Herring Shoes Journal

I have a confession. As my children break up for the summer today – albeit without the usual excitement as they are not on site – I am already thinking about next year. Bear with me….

If all goes well, all children will return to school in September which means most will need to start wearing uniform again and that means new school shoes. Buying school shoes is a trauma for me. The shops are so busy, the queues are so long, and the lack of choice is frustrating, so I like to get it done and dusted at the start of the holidays. Why plan one of the least fun activities for the end of the holidays when heads are already starting to drop at the thought of another academic year?

Coupled with the necessity to wear face masks in stores and social distancing measures, going shopping may feel even more stressful this year.

So, help yourself to a bit of school shoe smugness! Sadly, we cannot help you with your daughter’s school shoes but for boys, Herring stock shoes for adult feet size 6 to 12, so your boys or man-children should be covered.

Another great reason to buy school shoes now is that many of the sales are on – Herring’s included – and you can pick up some real bargains on quality formal shoes that may be required by your son’s or sons’ school. Here are a few of my top picks:

Stansted rubber-soled Oxfords
The rubber sole is important here as we send our children out in all weathers and the Dainite sole will give them a spring in their nonchalant step. The square toe shape gives them a contemporary look. You can also choose a leather sole.

Sturgate brogues
Much like the above but in a brogue style. These come in rubber or leather soles.

Epping rubber-soled Derby shoes
This is a plain fronted, unobtrusive shoe that is made on an elongated last giving it an elegant toe shape. It is made from fine leathers on a Blake-stitched sole for increased lightness and flexibility.

Edmonton loafers
Where lace-ups are not required, this is a smart slip-on alternative.

All of the above are currently in the Herring sale and most can also be repaired to prevent you from having to buy new shoes every time a sole falls off in the playground!

If your sons are older and their feet have finally stopped growing, they will be able to repair these shoes for many years to come to support the move towards sustainable slow fashion while also setting them up with their first work shoes.

If you haven’t bought your son formal shoes before, you may find they need a size smaller than any current trainer type style so, for example, if they wear Vans or Converse in a size 9 they will probably be an 8 in our formal shoes. You can speak to our customer service team for more guidance.

If buying school shoes is traumatic for you, I say give our website a whirl. Simply click on the size you think your son is on our home page sale banner and view your options. This will bring up shoes from some of the other classic UK manufacturers we stock, such as Trickers, Cheaney, Barker and Loake. And if the sale does not deliver, we have hundreds of other shoes available. Happy hunting!