shoes – Vintage Frills

vintagefrills / March 11, 2017

New Shoes!

I’ve always had a bit of a thing for shoes. Before I had kids and had a few extra pennies to spare, I had a little tradition of going into to Office on every single payday and buying my self a new pair of gorgeous shoes. It was my little indulgence and I had a fabulous collection. Now that I’m older and have to do more adulting, new shoes are a bit more of a rarity to me. I also love my poor feet a bit more now and usually lean more towards comfort and you’ll mostly see me in a comfy pair of flats.

I also wear the same shoes a lot now, if you’ve been reading for a while you’ll know that I always wear my few trusty favourites in my outfit posts and thats fine by me. You’ll also know how much I adore all my shoes from Hotter. Their shoes are all about comfort and when a couple of years ago they brought out a range of vintage inspired shoes I couldn’t get enough of them. Every season they bring out new colours in their gorgeous range and I always gaze longingly at them, wanting them all.

I recently got sent two new pairs to review here (I love my job)! One was a pair I already have in pink and the other pair is a new style to me. Both are absolutely beautiful and will obviously be popping up quite a lot of the next few months in my outfit posts.

First up is the Donna shoes in pale blue. I already have these in pink and wear them all the time. Not only are they beautiful and vintage appropriate, they are also unbelievably comfortable.

They have a low elegant heel and have lots of cushioning inside, so they are a dream to wear. They are also perfect if you have slightly wider feet, the standard width is still quite wide so perfect for my chunky feet.

Donna is one of their most popular vintage styles, so they come in loads of different colours in both a suede and leather finish, I just wish I could have them all! See me wearing them in my Lindy Bop review from last week.

The other pair are the Viviene shoes. I’ve liken these ones for ages and thought they’d look great with 30s style dresses, as well as some of my fifties looks. These cute T-bar shoes, have a low heel and pretty scalloped details.

As with all Hotters they are really comfy while still be ing really elegant. I didn’t have any beige coloured shoes before and three will really come into their own in the warmer months with some of my summer dresses.

These come in black, navy and beige and would be great for wearing to work, if you want something quite smart, but will be comfortable enough to wear all day. See me wearing them in my Voodoo Vixen outfit post.

If you’re looking for the perfect pair of shoes to compliment your vintage dresses, or want something comfortable enough to wear all day, while still being glamorous then I would definitely recommend having a look at the Hotter website.

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vintagefrills / May 25, 2016

My Favourite Shoes to Wear with Vintage Outfits

When it comes to vintage, I seem to have absolutely loads of dresses, handbags and jewellery. However I own very few pairs of true vintage shoes. This is partly because my feet are quite wide and I find it hard to vintage shoes to fit, I also find it hard to find affordable styles that are in good enough condition for regular wear. Therefor I like to buy modern shoes on the high street, which are comfortable and complement my vintage wardrobe.

Most of the time you’ll find me wearing either my converse or comfy ballet pumps, but I also have a few favourite pairs of shoes which I also wear quite a lot. I thought I’d share some of my favourite pairs with you. hopefully it will help if you’re stuck for shoe inspiration for your vintage outfits. I think every single one of these has been included in outfit posts over the last couple of years and I wear them all a lot.

My favourite shoe brand is definitely Hotter. This brand has always had a focus on comfort and although traditionally aimed at the older generation, their last few collections have included some wonderful vintage inspired styles.

My favourite pair from Hotter are the Donna shoes in pink, which I wear all the time. They are so comfortable, with just the right heel height to look elegant, while still being comfortable enough to wear all day. They bring these out in new colours every season and I especially like them because they go with so many different vintage styles and eras. You can see I’ve worn them loads as they’re a tiny bit battered, but still going strong! You can see me wearing them in my House of Foxy blog post.

My next pair from Hotter are the Sandy shoes, also in pink. These are made from a lovely soft leather and I love the slightly more detailed t-bar style. I got these earlier this year and I’ve used them in quite a few of my outfit posts. These are slightly higher than my other styles, but still really comfortable. They also come in a gorgeous mustard and grey colour, which I absolutely love too. I wore these in my Dolly and Dotty Cape Review.

