Saturday this week was spent in Selfridges with my shopping soul, sister, Daisy. I had finally found the time to exchange those Louboutins my boyfriend had bought me for my birthday back in February (have a look at them HERE) and Daisy, working as a style writer ‘n all, was the perfect person to advise on a suitable replacement present.
I arrived a little less perky than I’d have liked after a wild time the night before at Corsica Studios for launch of record label Gottwaxx (set up by the cool and cutting edge guys who run independent, boutique, and intimate underground electronic festival, Gottwood) Still I figured an hour or two surrounded by designer shoes, the smell of fresh leather and eye-watering price tags was sure to pull me out of my hazy hangover. And sure it did.
Three hours of trying and re-trying, umming and ahhing, trying again, asking Daisy’s opinion, sending pictures to my boyfriend for his opinion, trying on a different colour, a different size, going for a coffee and some shoe analysis chat and trying on a final time, I finally settled on a practical(ish) replacement and left Selfridges with a pair of white, mock-croc Guiseppe Zannotti trainers.
Taaa Daaaa!
I know it may sound ridiculous but purchasing these was a real struggle. With them costing more than my months rent (Shhh Dad!) I wanted nay needed to make sure I really, really, really liked them. I wear trainers almost every day so know that they should be a great addition to my shoe collection but you can never be 100% sure on an item until you get it/them home and start pairing them with other things in your wardrobe. I really hope they ‘break in’ easily and become a comfortable ‘go-to’ shoe for me as, if put into cost-per-wear terms, I feel under a lot of pressure to make sure I wear them as often as possible. Daisy and I have always cost-per-wear priced item, cheap things from H&M slot into the £1 per wear category whereas the more expensive the item the more the cost per wear is, in my head, I’d have to wear these 100 times to make them worth the money – totally doable, right?
I know it might seem silly to spend so much on a pair of trainers but girls spend more on a pair of heels they’ll wear once so something I can wear daily seems like a much better way to part with my (boyfriend’s) cash! Have I convinced you yet? They’re an investment!
So far I’ve worn them for a full day and the ‘break in’ period is proving tricky. I bought them half a size smaller as they do come up big but I’m finding the new leather very tough on my poor little feet (read: plasters-a-plenty!). Still I am persevering in the name of fashion and love and well, they were freaking expensive!!! I am currently refusing to take them off until they feel like a second skin.
…plus I feel like Kanye in them, especially when teamed with my new beautiful bomber from Zara which is the perfect mix of smart/casual, it’s something to do with the shoulders. I text Daisy this after a got home and she quipped back with a very funny, Heezus walks jibe (Harriet+Yeezus=Heezus) hence the title of this post. God I’m lucky to have such quick-witted friends! So from now on people, it’s not Harriet, its Heezus.
Anyway, fresh from the victory of finding the perfect replacement present, Daisy & I decided it was high time we celebrated (ooooh I love a pun). We headed up to the other end of Oxford Street to make the most of the spring afternoon with cocktails on the roof terrace at Aqua. You may remember Aqua from the launch of Nelly’s UK e-commerce site back in 2012, (y’know the event with all the free shoes, read about it here!) well if you head down Argyll Street and jump in the lift to the 5th floor you’ll arrive at Aqua where you can escape the madness on the streets below.
Once out of the lift you need to walk through the bar Aqua Kyoto, and take a left down a long, dark and ominous looking corridor where you meet the above scary looking bull – turn right into the restaurant on the other side, Aqua Nueva and head out through the french doors and find a spot in the sunshine on the terrace, Aqua Spirit.
Unfortunately on Saturday at 4pm the sun was, like us, taking a rest and up there in the clouds the wind was quite biting. Luckily Aqua had it covered with the use of patio heaters and huge, plump blankets. We wrapped ourselves up and managed to endure the baltic conditions as we sipped G&Ts and chatted intensely the way only very old and very good friends can. No subject was left uncovered and no bit of gossip left untold. As we talked the wind settled a little and the sun began to peak through the clouds.
During the height of summer Aqua Neuva is absolutely heaving and getting a spot on the terrace is the prize of those willing to wait it out or book in advance. Drinks aren’t cheap (Just two Gordan’s gin and tonics will have you pulling out a crisp £20) but it’s lovely to go there flash the cash and feel a little bit fabulous. Plus it really is an escape when the streets of Oxford Circus have you pulling out your hair. It’s also a place to impress with if you have friends visiting London, you can whip it out when you’ve had enough of playing tourist and it’s so unexpected to have somewhere so lovely and so central.
I’m yet to have tried any food yet at Aqua, they serve Japanese (Aqua Kyoto) and Spanish tapas (Aqua Neuva), but I figure I might just do this the next time I’m there. I have a feeling it will go down as a great suggestion to some of my ladies that like to lunch or as a fancy dinner before or after the theatre! Except I think I might need to dress up in a pair of Louboutins for that date…oh…dammit!
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