For most shoe lovers, the prospect of designing their own bespoke shoe is the ultimate dream scenario. But sometimes, having the chance to create something that encompasses all you want in a shoe may feel a little daunting – the pressure to get it perfectly right is definitely on!

So we’ve looked back at some of the chats we’ve had with customers who needed a little extra assistance in creating a dream shoe and put the key points into our latest Upper Street Masterclass  - How To Design Your Shoes. Take a look at some common questions below and then step forth and design your shoes in complete confidence!

Help! I Don’t Know Where To Start!

Emerald turquoise platform peep toe, Studded ballet flat, Monochrome round toe brogue

Think of the shoe that’s missing from your collection. Which shoe styles make you feel good and help put a real spring in your step? If you’re not comfortable in a high heel avoid them – at Upper Street we have plenty of gorgeous lower heeled options.

You can also customise our shoe designs or get inspiration from our beautiful shoe photos. Browse a whole host of beautiful shoes in our galleries, view photos of shoes on Pinterest and on our Facebook photo albums. Then just get stuck in and have fun!

Is It Really Boring To Design A Classic Shoe?

Nude bow platform court, Zebra pointed court

No…definitely not, your shoe should reflect your personal taste and needs. And so often, it’s those simple, yet classic, shoes that are the ones that you can never find on the High Street. But what you can do is add a personal touch or twist to a classic. Choose a design with a contrasting counter back or heel. Or why not keep to the same colour mix but use different materials – brogue detailing is a great way to add detail to a classically chic design.

There Are So Many Colours…Which Do I Choose?

Asymmetric jewels peep toe platform

Don’t be afraid to experiment with colour. At any stage of the design process you can change shoe colours, so mix and match – be bold and surprise yourself! If you’re still unsure, take a look at your wardrobe contents and think about what will work with your favourite pieces. Start your Upper Street shoe collection for your own inspiration – just save your shoe designs and share with friends via email and Facebook and ask for their views. You can also browse our swatch store for colour inspiration and order swatches to give you confidence and make sure you’ve got your shoe just right.

I Know Which Colours I Like But Which Material Should I Use?

Rule Britannia platform peep toe, Purple & brown platform sandal

When choosing your materials, think about where and when you’ll wear the shoe. Something delicate like Italian satin is perfect for an evening shoe but not so practical for a daily work shoe. If you’re designing with patent bear in mind that it’s a little bit stiffer than leather and therefore less flexible. A good option is to mix and match to give accents to your shoes, putting harder wearing materials on the heels for instance.

I’m Worried About How My Design Will Fit – How Can You Help?

Gold round toe brogue, Snakeskin T-bar sandal

Firstly think about your foot shape and what normally works for you – our sizing and width options cover sizes 33- 43 and 4 width fittings. We also offer advice on fit via a phone call, email and of course during our VIP appointments at the studio. If you receive your shoe and find that it doesn’t fit we can alter it, and if necessary remake free of charge. With Upper Street, there’s no fear of ordering and getting stuck with a pair of shoes that don’t fit.

Hopefully by now you’re raring to go and ready to create those perfect shoes that you thought were previously unobtainable. But don’t hesitate to contact us at any stage of your design process – after all, no one appreciates the need for shoe perfection more than us!

Upper Street shoes come in a huge range of sizes from the petite 33 (UK 1.5) to the generous 43 (UK 10) 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!

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

Samantha, describes her daily style as more Country Bumpkin than Kate Middleton, but based on this fabulous shoe design we think the Duchess of Cambridge would disagree! We love Samantha’s fabulous neutral patent peep toe shoe design in camel leather and patent which she’s looking foward to wearing, now we have the sun! Read all about her shoe designing experience with Upper Street

Tell us a little about yourself

My personal style depends upon the circumstances – there is not much call for high heels and elegance when chasing chickens around. So I would say my daily at home style is more Country Bumpkin, than Kate Middleton! When I go out I love to wear nice clothes and beautiful shoes. I would say my style is classic and elegant. I prefer to buy one really good piece of clothing or shoes rather than buy high fashion. My wardrobe is quite small compared to most of my friends, but what I have are things that I love, that suit me and will have long term use. I love designers like Diane von Furstenberg and Alice Temperley.

What’s your relationship with shoes?

I love shoes! They can transform a simple outfit and they can make you feel a million dollars in an instant. Again I don’t have as many shoes as some of my friends, but those I have I treasure, especially my collection of Manolo Blahniks!  They are all pampered and kept either in their box or bag and stored in a 1920’s Tallboy.

I buy a pair of shoes because I love them, rather than for a particular outfit and as my clothes are classic, there is always something I can wear them with. I use shoes to update an outfit and to make me feel  completely different from wellie wearing hen keeper, housewife and mother. I have only made one big mistake in shoe purchasing and that was just before I discovered Upper Street.

I have one foot one size bigger than the other so I tend to only wear sandals. In the winter I wear boots or evening boots, as I find it so hard to buy court shoes that I can keep on my smaller foot. I really wanted a pair of black patent platform courts and so I purchased a pair from LK Bennett (which were not cheap). I was talked into them by the shop assistant, but even with insoles, heel grips and clenched toes I struggle to keep them on when wearing tights. If only I had known about Upper Street, I could have spent a small amount more and had the perfect pair of shoes with a strap across my foot which would hold them on!  You live and learn, although it’s a costly mistake and I won’t do it again!

