Natalie a..k.a. The Shoe Floozie is a lover of all things shoes and so the chance to win her own design shoes from Upper Street in #ShoesDayTuesday was too good to miss! Natalie tweeted us and won! We’ll hand over to her to tell you all about her winning shoes and the shoes she designed.

Tell us a little about yourself

My name is Natalie Wallace, I live in Oxfordshire and work as a communications officer and freelance fashion and lifestyle writer. I have more than just a small obsession with shoes, which all began when I bought my first pair of Kurt Geigers about seven years ago. There is something about well made, amazing quality shoes that look more beautiful than your average pair. When wearing a really special pair of shoes, I feel fab. Much like when someone wears a super flattering dress, for me it’s all about the shoes and I often dress from the feet upwards.

Tell us about the shoes you wore for #ShoesDayTuesday

I bought the shoes I wore for #ShoesDayTuesday quite recently. I instantly loved them because of their Marni-esque appearance. The block heel and wide fit make them incredibly comfortable and I’ll definitely wear them all the time (I say that about every pair of shoes, but this time I mean it, honest). I’ve had loads of compliments and people have said they look a lot more expensive than they were, so they were a definite shopping success.

Now talking about your Upper Street shoes – what inspired your shoe design?

I experimented a lot for my Upper Street shoes, it was so hard to settle on a final design! In the end, I decided I wanted to go for a pair I could wear with lots of different outfits, for work, day and special occasions. I’ve bought shoes in the past solely for ‘special occasions’ and they hardly get worn, which is a shame, so I wanted these to be the perfect, go anywhere shoes. I love mixing up textures and patterns which is why I chose the suede and snakeskin combination and I love vintage styles which is why I settled on the peep toe shoe. I think the burgundy colour was a sub-conscious choice because without realising, the shoes go with my favourite Mulberry tote bag!

What did you think of your shoes when you received them?

Opening my Upper Street package was an absolute joy. The packaging, the extra little surprises and the sight of the shoes themselves blew me away, they are stunning! They’re exactly what I thought they would look like, I can tell the craftsmanship is exemplary and they do go with many an outfit in my wardrobe, as shown on my blog! They feel even more special knowing I designed them myself and look very ‘me’. I couldn’t be happier.

Have you worn your shoes yet? What did your friends think?

I haven’t worn my shoes yet, except round the house, lying on the sofa, in bed (not like that!) etc. I’m enjoying dreamily gazing at them in their brand new state and as soon as I can be sure they won’t be destroyed by the rain, I’ll take them out. I did take them into work to show everyone though, box and all, and they were all very impressed.

Thank you very much for taking part in #ShoesDayTuesday Natalie. We love your shoes design and hope you get as much pleasure out of wearing them as we did making them.

Win your own design shoes with #ShoesDayTuesday

All you need to do is wear a fun or unique pair of shoes every Tuesday (they don’t have to be Upper Street shoes!) and post a photo of you wearing your shoes to your Twitter and/or Instagram accounts using the hashtag #ShoesDayTuesday and tagging @UpperStreetShoe

find out more

Upper Street – the made-to-order luxury shoe label where you can design your own shoes and have them delivered right to your door.

All Upper Street shoes come in a huge range of sizes from the petite shoe size UK 1.5 (33) to a generous shoe size UK 10 (43) with 4 width fittings. We also offer free alterations to fit and we’re so confident that you’ll love your final design that we’ll refund you if you don’t!

When we received Denise’s shoe story we had to share it with you as it explains, in her words, why we created Upper Street. It may be frustrating trying to find the shoe you really want if you’re a ‘standard’ size, but if you have small, size 2 feet like Denise, then shoe shopping was a constant experience of struggle, frustration and compromise. However since discovering Upper Street, Denise’s feet have been liberated and she’s finally able to have the shoes she wants. Read her story…

Hi, my name is Denise and I consider myself to be rather a free spirit, who is not particularly interested in following the mass fashion trends. I prefer being an individual and choosing things that go with my personality and shape! I work as a Personal Assistant in a FTSE 100 company and really enjoy being the office mum, the problem solver, the travel agent, the time and organisation specialist and most importantly, a super sleuth!

I live with my boyfriend (at my age, that word always makes me smile); he is my voice of reason and keeps me sane. We both love motorbikes, vintage and modern. He has a bike that sounds like the one from The Aristocats (and I love to tease him…which doesn’t always go down well). Vintage cars are another passion. My mum bought us some tickets to the Goodwood Revival and we loved the whole vintage scene.

I love to create and have a messy studio where all things paper get transformed into cards, scrapbooks, material into bags and wool into jumpers (when they get finished) and lots of other works of art.

