My Love Affair With Red
I have had a love affair with the colour red all my life. It’s true that turquoise is my favourite colour, but I still like to flirt with red.
I am particularly attracted to red shoes (and red bags, and red belts and I have a bright red, butter-soft leather jacket too), and I make a beeline for them whenever I see them in some boutique. In fact, once I accidentally sleep-shopped and bought the cutest pair of Wizard of Oz patent red sandals, only to realise later that the plastic stench in my apartment was emanating from my brand new shoes. I had mistaken the diamond symbol signifying nasty PU for the pretty little leather mark! But that’s another story…
A few months ago I saw the loveliest pair of red platform heels that made my heart go pitter-pat. They were by Alex & Alex. Late at night I would walk past the window of Ebony and smile fondly at them. The peeptoes had a 40s look about them and featured the most exuberant, upstanding double bow on the toe. This was no ordinary bow: it sprang up with joy and shouted, “Look at me!”
This was no ordinary bow: it sprang up with joy and shouted, “Look at me!”
By the time I managed to get to the boutique during business hours, I was devastated to find that they no longer had my size in stock. Black or cream simply would not do. They could not be got for love or money from anywhere. They were gone. I would never see their like again. I mourned.
Then I rolled up my sleeves and went on the hunt on eBay. I hit paydirt when I discovered these little wonders a charming young English lady was selling. Apparently she had worn them only once to a party. They were my size (39) and the starting price was low. But even here I did not escape the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. The auction was about to run out, and I needed to know what the postage would be to Oz. Suffice to say I did not hear from the seller in time…
But the fairytale does not end here (obviously). She agreed to put them up for sale again, just for me. Here, in true Hans Christian Anderson form, the tale turns down a murky path: I had a rival for the shoes of my affection! I anxiously chewed my fingernails for seven days… and this time money won out. I finally scored the sparkly red shoes of my heart’s desire.
Here they are, immortalised, inspired by Powell & Pressburger’s movie poster. I have danced (painfully) in them indeed, but there will definitely be no chopping off of the feet in my case.
In Anderson’s timeless words: “There is really nothing in the world that can be compared to red shoes!”
Read the full fairytale here.