>> After hearing of Queen Michelle's woeful Tristan Blair shoe troubles, I thought I'd bring us down a peg (or inches) and post shoes on a Friday that are unlikely to fall apart, trip you up and are the sturdy shoe friend that we're meant to shun because we're supposed to be elevated by bad ass shoes that give us vertigo.  I made an eensy weensy point yesterday about the semi-skewed but ever alluring world that the likes of Jak & Jil presents (no diss to him of course as he's a friend and of course his work is fantastic even if his commentors are a little disturbing...) and what it does to wishful onlookers.  Shoes figure into that a lot and I'm sure somewhere out there people have been duped into thinking they're inadequate for not wearing 4inch plus footwear.  I for one was quickly brought down to earth with my errr ... my ankle injury and rediscovery of my love of certain trainers and now, a lovely shoe store in Seattle called Lambs's Ear.  Their brands are the kind that whilst have some height to them also have a great deal of stability and in fact it's these completely flat grey oxfords by Zeha Berlin that caught my attention first and foremost.  Their sturdy shoe roster also includes the affordable F-Troupe, LD Tuttle's 'height-without-pain' and Loeffler Randall's 'mid-heels-that-don't-look-awkward'.  

They've also wisely chosen one singular jewellery designer and it's none other than the lovely Arielle de Pinto who I met very briefly last season in Paris...trust me to lust after the two items that are out of stock...

I've had an inexplicable urge to visit both Portland and Seattle in one isolated trip... and once I've built up enough concrete reasons to go forth, that should be a surefire upcoming trip.  Lamb's Ear is of course one of them... oh and This is Naive's Lo-Fi Portland guide is another...