Hurray – I’m free! Thank you so much for your very supportive words over the last week, I’ll tell you all about it in more detail soon but I’m rushing now because I’m off to spend the weekend with some of my favourite bloggers including Annette from Lady of Style and Catherine from Not Dressed As Lamb. In the meantime, two things have kept me smiling during this life changing week – your fabulously considerate comments and the thought that I would celebrate with a new pair of shoes at the end of it. So one lunchtime I ordered a selection from Boden because I’ve really started to rely on their shoes for the perfect mix of quirky style underpinned with comfort and quality.

I know you’ve been waiting for a new season style post since I mentioned that skinnies were reaching the end of their road and that either wide legged crops or cropped kick flares would be the way to go for summer. You responded with an explosion of fear and distress so I’ve been quietly playing with the options over the last few weeks to bring you my choice. I have to admit that I’ve had less success with wide legged crops – I’ll show you the outtakes soon but they just didn’t work for me, I think that your legs need to be long and mine are disproportionately short for my body. However I do really, really like cropped kick flares, they fit snugly to just below the knee but then flare out in an Audrey Hepburn style. Because of my love of dark indigo I’ve opted for the Whistles ones, they’re expensive but they are such good quality denim that the kick part of the flare is stiff and keeps its shape – I think this is important to stop it drooping and looking mumsy. It’s taken me a while to get used to them though.

Most of your anxiety centred around which shoes to wear with them. After playing around with them for a while I declare that most shoes work – they really aren’t a big move on from skinnies you know. To prove it I thought I’d showcase them with the treasure trove I ordered from Boden. First of all, here’s the full look – as you can see, I’m wearing then with a breton and a long cardigan, exactly what I would wear with skinnies. It’s just a case of adjusting your eye.

Boden Amelia Hells review

Hush Nina cardi (past season); breton; cropped kick flare jeans; Amelia heels

Whilst I’ve been writing this post I have discovered an alternative so I will order these to compare as a much more cost effective (half price) option.

Boden shoes spring 2016

Cropped kickflare jean

Now let’s move on to the shoes.

Best Boden shoes Spring 2016

Smart shoes

Even though I have the Alice shoes in this colourway from last year, I couldn’t resist trying the Amelias. These are much more comfortable, possibly because I ordered half a size larger than I usually take. I love the contrasting pink strap and heel. I really don’t need them but they’re hard to resist.

Boden shoes Spring 2016

Amelia shoes

The everyday shoes

I love metallic shoes in summer, they look great with tanned feet and go with just about everything. Again I already have scallop points in ponyskin from last winter and I wear them constantly because they have a padded insole and are so comfortable. These are the same, they are true to size and even though the toe is pointed they don’t pinch. The metallic finish is different to previous seasons, less of a solid silver and more of a pearlised effect so they are more subtle and there is less worry about ruining them if you scuff them.

Boden shoes Spring 2016

Scallop points

The Parisian shoes

As soon as I saw these in the catalogue they sparked joy. I wasn’t mad about last year’s ghillie trend but I love these, they remind me of Inés de la Fressange and everything Parisian. I thought the ties might be a bit of a fiddle but they are just the same as shoelaces, a quick bow and you’re done.

Boden shoes Spring 2016

Florence Flat Point

The ‘all woman’ shoes

I’m out of my comfort zone here but every so often I like to try something different. I think these would look great on someone with long legs – they foreshorten mine which doesn’t do me any favours. I’m also not comfortable with this amount of leopard print unless it’s in grey for some reason. They’re still great shoes though and just as comfortable as the others, just not for me.

Boden Shoes Spring 2016

Cecily Heel

The sandal

These tick two boxes – I love the glimmer of rose gold and they would be a purchase towards my summer holiday. The rose gold just screams sunshine, even on a February Lake District afternoon. The fact that you can tie the lace higher up your ankle ballerina style means that they would be very flattering with shorts.

Boden Shoes Spring 2016

Sienna Sandal

Besides giving me something fun to think about after my tricky week, I hope that this little post has shown you one thing – that you don’t need to worry about what style of summer shoe to wear with cropped kick flares (admittedly winter is harder, I’ve tried them with boots and it just didn’t work). And so I’m left with a conundrum. Doing something like this is a bit like playing roulette – you know if you just order one pair you’ll be disappointed but then when you order a few to choose from you end up liking them all…what to do..? I’ll let you know what I decide. Don’t forget there is 15% off at Boden today and tomorrow (26th & 27th Feb) and then 10% off on Sunday 28th.

So I should be back at the beginning of next week brimming with enthusiasm and ideas from spending some time with the gang of over 40s bloggers. Of course I now face the dilemma of what to pack – never before have the stakes been so high! I’m looking forward to discussing recent events in more depth when I’ve caught my breath but I can certainly reassure you of one thing: I woke up this morning without a single flicker of regret. I have definitely made the right decision. Thank you again for your words throughout the week, they have been so powerful. Keep in touch.

Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post and I am not working for Boden.