British Crush | Kate's shoes

I LOVE the UK, the Queen, the scones, the telly, the tea, the shops, the humour, the different accents, well... you guessed it pretty much everything about the British culture. Hence the title of this series 'British Crush' where I will talk about something that I love about the country and its lifestyle.

One year ago, nearly to the same day, I saw a princess for the first time. I haven't seen another one since then, no. That was enough for a lifetime. I saw Kate and William and Harry for real, standing at about two meters away from me. I still feel the excitement!

August 4th marks the anniversary the start of WW1. Last year, there had been a numerous of events to remember such sad times and many countries' representatives were invited to attend a few celebrations in Belgium, where it all started.

Our back-then Prime Minister (far right on the photo) also happens to be the mayor of my hometown. He is very considerate of its people and arranged for us to bring the royals to the town hall's balcony. Let Mons, 2015 European Capital of Culture, shine!

Harry is waving at me!

Kate's fashion sense has made the headlines all over the world. While I am not very fashionable, I quite enjoy looking at how well dressed people and celebs are. It's not wrong to say that Kate has set a trend with her nude shoes. Even I, when clearly I'm not princess material, have been tempted to get the "go with everything heels".

The shoes!

After having started to laugh at all frenzy that goes around Kate and her outfits/wedding/shoes/dog, I finally gave in and often started to ask "what would Kate do?" in every possible tricky situation I would find myself in.

You see, many of the outfits Kate chooses are quite boring. She is classy, there's no denying it, but it is always pretty much the same. I have read somewhere I can't remember, that one of the many rules of princesshood is to be a timeless icon. That, my friends, is something Kate excels in.

It might be because the Royal Family doesn't want to show off that they spend money while the country is drowning in debt that they started to recycle outfits but I personally think Kate is genius. She made her style attainable by selecting affordable pieces of clothing. Also, she demonstrated that we can all wear versatile items on all occasions with her multiple takes at wearing the famous nude L.K. Bennetts.

I finally copied her last Saturday when I went to my friend's wedding. Right from the start, last summer, when she had just announced her engagement, I claimed to all who were listening that I was going to wear nude footwear, just like Kate.

L.K. Bennett £195/280€

So here are the real L.K. Bennett Sledge Platform Court Shoes in light taupe to be precise. Price: £195 (280€).

I contemplated the idea of ordering them online. Then I thought I was going to spend a lot of money for this wedding and it was too complicated to buy shoes over the internet. It will be for the future me when I will have a better job and more opportunities to wear such stylish footwear.

Then I started a hunt to find the perfect "RepliKates".

M&S £25/31,95€

I found the ones at M&S. Lucky for me, a brand new M&S opened last May in Brussels so I didn't need to order the pair and after a few shy tries, I took the plunge and literally splurged 32€ on shoes that seemed of a questionable quality. This wasn't me at all.

BUT. I was surprised! The shoes are really comfy and after I got used to walking with them, I can honestly say they're a steal!

On the photo they practically look the same but the finish is definitely not similar. I saw the real ones last year I think and while I don't really remember them, the M&S shoes do look slightly different: the design of course, but also the M&S shoes are not real leather on the outside. They are made out of plastic. That is perfectly understandable, especially if you consider their price, but when you rub the shoes together (sometimes it happens when you cross your legs or walk), they can make the weirdest sound!

For the price, I am very happy about my choice. The heel of the M&S stilettos is 10 cm which is quite high and I think should be reserved for special occasions. I got other reviews from a friend who bought similar looking pumps from Zara and she told me they were not even walkable in. Here, the stilettos are wide so my toes were not squashed together. They're very comfy as I said.

Here is the dress I wore for the wedding!