Tuesday 24 June 2014

What are your 'go to' sandals?



Hey All,

It's my week for the blog again this week and I thought with all this gorgeous weather it has to be about sandals this time :)

Bracken enjoying the fields last Summer

So what are your 'go to' sandals?


FitFlop LuLu Canvas Black
We all have our favourites, the sun comes out, at the start of summer it's not even that warm but we all dig out the sandals.  For me it's FitFlop, I love them more than my Kanyon boots which are great through winter and in the rain but boy do they get warm on those nicer days.  FitFlop for me are the ultimate in comfort, the cushioning you get from the 3 density sole unit is fantastic and they have so many designs nowadays there is something for everyone, however I will say they are not great for running round a show ring in.  I have tried it and come unstuck, lost my shoe half way round and had to run the rest with one barefoot before claiming my FitFlop back from the steward who had very kindly retrieved it for me, not my best show moment.






Just some of the Birkenstock Sandals Range
One of our most popular sandal brands at mastershoe-myshu are Birkenstock, with the weather we have been enjoying in the UK at the moment they are quite literally walking out of our shops.  Birkenstocks are a great basic, they have a contoured footbed which gives great support under your arch and toes whilst the raised edge gives a bit extra protection, I don't know about you guys but I am terrible for stubbing my toes in flip flops so this is a great addition.  Birkenstock come in soooo many colours and a variety of styles so there really is something for everyone.





Earth Spirit
My mums current favourites are the Earth Spirits, she has quite wide feet and really struggles to find comfortable, wide sandals that give her heels plenty of cushioning, when I brought a pair of the Arlingtons home for her to try you would have thought it was Christmas.  The Arlingtons have velcro adjustability on every strap which gives the perfect fit to the foot and with a memory foam cushioned insole that moulds to your feet as you wear them and also feature arch and toe supports.  Earth Spirit are very new to the market, we have stocked them for 3 years now and their following has grown every year.




Skechers Go Walk 2 Navy

So what do you wear if you don't like sandals....this years must have has to be the Skechers Go Walk range, which is what I should have worn at the show I lost my FitFlop at.  I have a pair of the Everydays I bought in March to wear at Crufts, Crufts is REALLY hard on your feet and everyone thought I was mad to be wearing a brand new pair of shoes all day (I'll be honest I did have a spare pair with me just in case) but they were and are fab!! I wore them all day with no problems in fact they're so light and the upper material stretches round your feet, it really is like walking on air, you almost forget you've got them on!! It easy to see why they are so popular.





There is just so much to choose from for your summer footwear everything from Go Walks to FitFlop, Keen to Earth Spirit and of course Birkenstocks and they are just a few, but seem to be this summers hot sellers.


Pam
xXx



   

Friday 20 June 2014

Glamour Magazine Feature

It’s been a busy week in the mastershoe-myshu HQ. Since our last blog from Pam who got caught in the mud at a dog show , we’ve had some pretty glorious weather in Wiltshire. Our sandals are flying out the door and the biggest hits this summer are without a doubt the Birkenstocks and Reef. They’re so popular! Anyway, we had our first appearance in Glamour magazine in month. We sent them the Buffalo 1339-14 in Patent White for a photo shoot and the pictures look absolutely fantastic. We were chuffed to bits with the results and regardless of if you like them or not they really are a great shoe. They’re perfect for stomping, they’re well made and with all the celebrity culture going on around them with the fashion shows, Lilly Allen and Lady Gaga getting on board it’s kicking off a serious revival.

We’ve also been working hard to develop our brand pages and I’ve learnt loads about some of the different companies that supply us. For example I’ve known for a while that Keen make some fantastic outdoor adventure sandals but did you know they donated their marketing budget to the Asian Tsunami or that they are actively making an effort to produce footwear in the US. In all, it really is quite impressive when you consider the amount of manufacturing now outsourced. Eventually the aim is to have a unique brand page for all of our suppliers. So feel free to have a look and check them all out. They have some great pictures and videos and the links for them are just below.


We also had some great fun playing with our latest product Crep Protect. If you haven’t seen this before it’s pretty incredible. This stuff will keep your feet dry and your footwear clean. If you can remember how it feels to have your boxfresh trainers on for the first time, there’s nothing worse than the first stain. A bit of coffee, some oil it doesn’t matter how careful you are, sooner or later they always end up getting marked. The product itself is a spray coating specifically designed for footwear and it lasts about 2 weeks. It works by fully coating your shoes with an invisible liquid repelling layer. It can be used on literally everything as well. Regardless of whether your shoes are leather, suede, nubuck or canvas, Crep protect will actively repel liquids preventing any stains from spoiling your favourite footwear. We tried it by squeezing ketchup on our shoes and it literally drops of when you put it under a tap you don’t need to scrub it, nothing it just slides off. Water just forms beads and its even dry to the touch after taking it away from the tap.

