Step into style, every season
Behind a cluttered counter on Cowley Road, one man is keeping a vanishing craft alive — resoling boots, reviving wedding heels and teaching a new generation that throwing shoes away isn't the only option. We spent a day in his shop to find out what Britain loses when repair shops disappear.
September in Britain is a weather lottery — one day espadrilles, the next a downpour. Here are the five wardrobe transitions worth making now, with a budget and a splurge option for each, plus the waterproofing you should do before the rain properly arrives.
Three near-identical pairs of black ankle boots, two ballet flats in the same cut, different colour. We asked readers to confess their repeat purchases — and found out why our brains (and the shops) keep nudging us back to the same shoe.
The high street still designs for a foot that most of us don't have. It's time British retailers stopped treating wide fits and bunion-friendly shapes as a niche afterthought — and started treating them as the norm.
We laced up, buckled up and blisted our way through a two-mile trek home after the night bus failed to materialise. Here's how heeled boots, loafers and chunky trainers really hold up when the party ends and the pavement begins.
From the dressing rooms of country estates to a fiver on eBay, the shoe tree has had quite the journey. We dig into the history, ask the cobblers whether they actually work, and settle the cedar versus plastic debate once and for all.
Why do we insist on parading new shoes around the living room in thick socks before they're allowed anywhere near a pavement? We speak to shoppers and a cobbler to find out whether the break-in ritual is science, superstition, or a bit of both.
In British homes, a good pair of kids' shoes rarely serves just one child. We follow the journey of the family hand-me-down — from first fitting to third wearer — and ask why these scuffed little shoes carry so much more than scuffs.
Worn loafers that only shuffle between kitchen and telly. Trainers so sacred they've never touched a pavement. We dig into why so many of us keep a pair of shoes on permanent house arrest — and whether it's doing our feet any good.
You walked in for one pair of loafers. You walked out with loafers, ankle boots and a vague sense of having been outfoxed. We investigate why British shoe shoppers so rarely leave with just the one box — and how to spot the upsell before it happens.
Some shoes never see the charity bag. We spoke to families from Glasgow to Bristol about the pairs that travel down the generations — and the cobbler-approved tricks that keep them going for decades.
We dunked, sprayed and puddle-stomped ten of the most popular shoe styles this side of the Channel to find out which ones actually keep your feet dry. The results ranged from pleasantly surprising to genuinely tragic.
Somewhere in every British household, there's a pair of shoes that belongs to nobody and everybody. We asked couples, housemates and siblings who really owns the shared trainers — and whether buying 'his and hers' is a con.
The school run is a five-minute gauntlet of gravel, scooters and sideways rain — and your footwear is quietly being assessed by everyone at the gate. We spoke to parents, put three pairs through the 8:40am dash, and reached a verdict on what actually works.
York's Shambles doesn't care how lovely your loafers are. We asked podiatrists what Britain's ancient streets are really doing to our feet, then tested five discreet arch-support inserts that promise to save your soles without ruining the silhouette.
We strapped on a single pair of trainers at 7am in Clapham and didn't take them off until last orders in Camden. Coffee runs, Tube platforms, a park with opinions about white leather, and one pub garden later — here's the honest verdict.
Half of Britain keeps a secret pair of shoes wedged under their desk like contraband. We asked commuters why they do it, whether it still makes sense, and if hybrid working has finally killed the under-desk stash.
We strapped a notebook to a daily commute and tracked how leather, rubber, commando and moulded soles coped with six months of British pavements. The wear patterns tell a story — and it might change what you buy next.
Every morning, thousands of us lug a second pair of shoes across the country like it's completely normal. We crunched the numbers, spoke to commuters and asked an uncomfortable question: is the swap still worth the faff, or has footwear finally caught up with real life?
What if the best shoe isn't the one you love, but the one you never think about? I spent two weeks scoring ten pairs by how often my feet crossed my mind — and the results flipped my whole approach to buying footwear.