Hotter Loves Mums!!

This week I was invited to a #HotterLovesMums event at our local Hotter store in Bournemouth with my Mum.

I have been to a Hotter event before, back in November, so am familiar with their design process and the secret ingredients they inject into every pair of shoes creating the Comfort Concept, but Mum wasn’t and sat fascinated as Mel showed us how their shoes were made and the materials that go into the production.

Hotter have been manufacturing stylish comfortable footwear for over 50 years, starting out with slippers and continuing into the mass shoe market promising to make shoes as comfortable as slippers!!  They are now the UK’s biggest shoe maker with a fabulous eye for colour and design and a passion for creating beautiful shoes that feel wonderful to wear!

The beauty of the Comfort concept is that the comfort is hidden, yet the style of the shoe really catches the eye.  I have to admit I always assumed Hotter Shoes were the kind of shoe my granny would wear, however, although there are shoes that the older generation would love, they have lots up to the minute styles and colours that even Abbey, my 21 year old daughter would wear – all with pillows of cushioning, air-filled bubble soles and wiggle room for toes to explore!

In November it was all about the boots, but now we are approaching spring it was time to look at sandals.  Mum broke her ankle badly this time last year and spent several months in a cast / boot to help it mend.  Whilst she was recovering I took her into her local Hotter Shoe Shop in Dorchester to find some shoes that she could wear that would adjust to the swelling in her feet.  They were fabulous with her and found some sandals with velcro straps that did the job perfectly.

This time she wanted some pretty but functional flats, although she did look wistfully at the floral wedges she decided that she didn’t want to risk it.  She chose some Dark Aqua Quake shoes to add a bit of colour into her wardrobe and we both admired the fabulous selection of handbags they have instore.

Then it was my turn to choose.  I spotted he stunning Donna shoes in a pale blue colour as soon as I walked through the door, but dismissed them immediately as they had a heel and I find heels very uncomfortable to wear with my arthritis in my feet.

Instead i went for some lovely striped sandals, but after walking around the shop and trying on a couple of sizes, they didn’t quite fit properly.  I was persuaded to try on the Donna shoes and was really surprised by how comfortable they were.  I normally wear a size 6 shoe but after trying them on they were much too big.  The staff was amazing and ended up bringing me out 4 sizes to try.

I was always a size 5 until the arthritis affected my toes and I wear a 6 as my big toe on my right foot is very swollen. The lady fitting my shoes suggested I try an extra wide fit rather than a larger shoe to accommodate this and after trying on all 5 sizes I settled on a 4½.  Of course I had to buy the co-ordinating bag – it would have been rude not to as it is perfect for a wedding we attending later this year!

During Mel’s presentation she showed a film and I also spotted some canvas Essmy shoes which would be perfect for our upcoming holiday, so I added these to my basket too.  Since coming home I have also found another style I liked comes in my favourite colour, so I can feel another purchase coming – you can never have too many shoes – right?

Did you know that we walk an average of 115,000 miles in our lifetime? What is perhaps more interesting is that 70% of foot problems are caused by badly fitting shoes which is where I think my problems began!

I now have 5 pairs of Hotter shoes in my wardrobe – from thinking they were shoes for Granny’s less than 2 years it would appear that I have been converted to the Hotter way of thinking and am now walking in comfort with some stunning shoes (and boots). Why not check Hotter Shoes out – I promise you won’t be disappointed!