The Bad Taste Brigade

It was with huge amounts of excitement that I ripped the tissue paper away from the parcel that had just arrived of my doorstep. Anticipation was through the roof as I pulled out the cropped leather bustier that I had ordered in a moment of self-delusional madness. Well, in fairness I knew the chances were slim to zilch that it would be any way, shape or form wearable, but in that heady, sweaty moment of online euphoria as my eyes burned into the stunning 2D imagery of the leather clad model, it just looked tooooo cool to pass up. Sod the odds I thought, as I pressed checkout, this is living life on the edge. Now I’ve come back from the edge I’m wondering if perhaps I can stick a vest top under it the look says boho/retro and not dominatrix. Fifty Shades I am not.

Of course dodgy spontaneous decisions aren’t limited to the leather bustier. There’s also the pair of white stiletto ankle boots whose purchase somehow snuck into the spare five minutes between the school uniform shop and a work meeting. Emotions were mixed - are these the height of cool, I wondered, or too awful for words? It was a high-pressure decision, but as any hardened shopper knows, the only things worse than buyer’s remorse is not-buyers regret. Well, they were cheap: plastic and cheap – what can I say, decision made. The adrenalin flowed, and all imagery of 90s pop duo Pepsi & Shirley were pushed to the back of my mind.

In fairness the white boots are actually quite a coup…not exactly the same vibe as the beautiful butter soft leather Chloe ones I’d visualised, but you know, horses for courses and all that. I’m sure I’ll have the last laugh when someone slops red wine on my feet, and I can look down and know that the collateral damage has only been $50 not $3,000. Nevertheless, the all important question remains, what’s the time test verdict?

Wearability

Much to my shock, these have outlasted the ‘moment’ I had them pegged for. After several seasons they are still going strong, and are as stylish as ever. If summer is coming up then the options are endless, and if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere and cool days are pending, then not much beats Winter White on a cold sunny day.

 Clean Queen

They are not as shockingly hard to keep clean as you might think. Admittedly I can’t answer for leather, and maybe it’s the plastic, but much like a whiteboard they are pretty much wipe off and fresh as a daisy.

 Versatility.

Believe it or not, these little lovelies are shockingly versatile. I have to confess after my purchase of the first pair of whiter than whites, I invested in an even cheaper – and even I didn’t think that was possible – pair. The second version is milkier, and because they are not quite so stark is a far better match with more of my outfits.