Dear Mummy, why are you wearing daddy shoes? This question has been on my mind for the past week. Ever since my mummy came back from the Hotter Shoes PR event, she’s been prancing around in daddy’s shoes….well I think they are daddy shoes? They look just like them…

My mummy was invited to a bloggers event at the Hotter (Reading) store recently for an evening of shoe shopping and hobnobbing. It’s very rare that she gets time these days to go shoe shopping on her own without a toddler following her around and as soon as she walked through the store doors, she breathed a sign of relief. The shop was inviting and homely with lots of comfy chairs, friendly fitting store staff and loads of beautiful shoes on display. She was treated like a VIP which isn’t uncommon in a Hotter shoe store I’m told and all the customers get a special 1-2-1 treatment from floor staff.

After having a little look around she was encouraged to sit down enjoy her nibbles and find out more about the Hotter brand, who they are and their journey so far. Before walking through the doors my mummy had misconceptions of Hotter (thinking that they were only for the older generation and slipper loving folk) How wrong was she? They actually produce very fashionable shoes and have thousands of customers of all ages who shop online and on the high street everyday!! The company has seen a massive growth in sales with only 5 stores in 2010 to 80 stores in 2016! Woweeee they must be doing something right?!?

My mummy was happy to jump onboard the Hotter bus and see what all the fuss was about! Hotter is one of the few high street shops that offer a great customer experience, no wading through loads of shoe boxes stacked high on shelves struggling to find the correct size yourself, no flipping through rails to find a shoe to try on only to find its a missing pair. At Hotter you take a seat and wait for a personal shop assistance to help measure your feet and bring boxes of joy to you. They can advise on widths and tell you more about the shoe, it really is a first class experience. Plus, they tell you if it suits your foot and leg or not. No more silly fashion or unpractical choices for my mummy here!

While my mummy was at the bloggers event she found out a brief history about the company who started off selling slippers over 25 years ago. Hotter shoes are a UK company that make and sell their shoes predominantly in the UK, their shoes are made in UK sizes, so no guess-work with European sizes here. They also do half sizes which is fantastic for my mummy as she’s in-between a 6-7. They make a pair of shoes every 20 seconds in their factory in Lancashire and my mummy was impressed with the factory set-up!

She loves their philosophy that they want customers wearing their shoes to be as comfortable as if they are wearing slippers. The majority of the soles in Hotter are made in groups, so if you find a comfortable pair the likelihood is that they come in different styles too!

With so many shoes to choose from my mummy was very impressed with the fashion forward designs in their AW/16 collection. She also loved how the styles mimicked the colour-ways of the season too. Beautiful tans, teals, plums and chocolates adorned the shelves, good enough to eat! Her eyes were drawn to the STEVIE brogue, a really cool patent take on a familiar favourite.

She wanted something that was youthful and trendy for her job as a graphic designer. So opted for the VILLAGE Brogues in Tan. Hotter has given these classic brogues the softest leather and suede uppers, together with the lightest PU soles and cushioned underfoot padding, which mean they are super comfy. My mummy likes the floral fabric interior lining too and the fact that the antibacterial leather insole can be removed to accommodate for socks or thick tights.

Her shoes were super comfortable and had minimal stitching on the inside which reduced heel rubbing. They actually look really expensive too and the attention to detail on the outside stitching was amazing. The leather is buttery soft and in a wonderful antique tan colour which goes well with loads of outfits in her wardrobe and will quite happily take her through to Spring.  She’s so used to wearing ballet pumps as flats that this is a smart alternative to wear in the office as opposed to boots. That fact that they are flats means she can be on her feet all and her shoes not hurt her.

You can’t get more british than a brogue and as Hotter shoes are a british company she felt as if she was giving a nod of approval by opting for these shoes. She’s had such lovely compliments on them over the past couple of days and her #HotterMoment just keeps getting better and better! They go with everything including her dresses and skinny jeans. They also do them in black and she might invest in those as well. For classic styling, you can’t beat the brogue and the Hotter interpretation of this classic is just fab.

So, you can see why I was super confused when she wore them home the other day, they look just like hipster daddy’s. Now all I need is my own version of them.

Love Bella xx

Disclaimer: My mummy was invited to the Hotter PR event and allowed to choose a pair of shoes to take home free of charge. All views and opinions remain our own.