Simply Be Party Shoes

Hey Guys!

I hope you're all having a fab weekend. 

Today I'm going to be talking about one of my favourite topics, shoes, in collaboration with the Simply Be party shoes campaign. Simply Be have kindly gone and created a Party Shoes Guide to help us all pick some great party shoes and keep us as pain free and comfortable as possible in the process, so pop on over to the site to see the full guide which has some really helpful advice. 

Speaking from my own experience I have a very love/hate relationship with heels, I have so many memories of being around 18-20 and coming back from nights out in so much agony and just throwing off my shoes and promising myself to "never wear heels again" and that "the pain is just not worth it". I think I can attribute this to a few key factors:

 First of all my inability to wear the correct size. When I was that age I just wasn't into internet shopping and would get all my clothes and shoes from the shops near me that would only ever stock up to a size 8, I was an 8 and a half so really needed to be wearing a 9 to be comfortable, especially as your feet can swell in heels during the night so an extra half size can really matter. The width fitting was also never right as I needed an "E"/ wide fitting but was wearing just the standard quite narrow fitting which I can hold responsible for a lot of rubbing and discomfort at the sides. 

Secondly, I can admit now that a lot of the styles I used to pick out were completely impractical. A couple of years ago my doctor confirmed that I have a medical condition that affects my balance and is responsible for feeling quite dizzy and uneasy on my feet, so realistically the skyscraper heels that I used to wear just weren't practical, hence me falling over or twisting my ankle on a regular basis. 

Nowadays I'm way more savvy when shoe shopping. 

Below I've gone for these beauties with a mid height heel with a nice chunky platform, platforms are amazing as they give you the height but without the exaggerated arch in your foot. These are in a size 9 and wide fit, Simply Be offer both an E/wide and EEE/extra wide fitting which I think is excellent. 

 I've popped on a pair of socks to help "wear in" the shoes and also I wont get any rubbing at the back of the heel, another good way to stop this is by using gel cushions which are great if you're wearing tight or going bare legged. 

I also really like the chunky ankle strap on these to stop my feet moving around which is also something that can cause rubbing from the friction. I wore these shoes out on New Years and didn't have any issues at all and I was wearing them for a good few hours out and about with my friends so definitely a pair I can recommend (they also come in black fyi)

 So tell me, what do you guys think about high heels, do you love them or hate them? Also do you have any more tips to share that weren't in the Simply Be guide, if so pop them below in the comments.  

Thanks for reading! Love Sally X

Keep Calm, It's Boot Season

Hey Guys,

I hope you're all well and having a lovely weekend. Today is a long overdue post on my new boots I was sent to review from JD Williams (http://jdwilliams.co.uk/).

Among the many things I love about autumn fashion (layering, thick opaque tights, fluffy cardigans to name a few), I always love to dig out a good pair of boots to wear now that my flat dolly shoes just aren't cutting it, who wants chilly toes after all. 

JD Williams are a regular haunt for me for shoes, mainly because they do wide fit, stock size 9's and in funky styles. There are so many to choose from, at the moment there are 777 styles in their boots section over all, 79 of which are new in which I think is pretty impressive and they cover everything from wellies, ankle boots, knee highs, mid length and shoe boots. 

The shoes I will be sharing today are the Catwalk Collection Buckle Biker Boots*.

They are a gorgeous soft black leather with buckle detailing, an exposed gold outer zip and metal hardware to the heel, perfect to wear with a cute dress and leggings/tights or jeans. 

I paired my boots for this outfit post with a plain black duster jacket and my trusting grey marl skater dress over leggings which is a typical work or evening outfit for me. 

They are really comfy and I love that I can wear a woolly pair of socks with them because I have the extra room from the wide fitting meaning i'm all nice and toasty and I'll get loads of wear from them all through winter.

What do you guys think of my new boots? Let me know in the comments below and I hope you enjoyed my outfit post, more to come soon!

Thanks for reading, love Sally X

Clarks Hamble Oak Unboxing and Review

Hey Guys!

Today I am bringing you an unboxing and review of these gorgeous Hamble Oak Brogues* from Clarks. I have been looking for a few months now for the perfect oxblood coloured shoes available in my size but a lot of shops don't run up to a women's 9, especially not wide fit. I would recommend anyone struggling for this size to consider giving Clarks a go, the prices are quite reasonable, quality is excellent and the styles are pretty trendy if I do say so myself.

So, on to the unboxing!

The shoes come in a deluxe black box  and wrapped in tissue paper.

The size, fitting and style is printed on the front with a little picture of the shoe, so if you're stacking the boxes you can see what's inside.

The shoes themselves have cardboard inserts to maintain the shape and you get a set of alternative leather laces which you can swap out with the ribbon ones depending on your preference.

The colour is the most beautiful ox blood shade in a shiny leather

with multicoloured Linton tweed accents 

and gorgeous punched detailing on the toes.

and a small heel to top them off.

I would say that the Hamble Oaks are really nice and cushioned to walk in and super comfortable, the wide fit also gives me the perfect amount of room without that pinched feel at the sides. I think the quality of the leather is excellent and the style is just so pretty, the pictures on the website really don't do them justice.

I have been wearing them with black opaque tights and skater dresses for work and have got so many compliments. 

As you can see I really liked these shoes and would definitely recommend trying them on for size in your local store or online where they have a easy returns policy. If you want to check them out online then head over here for the selection of brogues http://www.clarks.co.uk/c/womens-shoes/brogues.

I hope you enjoyed this unboxing/review, let me know if you want to see more of these on the blog by leaving me a comment below.

Thanks for reading! Love Sally X

*This post is in collaboration with Clarks, all opinions are as always my own*