How my iPhone helped me meet my fashion hero, Terry De Havilland

Can a smartphone change your life? Can it?

I was going to entitle this post ‘can a smartphone SAVE your life?’ but thought that was a bit dramz. I mean, I s’pose it probably could, if you dialled 999 from it. LOLOLOLOLOL.

But can a smartphone really make that much of a difference that something it does changes your life, for the better? Well, sure.

This post is inspired by the blind marathon runner Simon Wheatcroft who lost his eyesight aged 17 and uses his smartphone to help him run. Using apps on his smartphone,  he’s training for the gruelling ultra-marathon in the Sahara desert.

Carphone Warehouse contacted us to see if a) we fancied sharing the video and b) if we had any similar stories to tell as part of their Smarterworld campaign.

Now, once you’ve watched a video about the sheer ball-breaking bravery of an individual like Simon, overcoming a disability to achieve more in a short space of time than you’ll probably ever do in your ENTIRE LIFE, pretty much anything you come up with pales in significance, let alone a story about shoes. But shoes it is. WHAT?!

Well, I figured, if I haven’t got an impressive feat, I could IMPRESS YOU WITH MY FEET:

So the above pic might not seem like much, but let me explain:

Those are my legs, getting into the Jubilee spirit this time last year, hence the rather patriotic socks. I’m wearing a rather special pair of shoes: My prized Terry De Havilland Margaux wedges (which incidentally, I used my Smartphone to purchase when I was working at ASOS… a job which I acquired mainly through tweeting… via my Smartphone – DO YOU SEE?)

Anyhoo, I uploaded the photo via Instagram and shared through Twitter (including the @TerryDeHav handle) and thought nothing of it. What I hadn’t banked on was the designer himself – and all round LEDGE – to see my picture and get in touch.

What has happened, in a very whirlwind summing-up way, is that I’ve had my VERY OWN SHIT YOU NOT BESPOKE PAIR of gorgeous metallic green Margaux wedges made for me by Terry’s own fair hand:

We’ve planned and schemed – some things have already come into fruition, some not yet; I’ve discovered the seriously AMAZING story of Terry De Havilland and most important of all? I’ve formed a firm friendship with Terry and his lovely wife Liz. And all this, from a picture of my feet taken during the Jubilee celebrations last year. Not bad, eh?

Have YOU done something you’re proud of? Did you capture it on your Smartphone? (Er, course you did; we can barely have a cup of tea without tweeting about it to all and sundry these days.)