Yesterday I Cocorosed It in Roma...

Day 6 of the Cocorose Challenge and what a fab day out in London Town we had yesterday! We had been wanting to visit the British Museum's exhibition about Afghanistan for quite some time and so were over the moon to hear it had been extended until the 17th of July. I chose a casual outfit for the day - jeans and a black top - and accessorised with my fabulous handbag from Hobbs, my oversized sunnies and my Cocorose Roma Panache foldable ballet pumps. Love these Cocorose folding shoes - caramel coloured with a black toe cap - and perfect for dressing up or down. Arriving at the British Museum was as inspiring as ever, and really makes me appreciate living in London and having all these amazing institutions right on my doorstep. The exhibition about Afghanistan was ... well, I must admit, it made me look at Afghanistan in a different light. This is a country with an amazing, ancient history and culture and one that we tend to associate only with civil war and Taliban rule. Walking through the exhibition was an educational experience for me, and one that I enjoyed immensely. What really tickled and completely inspired me was seeing the prized, gold crown from Tillyah Tepeh, 1st Century AD. This beautiful crown belonged to a nomadic woman and, get this, it was "designed and assembled from different pieces which allowed it to be folded when not in use. The ultimate example of portable nomadic wealth". Wow, even centuries ago, women were practical and used foldable and portable objects! Then they were foldable crowns; today, foldable shoes! The other treasured object I really loved seeing were the gold soles of the shoes worn by the Royalty. Cut from very thin sheets of gold, the soles had holes the size of pin pricks located at the toe and heel, which is where the leather uppers were stitched to. Of course, the leather had all rotted away but the gold soles remain in their perfect state. As the soles were so thin, the shoes weren't used for walking but rather, the wearer would sit at the banquet and the gold soles would make spectacular viewing by the others present! Fantastic. On leaving the museum, we also spent a bit of time wandering around the Australian garden on display at the front of the museum. We've already made a point to visit the Australian exhibition the next time we're in town! Janan Leo, Creative Director & Founder, Cocorose London, www.cocoroselondon.com