Styling Statement Shoes with a Shift Dress: Leopard Print & Denim

One of my favourite combinations is leopard print and denim.  Not only do they pair well together but individually, they work equally well with other materials, for example leopard print and leather, denim and suede.

Now before we go any further, allow me to give fair warning that this post isn't just going to be about textures but also shapes but don't worry, it won't be a geometry lesson.  Though it is rather appropriate, given that only a couple of posts ago, in my Laid Back Maxi Skirt  post, I ended up wearing quite a few triangle shapes.  See how many you can spot if you read it!

Saturday was a tease, weather wise.  It gave us a fleeting feel of an Indian summer.  The perfect day to wear a light-weight, denim shift dress.  After last weekend's 2 day specialist Pilates course, this weekend was all about taking it easy, running a few errands, with a late lunch at a local café thrown in.

As the dress and the boyfriend cardigan are dark, block colours, it meant I could bring in some lighter pattern mixing with my accessories and shoes.  As one of our errands was shopping for a new fridge/freezer for our kitchen - oh the glamour, London Fashion Week, ain't got nothing on my kind of high-end shopping - it meant heels were out, flats were in.

The theme for Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike link party this week over at Not Dressed As Lamb is statement shoes.  My ever so dandy, Leopard Print Chelsea Boots are my statement shoes or to be precise, my statement booties.  I suspect we'll be seeing quite a few high heels linked but I don't subscribe to the idea that a statement shoe has to be high.  In fact, I purposely chose a flat heel, not to be contrary and not just because we were fridge/freezer shopping... well... alright... maybe a tiny bit contrary and anyway, do you know how much fridge/freezer shopping involves standing on your feet, comparing the size of hydrator drawers???

I want to show there can be an alternative interpretation of statement shoes/boots.  They don't have to be ridiculously high heeled or ott in shape or pattern, unless, of course, you want them to be, which is fine.  They can still make an impact by being quietly understated.

Nor do they have to be expensive.  I bought the boots preloved for £11.47!  They are River Island and currently, their plain Chelsea boots are retailing for upwards of £40.  No wonder I'm smiling!

I love hearing the stories behind the pieces that people wear, especially what drew them to buy them and as all my accessories in the outfit were either thrifted or a gift, I'm wearing quite a few stories myself!

The necklace hails from Chile, not a place I've visited.  It was a gift from my mum-in-law who went a few years ago. Sadly, I've know idea what the stone is, as she bought it in a local market. The surface of the disc is so beautifully smooth and brings out the caramel colour of the stitching on the neckline.

I don't tend to do well with clothes from charity shops (I'm far more successful on e-bay for that) but I am rather good at snapping up jewellery and handbags.  This plaid or check patterned, wooden handle bag was another local charity shop purchase at the princely sum of £4.99.

I chose it for the outfit because I'm drawn to it's texture and shape, as well as its unusual pattern. The red running down it tied in neatly with the red of the boyfriend cardigan. The smoothness of the handles, which are a semi circle shape, matches the smoothness of the necklace, which is a circle.  You might not have even been aware of that on a conscious level but I bet you've now whizzed up to the necklace photo and whizzed down to the bag and gone 'Ah, so they are'!  Being a kinesthetic person I get a big kick out of those sorts of detail.

And whilst we're on the subject of shapes, check out the button on the bag's fastner.

The bracelets were bought in a local charity shop for a total of £6.  The leopard print one was in the window display but I didn't have time to stop and go in at the time, as I was on my way to one of my Pilates clients. After the session though, I scuttled back wondering if it still might be there and lo and behold, it was! I only had to say 'there's a leopard....'  and the lady in the shop had already pulled out a long grabber stick and was gleefully uttering

'I know which one you mean'.

She delicately and expertly air lifted it out from the window display without knocking anything over.  I was chuffed to bits when it fitted, as most bracelets fall off my arm; the downside of having thin wrists.

I wandered around the rest of the shop and spied the other two I'm wearing.  When I took them to the cash desk to pay, the lady told me they had all been in the same donation which had included roughly 70 pieces of costume jewellery.  Sweetly, she added that she was very glad that I was buying these 3 and thus keeping at least a few of them together!

These leopard print Chelsea boots make my feet want to jig. They sit low enough on the ankle that you can wear them with dresses and skirts, as well as trousers and jeans.  Even the leopard print in my bracelet is a near perfect match to the leopard print in the boots.

How cool is the fact that even the heel is the same pattern as the rest of the boot.  And look closely in the second photo and you'll see they even have a leather knot tassel on the end of the zip.

Denim Shift Dress from TKMaxx
New Look Red Boyfriend Cardigan (old)
Necklace from Chile; a gift from my mum-in-law when she visited there
Leopard Print & Amber coloured glass Bracelets (thrifted)
Plaid, Wooden Handle Bag (thrifted)
Leopard Print Ankle Boots (preloved)

My thrifted/preloved finds and statement boots hanging out together, enjoying a sunny September afternoon.

What do you consider to be a statement shoe?  Have you managed to score some great thrifted or preloved finds - jewellery, shoes or otherwise?  I'd love to hear about them below, if you have.

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