I have some very long-awaited news for Autumn/Winter 2014 that I’ve been keeping under my hat for a number of months and now I can finally share it with you all – the new footwear range by Orla Kiely has launched!
Clarks unveiled the new range at a press event earlier this year (here’s my article all about it!) and I’ve been spotting the occasional image of the range in magazines and on fashion blogs and now the shoes are finally available to buy – and what cute shoes they are too! The designer’s first collaboration with Clarks launched earlier this year for Spring/Summer and was an instant sell-out success: below is some of the press coverage that the designs attracted from Cosmopolitan magazine back in the Spring. It’s no surprise then that Clarks invited Orla Kiely back this season to create a new range for Autumn/Winter 2014 and here’s a snap of some recent coverage of her retro-esque heels in the October issue:
I’d already chosen my favourites when I first photographed the shoes at the press day earlier this Summer but now that I’ve seen the full range with those irresistible signature Orla Kiely patterned soles, I’m having trouble picking just one pair!
Firstly, this range taps into all the top seasonal trends for autumn/winter 2014 and I am desperate to get my hands on some of the oxblood leather or pony textures that are the must-haves for this season. Secondly, the styles are super-cute and remind me of back-to-school shoes that made me all excited about a new term when I was little! Thirdly, and most importantly for me, these are comfortable heels – yes, I will be able to wear them to dance class and tea dances without worrying about the heels being too high and the t-bar straps should keep them firmly on my feet when I’m doing my jive kicks!
Okay, I know I’ve started to be ruled by what’s going to be comfortable to dance in since taking up my new hobby earlier this year, but I really love how vintage-esque the Orla Kiely styles are, and I just know they will look great with my growing wardrobe of tea dresses and circle skirts. It’s my dream to dance the foxtrot at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom (yes, I’m visiting it later this year!) while wearing a gorgeous swing dress and a pair of these glossy dolly shoes.
I think that the collaboration with Orla Kiely is a stroke of genius by Clarks; not only are the deigns retro without being too ‘throwback’ but they also have the precise detailing and playful quirkiness that we have come to expect from this top British designer. The colours are ideal for Autumn/Winter any year so are certainly not limited to just a one season look – I can see myself wearing these classic styles and autumnal colours for years to come. I’m frantically saving my pennies to get my hands on a pair of Orla Dotty shoes in Ox-Blood or Ochre before they sell out, so if you too are thinking of investing in a pair of these future heirloom shoes, perhaps buy them sooner rather than later – with Kiely’s designs traditionally flying off the shelves, who knows how long they will be around for?!
