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!

Peacocks suits the mood - Drapers article heaps praise

The clothing industry's trade periodical carries an article praising clothes retailer Peacocks this week, featuring in its highly informative "Case Study" series.

Concentrating on Peacocks' enviable position as a leader in on-trenmd fashion retailing, Drapers looks at the company’s strength in reacting quickly to all the latest trend developments and how they can have a lot (up to fifty) new womenswear lines in store each week, such as the Sedgewick boot (pictured).

Using a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system means that Peacocks can retain more control over their supply-chain and production management, according to the Drapers article. This means that “a huge amount of duplicated effort has been eliminated”.

Peacocks’ lifecycle management systems ensure that their reaction to the often fast changing plethora of trends is fast. By spotting trends and gearing their product offering to suit what’s on trend, their fast fashion approach is massively successful.

Star Wars Shoes

Just noticed that the mighty German sports clothing company Adidas (who else?) have made a brilliant range of Star wars-themed gear.

Sadly most of these garments and pairs of cosmic footwear will sadly end up in collectors' archive boxes, mint condition and untouched. Boo to that. If you have Jabba The Hut "Attitude" basketball shoes, wear 'em, I say!

Also available - Stormtrooper "Conductor" hi-tops, a Death Star baseball jacket - and loads more. Go take a peek atthe Adidas online store - but make sure you've a) got plenty time to gawp and drool, and b) you've encased your credit card in plutonium at a seabed location on another continent. Because otherwise you may well be in danger of doing yourself an early Xmas. Be warned!

And may the Force be with you ;-)

Winter boots for your feet!

We've been having a look round the blogs and the websites to see what's available in terms of winter boots. We'd heard that another 'white winter' has been predicted for the UK, so this ain't gonna be no year for canvas baseball boots :( It's time to look for what's going to keep the toes warm for this winter...

The Dr. Martens range is looking pretty darn good this year. With some mad colorways and some really cool classic designs (like a classic 60s biker boot - available in women's and men's sizes) - these are good if you want to spend in the mid-to-high bracket.

These ladies boots from Peacocks are low in price but high on style:

Cobblers!

If you've ever thought you love shoes so much you'd like to be a shoemaker, then this video is for you. It looks like pretty hard work though, and highly skilled. An art, in fact.