Me and my friend Maz in France, 1995. I remember us making a decision to wear lots of pale pink that summer!

Anyway, the shoes in questions were these pink patent loafers from Office. I know, I know. Hideous. But I LOVED them. They were proper shoes that made a grown up sound on the pavement (I’d lived in trainers since roughly 1989) and generated conversation. They fitted in perfectly with my Acid Jazz aesthetic of the time, which consisted mainly of striped vintage tank tops and brown cords. In spite of their indisputable hideousness, I have kept them all these years, though I couldn’t locate them on a trip to the attic this morning (I DID find some black leather Nike Air Max though. Result!). I thought I’d shaken off this penchant for pink masculine footwear, but it turns out it’s still there, lurking at the back of my conscience. Because although I adore masculine styles like brogues, loafers and monk shoes, for me, they always have to have some kind of feminine or modern twist. Otherwise you just feel like you’re wearing school shoes.

Miista Tess in light pink (BUY ME HERE!)

This rather smashing pair are from a brand I discovered through Susie Lau of Style Bubble fame: Miista. It has a brilliant selection of Oxfords in unusual colours. As well as these in nude (the blue tongue is made from a slightly translucent rubber), there is a floral print pair (here), snazzy gold (here) and the lavender pair below. They’re really well made and lovely and light, and I love the white rubber sole.

Tess in lavender, £115, miista.com (BUY ME HERE!)

Somewhere you might not usually turn to for shoes is John Lewis, but check out its new Made in England collection. It is a collaboration with Northampton-based shoe-makers NPS (Northampton is to shoe-making what Whitstable is to oysters) and has come up with these rather lovely monks in pink suede. It’s also worth having a look at the brogues in the collection (here).

Ebury Street monks, £170, johnlewis.com (BUY ME HERE!)

A trend that I think is about to really take off is neon brogues. Grenson has some fabulous fluoro styles lined up for next season, but Robert Clergerie is already doing it. Head to Selfridges for these bright pink or two-tone options.

Wilmae brogues, £355, Robert Clergerie at Selfridges (BUY ME HERE!)

Robert Clergerie’s amazing two-tone neon brogues in store at Selfridges

I’ve also found some dusky pink brogues at Anthropologie, and for those who can stretch to a larger budget, Fendi and Fratelli Rossetti have some gorgeous lace-ups available. And if pink isn’t your thing, just look for a feminine touch, like the broderie anglaise-style broguing on Hobbs’ NW3 Oxfords. But it’s worth bearing in mind that pink is only going to be more prevalent in the AW13 collections, so it’s worth investing in the colour now!

Carmine Oxfords, £158, anthropologie.eu (BUY ME HERE!)

embossed brogues, £356, by Fendi at mytheresa.com (BUY ME HERE!)

brogues, £270, Fratelli Rossetti at shoescribe.com (BUY ME HERE!)

NW3 Millie Derby, £139, hobbs.co.uk (BUY ME HERE!)

needlepoint slippers at Penelope Chilvers

I’ve been to loads of press days recently, where brands showcase the shoes you are going to be lusting after next season, so I thought I would share the love and give you a sneak peek at my favourite flat shoes for autumn and winter. And by giving you at least three months’ notice before they hit stores, you’ve got plenty of time to save up! 

Tabitha Simmons. WANT. EVERY. PAIR.

pointy loveliness at LK Bennett. Those two-tones are pretty special!

WOWZAS! Grenson goes neon.

fairytale flats at Charlotte Olympia

investment pieces at Russell & Bromley. Amazing double monks.

Susie with her fashion correspondent head on at the Kenzo show at Paris Fashion Week

“I do love heels and I love beautiful shoes but I don’t feel the need to wear them all the time.  I’d rather save them for special occasions. I like the contrast flat shoes provide to dressier items of clothing.  I don’t like looking too polished or too “done” so flat shoes kind of alleviate that (as well as giving me the ability to run/walk!).”

Susie wearing Miista lace-ups. That lovely mini bag is by Furla.

“I like all manner of brogues or chunky flatforms (like creepers) or trainers.  I like to wear them with almost anything.  I don’t really have any hard and fast rules when it comes to flats since my shoe collection is dominated by them.”

Susie’s ASOS X Antipodium cork loafers (I have the same pair!)

“On the catwalk, I think there’s definitely a reaction against those extreme super high, super stiletto shoes – heels have become more varied – flatter, more square, more sensible and there are extremes when the shoes are completely flat.  I just think it’s about choice and variety.  That a pair of Kenzo Vans can be as fashionable as say a pair of Nicholas Kirkwoods.”

more Miista action. Love that iridescent shine.