When I found the Upper Street website I was so excited! I am only a size 34 and have spent years struggling to find shoes that fit me. When I was younger I would buy the smallest sizes I could find, but they had to have straps to keep them on my feet, even padded with insoles and heel grips! Then I found an American website but I was very disappointed with the quality… and had to pay import duty! I have tried all the shoe shops and websites that make “petite” shoes being forced to buy only stock items and then have to try and match the clothes to the shoes.

I was extremely excited to find Upper Street, all those lovely designs, shapes and colours. It took me several weeks to choose my first pair, a divine purple leopard print animal (calf leather) with stunning black glossy patent leather.

The whole experience was fantastic. I arrived home from work and there was the box sitting on the sofa. I actually made myself eat tea first and then the unveiling began. Firstly the revealing of the black embossed box with a delicious bright pink bow, then the hand written note, the key ring, lashings of tissue paper and finally there they were, the most beautiful pair of shoes I had every seen, let alone owned.

The sizing was too big for the first pair so we made an appointment to go to the Upper Street Shoe Lounge and meet Lizzie who helped me get everything sorted. What a surprise to find out she came from my neck of the woods! Whilst we were at the studio and admiring the samples I couldn’t help myself, I ordered another two pairs!

What a treat to wear shoes that have been made just for me! I had to plan everything for the first outing. I went to bed extremely excited about wearing them to work the following day, outfit picked out, nail varnish to match. Imagine my disappointment when I got up in the morning and it was raining, I couldn’t possibly wear them in the wet. Great idea though, I put them in the black velvet bag and changed in the office….result!

Everyone commented on how lovely they were and the colour matched my outfit perfectly, asked where I got them and that my feet looked tiny. Wow what a great day!  I have worn my other pairs but only out with my boyfriend and he always gives me loads of compliments and you can see people looking – just as well I’m not a shrinking violet..

Can’t wait for the next black box to arrive, the call is out round the family…”Upper Street do gift vouchers!”

Thank you very much Denise for sharing your shoe story with us and we’re thrilled that you can now design the shoes you want and deserve with no compromise.

If you want help with designing shoes for small feet, our design guide “Small shoes for women with small feet” is full of tips and advice to help you. You can also book a complimentary appointment at the Upper Street Shoe Lounge where we can give you expert design advice and you can try shoes on for fit.

Upper Street – the made-to-order luxury shoe label where you can design your own shoes and have them delivered right to your door.

All Upper Street shoes come in a huge range of sizes from the petite shoe size UK 1.5 (33) to a generous shoe size UK 10 (43) with 4 width fittings. We also offer free alterations to fit and we’re so confident that you’ll love your final design that we’ll refund you if you don’t!

From her monochrome boots that won #ShoesDayTuesday on 19th March to her own design peep toe brights with snakeskin, our #ShoesDayTuesday winner Sarah has shared her love of shoes with Upper Street. Read on to find out the inspiration behind her own design shoes.

Tell us a little about yourself
I’m Sarah Woodgate, 39 from sunny Worthing on the south coast of England. I’m a biomedical scientist working in a hospital Haematology lab, so not exactly a glamorous job, or one where I can showcase my fabulous fashion statements! I’ve always loved all things vintage, from my teenage years in jumble sale queues on a Saturday morning to my current shopping sprees in Brighton’s North Laines.

Unfortunately for my poor family, I’m also unable to throw anything away, so my wardrobes are bulging and my loft is in endanger of collapsing. My biggest obsession though is undoubtedly with shoes. I have a separate shoe wardrobe and totally believe that shoes make your outfit. Choosing though can be an utter nightmare and usually results with Sunday mornings being spent putting all the Saturday night rejected shoes back in their proper places!

Tell us about the shoes you wore for #ShoesDayTuesday

The shoes that I won the competition with were my monochrome pointed toe boots, which I bought on holiday in Italy. They were only from a high street store and weren’t designer labels. I saw them as soon as I walked in to the shop and actually thought they were really ugly. By the time I’d looked around and come back to them, I was completely in love! Have to say I’m not usually a fan of Italian fashion but these were an exception.

Now talking about your Upper Street shoes – what inspired your shoe design?
I love bright colours, yellow, reds, oranges and can never find the colour combinations that I would choose myself in the high street. I’ve often thought that I’d love to decide what colours and patterns should be put together, so was super excited at the chance to do just that.

I actually realised that its harder than it looks to come up with a perfect shoe. My first instinct was to throw together as many crazy, pinks, reds and oranges together, just because I could, but I soon saw that there was a very good reason why I hadn’t been able to find those instore! So I tamed it down a bit and just went for 3 colours and some animal print. This was still a tough choice as Id managed to create about 15 different shoes on the Upper Street Shoe Designer app. The app is totally amazing fun and I’ve been recommending it to all my friends. Even my 2 year old daughter loves it.

