Build the look - shoes for the Indie Kid

To be a classic indie kid you'll need to choose your clothes carefully. Indie kids spend just as much time on their look as anyone else.

For a grunge aesthetic the best kind of shoes to go for are Converse, an indie perennial that never really changes. Then for the more skete punk aesthetic there's a whole range from Vans to Etnies etc.

One indie shoe that dates right back to the C86 era is the Dr Martens shoe (shoe as opposed to boot, obvs...) but they've disappeared which is just as well as they lloked more like part of a police uniform than an indie getup.

mens shoes - new styles

One style of mens footwear that is big right now is the kind of military inspired lace up boot that in the past was only available from army surplus.

Complete the look for urban styles with skinny jeans and an overcoat, or if you can find one - a replica of the coat that Richard E Grant wears in Withnail & I. This type of boot style is available from mens clothing stores and their internet equivalants Classic!

1970s retro shoes

Just don't walk along any cobbled streets, you might fall over...

2011 shoes

As we march onwards into 2011, it's time to take a look at what 2011 might bring in the world of footwear.

Stylewise the individualism of 2010 looks set to continue this year, and while it's too early to say as yet, individualism could possibly become one of the defining factors of this new decade.

Boots will continue to be popular, and hey, why not, it's more shoe for your money. While in the women's footwear category, there are set to be some eye-catching out-there designs gracing the catwalks and the shelves. The recession may still be on but it's not stopping you all from showing off in cool shoes, and why not?

Hopefully the VAT rises won't keep people off buying new pairs of shoes as this new year progresses, but it is likely that value footwear will do well as long as it's on trend.

Peacocks Belfast - new store opening

Clothing retailer Peacocks has just opened a new store in Belfast, the doors finally opening for the much anticipated store a couple of days ago, with none other than Miss Ireland herself, Lori Moore, doing the honours.

Lori Moore was of course wearing a dress from Peacocks new Christmas 2010 range by Pearl Lowe for the day. The shop is the first for the chain in Belfast, and it looks sure to be a success as a lot of media attention has resulted from the opening.

So if you're in Belfast this winter and looking for womens shoes, or a party outfit - check out Peacocks and see for yourself how great their range is.

retro shoes and future shoes

When you think about it, shoe design hasn't changed all that much in the last hundred or so years. They still have soles, heels, buckles, laces. Industrial processes and the materials used, however have changed a lot, some beyond recognition. A modern pair of budget shoes can be produced at a fraction of the cost of a 19th century pair.

Most work shoes of today would at least be recognisable to someone from yesteryear, but a pair of velcro fasten trainers would look odd to say the least if you stepped out of a time machine and into, for instance, the late nineteenth century.

What will shoes look like in the future? Nanotechnology will probably ensure that sports shoes will no longer get a bit smelly after a few months' use. Advances in molecular technology might also mean that in not too far off, there could be a tolerable leather substitute - maybe even a biodegradable one.

But the big one we're all waiting for, of course, is the footwear that will have some kind of off-the ground air cushion so that we can walk twice as fast with half the effort, maybe even stand still but keep moving like on one of those walkways at the airport. These shoes will also have built in GPS so that we never get lost, and an optional tracking device so that we can see what ground we've covered.

Antique shoes link here.

Google images for future shoes here. Lots of aerodynamics, ergonomics and flashing LEDs here.

Winter boots, scarf hat, coat, etc

Wondering how to dress for winter? Well the always excellent Jess Cartner Morley has some suggestions in a Guardian article posted at the weekend. Have a read and see what you think. I don't know what it is, but it's good to read stuff about winter clothes - makes you feel that bit warmer I suppose!