Well would you believe it, 2013 already? Hope you had an amazing break over the festive period, and managed to relax in between all the relative-visiting/ last minute Christmas shopping/ wrapping/ general chaos (or was that just me?)! We’ve had a lovely week off doing all of the above, and have returned to a super mega busy office this morning!

If you’ve not already, take a peek at our exciting January sale- there really are some bargains, with a mixture of discontinued styles and last chance pairs from only £20! In addition we’re offering an amazing 20% off selected current styles, but this only lasts until Friday 18th January, after which they’ll go back up to full price!

Thanks to all our lovely customers, friends and stockists for a fantastic 2012, and here’s to a rather amazing 2013- we have a feeling it’s going to be exciting..xxx

Oh, and thank you to the gorgeous team for all their hard work. I warned them I’d pop a Christmas do photo here, sorry ladies ! xx

So, if you were a shoe, what kind would it be and why? Don’t worry, I’m not auditioning for a re-launch of Blind Date, just reading an interesting article in Vogue. One of the contributors, Emma Elwick-Bates realises she has had a similar shoe style for years, favouring delicate points, courts and kitten heels. So it got me to thinking, does everyone have a shoe style, or are we more likely to chop and change throughout the week, as the mood takes us?

In the same issue, Franscesca Burns writes of her love for ‘beautifully ugly’ heels, such as Prada’s flatform brogues from last Spring/Summer and anything outlandish, chunky and generally not considered as traditionally ‘pretty’. Over the past ten years (and more), shoes have certainly been come even more of a personal statement than ever before. They’re the fail safe which won’t let you down, despite a bad hair / fat/ lack of confidence day..

It’s certainly true that now, more than ever, there’s a shoe to suit any mood. Whether it’s a killer pair of points for that important presentation at work, or a chunky soled, well worn pair of boots to throw on with your skinnies at the weekend, shoes affect the way you feel some would say more than the outfit these days. Who hasn’t thrown on the reliable little black dress, black tights and a brightly fantastic pair of shoes when they’re having an off day? (Just me then..)

So do we have a shoe personality, or is it purely down to the mood on the day? Take a look down, how are you feeling today? Did you pick the shoes to match your mood or are the shoes there to portray a certain image for today. I’m in my favourite pair of Marilyns in yummy teal suede, from a couple of seasons ago. And black tights. Hmm, perhaps I need that second coffee before facing the day- thank you shoes

We’ve known it for a long time, now it seems the fashion world has joined us in our love of t-bars! Imagine my excitement when I turned the page of yesterday’s ‘i’ newspaper- a whole page of lovely t-bars in all their colourful, strap-adorned glory! Seems the catwalk is going all strappy on us this Autumn and why not- they’re flattering, supportive & stylish, what more could a girl want?

Our little champion Mimi, has been in the collection since the company launched back in 2008. I can still remember the excitement when I drew it, and just knowing it would be popular. It’s so simple, but suits so many different dresses, and looks different at every wedding. We used to offer it in vintage green, lilac and silvery blue- if you could choose a colour for it what would you go for? (Pop on our Facebook page and tell us!)

Other t-bars are the lovely Ginger, whether silver or gold; Emily, who is just too cute; and the stylish Tilly for those who prefer a lower heeled number..

Time for T? Don’t mind if we do..xx

The weather man may be predicting an Indian summer, but here in the office we’re all excited about the forthcoming arrival of scarves & boots now it’s officially September! And that also means one other rather exciting thing- it’s show season!!

In less than two weeks we’ll be at the Midlands most deliciously gorgeous event, The Designer Vintage Bridal Show at Hagley Hall on 22nd & 23rd September. You won’t believe how many amazing suppliers we’ve got crammed in this year, from Temperley & Twobirds to Lucy Ledger to Gillian Million, all topped off with an incredible schedule of events throughout the day. There’s a vintage hair & make-up salon, interactive workshops, bloggers forum, 1920s tearoom, and the new chilled out ‘Wedfest’ area to name but a few. We’re offering our lovely readers exclusive £5 tickets too- click here and enter the code RSDVB12 at the checkout to get yours before they sell out!