What did you think of your shoes when you received them?
The shoes arrived in gorgeous packaging, with some perfect little extras. Opening them was the best feeling, waiting to see what my personalised shoes would look like….well, they were utterly fab and I was so impressed with the quality. They are stylish, original and fill a gap in my shoe collection, in terms of colours and design. I am really over the moon with them.

Have you worn your shoes yet? What did your friends think?
They’ve been in my possession for 5 days and I’ve only worn to a friends house so far, they haven’t actually touched the outside world! I’m scared as think they are too perfect for pavements and English weather… But I will take the plunge next weekend as I’m on a hen do and there’s an orange theme so they will complement my dress perfectly.

Thanks soooo much Upperstreet, you’ve made a little shoe obsessor very very happy!!

Our pleasure Sarah and thank you for taking part in #ShoesDayTuesday and sharing your fabulous boots with us.

If you want to use colour in your Upper Street shoe design but are unsure where to start, our colour blocking design guide offers great tips and advice.

Win your own design shoes with #ShoesDayTuesday

All you need to do is wear a fun or unique pair of shoes every Tuesday (they don’t have to be Upper Street shoes!) and post a photo of you wearing your shoes to your Twitter and/or Instagram accounts using the hashtag #ShoesDayTuesday and tagging @UpperStreetShoe

find out more

Upper Street – the made-to-order luxury shoe label where you can design your own shoes and have them delivered right to your door.

All Upper Street shoes come in a huge range of sizes from the petite shoe size UK 1.5 (33) to a generous shoe size UK 10 (43) with 4 width fittings. We also offer free alterations to fit and we’re so confident that you’ll love your final design that we’ll refund you if you don’t!

Nia won #ShoesDayTuesday at the end of March with her fabulous polka dot shoes which made us all think of Spring. But when it came to designing her own shoes, Nia took a different approach and looked at what key shoe was missing from her shoe wardrobe. We’ll hand over to Nia to tell her shoe story…

Tell us a little about yourself
My name is Nia and I work as a Welsh translator in Cardiff. I also have a blog – fashfoodista.blogspot.co.uk - which I love to do in my spare time. I wouldn’t say I have a ridiculous obsession with shoes but a friend of mine once called me Carrie Bradshaw, so perhaps I’m wrong!

Tell us about the shoes you wore for #ShoesDayTuesday

The shoes were from Dotty P’s and they cost me [drumroll please] £6.30. I kid you not. As soon as I saw them I knew I had to have them. I loved the fact that they would inject a bit of fun to any outfit whilst also being very sophisticated. When I took the picture I was off to a christening and they actually overshadowed the Burberry trench I wore with them! Quite a feat. I had plenty of compliments about them so I knew I’d done the right thing buying them and winning this comp turned them into a very savvy buy!

Now talking about your Upper Street shoe – what inspired your shoe design?

I already had the Shoe Designer app on my iPad so I didn’t waste any time getting started. I knew what I wanted from the beginning. A simple, classic black pump which I could wear with smart office attire or dressed down with jeans. I chose the black snakeskin for added luxury plus it is the year of the snake! The difficult part was choosing the pointed or round toe court.

In the end I opted for the round toe court shoe because it offered a 3″ mid-heel which would allow me to wear them to work and be comfortable all day. I could have gone crazy and created a very flamboyant design but I decided to go for the minimalist, less is more approach.

What did you think of your shoes when you received them?
They were delivered to work so I had to muster all my willpower to wait until I got home before unwrapping them. I was very impressed with the packaging. The pink bow and handwritten note were such a lovely touch. It did feel like Christmas. I was so happy with them. The quality is obvious and they fit perfectly. I loved the smell of the brand new shoes too. That’s not weird is it?!?! They’re definitely going to be a wardrobe staple.

Have you worn your shoes yet? What did your friends think?

I’m wearing them for the first time in the picture. This was for work but not in the office so my colleagues haven’t seen them yet. I did feature them on my blog though and had a great response. Thank you for choosing me as a winner. I love my new shoes x

Thank you Nia for taking part in #ShoesDayTuesday and sharing your gorgeous shoes with us.

Win your own design shoes with #ShoesDayTuesday

All you need to do is wear a fun or unique pair of shoes every Tuesday (they don’t have to be Upper Street shoes!) and post a photo of you wearing your shoes to your Twitter and/or Instagram accounts using the hashtag #ShoesDayTuesday and tagging @UpperStreetShoe

find out more

Upper Street – the made-to-order luxury shoe label where you can design your own shoes and have them delivered right to your door.

All Upper Street shoes come in a huge range of sizes from the petite shoe size UK 1.5 (33) to a generous shoe size UK 10 (43) with 4 width fittings. We also offer free alterations to fit and we’re so confident that you’ll love your final design that we’ll refund you if you don’t!