Velvet Slipper Trance

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Holy Moly!  I've defied the hallowed words of Hadley Freeman.  "Pay no heed to the fashion mags," says she because "they should be treated like sci-fi: pure escapism, with only a breath of a connection to real life."  True dat…

Allow me the graceful option of dropping myself into a well but before I do, please also allow me to have my piece of defence.  This misstep of mine came as a shocker even to myself.  I blame reading an-almost old issue of British Vogue (September issue, when the October issue had already come out in England) on the Eurostar back home from Paris Fashion Week, when I was weary, teary and scabby (yes, drunken fall did happen).  The lovely Miss Emma Elwick-Bates extolled the delights of velvet slippers as a flat alternative to ballet pumps and I also happened to remember a streetstyle photographer in Paris running around in some lovely ones by Stubbs & Wootton (how I even remembered that name confounds me…). 

The item in question have of course been making a longer stir in the mens world thanks to Tom Ford's $1000+ velvet slipper antics (though having been to his store, I must concur that they MAY be worth those amount of pennies…) and in womenswear, they've finally made their high-to-low rounds with Chloe and Office doing their own versions.  Hoity toitier ones by Tabitha Simmons are nearing Ford's prices.  As per Bates' recommendations though I opted like the blind, pussing sheep that I was when I was coming back from Paris for the embroidered Crockett & Jones ones which were on a price middleground of ¬£200.  To add weightier defense to my words, I DID in fact have a really great Jermyn Street retail experience at the Crockett & Jones store.  For a start, nobody had measured my feet with those contraption since I was at Clark's as a toddler.  My left foot is definitely smaller than my right.  Half a size in fact.  Hmmm…. this now adds yet another body malfunction to worry about. 

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But back to the lovely slipper purveyors – Crockett & Jones had a fair few monogrammed and motif options and even a custom design option where you can hand over your own artwork for them to embroider onto the slippers.  Naturally, given that I'll never have the opportunity to own some of this 'naff' floral embroidery by Christopher Kane, these slippers are somewhat a close substitute…

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To add even more persuasion to make you forgive me for my sin, I might add that I was trying very very hard to imagine what this gentleman (on a card that someone sent me…)'s wife might have been like and might she be delicately stepping about their estate/manor in these velvet slippers. 

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Plus, I'm accumulating a lot of appropriate florals to mish and mash with them

Plus, plus it's just nice to say "I'm slipping on my slippers…"

Ok, I'm all out of juice to churn into my argument… off to find a suitably poetic well…

P.S. I'm considering these Stubbs & Wootton leopard or paisley ones… ARGH, what have we started here?

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(Worn with Preen leather trousers, vintage velvet applique floral shirt, Birthday Suit blazer, Christopher Kane floral dress – sadly not the embroidered sort but it has been serving me well thus far!)

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37 comments

  5. nice one. i used to have black velvet ankle wedge boots with that type of embroidery coming up the side of the wedge to the top of the boat. you would have like the continuity. the fact that i “used to” own them explains part of my sulky mood today.

  9. The first thought that came to my mind was “I hope she weatherproofed those.” God I’m getting old 🙂
    As for Hadley’s comment – a thousand times yes. She speaks the truth. I think the people most in need of this lesson are those that write about how magazines and blogs contribute to so many unrealistic expectations and discontent. Why assume a reader will be so naive and easily led?

  12. Ana.B: Really true! Why do people assume that consumers of fashion media follow it like textbook and DON’T read it with a pinch of salt.
    Sadly, there is no way I could wear these in the rain but they will be fine for sunny and BRISKLY cold walks…

  16. MY BOYFRIEND IS OBSESSED WITH THESE SLIPPERS! SOOO LOVELY.
    lucylurve.blogspot.com

  17. So fabulous! But I especially like the paisley ones from Stubbs & Wootton.
    For the rain, maybe get a pair of vintage rubber overshoes…

  23. GORGEOUS! I saw the same Vogue article and immediately went out and tracked down the very reasonably priced Zara black velvet ones. So in love with them still!

  28. I thought it was just me who was into velvet slippers! (haven’t read British Vogue for aeons) That’ll teach me to hide my obsessions away. I got some in Venice – they’re trad Venetian style velvet, they come in all colours and the soles are made from bicycle tyres and the inners are often lined in re-used cotton shirting. I can’t remember what they call them…it will come to me…

  31. I used to work at Zara, and there was this one woman who came in to try the slippers on everyday in August, but she could never bring herself to purchase. I say everyday, this went on for about a week, putting them on, putting them back..and eventually I hear she caved and purchased. Perhaps she should have trusted her instincts and saved herself all that deliberation! xx

  32. Love the slippers. Did they just have that floral motif on hand, or did you take pictures of the Kane stuff in for them to custom embroider on?

  33. Adele: How much were the Zara ones that would cause so much deliberation???
    Meg: No that’s their own design…. a custom design costs ¬£350-¬£400and I couldn’t justify that for slippers!

  35. Gorgeous, great post-fashion week treat! I think they look beauts, have nothing more interesting to say than I like the way you’ve worn them with leather… Good buy!

  37. Nah, I thought when reading this, but once scrolled to the bottom of your post, they actually look really good on you! I bought a pair of embroidered satin slippers in China as a souvenir, now I’m considering taking them outside as well 🙂

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