Everywhere you look in Jones Bootmaker, you can see leather. That's what they do, you see…read more Aside from stocking famous brands like Cat and Ted Baker, this serious shoe shop stocks a massive selection of leather shoes and boots. In fact, it's so much about the leather that they only carry four or five trainers for boys. Jones Bootmaker also has a great range of shoe care products behind the counter. If you want to tenderly care for your shoes then they have brushes, polishes and shoe horns. Who would ever want to buy a wooden thing shaped like a foot that you put in a shoe to help it keep its shape? Is this the kind of thing a boy will never understand?

There are stores that have a strong identity and style and others that aim to appeal to everyone by…read morestocking a bit of everything. One glance at their confused window displays reinforces that Moda In Pelle fall firmly into the latter camp. There's no attempt to woo new customers with eye-catching graphics or cool displays, just simple rows of heels and sparkly shoes on the bottom row, ankle boots on the middle row and knee high leather, suede and jewelled boots on the top two rows. This might work if only some of the shoes and boots in the window weren't so damn ugly! Inside the shop is just as bad with radically different styles rubbing soles next to each other. I actually spotted a fabulous pair of white boots with tasteful silver studs but I wasn't going to shell out £120 on them when they were next to boots I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy! To quote teachers across the world: Must Try Harder!

You'll notice a lot of my reviews are focussing on sales at the moment... well, tis the season, and…read moreon (at the time of typing) this, the Monday that is supposed to be the most depressing Monday of the year (first bills after the festive period and what-not), what better to bring cheer to yourself (girls) or any female you know than a nice pair of footpieces. Yes, there is nothing that quite lifts the spirit like a new pair of shoes, and I have to say, Moda in Pelle has one of the best sales I've seen in a long time. A shy and retiring little boutique amongst the smaller Market Street shops, this branch just off St Ann's Square is a right little gem. And as for those reductions, well, you can't argue with a stunning pair of bright red wedge sandals reduced from £80 to £25. Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you, and it'd be rude not to grab them - after all, thinking of that summer holiday is probably keeping you going right now... I've always found the staff in Moda in Pelle very friendly and helpful, and they give you space to browse. There's a great range of shoes on offer too, from the aforementioned wedges (and plenty of them... I love my summer wedges, so this is a must for me) to Ugg-esque Edhas and Dais and biker boots, fancy courts and pretty pumps to a lovely variety of handbags. To me it feels like a nice little halfway point between the ostentatious self-worth of Kurt Geiger and the cheerful high street demeanour of Office and Faith. If you're after a little treat in the sale, don't miss this one out.

Oddly enough the shoes I bought the other week I haven't worn them yet but I'm sure they'll be…read moreok!Geoff.

Recently refurbished, this Shoe Zone store is in the Manchester Arndale in the Halle Malle section…read moreof the shopping centre, it is basically located next to the new multi-million-pound dining complex, next to CeX and Archies, and opposite the former Starbucks unit which is currently vacant. The refurbishment brings the store in line with the new Shoe zone layout they are slowly implementing, which makes the stores just seem a lot less ugly and hideous. The store does look and feel a lot nicer now, a way to describe Shoe Zone would be similar to Primark, but mainly for shoes, the shoes are more "budget" and if you have special requirements for shoes other than getting a quick pair which might not be fantastic quality, this place isn't for you. They basically have the shoes lines up ready for you in different sizes, and you don't really need to call a member of staff to get your shoes, as traditional. The staff don't seem as helpful or friendly as other shoe stores as a result. 2* - Decent for getting a cheap pair of shoes, you only plan to use once or twice, if you're looking for quality or perhaps a better and more fashionable choice this isn't the place for you.

Ah, Shoe Zone. Aka the Twilight Zone. Not because it's full of pale kids with greasy hair and an…read moreunnatural lust for vampires, no, because I find it to be one of the most confusing shoe stores I've encountered since Deichmanns. I set foot into Shoe Zone just once, simply because I was desperately seeking shoes to match the wedding outfit I had for New Year and I was getting to the point where I literally had to jump into every shoe outlet in Manchester. Otherwise, there had been nothing to entice me into Shoe Zone. No intriguing display, no pretty colours... it's like the Army and Navy store version of a shoe shop, militant, bare, minimalist and seemingly laid out by a person with OCD. Indeed, what you will find is very neatly stacked and colour coordinated shoes. You just won't find interesting shoes. It's a great option for people seeking simplicity. You've got brogues, wellies, loafers, something for the kids... but party shoes and ballet pumps, platforms and strappy sandals are noticeably absent. You know when Jen refers to the outdoor smoking area in The IT Crowd as 'Soviet'? That's kind of how Shoe Zone feels. Fine for the basics, cheap as you like, but a little too military for my tastes.