My final pair from Hotter are some lovely classic navy shoes. I wore these loads in the winter and they are simple enough in design to go with loads of outfits. I very rarely wear black so I usually go for navy or Brown shoes when I want something darker. I reviewed these shoes last year.

The Clarks and Orla Kiely shoe collaboration was one of my favourite shoe collections ever. I’m so sad that they’re doing them anymore. I was lucky enough to get this lovely pair of brown platforms from the range last year. I love these seventies inspired shoes and wear them with outfits from all decades. I reviewed these shoes last year.

Another pair from Clarks are my pink and cream brogues. Clarks always have a great selection of brogues in a huge variety of colours and leather finishes. These go really well with dresses and vintage trousers and to me they are an absolute must-have. They are comfortable enough to wear for a whole day on your feet, while still looking really feminine and pretty. I featured them in my Lady K Loves review.

For the summer my favourite sandals are my Swedish Hasbeens, these are the only shoes that I struggle a little to walk in as the soles are so solid. Walking in clogs is an art I’ve not quite mastered yet. They do however, look great with really summery vintage dresses and I’ll definitely be persevering with them this year. I wore these in my Collectif Flamingo dress review.

Lastly, possibly my favourite pair of shoes ever, are my Miss L Fire mustard collared 40s style ones. When it comes to clothes and shoes this is definitely my favourite colour. Miss L Fires are quite expensive, but I bought these with some birthday money, so there was not a shred of buyers remorse after picking these up! I wore these in my vintage favourites post in January.

I have lots of other shoes which I wear occasionally, but these are my go-to styles to wear with vintage outfits. I might do a future post on my original vintage ones, if anyone would like to see?

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vintagefrills / December 21, 2015

My First Lindy Hop Class with Hotter Shoes

You may have noticed in some of my recent outfit posts, that I’ve been wearing Hotter shoes quite a lot. I’ve been familiar with the brand for a long time as my mum wears them. They only really came to my attention last year, when they launched a range that were inspired by vintage shoes. The shoes are all absolutely gorgeous and come in a range of fabulous colours.

My two pairs of Hotter shoes, the Donna and Michelle

When it comes to shoes I like to wear something comfortable. When I was a bit younger I was all about high heels but now I like to wear something I can walk around in all day and dance all night without hurting my feet. This is where Hotter shoes come in. They are designed first and foremost with comfort in mind. Inside they are super cushiony and soft and even the ones with a heel are comfortable enough to walk in all day. The designs look great too and I’m so happy with the two pairs I own so far.

A couple of months ago I was invited by Hotter to try a Lindy Hop class while wearing a pair of their shoes. I chose a gorgeous pair of navy t-bar shoes made from suede and leather. I chose navy because I find it much more versatile for my wardrobe than black and I think they could carry me through winter and also look great in the Spring.

The shoes were so comfortable to dance in, they are really flexible and easy to move around in. I’m not the best dancer ever, so trying Lindy Hop for the very first time was a little daunting, but I really enjoyed myself and would definitely try it again.

Hotter Shoes Black Friday Here are some of my other favourites from the range

Here’s a little video from the event where I talk about my shoes, I was so nervous being filmed but I love how they’ve made it look like I can dance!

It was great to meet all the lovely people from Hotter, who put on such a fun night and we had so much fun learning to dance together. It was nice seeing more of the shoes and I definitely saw quite a few that I’d love to try.

The Michelle heels which I wore for the event are currently on sale at £37 and are available in black, navy and plum.

Hotter shoes are available both online and in one of their many UK shops.

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vintagefrills / December 18, 2015

Clarks Orla Kiely Abigail Shoes

One of my most popular blog posts of last year was my preview of the Clarks AW15 collection. One of the highlights of the collection was the amazing shoe collaboration with designer Orla Kiely. I’m a big fan of her retro designs and prints anyway, but her collections from Clarks have been a real highlight for me.

A couple of weeks ago I finally got my hands on a pair of her Abigail platform heels from the collection which I have been coveting for ages. At £130 they were a big purchase, and I only managed to get them when I was gifted a Clarks gift voucher at their last press day. Unfortunately they have since sold out on the Clarks site, however I’m sure a few pairs will pop up on eBay in the future and much of the Orla collection is still available on the Clarks website.

