You may be surprised to learn that my feet don’t enjoy wearing a formal flat shoe. It’s my heels; they are an odd shape, with bony ‘spurs’ that rub terribly on anything that isn’t a sandal or a boot. To my despair, these irritating protrusions would wear clean through the material on my beloved Adidas Superstars in the mid-90s. And they result in it taking me ages (and a lot of Compeed blister plasters) to wear in any new brogues or loafers

So imagine my delight when I wore these Hobbs NW3 lovelies for the first time and it turned out they were the most comfortable lace-up shoes I have ever tried. No rubbing and no pinching. No need whatsoever for plasters. Result!

The accessories at NW3 have been on my radar for a few years now, but these are the first shoes I have actually tried and tested. And it’s not just the younger, trendier NW3 label that stocks great quality flat shoes.  Hobbs has upped its game on the design front, and the brand’s mainline shoes are well worth checking out too.

Oh, how I’d love to build up the soles of these brogues and add some Teletones: they’d make perfect tap shoes (yes, I can tap dance. Pretty well too, since you ask). So dapper: perfect to wear with a slim, black, 7/8 length trouser for a formal occasion.

It’s not just lace-ups that Hobbs can offer. These two-tone loafers mix suede with patent for the ultimate easy smart shoe. And if you’re a fan of animal motif jumpers or bicycle necklaces too, you might end up on a little shopping spree during your next trip to Hobbs.