When it comes to purveyors of fashion, women fall into two distinct groups – the ‘shoe princess’ and the much less flattering title of ‘bag lady’. As a bag lady (lover of handbags), I have never really understood the obsession with high-heeled shoes – they pinch, they blister, they lame – which begs the question, why then do millions of women fall head over heels in love with these devices of torture?
Perhaps the answer can be found in this excerpt from Emma Bowd’s best-selling book, The Shoe Princess’s Guide to the Galaxy: “The high-heeled shoe: it is so much more than a mere physical construct. It is just as much a psychological and emotional extension of a woman’s being, her sensuality, her essence.”
Emma Bowd (pictured) knows shoes and as it turns out, she knows a thing or two about handbags as well. It was whilst living in London in 2002, the Australian born author, established herself as something of an expert when her books, A Passion for Shoes and A Passion for Handbags were first released in the UK.
Emma Bowd told Australian Women Online, “At the time I had my first baby, I was working in the corporate world in the city of London and I definitely knew I did not want to go back when my maternity leave had expired – so I decided to take a year off. I then met another mum in my local mother’s group who worked in publishing and that led to the release of A Passion for Shoes and A Passion for Handbags.”
The books were a big hit and soon found their way into the competitive American marketplace – published under the titles Mad About Shoes
But then just as quickly as she appeared, the fashionista disappeared and for a while, the world was left wondering whatever happened to their favourite shoe princess? Well, after six years the mystery has finally been solved by Bloomsbury. The same UK publisher who had the foresight to publish the very first Harry Potter book when no-one else wanted it, has published The Shoe Princess’s Guide to the Galaxy – this year’s surprise best-seller in Australia and the UK.
Emma Bowd says the idea for the book grew out of her own experiences in London, which is where she had to make the difficult transition from career-girl, to stay-at-home mother.
“It’s a very common experience for women of our generation – to have gone from a career where we believed we knew absolutely everything, to having a baby and realising that we know nothing,” said Emma.
Many career-minded women experience a temporary loss of identity when the first baby comes along. Like the fictional character, Jane Meadows, women can find themselves socially isolated for the very first time in their lives and feelings of ‘mother-guilt’ are common. If you are at home you feel guilty for not working and when you are working, you feel guilty because you are not at home with your baby.
But the good news is, many women have also found motherhood to be a vehicle for finding their passion and making positive changes in their lives.
“Lots of women have been telling me they found the story quite inspiring – being comfortable with who you are and the choices that you make,” said Emma Bowd. “In the book the main character chooses to take that first year off and be at home, but then she discovers her passion and her life takes an entirely different direction.”
So you’re probably wondering where are the shoes in this story? Without giving too much of the plot away, let’s just say designer shoes do play a significant role in this work of fiction and so too, does that other staple of fashionistas – celebrity gossip.
The main character, Jane Meadows, has a passion for shoes. She has a closet full of designer shoes and every pair is a work of art in her eyes. She could no more part with her beloved footwear, than the rest of us can part with a limb and she will fight for her right to wear them!
Jane Meadows and her closest friends are devoted readers of ‘The Shoe Princess’, a larger than life character who makes an auspicious appearance at the close of each chapter. In a case of life imitating art, Emma Bowd’s alter-ego, the ‘Shoe Princess’, now maintains a real blog at www.shoeprincess.com.
Emma says she didn’t want to blog under her own name. “At heart I’m not a journalist and I don’t think my opinions are all that interesting and I didn’t want to be sprouting them off every day,” she said. “But I thought it could be a lot of fun to do it as the ‘shoe princess’ and I’m really enjoying it. Bloomsbury set it up for me and I’ve just run with it – and it’s surprising to me that I’m able to find something to blog about most days. Writing as a fictional character is enormously liberating and a lot of fun.”
You could be forgiven for thinking the author of The Shoe Princess’s Guide to the Galaxy, must have a background in journalism or fashion. But the truth is Emma Bowd hasn’t even worked in so much as a shoe store – she is actually a qualified Occupational Therapist. “My own passion in life has always been shoes and even though I worked in the health system in some of the biggest hospitals in London and on shocking pay, I always had great shoes,” Emma said.
“People say to me that my book is about fashion and frivolous – and I say to them, yes, I know there are bigger issues in life, but I also know that it’s the little things in life, like shoes, that get us through our day.”
The Shoe Princess’s Guide to the Galaxy by Emma Bowd is published by Bloomsbury and distributed in Australia by Allen & Unwin, and is available now at bookstores nation wide for AU$23.99 (recommended retail price).
YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE
Australian retailers:
The Nile for AU$21.49
QBD The Bookshop for AU$23.99