“I’m after a new pair of Ferragamo Vara shoes – a sensible flat with a very short heel.  I also really want a pair of Raf Simons trainers.  They’d be one size too big for me as they’re mens but I don’t really care!”

amazing fabric on Susie’s A.Sauvage X Dr Martens shoes

Hope you’ve enjoyed hearing from these lovely fashion girls and sneaking a peek at their fabulous flat shoe collections. Thanks so much Alex, Emily and Susie!

“I was diagnosed with scoilosis and a degenerated disc in my lower spine just before fashion week, so wearing flat shoes was less of a choice and more of a doctor’s order. Now I am two months into my new life in flats and feel strangely liberated, as if I have been let into a secret that heel wearers are yet to discover!!”

Emily wearing super-shiny Jimmy Choo

Emily’s Louis Vuitton slippers

“I am quite a scruffy dresser and dressing up for me was always just putting a pair of killer heels on with my jeans and t-shirt to smarten my look up, so I have had to work at creating a new look based around flats. If I am wearing a pair of statement flats like my sparkly Vuitton slippers I’ll tend to dress down the rest of my look, so a pair of ripped jeans and a grey marl T-shirt. But if it is a pair of my new Nike trainers (which I am totally in love with), I tend to wear them with a smarter outfit like a buttoned up white shirt and cashmere jumper to balance the look out (and feel less of a teenager!).”

how cool are Emily’s Nikes?!

“A lot of the trends on the catwalk for AW13 were about mixing girlie with a tough edge and there is no better way to do this than wearing stylish flats to make your look more understated. Simone Rocha is the perfect example with her whimsical bubblegum pink dresses teamed with chunky flatforms. Even the glamour shoe brands Louboutin and Jimmy Choo have introduced a new kitten heel height and lots more flats for AW13, it is a trend that is catching – hooray!”

Charlotte Olympia sandals and matching pedicure

“I am excited about the sun coming out, getting a pedi with Essie ‘cute as a button’ and investing in a pair of Valentino studded sandals, although may need to win the lottery first, so more realistically Zara have some amazing flat sandals with braiding detail that I have my eye on. I have too many pairs of shoes but I am a hoarder and can’t throw any away, all those redundant heels mean if I do not have any daughters my goddaughter Poppy is going to have her very own Jimmy Choo archive!!”

Tomorrow, fashion blog pioneer Susie Lau…

“Despite being a fashion director, I keep practicality upmost in my mind at all times. I walk a lot and find it really ungainly to perch in a doorway and change into heels, although I have done it on occasion (who hasn’t?!). Wearing a pair of flats that can take me from breakfast to cocktails – all while looking chic – means I have one less thing to worry about. And one less thing to carry in my bag each day.”

Alex wearing Marni monk shoes

“I think that people who work in fashion appreciate good shoes, whatever their heel height, so I don’t feel pressure to wear heels although I do love the elevated aspect a good stiletto gives at times. I have a huge array of flats but currently some of my favourites are monk styles, with a buckle over the instep. When I plan my outfits I have to keep proportion in mind as I’m not tall so I often wear my flats with short skirts or slim leg denim. Wide leg trousers or pencil skirts always need a heel on my figure.”

Alex wearing Bionda Castana pointy monks

“Trends are either a continuation of the mood of the previous season or a total reaction. This season designers wanted to wipe the slate clean of the ridiculous heights we’ve been dealing with recently and start afresh with flats.”

Alex wearing Chloe boots

“#TheDailyShoe was inspired by @katiejanehughes’ #TheDailyFace on Instagram. She’s a friend and make-up artist and I just thought, why not post pictures of my shoes and those that I’m shooting / find in the fashion cupboard? Shoes always make a cute picture.”

Alex wearing Givenchy sandals

Tomorrow, Red’s Executive Fashion and Beauty Director, Emily Gegg…

the G-Lab pop-up shop in Liberty

G-Lab is the customisation branch of Grenson, which is in the department store until April 28th (that’s not long, so hurry!). You can choose from loads of different styles and colours to make a pair of shoes that you can say you designed yourself.

the G-Lab store assistants even wear lab coats! Brilliant.

I wouldn’t know where to start! There are swatches with all sorts of leather available, from gunmetal metallic, to chunky, thick, masculine leather, to bold, bright colours. You can also choose your sole, and regular readers of this blog will know I did at least know that I would have gone for the crepe sole had I been designing a pair for myself!

an example of what you could design in G-Lab

A nice touch is that you can personalise them too, with a message in the lining of shoe. A brilliant idea if you were buying a pair as a gift for someone. Or if you want to stamp your own name on your precious Grensons! Prices range from £350-£400 and the shoes take around 6 weeks to make. Grenson’s regular line of shoes, starting from £180, are also available in the pop-up shop.

