The storms have arrived!

Nice and cosy!

I have found myself fixed to the weather the last few days waiting for storm St Jude to hit England and Wales.

As the rain started to pour down I decided to spend my Sunday snuggled up at home with a hot chocolate, dressing gown, films and my fab slippers- The North Face - tent Mule Faux Fur. The Faux Fur collar kept my ankles nice and cosy all day. The 100% recycled PET ripstop upper gives the Tent Mules a fantastic character and durability.  The outsole mesh with fine mold rubber creates a good under foot grip when pottering around the house. I didn't take them off all day!

A useless bit of slipper information for you:

On June 30th 2007, Derek 'the slipper man'  held the Guinness book of world records for wearing a pair of dress slippers for 23 years straight... Smelly! 

We have a great collection of slippers this year for all the family! 

Camper Wabi- light grey

Women's Top 3

1. The North Face - Tent Mule Faux Fur  ( I am just being biased)  Available in Demi Brown and Purple

2. Camper Wabi - Available in light grey and dark grey

3. The North Face- Nuptse Tent Mule III Available in Ivory, Blue and Demi Brown

Men's Top 2

1. The North Face Nuptse Tent Mule III -Available in Graphite Grey, Charcoal Heather Grey & Demi Brown
2. Camper Wabi -Available in Grey Black

Tent Mule III - Charcoal Heather Grey

 Another useless bit of slipper information for you

The ruby slipper worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of OZ sold for a record of $165,000.



So, wherever you are this stormy Monday morning make sure you think about your feet, treat them to a toasty pair of slippers. It makes Monday blues disappear!
 

Remember Remember... The 5th of November !

I love November! 

It's the month where the chunky over size jumpers, gloves, scarfs and bobble hats venture out of the wardrobe ready for endless amounts of fun whilst watching fire works on a chilly evening (although this year appears to be extremely mild hmmm). I have a new addition to my outfit this November, my new obsession- My Hunter Original Glitter Welly's in Fuchsia. 

Everyday I find myself more in love with them. I am very much a girly girl so the fact that I have been able to purchase these in a pink glittery style is a huge bonus ( they even match my winter woolies)

Although my Hunter's are the Kid's style they fit perfectly like the adult version. The only difference is that they are a slightly shorter height (approx 8CM) however this is ideal for me as I have short legs.

A great feature on the Hunter Kid's are the reflective tabs on the back of the welly boots. This is a great added feature for extra safety and visibility (especially out and about for firework night!) For me, this would be a persuasive selling point whilst purchasing for a child as the reflective tabs are practical and fun, even more now the nights are drawing in faster.

Another benefit of owning the Hunter welly's is having the excuse of buying the matching hunter cuffs. I struggled to make a decision with all the fab colour's, however in the end I went for the Black chunky cable cuffs. The warm micro fleece keeps your feet cosy with a snug fit in your boot. I can't wait to give these a trial run on bonfire night at our local fire work display! Let's hope its a chilly night!

I find myself being biased towards the Hunter Wellys however we have some fab other welly's this year. The bog's rainboot was a tempting contender for me. The new range has a very soft and flexible leather as well as an Aegis antimicrobial protection treatment that keeps the feet feeling fresh. My personal favourite style for The Bog's are the Rainboot Black Daisy. The colour contrast is very funky and a fun combination for winter. 

I felt I needed to treat my partner to a new pair of wellies this year (mainly to justify buying my own pair) Again, I had to favour the Hunter Original Adjustable. He was certainly impressed by this purchase (and stopped him moaning at me) They are handmade from 28 parts of natural rubber that allow more flexibility around the leg whilst still being durable and long lasting. Perfect for dog walking and fire work night! I went for the Black version in the end (my partner prefers practical!)

If your planning on venturing outside for fire work season this November then treat yourself to some funky Wellies.  As lets face it England's weather is never reliable!   
 

Softinos.....Softer than Soft!!

Are your feet feeling miserable, unbearably hot and let’s face it a little bit sweaty while we have been enjoying this rare summer heat wave? Well I think I may have stumbled across the perfect summer trainer: Softinos. There motto is ‘making feet happy’ and they have certainly succeeded with my hot, swollen, sweaty pair.

