I am in the leather goods capital of the world right now — Italy. Bags, shoes, wallets, and belts, you name it, Italy has it in the highest quality leather. So there is no better time to talk about my favourite thing, surrounded by the best in the world — shoes.
Debenhams has just undertaken a very interesting study to see how the women of Ireland buy their shoes. The results are quite fascinating, with the women of Galway favouring a higher heel. The Galway store showed that sales of shoes with a six inch or higher heel were 35 per cent higher than the national average. Head of buying for footwear and accessories for Debenhams Ireland Amanda Wain says: “Footwear is a very personal choice, and can say a lot about the person. Different shoes can change your look instantly, so it’s interesting to see how certain styles are clear front runners in different counties. We’ve seen a huge change of direction with regards to heel heights in Ireland in recent years – they are getting both higher and lower – with flat shoes and towering heels the most popular in general, while mid height shoes just don’t sell as well anymore.” Clearly this result speaks volumes for our choice of shoe, so what should we have in our wardrobe to cater for every occasion?
Higher and higher
We all love a bit of a heel, especially on nights out. During the week I had a question from one of my Twitter followers, asking for advice on what to buy, and honestly, it comes down to two things in my opinion — practicality and colour. I am one of those people who packs a pair of flats for the walk home after a night out, but we have to reach a compromise. If you want to spoil yourself, then Jimmy Choo has struck the balance of style versus comfort. But equally, labels such as LK Bennett are a great option. But if you want something for that night out with the girls, then go all out with style and colour, but remember that you only have one pair of feet, so look after them. I really love these white stilettos from Office. The white shoe, as well as the stiletto, are a mega trend for summer. These are super comfortable (I’ve tried and tested ) and they will work with every single summer piece you have (check out office.co.uk for more ).
The must-have
The Debenhams shoe survey also pointed out that flat shoes are still a wardrobe must-have. Since I have been in Italy for the last few weeks, flat ballet pumps were top of my list to pack. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on shoes for this trip, and I picked up a pair in Penney’s for just €9 which have done the trick. If you prefer to invest in a pair of flats, then look no further than FitFlop, which continues to pioneer high quality shoes which also look after toning your legs, how great is that? The summer FitFlop collections are always fun, with colours like burned orange. The full collection can be seen at fitflop.ie (pictured, flat pumps also available in other colours )
And not forgetting...
We cannot possibly have a whole column dedicated to shoes without mentioning the boot. With our changeable weather, boots come to our rescue. This season, the biker and cowboy boot stay with us, with River Island and Oasis leading the way with their choices of styles. These are a great option for casual wear, and work really well with skinny jeans.
What are your favourite shoes for summer? Tweet me @styleisleIRL
Lorna Claire Weightman
