Women's Autumn Footwear The huge growth in ‘Athleisure’ apparel has seen a great shift towards wearing ‘lifestyle’ trainers. In fact Drapers (our industry bible) has recently reported that for the first time ever trainers outsold heels this summer. The cat walks have seen trainers being worn with exclusive dresses for some time now (albeit very expensive designer trainers of course!) so it’s only natural that we’re seeing the effect in store. Unisa and Gabor have embraced this with what we’d class as ‘lifestyle’ trainers: Suede is a very popular look for autumn and nobody currently does this better than Toni Pons. Their range of loafers, ankle boots and knee-highs really is exceptional especially as they come in rich autumnal shades. Don't forget to look after your suede though - we have some great products for this in store if you need them! Ankle boots continue to be more popular than knee-highs this year because they're just so versatile. The Gabor Zodiac Chelsea Boot comes in several colours including a fantastic snakeskin-effect finish. The Barbour Balham Boots are great casual boots to go over jeans. For casual comfort we've got some great Josef Seibel ankle boots in but if you're after something smarter how about the Unisa Lipez available in black or tan - they look great with skinny trousers or tights and a dress. For more practical footwear our Dubarry boots are a favourite. New for this year is the Dubarry Glanmire which has an elasticted panel at the back and a tie mechanism which gives more flexibility. The Dubarry Galway in Walnut remains a bestseller and this year we're also stocking it in black/brown too. Men's Autumn Footwear We’ve seen the hiking boot morph into a more contemporary walking shoe over the past few years and many customers now wear these as part of their everyday casual outfits. Merrell does particularly well in this area and we think this seasons ‘Annex’ is great for those of us who do a lot of urban walking - whilst not being waterproof they are water-resistant. If you're after a waterproof shoe then you need to choose one with a waterproof membrane such as GORE-TEX - you could try the Merrell Moab. For the smart/casual outfit Barbour really have it nailed this autumn. The Barbour Readhead ankle boot and the Barbour Belsay brogue boot both looks great with jeans and chinos. In formal footwear we've definitely seen a shift towards rubber-sole shoes especially for winter. Traditional leather soles are often thought to be smarter but they're also very slippery and water abosrbent therefore rubber soles are just a thoroughly good idea for autumn/winter - non-slip and waterproof! Loake of course have smart, rubber-soles covered with the Redgrave and the Langdale. And for a slightly more casual formal look go for the Loake Chester Dainite or it's boot equivalent the Burford. And finally a quick mention about wellington boots. Our bestselling men's Le Chameau is the Vierzonord boot in the classic Le Chameau green - rubber outer and neoprene lining which means they're incredibly warm for a long day in the field. For a completely different look but to do the same job there's also the Dubarry boot - whilst it's a leather outer it has a GORE-TEX membrane so it's durable and waterproof. The Dubarry Wexford continues to be the most popular style for men due to the wider fit.