gladiator sandals at ShopStyle.

What I Actually Wore #0067

Serial #: 0067
Date: 26/05/2012
Weather: 16°
Time Allowed: 15 minutes

On one of the last days of autumn I was going to a matinee at the theatre. A cold day on the cusp of winter required the wearing of a Super-Jumper, but apart from weather considerations, this outfit was all about The Boots.

I love these Jeffrey Campbell boots, bought online from Free People. But these boots are most definitely not made for walking. Not long distances over demanding cobbles at least. I drooled over them for quite a long time, but dithered over buying them and they ran out of stock. By chance (one day while I was admiring my FP wish list) I discovered they were back in stock, and I snapped them up immediately. 

The suede is very soft, and I love the slouchy aspect. And, surprisingly with such enormous wooden platforms, they are well-balanced and not too difficult to walk in. However, they do demand to be worn with a short skirt. Very short skirts are in short supply in my closet, and this dove grey linen skirt by Country Road was the only one that worked. (It’s since been donated to the charity shop however, as it was too big for me.)

The patterned tights are a particular winter favourite (although I don’t recall who they’re by), and my other accessories include a wooden bangle bought in a market in Vietnam, a white agate bangle bought in Barcelona, and a pair of Indian wooden cross earrings bought in an ethnic boutique down the street where I live.

Items:

Jumper: Mango
Skirt: Country Road
Jewellery: silver ring (Roun), black onyx ring (souvenir), wooden earrings (local boutique)
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Boots: Jeffrey Campbell, exclusive to Free People

Cupid’s Arrows

I’ve added a few more shiny things to my jewellery box, with this set bought on eBay. While I don’t like real diamonds, I do adore a fake, especially when it looks like a fake – the bigger, glitzier and kitscher, the better. Cute, fun, bright, sparkles! So big pink and white rhinestone hearts shot through with Cupid’s arrows are absolutely perfect. ’Cause I wear my hearts on my ears and around my neck, not my sleeve. 

Summer Float

It’s officially summer down under, hooray! Slip on some little flip-flops like these and trip out to the nearest field near you and float away on that lovely sunshine. For ’tis the season to lie back on the grass under an old oak tree, stare up at the clouds and weave daydreams for the coming New Year.

But maybe not in white trousers. They and freshly mown grass don’t get along too well.