As if that wasn’t enough, the week after we’ll be hot-footing it (pun intended), down to that there London for The National Wedding Show at Earls Court on 28th- 30th September. We love this show- it’s where we launched back in 2008 and still holds a special space in our hearts (even if we do get back to the office exhausted come Monday morning!). With their new vintage area it seems everyones going retro crazy, and we believe there’s opportunity to grab a cupcake too so we wouldn’t miss it if we were you. To get discounted tickets, click here- we’d love to see you there!

Phew. We’re worn out already- not really, we can’t blinkin’ WAIT!

See you there..xx

We’re all super excited here, as it’s now only a month to go until the very special Designer Vintage Bridal Show! It’s a little bit close to our hearts, as we’re joint organisers- eek! Would you believe it’s the third show since we launched last year, and we have to say it’s set to be the best yet..(and this year’s venue, Hagley Hall is to. die. for.)

We’ll be there along with an incredible array of exhibitors and a jampacked itinerary of fantastic events. Alongside returning favourites such as the super lovely Lucy Ledger, the sparkling DC Bouquets and our ever popular bloggers to name but a few, this year we’re more than a little bit excited to welcome an incredible list of newbies..

Delicious dresses from our very fab friends twobirds bridesmaid and the ridiculously stylish Temperley; accessories from the divine Gillian Million; ridiculously delicious cakes from Miss Lola’s Bakehouse and Yummy Little Cakes, plus a few rather delectable heels from Mr Choo himself..

And let’s be honest- you don’t even have to be getting married to come to The Designer Vintage Bridal Show. There’s so much going on this year it promise to be a truly fantastic day out for all. From the stylishly different catwalk shows, capturing different eras throughout the day, there’s also ‘Get The Look’ workshops, vintage hair & beauty salon, cake workshop (yes, I said Cake. Workshop), and 1920s tearoom to name but a few. As if that wasn’t enough, we’ve even got the brand new outdoor Wedfest area..wow. Oh, and did I mention the new improved Bloggers Forum, where you can ask our resident bloggers for advice for the big day..and and AND!

And last but not least, we’ll be there. Showcasing the full collection, as well as the mega popular bridesmaid collection, we’d love to see you. Come along, say hi, try on some shoes, have a giggle, eat a cupcake or three, it’s all good.

We’re offering our very gorgeous customers an exclusive bargain on tickets. At only £5 each it’s a fab saving, just enter the code RSDVB12 at the checkout, whilst stocks last..

See you there lovely people xx

ps- these fab photos are courtesy of another lovely friend and colleague, Emma Case. Dresses by The Wedding Club. Yum. xx

This Friday is mega-exciting! Not only is the the weekend (hooray!) but for all you vintage shoe fans who love a bargain we’re also re-launching our fab sister site- RSOutlet.co.uk! A go-to for brides on a budget, our factory shop style website sells slight seconds and discontinued styles, as well as exclusive one off samples!

As you well know shoe-lovers, all our shoes are handmade in Spain in leather, suede and satin. Occasionally slight flaws occur, but this doesn’t make them any less beautiful, hence the slight seconds. This is also where you’ll find end of lines at greatly reduced prices as well as shoes worn once for photoshoots.

A brand new look and gorgeous packaging mark the re-launch of RSOutlet.co.uk, open for business from today- but shop quick, these are real one offs and when they’re gone they’re gone.

And with shoes from only £20 why wait for the wedding?!

Happy Friday shopping..xx

A few months ago we decided we wanted to update our packaging, to tie in with our lovely new branding. To inject a bit of beautiful vintage loveliness, there really was only one person to contact- the fabulous, award winning Lucy Ledger. Lucy is an illustrator who specialises in designing vintage scrapbook inspired stationery, and her style ties in perfectly the ethos of our shoes!

We sent a few ideas over and had a chat about the new box design, then waited for the artwork to arrive. And what artwork it was- no more was it just a shoe box, but what looks like the most exciting, gift-wrapped present ever! After sending the artwork out to the box makers in Spain (friends with the shoe makers), a sample was created and voila- our first shipment of crisp new boxes arrived yesterday..

