How to Wear Knee-High Gladiator Sandals

So much for my worries that my knee-high glads would be a fancy-dress-faux-pas flash in the pan - having schlepped everywhere from High Street sale to West End theatre in them over the last few weeks, clad in everything from mini to peekaboo maxi, shorts to skort (watch this space for the evidence, which has been hoarded in preparation for my next mammoth HTW post!), I now fully understand why Kourtney Kardashian has hardly stepped out of hers in three consecutive summers! Not only do they seem to receive covetous glances from most females I encounter over the age of 3, but they have turned out to be the most comfortable pair of shoes in my 100-strong collection!

My Inspiration

Chanel Resort 2011 (Photos: WWD)

Kourtney Kardashian in Chanel Resort 2011 and Stuart Weitzman SS13

My Take

Ms Muses in eBay (see previous posts for details of first and second outfits; read on for the rest!)

Twenties Girl

Sandals: eBay, Skirt: New Look, Head Band and Embellished Top: Primark, Bandeau Top (Underneath): Jane Norman

Seventies Chick

Sandals: eBay, Skirt: New Look, Kimono: F&F, Hat: Primark

Eastern Promise

Sandals: eBay, Dress and Kimono: Both Primark

Get It Shorty

Sandals: eBay, Shorts: Jane Norman, Top and Necklace: Both Primark

Mini

Sandals: eBay, Dress: Pinc

Midi

Sandals: eBay, Dress (first featured in How to Wear a Sheer Lace Dress) and Gilet: Both Primark

What footwear is seeing you through the last days of summer?

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Battle of the Monochrome Trousers: Illusion Panels vs. Stripes

So the temperatures of the last few days have fallen far enough below boiling point to allow me the luxury of wearing trousers (a phrase I didn't imagine would ever pass my lips, given that I live in England)! As much as I have been enjoying my skort and sandal exploits (coming soon to a screen near you), it has pained me to be forced to neglect the latest additions to my monochrome mountain... until now. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of them soon, but please allow me to introduce you...

Perfect Panels

Trousers: Marks & Spencer, Top and Hat: Both Primark, Shoes: Boohoo

I nabbed near-enough the last pair of these in the M&S sale a few months back, but you can still find similar versions elsewhere... As far as the so-called "illusion" effect goes, I wouldn't buy a pair purely on that basis - if you're after slimmer looking pins, you'd be better off with a full-length all-black pair in my opinion. Having said that, however, I adore these for the boldness of their cut and design (quelle surprise, coming from the Mistress of Monochrome!) along with their smart-meets-sporty vibe.

Snazzy Stripes

Trousers and Top: Both Primark, Shoes: As Above, Sunglasses: Primark + DIY

It was pretty much a given that I would be embracing the Beetlejuice aesthetic sooner or later, right? When these babies were reduced to £7 a week or two ago, I knew the time had come. One of this season's defining must-try-buys on the basis of fun factor alone, I was pleasantly surprised that they turned out not to be hideously unflattering either! In a tailored stretch fabric which makes them easier to pair with crop tops than your average pair of striped leggings, their higher-than-average waistband is also (finally) easing me into the '90s-meets-Rihanna belly-button-baring trend.

Have you road tested your go-faster stripes yet?

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Giveaway: Win a £100 ASOS Voucher!

For anyone who may not know, FashionVouchers.com (a fab site for keeping up to date with the latest fashion discount codes, vouchers and promotions, and well worth a follow in any case) are currently running an awesome giveaway on Twitter.

To enter, simply retweet my tweet about the competition - which you can find here - and make sure that you're following @Sam_Muses and @fashvouchers.

The winning tweet will be chosen at random from all entries submitted by midnight on Sunday 1st September, so you have almost a week to get your entries in! If your tweet is picked, you and I will win a £100 ASOS voucher each, so fingers crossed!

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4 More Ways to Wear a 3D Floral Skirt

A couple of months ago, I bought this long-lusted-after fairytale-esque 3D floral skirt from Boohoo, along with the matching sweatshirt (see them together in this post). Temperatures have since prohibited the wearing of anything tagged with the word "sweat", so skirtie's had to go solo...

Crop Star

Skirt: Boohoo, Top: Quiz, Shoes: Marks & Spencer

As you may remember me warning you in my original post, the inside waistband of this skirt is rather scratchy - however, thankfully, the purchase of some exceptionally gorgeous high-waisted knickers (Bridget would be proud) has eliminated the problem, allowing me to crop 'til I drop - hoorah!

Midas Touch

Skirt: As Above, Top: Forever 21, Shoe Boots: Primark

This T-shirt has been enjoying something of a renaissance this season, I know! Who knew a loose metallic tee was such a wardrobe essential? The sad thing is, I can't actually wear it in "real life", since the metallic sheen has rubbed off in certain key areas... doesn't show up in photos though, so I'm getting as much wear out of it as I can! Any block-coloured loose tee would look good with this skirt... The boots edge it up a bit - though I think this is as far as I dare to push such a girly item!

Kimono Krusade

Skirt: As Above, Kimono: F&F, Shoes: Dorothy Perkins, Crown: Primark

Guess who's back? Jeez, someone's going to accuse me of having a capsule wardrobe soon... You really need to join the kimono club yourself to understand the bond between owner and silky Oriental floral.

Oreo Odyssey

Skirt: As Above, Shirt and Shoes: Both Primark, Hair Band: Accessorize (Past Season)

Yes, still indulging my mono-mania! Since the cream shades in the shirt and shoes both happened to match the skirt exactly, it would have been rude not to... I'm almost looking forward to it finally getting colder again so I can team up with black opaques and sweaters for an AW mono look!

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