My town doesn’t have a Dune, but it does have a Debanhams which has recently started stocking the brand, much to my excitement (and to Shoeperman’s despair). That means I’ve been able to inspect these brogue shoe boots in person a couple of times recently (purely for research, as always), and the verdict? Love them. And trust me: they’re SO much nicer in person than they are in the photos: I’d seen them on the Dune website a few times, and thought they were nice, but nothing more. In person, however, they proved to be the kind of shoes you just can’t walk past without stopping to pick them up and inspect them, and that’s a very good sign!
Another good sign? These are currently on sale, and are down to just £55 from the original £110, making them a bit of a bargain, too. Of course, as you’d expect from a sale, not all sizes are available online, but there seemed to be plenty in store, so hopefully you should be able to track them down somewhere!
Last winter, I fell in love with a pair of leather shoe boots from Aldo, in the perfect shade of “nude” (for me). And I didn’t buy them. I feel like a lot of my shoe-stories begin and end with me loving shoes and not buying them, but honestly, that’s how I seem to go through life. You’d think I’d have learned my lesson by now, wouldn’t you?
I had good reason for not buying those boots, though, because as well as being a little out of my budget at the time, they were also a very pale leather, and while I’ve never been one to shy away from the idea of impractical footwear, I felt that pale leather boots were too much even for me: those babies were just ASKING to be ruined the first time I wore them, basically.
Enter these New Look shoe boots. These are also a great, neutral shade, which will allow them to be worn with anything, but, crucially, they have patent uppers, which means that they’re not going to pick up stains nearly as easily as pale, soft leather would. This is one area where sometimes man-made uppers win out for me: if I know I’m probably going to wreck them, then I’m not going to invest a huge amount of money in buying them, and at just £19.99, I think these could be a good winter buy. It helps that I really like the shape of them, too.
Click here to buy them at New Look (who, incidentally, currently have a whole section of “Forties Inspired” fashion on their website right now. The 40s influence isn’t all that obvious with some of the stuff, but I still found a few items to add to the wishlist!
Although New Look are perhaps best known for their “fast fashion” approach to footwear, which can include man-made materials, they do also make a range of shoes in real leather, and when they do, they’re well worth snapping up. Well, where else will you find leather shoe boots for £40, I ask you?
Not only are these real leather shoe boots, they’re pretty nice ones too, in my humble opinion. I first came across the black and white pair, which instantly brought the word “dapper” to mind: as much as I like them, though, I think the suede and leather contrast on the brown version is even nicer, and although loafers have never been my favourite style of shoe, these ones I could definitely live with.
These have a 5.1″ heel, so you’re going to be grateful for the small platform, which should make them easier to walk in, although I make no promises. If you want to try them out for yourself, you can click here to buy a pair for £39.99.
Earlier this week, I showed you a pair of brogues I don’t like, so in order to restore the balance of the Shoeniverse, here’s a pair I do like! Of course, my choice of brogue comes with a 4.3″ heel. Well, you didn’t seriously think I was going to show you a pair of flats, did you? Do you even know me?
These are by Cafe Noir, and although they’re also available in a black and grey upper, it’s this navy version which gets my vote. The felt uppers on these give them a warm, wintry feel, and make me want to wear them with tweeds, cord, and other cosy fabrics. The shape is elegant, and the wooden heel and tan stitching provide a nice bit of contrast. Definitely the kind of brogues I could get on board with!
What about you, though? These are £75.65 and you can click here to buy them at Sarenza.
A few weeks ago I made a promise to show you all the green shoes in all the world (it’s OK, you can thank me later), so here I am making good on my promise with these green suede shoe boots by Chie Mihara.
Chie Mihara is a brand I don’t really mention often enough here: I know they have a huge fan base, and although they’re expensive, the shoes have a luxe-look about them which may go some way towards justifying the high price tags: these shoes, for instance, are £238 at Spartoo, which puts them in a similar price league to some of the better-known designers out there.
These particular shoes have a heel which is lower and chunkier than I tend to go for personally, but they do look like they’d be comfortable, and I love the colour (obviously). What also impresses me about this brand is the size range available: these start at a UK2, which is pretty unusual for a non-specialist brand (In fact, I can’t remember the last time I saw a UK size 2 in a mainstream store, and I know those of you with small feet really struggle to find decent footwear options), and go up to a UK9.
I’m hoping I’ll be able to pack my winter boots away soon, but you never can tell around here, so it’s always good to have something on hand (or on foot) in case of cold weather! I love these leather shoe boots from New Look, which come in one of my favourite neautrals – tan – and are the perfect shape to wear with both trousers and skirts/dresses, making them a nice transitional shoe for this between-the-seasons time of year. I also think £29.99 is a pretty reasonable price for a real leather upper, too.
These are also available in black, and you can click here to buy a pair.
According to Zappos Couture, the colours used in these boots are ‘glicine’ and ‘midnight’. Well, OK: I’m just going to call them “multicoloured” because a) I’m lazy and b) I see more than two different shades there. Whatever you want to call them, though, they make a nice change from all of the dull winter colours we’re seeing at the moment, but although there’s plenty of colour there, they work together so nicely that the effect isn’t the least bit garish.
Shoe boots are a particular favourite of mine at the moment, because they’re nice and warm, but work perfectly with both skirts and trousers (although you’ll want to keep that suede away from puddles, obviously). They’re $802 and you can click here to buy them from Zappos.
OK, I give up: I’m just going to set up a direct debit which will automatically send all of my money to Miss Selfridge each month, and, in return, they can just send me a selection of their shoes and dresses. It’ll be easier than the current method, but will basically amount to the same thing.
Seriously, though, as if you couldn’t have guessed by now, Miss S have really impressed me with their footwear this year, and these little two-buckle shoe boots are the latest shoes to have me drooling. A two-tone upper, a bit of brogue detailing at the toe, and, of course, those two little buckles on the front make these the perfect shoes for winter. In fact, I’d describe them as “bang on trend”, but then I’d have to slap myself because I hate that phrase. Let’s just say they look good, and will work well with lots of other winter fashions, hmm?
