About Shoes

With the colder days and harsher conditions of winter, we need to put away our summer T shirts and sandals, replacing them with clothes suitable for frost, hail or whatever weather the season brings.  Children especially need to be dressed in clothing that will keep them warm and protect against the freezing cold.  There are lots of reasonably priced, fashionable clothes in the shops which kids will love.  With smart warm jacket, trendy slacks and winter boots, children will be kept warm and feel trendy and fashionable.

The best way of keeping warm is to wear layers of clothing.  Children particularly should wear a vest next to their skin, covered by a shirt or blouse for school, then a cardigan on top.  An underskirt, covered by a skirt made of a woollen mixture fabric is warming and comfortable for girls while the boys need trousers made of thicker materials than thin polyester fabrics which are more suited to summer.

There are some great jackets and anoraks in the shops which children of either sex will love.  Jackets with warm fleecy linings and hoods will keep out the bitterest chill or rainstorm.  When buying new clothes you really get what you pay for.  The cheaper garments are often made of inferior fabrics, with threads which become undone very quickly and causing seams or pockets to become undone.  You need to pay around £30 or more for a good quality jacket which will see the winter through.

Children’s legs need to be kept covered and warm with long stockings or tights.  There are some trendy, colourful styles in the shops which kids will love.  Tights are really fashionable this year and can tone or contrast with their other clothing, saving more sober colours for school.  There are some great styles for festive parties, bright pinks, blues and greens with pop star motifs, stars, butterflies etc.

The most important item of clothing for children to wear in winter is a pair of strong, sturdy winter boots.  There are some great styles available for children, with snow boots and moon boots becoming increasingly popular.   These are lined with warm, fleecy fabric which keep out the bitter cold.  Timberland make a great range of practical boots designed especially for children.  They are made from leather or suede and the sole is of a strong, sturdy material which grips the surface, even if frozen.  These days Ugg boots are the epitome of fashion but cost much more than most parents want to pay.

Wellington boots are another alternative to wear during the Winter (or Summer) season.  The traditional long black rubber boot has been seriously updated!  Now, wellies are available in every shade and colour under the sun.  They are also very practical, and more importantly, children with an eye to fashion love them.  A favourite with parents as any mud or dirt is easily washed off, whereas it is much more difficult to clean boots made from leather or suede.

In order for children to keep comfortable and warm through the long Winter season, it’s necessary to splash out on a range of clothes designed especially for the cold.  A walk down the High Street, or a look at some leading supermarkets, will show the large range of styles available.

There are so many children’s winter boots and shoes in the shops for the season, they are spoiled for choice!  Children, these days, tend to go for sophisticated, elegant styles, often against the wishes of their parents.  Influenced by their favourite celebrities, they demand expensive designer ranges which can be totally impractical, rather than practical, well-fitting shoes from children’s shoe specialist shops, such as Clarks or Start-rite.

Children’s foot size can increase considerably throughout the season, and it’s important for both feet to be measured by a foot specialist.  When children find a shoe style they like, after being measured, the child should be asked to walk round the shoe shop to check whether they hurt anywhere.  With the child standing, press at the front of the shoe to check how much room there is to allow for growth.  Check that the sides don’t ‘bag’ out and there isn’t too much spare room at the heel.

As the shoes – or boots - are to be worn during the coldest season, it’s important that they will protect against the bitterly cold temperatures typical of the season.  It’s always best to buy leather as this will protect against cold and rain, and allow the skin to breathe.  Leather also stretches slightly resulting in shoes which last longer and fit more comfortably.  Lace up shoes or shoes which have bars across the front are more suitable for children as they won’t come off when the child is running and playing.  Check that the soles of the shoes are strong and made of thick rubber, making them skid proof.

Children, of course, have their own ideas of the fashionable shoe styles they want to wear, and usually they don’t always correspond with their parent’s wishes.  Children often choose something like ‘moonboots’ made from silver lurex, priced at £45.  They are also tempted by Fizz boots, priced at around £50, in light pink or turquoise colours.  Fashionable styles like these are expensive and aren’t designed to last for the coldest 5 or 6 months of the year.

Really fashionable children’s shoes and boots are often not designed for vigorous rough and tumble play, and are often built of materials too thin to protect against severe winter conditions.  If parents and children can compromise, there are some great and practical styles available in the shops.
Start-rite, among other children’s shops, has a large range of winter shoes and boots specially designed for children.  Designs are guaranteed to last against normal children’s wear and tear, and styles appeal to the most fashionable kid.  Boot styles such as Amber-Leigh  and Flowerchild are made from leather and come in appealing trendy colours.  Both parents and children love them.

As we head into winter, the thought of plunging temperatures must be striking fear into the hearts of many a shivering citizen (well, when I say we, I mean you, I’m basking in Spain and unlikely to see snow, or ice on the inside of the window). With utility bills rising faster than inflation in Zimbabwe, it seems that many people will be wondering if they can afford to turn on the heating this winter. Fear not, there are ways that you can keep warm without taking out a second mortgage to pay your gas bill.

The best way is to think smart. Suppose you have to spend a lot of time at home, because you’re retired, or not working. Well, there’s no need to sit around shivering, especially if you have the right Damart thermal clothing. If you live in a city or large town, try enjoying some of the cultural sites. Visit museums and galleries; after all, you are paying for them in your council tax, and take advantage of their central heating. You could even volunteer as a guide, and stay warm all day.