Recently I have been getting rather bored of the same options for practical but trendy summer shoes (mainly converse or Birkenstock). So, I decided to try something different and this is when I stumbled across Softinos. Thankfully I did! They are so soft and flexible I hardly noticed I was wearing anything on my feet. Making them Ideal for popping to the shops, or walking to work, or just having a wander round town.



But, the main reason I have fallen in love with them so much, is they were perfect for my work at an after school kids club. For one very girly reason is they matched my bright blue uniform. But joking aside they were so comfortable and great for playing games with the children in the summer heat. I don’t know what I would have done if I had to play tag, stuck in the mud and duck duck goose in my clumpy normal trainers. If I had chosen to wear summer pumps they would have inevitably flown off my feet whilst running and knowing my luck would’ve caused an accident.


Moreover, I got several compliments from the yummy mummys at the school gates. So, I think I have found a new summer shoe that even the most stylish mums would wear.
However, you may be wondering they don’t sound that different to Converse. Yet, they totally are with a completely different feel. The fit is a lot wider and the material is a lot softer. Also the sole seems thicker and more flexible. As you can probably tell I am a bit besotted with my new shoes, but that doesn’t mean throw out the converse. Just get both!

So, make your feet incredibly happy this summer and go grab yourself some Softinos, the softest shoes you will ever wear.

Dr Martens And Welly Boots

So it's April and it's still raining :(  At least it's warmed up a bit I suppose, but with the festival season around the corner and the long range weather forecast looking pretty awful, what are you going to wear??? Well thats a simple answer The DM Drench Boot!!!!!

The Drench is a brand new welly from Dr Martens which looks like a 1460 but is completely waterproof...ideal for stomping around in muddy fields.  My favourites are the patents, personally I think they have a bit extra style than the matt colours.

Made with a natural rubber these Dr Marten wellys have all the classic features of the classic DM Boot with an 8 eye front lace and heel tab, the yellow stitching around the bottom of the boot is decorative but adds iconic character, and they are vegan and vegetarian friendly.  Dr Martens have always been a popular choice for festival goers, almost as popular as the welly however why do you want to go to a festival and come home with your favourite boots ruined

Now imagine these are your DM's, you've had the best weekend ever and off you go home.  By the time you get there get yourself sorted and even think about cleaning your boots they're stained and trashed, your beloved DM's will never be the same again and you wish you'd taken a pair of wellys with you.  Now think about this, instead of taking your good old favourite DM's you treat yourself to a new pair of Dr Marten Drench wellys, they get in the same state but....your feet stay totally dry (there is nothing worse than wet feet) and when you get home because they are a rubber upper you just wipe them clean and there you go good as new.  And why stop at festivals, these boots will look great for anything walking round town, walking the dog, hanging out with your mates, these are sure to be the next big thing!!!!

Mocks or Crocs???

Mocks or Crocs.....that is the big question.



We've all heard of Crocs which tend to be complete Marmite shoes...you either love them or hate them, but no-one can deny they are practical and are certainly great for children during the warmer weather.  And to be fair to Crocs their range has grown substantially from the original Cayman that found them that first fame and now features all sorts of shoes and boots.  My favourites from this summers collection has got to be the Beach Line range.

As with most Crocs the Beach Line is made from Croslite,which gives the lightweight durability and comfort we're all so used to, but the Beach Line has a bit of extra style.  Based on the traditional deck shoe they have 360 degree lacing systems which give them that authentic boat shoe look and definatley look more like a shoe than a Croc.  However in true Crocs style they do come in a range of colours, everything from stunning colour combinations to slightly over the top and wacky.

So that brings us to Mocks.......


A fairly new range to the footwear market they have taken their inspiration from moccasins and with 21st century technology have updated them.  Mocks created a new material that has a long and complicated name so they simply named it Mocklite (hmmm....Croslite/Mocklite, I see a trend here). The Mocklite material is soft and flexible and completely washable.

Washable!!!

So Mocks Mocklite Driver and Bilbao arrived this week, the first time I've seen a pair although they have been around in shops for the last 2 years and I'll be honest we took them out of the box and my first reaction was not great.  But now less than a week later my opinion has changed somewhat.  I'm not quite sure why my instant reaction was one of dislike as I really like the Crocs Beach Line, the Mocks have the same sort of styling and having tried them on are soooooo comfortable.  A simple styling that although based on the moccasin can also pass off as a deck or boat shoe they are moulded which means no seams to rub your feet, the Mocklite material really does flex with your feet and the fact you can throw them through the washing machine when they get dirty...fantastic.  The only downside for me is the scented insole, it reminds me of a car air freshener, although it's not a smell you notice when they're on your feet and with bare feet I can imagine in hotter weather having a scented insole will be priceless.

