Black Shoes and Back Packs

The children are back at school, it is almost back to University time, which I kind of like, I prefer this time to make the changes, or resolutions if you like than New Year.

One thing that I have never been able to get excited about is black school shoes. A school bag yes; in my younger school years a Quicksilver back pack then I upgraded to a big shoulder bag that I could fit all my books in because that was so much more grown up (or so I thought). The new school bag was one of the few things that I could use to express myself freely amongst tight uniform restrictions, but black shoes not so much, they just felt so boring.

Yet 10 years on and I still can't quite shake this and I avoid black shoes. And I haven't picked up a ruck sack either since my younger school years despite the booming trend. I found myself in London, last friday on a rainy, busy morning desperately thinking of a rucksack, you see my big shoulder bag was full and ever so heavy and I was trying to hold an umbrella whilst keeping the bag on my shoulder. I saw so many people sweep by me both arms free, back pack on their back comfortably distributing the weight of the bag's contents. Some of the back packs did look like they belonged on teenagers or school children, however others I would say did look fashionable, the trend for back packs has been creeping in for a few years now. So in conclusion, I think I could be swayed on to use a back pack, it is just about selecting the right one...

However black shoes not so much; I recently bought a pair of Russell and Bromley ankle boots, they were expensive but beautiful. I picked the tan colour way and they were also available in black. When I wore them into work my colleague noticed immediately and said she loved them, another colleague chipped in and said she was going to buy them in black. The first colleague and I looked at each other and both voiced our dislike about black shoes from school shoes, To me black shoes kind of look a bit harsh, yet tan looks easier and compliments plenty of outfit options nicely.

Here are the types of black shoes I would consider wearing:

.Black shoes with studs

.Black shoes with a contrast colour i.e chelsea boots with a contrast elastic

.Black sandals with interesting details

Finally, I may still have an issue with black trousers. Those nasty nylon skinny kick flares that I wore to school are long gone, but the unenthusiastic feeling I get about black trousers remains. I know, I know, black trousers are a wardrobe staple. And in the winter time I live in black skinny jeans which are so versatile, yet when I try to buy a black pair of trousers I get side tracked by patterned trousers, dresses and skirts. Will I shake the associations of school with black shoes, black trousers and back packs, any time soon? I certainly hope so because I have changed, and grown up since then.

#shoes #bags #fashion #school