Fitting room - virtual space

Now that buying clothes is much more common online, how has your balance of purchases changed from buying at bricks'n' mortar stores v online stores?

The one difference is of course that with online you can't try it on before you buy. You can of course try it on and return it for another size if it doesn't fit, but it's still a significant difference. Many moons ago and in a different internet era, there was of course boo.com and their pseudo 3d online display thingy. Not the future.

I've been lucky buying online so far - only once did I buy shoes not knowing they were a different width fitting from my usual, but they were fine. And despite my reservations when i found out about the width fitting, they don't look like boats.

All in all I'd say internet shoe retailing has been a massive success, and even if you don't end up clicking and buying at your laptop, internet window shopping means that you've got an entire world's shoe offerings to browse for inspiration.

Online clothes stores also do shoes as well as specialist retailers, and many a bargain can be found. And with Amazon now selling food, could the day arrive when we never leave the house?

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Air Wair

Let's hear it for Docs.

I haven't actually worn a pair since I was about 12, but I think the time has returned for wearing this iconic Germany-originated classic.

Don't think there'll be many wearing these boots with tie-dyed Levi jeans and MA-1 bomber jackets this time round though. Could be time for a return of the snorkel jacket and maybe Levi's brown cords though? ... watch this space!

The only thing that's kind of holding me back a little bit is the price. £110 seems a bit steep, but then in my experience these boots do last a long time. And they are classics, so it's case of buy them anyway, I think ;-)

Trainers

It's best to have more than one pair of trainers. In fact the optimum number of pairs is probably about five or six. But it's not as TrainerTrainspotter as it sounds. If you break down your, ahem, trainer estate into these handy categories, it all makes sense.

Your RETRO TRAINIES
This category is for the real cool stuff. It might be a prized antique pair of Nike Air "Strike" II hi-tops. It might be a brand new pair of retrostyled Adidas Chile 62s (above). This is probably the category you've spent the most money on...





Next it's the WACKY TRAINIES
These are the sports shoes that you bought because you loved the offbeam design, the mad colours, or the fact that they're designed for a sport you've no chance of ever taking part in. We're talking Formula One racing boots, or trainers with an inflatable insole or just some mad graffiti logo. The wacky trainies are pictured below: the appalingly named but brilliantly designed Soap Shoes' Scab.Then of course we have the SENSIBLE TRAINIES. No need for a pic. These are the ones you wear day to day. The shoes you put on when you get home from the office, the shoes you walk the dog in. Category four is reserved for your CANVAS TRAINIES - you know the ones, your Converse or equivalent. Depending on your indie factor, number of extant pairs could be high.

& the fifth and final category, this one's for your running shoes, squash shoes, your actual bought-for-purpose training shoes. The Hi-Tec squash is the classic of this category. A shoe so squash-dedicated that few folk, if any, ever wore a pair down the pub!

Bargain vibe

Now that it's mid-season, it's definitely a good time to be getting online and seeing what's available in the world of sale shoes.

Type into Google the name of any high street shoe retailer and you'll be bound to find a bargain or two. Or three. Or four. Or, well... you get the idea!

There are some tasty deals available at Clarks, (the half-price Wallabees have sadly already done the hot-cake routine and flown clean off the shelves, sadly, but still plenty other lines to peruse...)

For those of you with some summer money to spend on the more upmarket end of the shoe sales, Kurt Geiger has an excellent selection online.

And then there's plenty on offer from online clothes stores that aren't just dedicated to your foot fashion, means you can fill your basket with a few extra clothes at great sale prices!

Mens Shoes Showcase - Shofolk, Grenson, Trickers, Sperry

There comes in a point in the life of a man of a certain age - you want to graduate from wearing trainers all the time into something perhaps a little smarter. There is always one crucial caveat - you do not want to look like your dad! Luckily, there are a few shoe brands out there that will enable you to complete this transition in style.

SHOFOLK

This is the shoe range from Folk clothing - the London label set up in 2001. You can read all about the genisis of the brand on their website. What i love about Shofolk shoes are the classic, clean lines, relaxed fits and classy colour schemes. Prices start at around £120.

Shofolk Alaric

Folk Clothing SS10 from Folk Clothing on Vimeo.

GRENSON

Grenson Shoes have a history stretching back to the early 1800s when they were set up by one William Green. The company survived and grew through the years and generations and fascinatingly Grenson became the first brand name ever to register in the UK. Interesting history aside, Grenson ultimately continue produce an excellent range of shoes, the most famous of which are their brogues which are available in a wide range of fabrics and colours.

TRICKERS

Like Grenson, Trickers are a long established brand whose quality continues to shine through. They are now a firmly established fashion favourite for a new generation.

SPERRY

In 1935 Paul Sperry took inspiration from his dogs athletic abilites (his dimpled paws, if you don't believe me read the PDF below) to create what would become the original deck shoes, the Sperry Topsider.

So, for all the men out there there is no reason to be alarmed. As you can see there are plenty of options for 'maturing' your footwear collection without turning into your old man. If anyone has any other brands that they feel could match this criteria let us know.

10 Famous Quotes On Shoes

Shoes are a powerful fashion item - this is evidenced by the thousands of famous people who have chimed in with their thoughts over the years.

These are ten of our favourite quotes on shoes:

1. All those rappers, they're the only glamorous people working in music now. They dress up in these chains of gold, cars, girls and this and that, high-heeled shoes. Bryan Ferry
2. Americans are crazy. They have this fascination with throwing their shoes on stage. I've been to a lot of shows in me life, some good and some bad. But I was never moved to take off me shoes and throw it at the lead singer. Noel Gallagher
3. Any girl that's got a $500,000 table and $5 shoes, I'm in love with. James Brolin
4. I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes. Oprah Winfrey
5. I've always looked at shoes as being immensely beautiful things. Graham Coxon
6. Age shouldn't affect you. It's just like the size of your shoes - they don't determine how you live your life! You're either marvellous or you're boring, regardless of your age. Morrissey
7. Coming from a farming background, I saw nothing out of the ordinary in running barefoot, although it seemed to startle the rest of the athletics world. I have always enjoyed going barefoot and when I was growing up I seldom wore shoes, even when I went into town. Zola Budd
8. You want to fall in love with a shoe, go ahead. A shoe can't love you back, but, on the other hand, a shoe can't hurt you too deeply either. And there are so many nice-looking shoes. Allan Sherman
9. My shoes are special shoes for discerning feet. Manolo Blahnik
10. I had these shoes made and 2 to 3 inch lifts inside and the heel was another 2 and half inches. I walked around that way, wherever I could without falling over. Bobby Darin

What are your best shoe quotes, leave us a comment!