Category Archives: Shoes

Jul 29 0 comments
Childrens Fashion, Clothes For Occasions, Shoes

Children’s Festival Fashion

I just LOVE festival season!! This weekend Field Day hits Victoria Park which means Bethnal Green Tube will be overflowing with lost festival goers – despite the ridiculously obvious signs pointing people in the right direction and the especially recorded tanoid announcement that clearly states which exit to choose; and once again TFL will turn a blind eye to the large quantity of travellers ignoring the ban on alcohol on public transport. Also this weekend is Camp Bestival, one of the few festivals that allow children to come along and enjoy the fun. In fact this year they are advertising ‘Boutique Babysitting’ where kids can enjoy an exclusive festival experience all of their own. Can you believe it? Kids are now more VIP than their parents! Obviously here at Help with Style we are more concerned with the festival fashions than the line ups and when festivals have a huge fancy dress focus, like Camp Bestival, this can be really fun. This year’s theme is Fairy Tale. So, if you are going with children, what do you put them in? Well, first of all I recommend thinking about the weather. If it’s incredibly hot or incredibly wet you need to think about your children’s comfort if you want to have a weekend that is relatively brat free. Sun screen, sun hats and lots of water are essentials. And if it is incredibly wet – well, let’s face it, that is probably more likely in this country, a light weight waterproof jacket and some children’s wellies.  The fabulous range of fun wellies at Start-rite would happily suit any child and would probably make a great basis from which to plan out the perfect fairy tale outfit.

Feb 01 0 comments
Childrens Fashion, Shoes

Fashion Reminiscing: School Uniform Days

When did your passion for fashion start? I think the first time I was interested in fashion was when I was a teenager and had to get creative with my school uniform to stand out and express myself.

My brother and I went to a strict co-ed private school with and even stricter dress code. Strict to the point that our teachers would measure the length of our woollen pleated skirts and send us home if they were too short. Enviously we would watch the local school girls jump off their bus in the afternoons wearing whatever they wanted to school while we felt we were stuck looking identical and ridiculous.

The first couple of years were a fashion struggle against the system for us, until one fateful day when I couldn’t find the hideous high-waisted-tapered-leg-inch-too-short girls trousers and grabbed a pair of my brothers instead and started a mini fashion revolution.

The low waist, wide leg trousers fit like a dream and were just the right length, and to my surprise, the school didn’t, and couldn’t, do anything about it. Suddenly it was clear, the way to express our fashion sense through our school uniforms wasn’t through raising our hemlines against the rules, but skirting so close to the rules and obeying the rules in a way that they couldn’t do anything to stop us.

One by one, girls started wearing the boys trousers. Next we started experimenting by donning the tie, something that was not compulsory and we had never seen anyone wear before.

Hair accessories were only allowed in our school colours, so weekends were spent in craft stores and sewing rooms creating impressive array of headbands, hair ties and clips and devouring magazines on different ways to wear our hair. We also discovered to our surprise, the uniform manual stated our tights were allowed to be black, skin tone or match the school colours, so out came the quest to find tights that fitted in with our three-shades-of-blue school uniform in every texture and pattern available without breaking the rules.

But the biggest revelation came with the school shoes. Thanks to our new found wide leg boys trousers, we were able to get away with the most amazing of school shoes, as long as they were black. Our boring black lace ups were replaced with everything from Doc Martin boots to ballet flats to Mary Jane pumps in any material from patent leather to suede. We were no longer envious of the girls who got to wear whatever they wanted to school – we felt sorry for them! My 10 year high school reunion was last year, and I still remember that time of fashion awakening like it was yesterday. If you’ve got a similar story, let us know below!

Nov 27 0 comments
Casual, Childrens Fashion, Shoes

Dressing for winter cold

With the leaves shedding their leaves and the amount of daylight rapidly decreasing, it can only mean one thing … winter is nearly here. Despite the fact that recent winters have been warm compared to the weather of the more ‘traditional’ winters of years gone by, this winter is set to be cooler than recent winters so don’t be surprised if we do get a fair few chilly snaps during the winter months! When winter arrives we must have our wardrobes prepared with all of the correct clothing and wellies because although it might not be that cold outside, colds and pneumonia can easily be picked up if one isn’t wrapped up. This is especially true for young children as they can be extremely susceptible to the cold.

Dressing children is not easy at the best of times but it is especially difficult during the winter months because numerous layers need to be worn, especially on icy days. I believe that the most important item of clothing for a child during winter is a thermal vest, I used to wear one every icy day! These are especially important because children have a tendency to remove their coats in the playground when the sun comes and they are running about because the temperature can feel quite deceptive.  If this does happen then their chests have more protection than usual and could keep away the dreaded colds.

