Hotter Shoes, Leeds

When I was younger and in my late teens and early twenties, I wouldn't have left the house without wearing incredibly high heels. I would wear heels come rain or snow and even when I was just popping to the shop for groceries. My heels were the only things that gave me confidence as they would elongate my legs and make me stand tall and proud. When I wore my heels, I felt ready for anything the world would throw at me. In fact, when my husband and I started dating, I wore heels so much that he would often sing to me the line 'hey, pretty baby with the high heels on'. As I've got older, wiser and arthritis in my foot, my choice of shoes have dramatically changed. Gone are the days where I would judge a pair of shoes on their heel height, now it's all about comfort.

As a twenty-something year old with arthritis, finding comfortable and supportive shoes can be rather difficult. My doctor is forever telling me to wear orthopaedic shoes, but most orthopaedic shoes are designed for people at least thirty years my senior. As a fashion conscious young woman, 'grandma' shoes are not the look I want to go for.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the team at Hotter shoes and asked if I would like to visit the opening of their brand new Leeds store. Unfortunately I was really poorly that night and had to cancel, but a few days later, I was emailed back and asked if would like to pop by one night to check out the range and discuss my shoe fitting problems. I immediately said yes as I knew it would be a fantastic opportunity to discuss my arthritis and see if they had any comfortable, supportive shoes that would help my problems and a few days later I visited the store.

Hotter shoes are a British footwear brand that have been making shoes for over 50 years. They are passionate about making shoes with built-in comfort, so much so that their shoes are meticulously designed and cared for before they reach the store shelves. Hotter shoes has a large variety of footwear for men and women and they also offer wide fit fittings.  Not only do they sell fantastic shoes, they also have a range of beautiful handbags and accessorises crafted with quality and made with 100% leather.

I really enjoyed having a chat with the Hotter Shoes Leeds branch manager and she helped me pick out several pairs to try on, taking my foot concerns into consideration. She told me that Hotter shoes are often recommended by podiatrists and doctors for their comfort and I was surprised that when I rocked up to the doctors a few weeks later wearing my new shoes, she instantly recognised the brand and for once, I felt like I was in her good books.

Before I left, I was offered a pair of shoes to take home with me and after much consideration and trying on each of my favourite pairs again for the third and fourth time, I chose these stylish Shipley shoes in tan. These shoes are really comfy and look great too. I've been wearing them a lot lately and noticed considerably less pain and I feel like I could walk for hours in them. These will definitely be the shoes I take with me on my next trip to Frankfurt.

Have you shopped at Hotter shoes before?