I absolutely love the 70s influence to these gorgeous shoes, which also came in black and gold. They are so comfortable and go perfectly with all the fabulous 70s inspired clothes on the high street at the moment.

I love mixing vintage with modern and I paired my Orla’s with an original 60s dress and handbag alongside a modern coat and tights. I really enjoyed injecting a little retro colour into an otherwise rainy day in the park.

Outfit Details

Shoes – Abigail Heels – £130 – Orla Kiely at Clarks

Jacket – £30.00 – Primark (currently in stores)

Dress – Vintage 1960s – Car boot sale find

Tights – Primark

Handbag – Vintage Enid Collins – Ebay

I’m sorry if I’ve tempted you with shoes that are now sold out! 🙁 But there are lots of other lovely Orla styles on the Clarks website.

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vintagefrills / May 5, 2015

Clarks AW15 Press Day

I’ve talked about Clarks a few times on the blog before, I’m a huge fan of the Orla Kiely range and I really like their huge collection of brogues which always go well with vintage outfits. I recently went to the Clarks AW15 press day to see what would be coming into their stores later this year. There were so many lovely shoes there that I can’t show you everything, but here are a few of my highlights…

Orla Kiely: I’ve loved the previous Orla collections for Clarks, the 60s and 70s influences are just fantastic. You can expect the same chunky designs and timeless style that you could expect from any Orla Kiely product and this seasons collection is retro fabulous.

The Abigail is a glittery disco-tastic shoe of dreams. Orla styles have sold out really quickly in the past and I can see these flying off the shelves really quickly. They are just fabulous! With the seventies trend really set to take course this autumn I can see these retro styles being more popular than ever. These are also going to be available in mock croc brown and back leather finishes.

The Orla Angelina is just adorable. Being flats, these would make a perfect everyday shoe for both work and play. The cute flower detail is so sweet. I personally love the pink but these will be coming in four colour ways including black mock croc and black and gold sparkle leather.

Also in the Orla range is the Amelia Mary Jane which is a cute mid heel shoe with a strap detail. These will be available in rose leather, cocoa floral leather and navy sparkle leather. I could easily own these in every finish, they’d look so lovely with a sixties shift dress and coloured tights. If you like a smart retro loafer then Alice in black mock croc or cocoa flower print leather are the perfect go-to shoe. I really liked the Audrey boot as well. The Navy blue floral finish is so retro and quintessentially Orla Kiely.

Brogues: I’ve always seen Clarks as the best place to find good quality women’s brogues in a plethora or colours and textures. This year will see lots of new designs and colour ways and I love them all.

I really love the two tone options and also can’t resists the silver finish. They are all so smart and classic.

Womens Shoes and Boots: There are lot’s of other classic shoes in the range, I was really impressed with the mix of colours and materials used.

I saw lots of great boots on display. One of my favourites were these brown boots, I’d wear these with jeans or over leggings with a knitted dress in the colder months. The Kendra lace up shoes, are a modern take on classic 40s shoes and would look really good worn with a classic tweed suit. I love all the metallic leathers in Clarks’ offering this year and I think these silver ones are fab.

I can never resist leopard print, so I was instantly drawn to these shoes and boots. I’d wear the shoes with a plain black dress and tights with some gold jewellery, to let the accessories do the talking.

Kids: Being a mum I couldn’t forget the little ones. I’ve often turned to Clarks in the past when choosing shoes for the girls. They had loads of great stuff for small feet and these are a few I really liked.

The cute brown boots and red and silver shoes behind them, are based on designs from the Clarks archive, so if you love vintage, your little ones feet will look lovely in these. The boots are so soft inside and I think they’d look lovely on Lila. Clarks are also offering their classic dessert boots which were first designed in 1950s for children. I love their glittery trainers, I know my girls would run straight to those if they were choosing their shoes.

For teeny tiny feet, these soft shoes look so warm and comfy for the colder moths.

What do you think of all the shoes? We still have the summer ahead of us and a little while to wait before these are in store, but I’m already choosing which pair of Orlas I’ll be treating myself to!

Shop the currant collection on the Clarks Website.