An even more useful tool is your local library. Make maximum use of this wonderful resource (and its warmth). No-one will think it odd if you spend all day, every day, there – unless it´s closed, in which case it will be unheated, and you´ll be arrested for breaking and entering. I can´t promise the police cells will be heated, so you may want to avoid that option. Anyway, the library is a perfect way to save on your own heating bills, and it has enough material to give you good reason to stay there for hours. They have newspapers, internet, even books (if you look hard enough among the DVDs). I am writing this on my laptop in the local library, and even though it is warm and sunny here (sorry to rub that in … okay, I´m smug, not sorry), I am still saving on lighting and electricity.

Supposing your libraries don´t have the generous opening hours that we do in Spain, which are open until 9 pm? What do you do on a weekend, for example? Simple – go shopping. Visit your local mall, and check out the Damart winter clothing range to keep you warm while walking back and forth to the library. Shops are guaranteed to be overheated. Or why not visit a friend, who can afford heating? In fact, you could while away the winter spending a week here, a week there, and before you know it, spring will arrive … You might have to invent some creative excuses for wanting to stay with friends in your own town, but it´s better than staring at a four-figure electricity bill, and wondering if you can pawn your children …

In the current climate it is essential that everyone considers investing in a lovely set of thermals. Although they are perhaps not quite as fashionable as they could be they should become (and remain) a staple of your winter wardrobe. If you live up in the north of Scotland they should become a staple of your winter, spring, autumn and sometime summer wardrobe. Honestly.

As the costs of heating our houses increases (at a fairly alarming rate) we must act now before it’s too late. The soaring cost of fuel has resulted in many families unsure how they are going to heat their houses (a dilemma faced by many a pensioner year after year). The answer has got to be Damart thermals whether they’re thermal undergarments, thermal pyjamas, thermal blankets, thermal baby grows or even thermal socks. The list is endless, but they’re all valid. If you are going skiing and are a bit chilly then you put on a set of thermals – why not in the comfort of your own house as well. After all thermals are possibly the most comfortable clothes ever invented.

Another, more globally responsible, reason for wearing Damart thermals is of course that the burning of fossil fuels is adding to global warming. If people stopped burning fossil fuels to keep themselves warm and snuggled into a pair of thermals then the world would be a better place. Indeed I can’t think of a better reason to switch off the heating, put on some thermals and snuggle up with a loved one. Maybe the world would also be a happier place.

The only issue I have with thermal wearing for younger folks is that the clothes themselves are awful. They have been designed for people with old fashioned taste. This is fine for people with that type of taste, but not those who prefer more fashionable clothes (ie most of the younger generation). So come on designers, make us some nice thermals made for snuggling.

In my opinion, closed shoes are far more practical to wear than open toe shoes when hiking and climbing, purely from a safety point of view if nothing else.

If you wear open toe shoes and you stub your toe on a rock, or trip up then you could be in all kinds of trouble, causing yourself a cut or an injury of some sort to your toes, or possibly falling over if you get your open toe shoes caught up in anything as you are climbing or hiking. A toe injury alone can cause a great deal of pain, and can make it very uncomfortable to walk with. It is much more sensible to cover your toes and have them protected if possible by Craghoppers UK hiking boots, but if this is not an option, then a sensible pair of flat boots or sturdy shoes.

Closed shoes are more likely to withstand the environment of countryside walking and climbing as they are more robust. Open toe shoes could easily split or get damaged, therefore exposing your feet to the same dangers. On the whole, most open toe shoes do not offer the same standard of grip on the bottom that many closed shoes do either, as they are designed for casual use and are not intended for walking or climbing in. It is common sense to know that you do need some kind of grip on shoes for hiking and climbing in.

Closed shoes are more practical as far as the weather goes too. If it is raining while you are out on your hike or climb, then it would be very uncomfortable to continue with wet toes. Even if it is not raining, there are often places out in the countryside that are wet, such as puddles and dewy grass areas and you may come across small streams that you need to cross. It is not a practical idea to walk through water with open toe shoes on.

Keep your open toe shoes for casual use at home or on holiday and stick to sensible closed shoes for hiking and climbing. It makes good sense.

Gym clothes, these days there is so much choice on what to wear for any occasion and going to the gym is no exception. Nevermind tracksuit, t-shirt and trainers some people want to use the gym as a place to flaunt the toned bodies they have worked so hard to get and lycra, leggings and crop tops are more the order of the day.

When working out we all want to be practical but do you really need to be fully made up and dressed up to go to the gym. It may well depend on the area and type of gym that you visit but in the big cities you may well find yourself surrounded by beautiful people in designer gym wear and tight lycra and I for one would feel insecure about pounding the treadmill in a baggy grey t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms.

It should really be all about what you are comfortable in but in today’s society too often everything can be more about how good you look than how good you feel. I personally wont be taking a trip to the gym in tight cycling shorts but that’s not to say I think it is wrong for others, each to their own but no lycra for me!

Gucci used to be a style that the rich and famous and well heeled would wear. You would see gucci bags travelling the world with well of travellers however these days I think it is seen as a more ‘trash’ designer label many thanks to the designer fakes out there. You now see every Sharon and Tracy out there with their fake tan, Croydon top knot hair, and a gaggle of children following behind all dressed in their fake juicy pink velour tracksuits covered in gold bling.

Prada whilst also being a victim of the fake industry does not have such a well known logo as such so is maybe not such an obvious fake brand so maybe due to this, this means it still manages to hold onto and retain some of it’s style and sophistication while other designer brands have become significant to lower classes and something to laugh, joke and identify them by. It is just upsetting in a way that they have hijacked such brands.