…and the rest of this week’s Shoes News.

If you love the hiking look but can’t kick your trainers habit

I stumbled across these trainers this week on the brilliant website Second Store, which is dedicated to niche sneaker brands and socks for women. And it occurred to me that they are the ideal candidate for the woman who loves the hiking boots trend, but is more of a trainers kind of girl. Or just if you have a great eye for gorgeous trainers regardless, because these are beauties!

Karhu ‘Fusion 2.0’, £89 reduced from £110 (second-store.com); Karhu ‘Aria’, £105 (second-store.com)

The brand – Karhu – was started in Helsinki in 1916 and the name is the Finnish word for bear. The brand has been worn by Finnish athletes in the Olympics, but the pairs I’ve picked here have more of a fashion edge. As well as the hiking laces (tick), with their chunky proportions they also fit into the big trainers trend without being OTT. (double tick!) I absolutely love the yellow (obviously), but the other two pairs are currently reduced in price so might be more appealing.

READ MORE: 15 FAUX SNAKESKIN SHOES AND BAGS

3 of the best…winter boot care essentials

It’s all very well me showing you the nicest winter boots to buy this season (see my hiking boots and vegan boots edits for details), but if you don’t look after them properly you’ll really regret it. So I thought I would share a few products that are well worth investing in too.

Liquiproof footwear protector, £9.99 ([AD] offspring.co.uk); Jason Markk suede cleaning kit, £10 ([AD] size.co.uk); Crep Protect shoe care kit, £14 ([AD] schuh.co.uk)

Firstly, if your boots are suede you’ll need a good spray protector – I mostly just use a bog standard one from [AD]  Clarks, but if you want the creme de la creme  it has to be Liquiproof. You’ll need a whole bottle for one pair, but if they’re expensive shoes I’d say it’s worth it. Next, a suede brush. Even after you’ve protected your boots you might need to buff them up after getting caught in a rain shower; a suede brush brings the texture back up and removes any dirt. Finally, it’s good to have a more general cleaning kit for your leather shoes and trainers, like this one from Crep Protect.

For more shoe cleaning and care tips, have a watch of my Instagram TV video on the subject.

READ MORE: HOW TO BREAK IN NEW SHOES

Mango’s insanely flattering flats now come in blue

Mango leather flat shoes, £49.99 ([AD]mango.com)

I had a message from someone this week who was wondering what flats she could wear to a winter wedding. I’m off to a wedding next week and am planning to wear my white leather flats from Mango, which are pretty much the most flattering flats I’ve ever worn, so I wanted to recommend them. While they don’t come in white at the moment, they are available in this lovely pale blue. If you’re looking for a cool take on a ballet pump with a leg lengthening effect for less than 50 quid, look no further!