Thoughts and observations from those inside the world of Betts Shoes

Meet Karen. Karen is the latest blogger to take part in our 5 Ways to Wear Project and is the style, brains and panache behind Karen Cheng’s Fashion and Life Blog which is all about women’s fashion, parenting, food, photography and much more.

Karen began the first version of her blog in 1999, when she was looking for a job as a web designer. She created her site as a means of “selling herself” to prospective employers with clippings of her work, her personality, quirks, interests, stories, talents and her own personal style.

Since then, her blog has evolved from a portfolio piece to a personal online journal that focuses on her everyday life and the balance between fashion, life and everything in between. Inspired by her husband’s struggles with cancer and her three children, Karen writes from the heart and isn’t afraid to tackle serious topics and open up about her personal struggles.

Since beginning her blog over a decade ago, she has become an extremely influential blogger and has won countless awards. She was even named one of the world’s Top 20 Female Bloggers and was recognised as one of the 50 Most Influential Female Bloggers.

Karen told us she finds inspiration for her blog when she sees things that catch her eye, wherever they may be.

“I love beautiful things. Art, design, photography, rocks, flowers, landscapes, pottery, jewellery, textures, colours, buildings, people…” she said.

Karen’s wide array of hobbies and interests has also led to her blog’s varied subject matter.

“I enjoy keeping healthy and active. I like taking walks, jogging, swimming and being outdoors. I’d like to do a bit more scuba diving, snorkelling, kick boxing, and Latin dancing. I also love cooking! And eating! As well as entertaining and throwing parties too. I get such a buzz from experimenting with food and recipes,” she said.

Karen’s experimental recipes often feature in her blog which is a favourite for foodies like the team here at Betts HQ! On the whole, Karen sums up her blog and life simply with “Fun. Serious. Fast. Slow. Brainy. Bimbotic. Intense. Lazy. You get the drift.”

And of course like any fashion-loving blogger, she a bit obsessed with shopping. Karen told us she loves “clothes, shoes, jewellery, underwear, basically anything girly. I’m not into brands or teeny fashion trends. I’m a careful shopper, I’m always on the look-out for a bargain. And I like to think that I’m careful with my money.”

So needless to say we were very excited to see which pair of shoes from our AW12 collection this shopaholic would chose for her 5 looks – and she didn’t disappoint.

Karen chose one of our absolute faves for winter – the bold silver glitter pump, Megan. This style is not for the faint hearted. With all over glitter, a thick statement heel and a platform, Megan is the party pump of choice for girls that aren’t afraid to make a statement.

And make a statement she sure did! Whilst Megan teams perfectly with a party dress, Karen also shows us how versatile this shoe can be by keeping it casual and teaming them with a pair of funky floral pants. She also shows us how to take this look to the office. No, not a super conservative office but for a ‘Devil Wears Prada-esque’ office where a killer heel is appreciated, never impractical.

We’re also swooning over Karen’s blue and white bandage dress – very Hervé Léger but this one actually comes courtesy of ClubCouture – Love!

At $99.99, these pumps are an Autumn Winter must-have and they also come in blue glitter and black glitter. Check out all the colours in-store or online.

Thanks again being a part of our 5 Ways to Wear project Karen, we’ve loved having you on board and seeing your 5 oh-so-stylish shots. We look forward to what’s seeing what’s next for you in your blog.