A stunning rose covered lid in muted greens and minky-greys sits on top of a vintage green box with subtle printed lace texture. The whole thing is tied up in an ivory lace and matching green grosgrain ribbon (well, a printed one!), and topped off with an old-fashioned luggage label attached with cute little button. To be honest, it’s a good job we also love the shoes inside the box as much as we do, or they’d almost be upstaged!

Lucy also worked with us on our collaboration with twobirds bridesmaids, designing yet another gorgeous shoe box artwork for our new bridesmaid shoe collection. Both boxes are beautiful keepsakes to keep your shoes safe long after the big day.. or to keep other bits in if you prefer, photos, jewellery or general nick-nack-stuff!

A huge thank you for Lucy for all her hard work and patience in putting together such a beautiful new addition to our collection. We’re sure you’re going to love it as much as we do. xx

NB- obviously we still have a number of the original boxes in stock, so at the moment it’s just the new collection styles which come in the new box, but soon they’ll all be given the Lucy Ledger packaging- yay!

After a brief lapse in blogland, due to a busy couple of months travelling up and down the UK visiting our lovely stockists, it is with an enormous amount of pleasure that we present (drum roll please..) our gorgeous new collection!

We know some of you have been waiting patiently for these little beauties, so thank you for bearing with us, and we hope you agree it was worth the wait. Twelve new styles join the existing collection, and this season they really capture our signature style- vintage inspired, understated, wearable and just a little bit delicious (even if we say so ourselves).

The new collection pictures a return to elegance- silhouettes are simple with intricate detailing and dainty stitchwork, reminiscent of shoemaking from a bygone era. As you know we’ve always been fans of the 20s era, and this season we’ve indulged..

For real ballroom fans, take a look at Ginger, the stunning twenties style t-bar which would set any vintage dress off to a tea (dance)! Available in antique finish gold or silver leather, this is perfect for 20s and 30s style dresses, (and also looks great with a pair of jeans)..

Another favourite, Agnes is a shoe to fall in love with. Available in both ivory and nude softest kid suede, this little cutie features a delicate two-tone fan detail on both sides, finished with scalloped leather edging and tied up in a simple satin bow. One for all you romantics, complimenting truly feminine dresses, both long and tea-length.

Or take a look at Emily, a stunningly simple mary-jane with antique gold toe-cap and t-bar setting off the ivory suede perfectly. This gorgeous little shoe is finished with ankle strap and twenties style (cute-as-a) button detail!

Elegantly understated, the new collection epitomises our signature style and is versatile enough to compliment an array of bridal dresses, (as well as looking great after the big day of course!). Beautifully handmade in Spain yet affordably priced, this is a collection not to be missed.

Oh, and did we mention our gorgeous new shoe box, designed by none other than award winning (and ridiculously lovely) Lucy Ledger..? We had such fun working with Lucy on this project, and we think you’ll agree the results are more than a little bit yummy..

The full collection will be available to order both online and in our stockists nationwide from Friday. Enjoy.

This week’s looking sunny peeps.. xx

A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to spend the day with our photoshoot dream team, to create some stunning new images. Although the new collection will be out very soon, we realised we’d never actually done a photoshoot using all our old favourites before!

And so, early on a Monday morning, coffee & croissants at the ready, we met at the gorgeous Highbury Hall- Emma Case with her technical cameras ‘n’ stuff, Jodie Hazlewood & fab assistant for the day Beth Lacey ready with hair-grips, lashes & lippy, and our ever gorgeous models, Verity & Lana. This is the second shoot we’ve done with this team & all I can say is what an absolute pleasure it is to work with such talented individuals- not to mention the fact that they’re all great fun & we spend much of the day giggling (tricky when trying to master a dreamy 1920s type look..

The shoes lend themselves to a 1920s/30s theme, enhanced perfectly with dresses from Timeless Couture, Fur Coat No Knickers, Caroline Atelier & The Wedding Club. Beautiful accessories from Laurel Lime & Sharper Millinery finished off the look to a tee.

And so these images were created. We couldn’t put them all up but here’s a rather delicious selection. Hope you like them, we’re thrilled. They sum up what we do- understated, elegant, vintage style. Keep an eye out for these appearing over the next few months online, in magazines & on our website.

Thanks to Highbury Hall & everyone involved. Already looking forward to the next one..xx