All the colours of the rainbow

Unfortunately Mocks don't do a childrens range yet, a shame as these like Crocs would be fab for kids, won't matter if they get wet and mucky and will keep little feet supported, however for us big kids there is a massive range of mens and ladies Mocks, and like Crocs in almost every colour imaginable you could walk the rainbow with all their colours.






So that brings us back to the question of Mocks or Crocs?  Quite simply I don't know, they both have fantastic benefits and a massive range to choose from.  Crocs has been around for a while now and have built up a great brand with fantastic new shoes arriving every season without fail, but are Mocks the new kids on the block??? 

 

Dr Martens....Yes please!

Our first wear test is for the brand 'Dr Martens'. The following review is written by the first of our 3 shoe enthusiasts, Amy.

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When my friend first mentioned she wanted a pair of Dr Martens I thought she had gone barmy! Dr Martens to me meant clunky worker boots/ or a courageous (ugly) punk shoes. Yet sure enough now everyone is wearing them from Jessica Alba to Nicki Manaj.

So my love affair with my very own Dr Martens started about a year ago when I spotted them in Mastershoe's Window. They were denim blue with a pretty floral pattern, I wanted them instantly! But, the small issue of price and the panic that they may make my feet look huge kept me away for a few weeks. So when I did buy them I squeezed my feet into the only pair left, a size 4 (1 and 1/2 sizes too small) as I was determined to have them. After a week of agony and some very alarming blisters they finally stretched to become the comfiest shoes I have ever worn. Their thick air cushioned soles were like walking on pillows compared to my usual thin soled usual spring shoes. I now know why so many people have donned their heels for a pair of Dr Martens and who ever said comfort didn't mean fashion was clearly lying.

Ducks, Drinking and Dancing with my Dr Martens

My Dr Martens have been through a couple of near catastrophes. The first time I flaunted them to my friends was at a friend's 18th birthday party on a canal boat. Everything was going swimmingly until we had to moor up. One of my friends was terrified of what I thought were really cute ducks so I took her place in trying to tie the barge to the bank. But as I stepped off the boat my foot sank into the oozing, gloopy, murky mud that went all the way up to my knee. Now I knew the reason she hadn't wanted to moor up. As I tried to scramble back onto the barge my right Dr Marten was completely stuck. Whilst wiggling my foot out and trying not to fall face first into the water the ducks looked in earnest whilst my friends just laughed. It took a good ten minuted to pull my boot free. I nearly cried at the thought of their being ruined by all the mud but managed to crack the layer off at home. The right one isn't quite as bright as the other but my Dr Martens lived on.

 

The next time I nearly lost one of my precious Dr Martens was on the night before my last day of school. Of course there were usual antics of going to the pub, drinking and a bit of dancing, but that night we had decided to camp on a hill near school. The idea being that we could raid and play pranks on the school super early the next day. There was just a teeny, tiny problem of having to get through school at midnight to access our campsite. So we tiptoed and giggled our way through the gates, unsurprisingly we weren't as quiet as we thought we were and soon the security guards were onto us. Luckily I was wearing my Dr Martens so I could run faster than if I was in heels, but unfortunately I hadn't tied them up. One of them flew off my foot as I took a sharp right bend causing me to run the rest of the way with only one shoe. I thought my shoe would be lost forever but some kind soul had handed it into lost property. So my Dr Martens had survived another adventure again.


Overall....These shoe are the comfiest and most reliable shoes I have ever owned. They seem to survive anything! I don't feel like I have clunky man feet when I wear them but the floral pattern makes them feminine and girly. Yet, they still have a cool edge. I would recommend them to anyone as can be worn with anything and they really jazz up an outfit. Can't wait to see what will happen in my Dr Martens next!

Wear Tests

Objective: To collect honest wear tests from our very own footwear fanatics.

We know it can be hard to read a product review and gauge whether it is true or a simple sales pitch. We have therefore sourced 3 unbiased students to sample and test our products. Every 2 months we will post the 3 opinions for the chosen brand.

If there is a brand or style you would like our 3 testers to review, please let us know by posting below.