Not long now until school starts again. Are you one of those parents that waits until last-minute, or plans in advance with all the back to school buying? I tend to be fairly organised, I panic if I’ve not done things, and I think the summer holidays should be all about relaxing and having fun, not panic…well that’s the idea anyway. This year I’ve had to be extra organised, as I’ve two at school, one of which starting secondary school, so its meant lots (a crazy amount) of new things needed to be bought.
Shoes were a breeze this year, as we (as usual) got ours from Clarks. We booked our in store fitting online. I can’t tell you how easy that makes it. You simply register on the site, enter your postcode, so it finds the closest stores to you. Chose one of the store options. We went for one in the town center so we could combine it with a trip to the cinema. The slots are every 15 minutes, you just let them know your name when you arrive. So simple! I even received a text message reminder.
You receive a confirmation email, and you just tell them your name once you get there.
We got two pairs of shoes for Miss A on this visit. One pair for school and another pair of stylish high tops for autumn. First up the school shoes :
Dolly Heart Jr – £36.00 : A Mary Jane style shoe, the top, where the back of the heel would be, has a padded collar, to ensure a comfy fit. It also has anti-microbial ‘Agion‘ in the linings helping to keep feet fresh. When they wear their school shoes so much, I think it is so important that they are fitted correctly, and extras like the lining are a very welcome addition.
Miss A, had her heart set of patent leather. Now I was happy to try them, as I’ve never bought patent leather ones for school before. Miss A is obsessed with her shoes being clean and shiny, so actually these may well be the perfect ones! They also had lovely detailing on them, with the gathered leather and silver heart.
The fitting of them was excellent. Miss A, has wide feet and a high instep, so it always takes a few goes to find the perfect ones, luckily these were comfortable, and the style she loves. They seem to have a good solid heel and sole, so hopefully they will wear well too. The fitting was done with an iPad, which was a great novelty. Miss A chose a character and her age before the iPad was placed in the measuring device ready for the fitting.
I think you can tell how chuffed she is with them.
We then moved onto some Autumn boots. I think we all (even the tween Nia) fell for these high top (or is it hi top?) purple leather boots.
The Zita Snake, in purple leather was a great find. Miss A absolutely loves them! They are made with smooth purple leather and suede with a hint of snake. They have decorative zips (as well as one to use to get the boot on easily) and chunky laces. They have the Agion antimicrobial linings as before, to help feet stay fresh. The prices start of £40, but as Miss A is in 13.5 hers were actually £42.
We decided to take the boots on a trip to the seaside to test them out.
Complete with a new outfit I treated her to from Next.
Perfectly colour coordinated.
The boots are in Miss A’s words ‘super cool and comfy’.
With thanks to Clarks for letting us test out the great in-store fitting appointments with Clarks experts. Book now at a time that suits you avoid and beat the ‘Back to School’ rush.
Molly says
Ooh lovely. I was never allowed patent as a child! Love the high tops too. Always had my two measured at Clarks for school shoes, and Pearl was a Clark’s shoe fitter while at university, so I know how well trained they are, and what good quality the shoes. Great photos, I love the blue ones xx
Helen Actually... says
Me neither! And they are sooooo shiny 🙂 Actually, we got patent for GG one year and I was surprised by how well they stood up to the playground.
I bought our new school shoes in the first week of the holidays. I’m now hoping they haven’t grown in the last 4 weeks 🙂
Amanda Cottingham says
They are still going strong, not really scratched or scuffed yet, which is pretty amazing really!
Amanda Cottingham says
Thanks Molly. The first pair of shoes I was ever allowed to choose on my own were red patent. I LOVED them. Still have a thing for red shoes now 😉
Sonya Cisco says
I loved patent shoes when I was a girl, nice to see some things never change! We will be visiting Clark’s today to get set for September, coming round too fast for my liking!
Joanne says
I love Clarks too but find they get very busy at the end of the holidays. Booking a time slot sounds like a very good idea, and I LOVE the Autumn boots!
otilia says
And how I miss Clarks! Need to get some of those black ones for my eldest too 🙂
Cass says
They’re both lovely pairs of shoes and not what I would think of when I think of CLarks – I think of boring shoes tbh but they’re so pretty x x
Michelle Twin Mum says
We’ve also used the booking for a fitting before and found it fabulous. Great choice in shoes there and I’ll be interested to hear how the patent ones hold up as I’ve never braved them either! Mich x
Amanda Cottingham says
Honestly Mich, they are even better than leather, I am shocked how well they are holding up so far!!
Sim says
Love the Zita trainers – fab colour! They always look so smart on the first day… it goes downhill after that when they start scuffing their shoes 🙁 x