Aside from trainers for the gym and running I had not bought a pair of ‘normal/everyday shoes for 18 months. Not because I don’t like shoes but because it’s very rare for me to find shoes which match my obsession with comfort and style. A good pair of shoes is like  a good bra, it’s stop your feet going saggy (i.e. flat and bunion-ey)

As much as I love my Stella McCartney for Adidas trainers which I’ve blogged about before I was getting a bit bored with people asking me where I got them (men as well as women) every time I stepped out in them.

Most yummy mummies I know have a simple uniform of Converse, or ‘Converse-style’ pumps. These look great with great the other yummy staple, jeans. For me though, they just don’t feel quite substantial enough. I did buy a pair of grey Jigsaw deck shoes (somewhere in the region of £20) from a dress agency last year, but have hardly ever worn them.

In my quest to update my footwear I started looking around on eBay for a pair of sexy but comfortable boots. My inspiration was a pair of  All Saints boots I saw back during a window shopping trip in April. Loath to pay in excess of £150 for a new pair I  searched for something similar on eBay I found these suede lace ups (main picture). The heel is actually way higher than I’d normally wear but, they are really comfortable, and open toed so ideal for summer, spring and autumn. The real plus was that they only cost £17 including package and posting. They did have a bit of damage but a quick trip to the shoe menders sorted it. The only minus – they cannot be worn out in the rain. Oh well.

My Race for Life challenge attracted the attention of shoemakers Clarks whose PR sent a pair of these Inplay Flex in pink Race for Life Trainers by Clarks. I must admit when they arrived I immediately thought ‘old granny shoes’ but once on these were not only really comfy, they looked good with skinny jeans. These look more like a deck shoe but ‘act’ like a trainer, plus 10% sales of go to Cancer Research UK. My daughter now wants a pair.

And finally – my real find. Marks and Spencer Step Tone sandals. These are a much cheaper version of a certain other type of sandal (which I have several pairs of) and the ‘corsage’ detail means they don’t look too much like an ortho shoe. I bought these when I was out in the City of London and my trainers got too sweaty. They felt great and best of all, add about two inches to my height!