G-Lab shoe box featuring EnBrogue!

I think my very favourite thing about G-Lab is the shoe boxes though, covered in Instagram pictures from dozens of loyal Grenson owners. Including yours truly! See if you can spot me…

Mary Jane clog, £78 (swedishhasbeens.com) BUY ME HERE!
Also available in black.

Sweet sandal, £108 (swedishhasbeens.com) BUY ME HERE!
Also available in yellow and in red.

That tiny heel is barely noticeable but the fact that you are slightly elevated and walking on a noisy wooden sole gives a whole new feeling to wearing flats. It’s almost like wearing heels! But without the pain and fear of falling over. For those of you who DO wear heels, there are taller heel heights available too.

Ornament, £78 (swedishhasbeens.com) BUY ME HERE!

Ornament is also available in black, yellow and vintage blue

For summer 2013, the brand has launched even lower heels than usual, as well as lower price points for its loyal younger fan base. I chose a pair of Papillon sandals (below) from the new range because I love that painted sole. The bright colours are gorgeous but I opted for a pair in black in the end because they will be such a useful pair of shoes to have in my wardrobe. Wear with socks or ribbed tights now until the weather warms up!

Papillon, £78 (swedishhasbeens.com) BUY ME HERE!
Also available in red, black and green.

me wearing black Papillon (buy HERE) and Braided Low in vintage blue (BUY HERE)

OK, so it’s not ALWAYS all about the shoes. I thought I’d share this with you because a) the pattern matches my blog page design really well and b) my mum made this dress in the Sixties, which is pretty cool…looks rather good with my Kurt Geiger ankle straps, I reckon.

Kestral Soar sandals in tan, £49.99 (clarks.co.uk) BUY ME HERE!

the crepe sole that resulted in shortness of breath…

Kestral Soar sandals in chestnut, £49.99 (clarks.co.uk) BUY ME HERE!

Kestral Soar sandals in white, £49.99 (clarks.co.uk) BUY ME HERE!

Not everyone is a fan of the school sandal style (Hilary Rose wrote about how much she hates them in yesterday’s Times) but I adore them. It’s not just because of the nostalgia attached – my mum would take me for a annual trip to Clarks for a navy pair for school – but that classic design will literally never go out of style, and best of all, these sandals are cheap!

Helter sandals, £22 (topshop.com) BUY ME HERE!

Carvela Kurly sandals, £29, reduced from £75 (kurtgeiger.com) BUY ME HERE!

Topshop, Kurt Geiger and John Lewis all have versions, and even if you think you’re normally priced out of the Toast catalogue, think again. It stocks Salt Water sandals which are very reasonably priced and come in a huge range of colours.

Joplin sandals, £65 (johnlewis.com) BUY ME HERE!
Top tip: if you don’t like the T-bar, do what my mum used to and just take it off! Much better for tan lines…

Salt Water sandals, £49 (toast.co.uk) BUY ME HERE!

One final thought: if you swooned over Miu Miu’s crystal embellished school sandals from the SS13 collection but can’t afford them, why not make your own? Get yourself to a hobby centre or haberdashery for some stick on crystals and do it yourself! I like Josy Rose’s black diamond diamante (here) or Stitch n Craft has a big range of Swarovski crystals (here). If you do try this out, please send me pictures!

Miu Miu’s crystal sandals

Punk sandals, £180 (youmustcreate.com) BUY ME HERE!

This trend has really taken off for summer, and I’m not surprised, for these are the perfect sandals for this year’s Endless Winter. The enclosed toe means that they look great with tights (mine will be thick, grey and ribbed), and will give a little extra warmth on sunny days that are still a bit chilly but warm enough for bare legs.

I’m christening the chunky white and brown leather versions – available at Topshop and H by Hudson – The Summer Brogue. Simply replace your regular brogues with a pair of these in the summer, and the cut out sections will allow your feet to breathe. Stylish and non-sweaty!

Konnie cage shoes, £42 (topshop.com) BUY ME HERE!

Margo woven shoes, £35 (topshop.com) BUY ME HERE!

Copan, £65 (hudsonshoes.com) BUY ME HERE!

Super-feminine geeks might enjoy this pair from Office, with their patent pink finish. If they’re a bit girly for you though, you’ll be pleased to hear that they also come in black.

candy pink, £40, Office (available from April 10th)

And if you really want to go all out, why not invest in one of Topshop’s ‘Geek’, ‘Nerd’ or ‘Dork’ motif T-shirts?! A step too far…?