Clarks! Who didn't love using the strange foot-measuring machine as a kid? What little girl didn't…read morewant a pair of Princess Magic Steps with the key in the sole? The joy of the foot-measuring machine was that slight nervous anticipation when you thought it could potentially squash your foot but it stops just short. Parents trusted Clarks because they seemed very focussed on ensuring their children's feet weren't going to be uncomfortable or deformed due to shoes. They wouldn't sell you anything just for the sake of making a sale, they want to sell you the RIGHT shoes. And the left ones too for that matter. Hehe. So you'll never get a pair of foot-massacring party heels at Clarks, so what? That ain't the Clarks way. It's cosy and comfy feet in their book, and anything with a heel has a heck of a lot of cushioning, and that heel sure as hell won't be a stiletto. It'll be something chunky, like in the 60s. Clarks very handily categorises its shoes via function, such as workwear, smart, casual, college and so on. You know you're getting quality, with their soft leather, well-fitting footwear. And they even do half sizes as standard. Do you know how many shops just refuse to acknowledge that half sizes exist? Tons. It might be sensible, but Clarks doesn't have to be boring. They've always catered to their audience while maintaining a subtle plateau of innovation, and that's what we love about them. When I worked at Barratt's I used to gaze longingly at the Clarks a few shops down. There's a shoe shop where people care about feet, I thought, explaining for the fiftieth time that day to a customer that we didn't do half sizes. Clarks has proved itself recession-proof, and it might just be time-proof too.

This is Manchester's Clarks store, yes they is some in smaller towns like Bury and Oldham however…read morethis one is in the city centre, and is much better than my local one, which is quite small and located opposite Heaton Park in the Sainsbury's They have a private section for kids upstairs, which gives you that little bit more of peace when looking for shoes. Both sections are a decent size Most Clarks' shoes are stocked here however they is a selection avaliable on the website to order in. The staff seemed quite nice and helpful. Unfortunatly I had to leave with no shoes and none being right for me due to feet problems and they was nothing on the website. This is a nice store and I prefer the in store experiance rather than online especially for shoes and it looks like I am going to have to kiss Clarks' goodbye. 3 stars for the good size of the store and staff, I can't give more due to the price of some shoes and they could definitley be more selection, in colours for example other than laces shoes, which I don't like.

Thanks, Peep Show. Now there's another thing I can never take seriously again, along with Hamlet,…read morethe guy who paints on TV ('God' in their world) and World of Warcraft... although they didn't call it that, and to be fair, I'd never taken that seriously anyway. Aldo was cemented in my brain as Mark Corrigan walked in to buy a pair of 'brogues' and met with a modest and unassuming shop girl who was filling in time before university. Ah, something I'm so familiar with. I immediately made the association between boring office shoe and Aldo, after all, our beloved Mark is not a character you'd associate with high fashion or individuality. However, having actually BEEN into an Aldo in search of some decent boots in the sale, I was pleasantly surprised. The Arndale branch is perfect, as it's a step up from the likes of Shoe Zone and some 'questionable' independents but not quite as full of itself as Office. I mean, come on, Aldo might be a boring name but it's a heck of a lot more interesting than a name like Office. Who wants to go straight from the office... to Office? Plus, Aldo's only one letter different than Aldi and we all know how much I love Aldi. Yes I wanted to do a heart emoticon, what of it? I'm losing my train of thought. I was surprisingly impressed at the range available, and most of the sale prices reflected that of some of the Kurt Geiger house brands... you know, from £75 down to £59.98 or suchlike. I presumed I wouldn't find anything quirky or unusual but more fool me, there was plenty for me to get my teeth into, from suede shoe boots decorated with zips (one for the BF there - not that he wears women's shoes, he just has a thing for shoes with zips on them. On me, not him) to cosy pixie boots covered in buckles. The result was actually too much for me to choose from with too little time on my hands. Thus... and I never thought I'd say this, really... I'll have to pop into Aldo when I've got more time to do so. I know, who'd have thunk it? I've just got to get the image of Mark Corrigan saying, 'Do a Columbo, do a Columbo!' out of my head.

They say: "Aldo specialises in high-quality fashion…read morefootwear, leather goods and accessories. This sought-after brand pays close attention to detail and to fine craftsmanship. We're dedicated to bringing you both quality and cutting-edge trends at affordable prices, season after season. What's more, our dedicated team of buyers and stylists constantly travel the globe to keep you on the pulse of fashion. Whether the latest footwear trends are breaking in London, Milan, Paris, New York or Tokyo, we'll have them on your feet first." I say: Boring, average, yawn fest.

I walked in here out of sheer desperation to find plain black shoes when I used to work at the…read moreOdeon. I mean desperation because even Primark didn't have them! Other than that, I would have never entered this store! It is stark and looks like a store room full of shoe boxes. Why wouldn't someone display what they have! Especially in a shoe store! I don't get such logic. It has an eerie atmosphere which makes you want to leave the moment you enter. The place smells of shoes. I know that it's a shoe store, but don't shops smell nice? And hence we stick around longer? But nope, Deichman decided to go for the 'I don't care-I'm your shoe store, take whatever you can find' attitude! Anyhow, they did have the black pair of shoes I wanted for £8 and I was happy. Other than that, it is going to remain a room full of shoe boxes in my head!

Europe's biggest shoe retailer apparently, and a master of doing so in the most depressing way…read more I know the lack of showbiz is what allows them to keep the prices down but they could have made some effort, drawn some pictures or made a collage or something. Surely they've watched Art Attack- Neil can make a 20ft dinosaur out of cigarette stumps!

So disappointed that I am now a size 5 and a half. Big Foot. Both my sister and a friend of mine…read morestill have petite enough feet to buy shoes from places like Bear Feet which sell designer 'children's' shoes up to a size 4. I put children's in quotation marks because amongst others they stock DnG and Ugg boots. Not only that but their sales are legendary - if you are a size 4 or below these should definitely be on your calendar. Underlined and in capitals/ red pen. Everything is good quality imported stock and is perfect if you have relatives or friends who like to dress their kids in branded footwear. Which the little ones of course grow out of almost immediately. Bear Feet are your saviours.