Red, as we all know, is the colour of blood, love, danger and passion. Red is the colour of things we can't and may not ignore. Unless you're colour blind, it is impossible for a human being to ignore anything red in colour. Thanks to evolution, our eyes register this colour FIRST when included in a kaleidoscope.
Out and about in Windhoek, I ran into Lizette looking fabulous for lunch at Fresh 'n Wild, Utopia, in Klein Windhoek. Red lipstick and a beautiful pair of red shoes!
Lizette's gorgeous and stylish understated outfit was perfectly complimented by a gorgeous pair of red slingbacks displaying her ankle, sensuously. I would like to add to this ensemble 'well done!' Great choice. It's not often Namibian leisurewear is presented stylishly, looks properly put-together and with a touch of something different, like red shoes. It's almost like plain mayonnaise spiked with chilli.
So, what's so great about red shoes, I can hear you ask? Any woman who owns a pair of red shoes and was raised in conservative Namibian society, will choose to wear her shoes, carefully. First, the colour itself is difficult to pair well with other colours. Your wardrobe should have depth in terms of colour, range, texture and selection to accommodate and integrate red shoes and if secondly, red shoes are a fashion statement on their own. They can't be ignored... As mentioned before, our eyes register colours approximately 180 degrees ahead, up, down and to the sides; RED is always first.
A Faery Tale
Hans Christian Andersen wrote a faery tale called 'The Red Shoes' that was published in 1845. It tells the story of Karen, an adopted peasant girl, who so loved her pair of red shoes, she wore them (goodness gracious no!) to church, ignoring the disapproving looks of the community and the anger of her mother. I'll never forget how my imagination conjured up a 'dancing Karen' (obviously in Euro-African style) wearing her red shoes, after she was cursed to dance continuously for 'disrespecting' social norms. That's the best part of the story. It's downhill for Karen from there; an oppressive piece of forgettable literature.
Ruby Slippers
Dorothy wore her ruby slippers, a glittery pair of heels, in the Wizard of Oz, a remarkably avant garde film released in 1939, starring a young and precocious Judy Garland. The ruby slippers worn by Garland in the film (4 pairs survive) are now considered treasured and valuable film memorabilia.
Catherine Shafer Shares...
In 2002, I read a book called 'Women Who Run With The Wolves: Myths & Stories of the Wild Woman' by Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, a remarkable book. She tells the story of 'The Red Shoes'
to Catherine Shafer (click on the url to read): http://www.catherineshafer.com/estesred.html and you'll notice how Pinkola-Estes' story originated from the original Andersen tale, featuring Karen, the dancing orphan.
Red shoes are dramatic. It really takes a special kind of woman who has courage to shod her feet in the colour of love, passion, danger and blood, and to wear her shoes with style, grace, confidence and aplomb.
Out and about in Windhoek, I ran into Lizette looking fabulous for lunch at Fresh 'n Wild, Utopia, in Klein Windhoek. Red lipstick and a beautiful pair of red shoes!
Lizette's gorgeous and stylish understated outfit was perfectly complimented by a gorgeous pair of red slingbacks displaying her ankle, sensuously. I would like to add to this ensemble 'well done!' Great choice. It's not often Namibian leisurewear is presented stylishly, looks properly put-together and with a touch of something different, like red shoes. It's almost like plain mayonnaise spiked with chilli.
So, what's so great about red shoes, I can hear you ask? Any woman who owns a pair of red shoes and was raised in conservative Namibian society, will choose to wear her shoes, carefully. First, the colour itself is difficult to pair well with other colours. Your wardrobe should have depth in terms of colour, range, texture and selection to accommodate and integrate red shoes and if secondly, red shoes are a fashion statement on their own. They can't be ignored... As mentioned before, our eyes register colours approximately 180 degrees ahead, up, down and to the sides; RED is always first.
A Faery Tale
Hans Christian Andersen wrote a faery tale called 'The Red Shoes' that was published in 1845. It tells the story of Karen, an adopted peasant girl, who so loved her pair of red shoes, she wore them (goodness gracious no!) to church, ignoring the disapproving looks of the community and the anger of her mother. I'll never forget how my imagination conjured up a 'dancing Karen' (obviously in Euro-African style) wearing her red shoes, after she was cursed to dance continuously for 'disrespecting' social norms. That's the best part of the story. It's downhill for Karen from there; an oppressive piece of forgettable literature.
Ruby Slippers
Dorothy wore her ruby slippers, a glittery pair of heels, in the Wizard of Oz, a remarkably avant garde film released in 1939, starring a young and precocious Judy Garland. The ruby slippers worn by Garland in the film (4 pairs survive) are now considered treasured and valuable film memorabilia.
Catherine Shafer Shares...
In 2002, I read a book called 'Women Who Run With The Wolves: Myths & Stories of the Wild Woman' by Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, a remarkable book. She tells the story of 'The Red Shoes'
to Catherine Shafer (click on the url to read): http://www.catherineshafer.com/estesred.html and you'll notice how Pinkola-Estes' story originated from the original Andersen tale, featuring Karen, the dancing orphan.
Red shoes are dramatic. It really takes a special kind of woman who has courage to shod her feet in the colour of love, passion, danger and blood, and to wear her shoes with style, grace, confidence and aplomb.
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