It is also a necessity to keep a child dry because sitting in wet clothes for long periods of time can bring about colds and other illnesses. This means that a good branded waterproof coat is needed that also has a good quality hood that can block the wind from the child’s head.

On particularly cold days it is always important for a child to wear the good old combination of a hat, scarf and gloves! It is highly important to keep a child heads nice and warm as the majority of body heat is lost through the head. A scarf is important to keep the chest extra toasty and keep cold and flu at bay. Furthermore, children’s hands are very delicate and become cold very quickly so gloves are a must, especially in the snow.

Finally, wellingtons or other kinds of boots are good for a child to wear in winter. This is mostly to ensure that the feet are kept dry because the extremities of the body can become extremely cold when wet and when your feet and socks are wet it certainly isn’t a nice feeling!

Keeping a child warm on cold winter days is of extreme importance because they are extremely susceptible to the cold. However, with only a few precautions they will be able to enjoy the snow, when it comes, and you will not have to worry.

Nov 03 0 comments
Casual, Celebrity, Clothes For Occasions, Shoes, Shopping

Celebrities and their business partners

Celebrities are very important to a large section of the public, especially the young. Some are only celebrities for a few weeks, but their moment of fame is no less significant. Using them to sell a company’s products and services can prove of great benefit and can significantly boost market share. Whether a company chooses to do so or not would depend on the product they are trying to sell or advertise and the expectations of the company.

A local celebrity provides a vastly more cost effective means of gaining publicity for a business. You can pay a few hundred pounds for a local hero or a few million for a national celebrity. This would clearly be way outside the budgetary constraints of most businesses.

A local slimming club that is very popular in the area may choose to use last year’s ‘biggest weight loss entrant’ to advertise what a great idea it would be to join them. That person could be a figure-head for the company who could spread what joining them had done for her. A number of book stores will get the author to their store for a book signing session. This has been known to significantly boost both interest and sales.

Whilst this could be a real boost for a local business, it is debatable whether this would assist a large public company. It is unlikely that sufficient market share would be generated to interest a Tesco or Woolworth’s. Their bottom line would not be impacted enough to get the interest of the powers that be.

It would also depend upon the type of company that is utilising the celebrity. It is improbable that a local accountancy or law firm would benefit greatly as most of the clients are wealthy individuals and other businesses. The entire basis of how the firm generates business is very different to a local store, gym or fitness club.

Webtogs are a new company which sells outdoor clothing and camping equipment. They sell brand-name footwear such as craghoppers & keen shoes, outdoor jackets, tents and rucksacks. They also have a ‘carbon neutral delivery’ policy in place.

Nov 03 0 comments
Casual, Childrens Fashion, Shoes

Warm feet for healthy kids

It does not matter whether you need snow boots or just winter shoes for children, the important thing is that you need to keep those little feet warm. Look at the choices between winter boots and snow boots. The local condition will prescribe the type of shoe; icy, wet or snowy environment are the main considerations.

It is very important to know the difference between snow boots and winter boots too.  Warm winter boots will merely keep little toes warmer, whereas snow boots will add more traction to the mix against slippery conditions.  Of course, you do want to keep them stylish and in fashion still! Winter shoes for children, as any other item, comes in varieties and styles to suite their personalities too.
Younger children will prefer Velcro over laces and it will be easier for you to take the shoes on and off.

You will want to ease the pain of shopping for winter shoes by making it as quick as possible. You will find that by spending a little time on the internet with your child to see what catch their eye, will already make it easier. Don’t assume that you can shop for your little one, you may just be surprised! Children have not made their minds up with what they like, and today’s favourite orange is tomorrow’s favourite red!

Discuss the types of winter boots with your child, and make it clear which ones you are NOT buying. The last thing you want is a tantrum in the shop and a frustrated sales assistant. In the end, it is important to grant your child their own choice with a clear understanding of your own expectations.
Choose a store that sells quality winter boots for children and make sure your child is properly sized. Buying online is well and good, but you must make sure you know the perfect/correct size for your child.

At the store, allow your child to try shoes on and taking it off without assistance. If she struggles, you may want to consider another choice.

Top five things to Consider:
1. Will the shoes be worn indoors or out? Many styles and variety comes pintsize variety suitable for both.
2. Does your child wear uniform to school? If so, how will the chosen winter shoes for your child fit with their school uniform?
3. Can the shoes be worn in milder climates? It would be good as you will get value for money all year round!
4. Are the winter shoes child friendly?
5. Will your child’s feet be protected against the elements by the materials used?

Any item of clothing not willingly worn by the young ones is a waste of time and money! If the shoe fits their taste and style, they will wear it.