It’s even started to gain a bit of a celeb following, the boys from Rizzle Kicks and Reggie Yates are both on board and massive lovers of the product but to be fair it really does speak for itself. While it only last around two weeks depending on the footwear a can should gives you a couple of coats and if that means for £9.99 your shoes should still be looking like new a month or two down the line it make it a pretty good investment!

Have a look at the Crep Protect video below we’re pretty sure you’ll love it, it’s crazy good! Anyway enjoy the weather while it lasts people, thank you for taking the time to read this and we hope you’re enjoying the world cup if your watching it.

Glen
mastershoe-myshu

Tuesday 3 June 2014

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud


Hi All,

It's Pam again this week, as I'm sure most of you have guessed apart from Mastershoe-Myshu my life revolves around my dogs.  I currently have an Italian Spinone and a Clumber Spaniel, whilst my parents have more of the same breeds, we show (including Crufts for the past few years) and I train at agility (we are nowhere near competing but we have fun at training and they both really enjoy it).  I am afraid my obsession with my canine friends means that most of my blogs are taken from my experiences and days out with them, and of course the shoes that go with them :)



OK so I know it was a couple of weeks ago but unfortunately I think the weather from the Bank Holiday weekend is going to be with us a bit more this year than last year so I thought I may as well tell you about my Bank Holiday weekend.  What did you do over the May Bank Holiday?... I went to a dog show at Bath which was...challenging to say the least.  I was meant to go down to Devon County Show on the Thursday before but I'll be honest I took 1 look at the weather forecast and chickened out, came into work instead and boy am I glad I did.  I was speaking to friends over the weekend that followed and apart from the headline news that they had had to cancel the show on Saturday due to the car parks becoming to dangerous I had one friend that had to be towed ON to the site on the Thursday, my poor little car just wouldn't have coped.



I love Devon County Show, it's got all my favorite things in 1 place, dog show, agricultural show, fun fair and of course SHOPPING! I'm a bit of an addict.  BUT..at Devon County you park on a field, I have a little 2 wheel drive automatic which is a dream to drive but does not cope with muddy fields very well.  Which is how we come to my Bank Holiday weekend, the Saturday of the Bank Holiday weekend was Bath Championship Show, lovely and local only a half hour drive apposed to the 2-3 hour drives of normal but also on top of a hill at the mercy of the weather.....and parking in a field.




Saturday dawned the dogs are all ready to go, we're all ready to go, and it starts pouring with rain!! Time for plan B.  Quick change into the trusty Kanyon boots (wellies in the car as well just in case), waterproofs donned and a car change, borrowed the 'Red Beast' my parents 4x4, not so I could get out of a muddy field if needed, no it was so I could pull them out the field if their van if it got stuck.  As we pulled up to the turning the weather was awful, it was torrential rain and there was already a car stuck at the entrance and being pushed off.....even if it was for their benefit I was soooo glad I had the Red Beast, in we went and parked up, not stuck yet :)  Get out the car and......squelch!! The ground was soaking, it had thankfully momentarily stopped raining but was already really muddy especially the entrance, honestly I don't know how I coped before Kanyons,  I saw all manner of footwear on my way in from wellies and boots like mine to Crocs?? Yes seriously there were people wearing Crocs, but I suppose it doesn't matter if they get wet and muddy, they are dead easy to clean off afterwards.  Once inside the showground was a completely different kettle of fish, with no cars chewing the ground up although wet there was no mud and I could change into my Skechers Go Walk Everydays which are fab for showing in with no worries about getting covered in mud.

Skechers Go Walk Everyday

We had quite a good day, the dogs all did well and although it was a bit chilly and definitely wet there was a great atmosphere.  My Skechers Go Walks kept me comfy all day, I think they are possibly the comfiest mary jane style shoes I've ever owned.  The cushioning underfoot is great and the support (I have quite a high arch) they give is perfect, you can feel it but it doesn't feel hard and uncomfortable like some supports.  They have great grip, there was no slipping for me on the wet grass and they're stretchy so as your feet warms up through the day and swell slightly they stretch with them, then it was back to the car park.



An old picture but this is how to turn a white dog brown
There had been news filtering back to the showground all day the car park was getting worse, people were being pulled out by the tractor, there was no way I was wearing my lovely Skechers through that mud, plus they're not waterproof and I don't like wet feet so back out with the Kanyons....it was a quagmire!!  'When we walked out of the showground we had white dogs by the time we got to the car and van they were half brown and caked in mud'.  Not that they minded and we were actually REALLY lucky with the parking, I hadn't realised earlier but somehow we'd managed to get a space right in front of the gravel track that ran round the edge of the field so straight off the field and away we went.  The rest of my weekend was pretty uneventful, lazy days with the dogs, quick walks trying to avoid the showers and no more mud!


Till next time....
Pam
xXx