What was the design inspiration for your Upper Street shoes?

My design for my Upper Street shoes was led by the need of a pair of neutral high heel shoes, with a strap to hold them on, that I could wear with any of my printed summer dresses. It was great fun using the design tools on the website to choose what I wanted. Even the waiting for them was good – the anticipation was amazing.

What did you think when you opened your parcel from Upper Street?

I was delighted to receive my shoes and I loved the pink ribbon and all the wonderful goodies inside – especially my beautiful shoes. I quickly booked a pedicure so that I can do them justice when I wear them (hopefully very soon)!

What did your friends have to say about your shoes?

Unfortunately the weather has not yet been good enough to wear my shoes, but as soon as I can I will be showing them off to all of my friends! The friends that have spied them already quickly went off to design their own shoes!  I am looking forward to designing more shoes with Upper Street

Upper Street shoes come in a huge range of sizes from the petite 33 (UK 1.5) to the generous 43 (UK 10) 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!

To book an appointment in our London Studio, email iloveshoes@upperstreet.com or call us on 0845 680 9365.

If you can’t make it the studio but still want to see our full range of luxurious materials, visit our Upper Street Swatch Store.Whether you’d like to experience the richness of our suedes, feel the silken quality of our sumptuous Italian satins or visualise our glossy patents as a shoe, you can order as many swatches as you want!

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

With the summer season well and truly underway, we thought we should take a look at some of the events previously mentioned in our Upper Street Social Calendar post.

Events such as these are the perfect excuse for a little shoe shopping. Here’s what we would have chosen from our happy place, otherwise known as the Upper Street shoe closet, had we joined the well heeled social set this season.

Royal Ascot was the usual mix of sunshine, rain, champagne, outlandish hats and footwear ranging from colour pop brights to neutral Mary Jane platform courts. There was even a hat decorated with shoes – a concept we could definitely get on board with!

Dove satin & pewter snake sandal

We would have opted for these elegant ankle strap sandals in dove satin with their pewter snake platform and 4.5″ heel. A versatile heel that would go with so many outfits making it an odds on favourite.

There were double helpings of fashion royalty in the audience at Wimbledon this year in the form of Kate Middleton and Anna Wintour. This meant extra pressure not just for the players but also for the rest of the guests to serve up the perfect look.

Emerald turquoise satin peep toe

In order to stand out amongst the neutral heeled crowd, we would have echoed the Wimbledon colour scheme with these gorgeous emerald and turquoise satin peep toe platforms. Game set and match to Upper Street!

The highlight of the British polo calendar is the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup final held at Cowdray Park – polo, champagne and beautifully dressed guests – what’s not to love? With rock stars mingling with royals, there was an abundance of glamorous footwear on display.

Fuchsia tangerine platform peep toe

As high heels often go hand in hand with sipping champagne, we would have paid homage to the vivid orange Veuve Clicquot label with these eye popping tangerine and fuchsia peep toes with snake platform, heel and bow.

If you have a glamorous event on the horizon, a unique Upper Street shoe design will add that extra special something to your look. Check out our gallery and inspiration features to ignite your inner shoe designer and create a pair of beautiful bespoke heels suitable for any high society event.

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

Image sources: Marie Claire, Zimbio,

This year has produced a bumper crop of high profile, celebrity weddings and like most people, here at Upper Street we love a good wedding. Not least for both the bridal and guest footwear ogling opportunities it provides!

At the conservative chic end of the scale we had possibly the most anticipated royal wedding of all time, Prince William and Kate Middleton. Then there was the marriage seemingly steeped in controversy between Prince Albert of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock.

The footwear favourite seemed to be the shoe of the summer, the nude and champagne hued heel. There was a lot of added sparkle and embellishment – perfect for a little royal wedding bling.

A mix of pointed courts and platforms, some in contrast to the outfit and some in a tonal hue stepped out alongside T-bar sandals and shimmering satin lower heel options.

In the rock corner there were the country weddings of Lily Allen and Sam Cooper and Kate Moss to Jamie Hince. Both came with well heeled guest lists and a variety of stylish shoe choices. As suspected Ms Moss’s wedding had a vintage, boho-chic feel and the simple satin ballet flats chosen for the bridesmaids complimented her John Galliano wedding gown perfectly. Don’t forget to look out for Upper Street’s new ballet flat design coming later this year – subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed. Have a look at our Bridesmaids Shoes Design Guides for inspiration and tips.

Kate’s own shoes were by Manolo Blahnik and rumoured to have had a blue lining to incorporate the Something Blue tradition – a bespoke touch loved by everyone in the Upper Street office.

Singer Lily Allen married Sam Cooper and had more than one reason to smile on her big day – the good news that Lily is pregnant was revealed by the groom at the reception. That didn’t stop Lily gaining a little height for her wedding in the form of her Rupert Sanderson platform peep toes.

Every bride needs to make sure her heels are the right height for her and the groom  which is why Upper Street offer varying heel and platform height options selectable at the checkout stage. We understand that every detail on your big day has to be perfect! If you’re getting married soon and haven’t yet made that all important wedding day shoe decision, take a look at our bridal and vintage bridal features for a little inspiration.

Who do you think got it just right for their wedding and which guest do you think ran away with the well-heeled wedding guest prize?

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

Image sources: Zimbio, MailOnline

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