In February this year, Brooklyn 'vintage boutique' Beacon's Closet came top of Time Out New York's readers' Ten Best Shops. Located on North 11th Street, just off trendy but friendly Bedford Avenue, it's a big, airy, well-laid out store, jam-packed, as TONY puts, it with 'mountains of vintage and a killer shoes selection. (You just have to dig).' A good place to browse on a gorgeous Friday afternoon. Did I score? Wait and see...
Thursday night, 10pm, leaving the restaurant in Little Italy: spotted these fabulous red-satin-and-glitter bow-front peep-toe platforms. Their owner, a vision in black frou-frou, burgundy pedi and ankle tattoos, waiting for the lights to change on Mulberry, was totally unfazed at being pounced on by a smitten shoe blogger demanding photos. ''Of course, love!'' Back in the New York groove. Love it.
Newsflash! Just in Starbucks for an editorial meeting, when this girl walked in wearing Angel Wing Melissas, by Vivienne Westwood Anglomania! Sadly I was so excited that I forgot to turn on the camera flash... So below is a PR shot of what they really look like. Divine.
Monday night was party night, the launch of Mario Testino's exhibition of photographs from his forthcoming book, "Kate Who?" at Phillips de Pury in London. Simply everyone was there (including models and more models, above). Who I didn't shoot: Donatella in Versace platforms; Stella, Gwyneth and Kate all in pointy black stilettos; Jacquetta Wheeler in plain gold gladiators; Mr Manolo Blahnik in gorgeous two-tone blue slip-ons. 
Lisa in Dolce & Gabbana. These shiny black Mary Janes pretty much define what Dolce & Gabbana is all about: demure round toes suitable for a good Catholic schoolgirl – sexed up with killer stiletto heels, bondage-esque skinny straps and toe cleavage.
Animal print? Over that. Wildly impressed by Brooke's camouflage platforms, though.
Following on from my recent post about Perspex shoes, check out the grown-up glam strappy numbers above. As for the white patent peep-toe bondage ankle-boots below, very Paco Rabanne, non?
It wasn't till after I'd shot the platforms above, with their lovely floppy ankle bows, that I noticed the multicoloured pedicure.
I've loved these Chanel stack heels for ages (since Spring 08, to be precise). I think I even featured them on a page of the magazine I was then working on. Never got my very own pair, but great to see these at Howick Place last night.
Above: Arianne in black suede tassles, a sexy summer variation on everyone's favourite Christian Louboutin heels.
Leena of Les Chiffoniers in beautiful gauzy heels, as seen in the label's S/S10 collection.
Poppy bucking the strappy heels trend in fab Tory Burch biker boots (which she paired with a cute black-and-white one-shoulder mini dress from Issa).
Vogue.com has photos of some people I missed. If you want to see the exhibition, visit Phillips de Pury, Howick Place, London SW1, before July 15th, or take a look at the online catalogue here.
A few years back I was in New York on a photoshoot and managed to do something very painful to my foot. I was too busy to get it seen to, and on the 8-hour flight back to London it swelled up and hurt badly. Back in London I spent the next few days limping in and out of the office, still too busy to see a doctor. At the end of the week I flew back across the Atlantic, this time to Chicago, for my cousin Tom's wedding. Of course, within an hour of arriving in the Windy City, I was weeping with pain, and shortly thereafter I was in a cab to A+E at Northwest General (location of the real-life 'ER'!) I spent the rest of the trip on crutches. Despite this inauspicious start, I loved Chicago. Hobbling around Wicker Park one afternoon I came across a particularly fabulous shoe store, and a particularly fabulous pair of Robert Clergerie wooden-heeled snakeskin sandals. They were extremely sexy and extremely expensive, and as my foot was in bandages I could only try on one of them. Regretfully, I turned my back and hopped out of the store. But I couldn't get those mules out of my mind. Back in London, I was describing them wistfully (and repetitively) to Jo in the fashion department, when she said, 'Why don't you call Robert Clergerie in London and see if they are in stock here?' I gasped. Genius!! I called Robert Clergerie on Wigmore Street. Yes, they had one pair left. My size. On sale. (Still cost a fortune.) Yes, they'd hold them for me. The rest, as ever, is history.
