Man, visiting Clarks is like something of a transportation back into childhood for me. And I was…read moreborn in the eighties, so that's a bit terrifying. *Sings Calvin Harris in her head* I remember that my Mum would not let me or my sister wear anything other than plain, leather, practical shoes from Clarks. It was a mixed experience really, as I used to love getting my foot measured on the cold tickly metal slider-meh-bobby, but I hated the resulting footwear. I decided to nip in to Clarks to see if anything had changed in all those years. (Not *that* many years, really. Ok. Maybe fifteen. Arg.) Well. Not a great deal has, in my honest opinion. The quality still appears to be the same, they always sold well made and durable shoes, there's no doubting that. And I guess, really, what we ought to look for in a shoe is just that. Not this fickle fashion business. But Clarks is longing for a bit of a style overhaul. There were some really nice boots on sale out front, but most (not all) of the shoes still had that dowdy taint which made them less attractive to me. I feel terrible about it, really. It's a total conflict, since aesthetically I have been conditioned to love impractical and damaging footwear. And yet politically, I want to love Clarks for offering a way out from bunions, varicose veins, bad arches and all the other awful ailments that I know high heels and such will deliver. Nonetheless, I can't give Clarks a bad review. They have steadfastly sold decent footwear, no matter the style, and may yet win me over so as I might be able to walk when I get older! I'll still wear those uber heels once in a while, like, but just not be a slave to them. That is the compromise! They sell a range of good leather, suede and other shoes, for a price that will be worth it in wear, for women, children and men across the board. And they're all right by me!

A wet and windy Easter bank holiday weekend. Been at the back of my mind for a while that I needed…read moreto get a new pair of shoes. Had previously tried buying on line, but had to return each pair bought because the fit wasn't right. Not been to Ilkley for a while and had gone there to suss out the M&S Food Hall given that my nearest M&S store (Keighley) closes in April. Might as well have a wander round while I'm here I thought. Clarks looked very welcoming in the rain, so I opened the door and went in ... and received one of the nicest greetings I've ever had walking through a shop door. Explained to the sales assistant (Helen) what I was looking for and she proceeded to show me several different pairs of shoes. Tried a few on and found a pair that were a very comfortable fit so bought them. Nothing out of the ordinary there you might think, but the welcome I was given combined with the care and attention to detail of the service received served to remind me why I prefer doing my shopping in the real world. Well done Clarks ... and well done Helen!

Schuberts is certainly a dangerous place to visit if you are one of those afflicted with a shoes…read moreobsession! There are lots of beautifully made pairs to choose from, both of class and practicality it seems. They had a number of leather options, which my Mum would always sing the praises of when I was a child, and quite a number of stylish options too. Whether you are on the look out for leather ankle boots, fluffy sheepskin boots, suede pumps, trainers, leather pumps, work shoes, going out shoes and more, they seemed to have covered most options. As quality goes, from what I could glean, the condition of the shoes wasn't too bad. But it did spark up a conversation between my friend and I about shoe prices and quality nowadays. We were wondering if there was still such a strong correlation between those two factors as there used to be. I remember when I was 12 a £50-£100 pair of shoes meant that they would last for years and so the spend was invariably worth it. But does £50 get you that far now? Equally, can £10 take you further? I don't know. But my guess, with Schuberts at least, the high end high street prices are worth it for style. As for wear and tear, well, I'm guessing so too. But I couldn't afford it, this trip, to find out!

I will be the first to admit that I love shoes...a little too much. Combined with my love from the…read morewealthy, country village of Ilkley, my shoe adoration is fed by Moda In Pelle. As a retreat from the city I often visit the beautiful and dainty Ilkley! I never can resist a look in Moda In Pelle. You will find shoes, boots, pumps, flip flops and sandals here which aren't so available, therefore you wont live in fear of bumping into someone in the same gold platforms. Their shoes are diverse yet very classy. A lot more sophisticated than what you will find in River Island and Topshop, yet still very much on trend. The only let down is the prices. They are really quite expensive. However with Moda In Pelle you are paying for style and quality. If you are wanting to invest in an amazing new pair of shoes, this is your place. Their heeled shoes in particular are gorgeous and some look straight off the catwalk! I have a pale pink pair of 7inch platforms which are just divine and have last me nearly 3 years and have had a lot of wear!! If you are a little strapped cash you still must go and do what I do and have a look around to "ooh" and "ahhh" at these footsie beauties!

I hadn't actually realised how much of a shoe fanatic I was until I visited this shop. Casually,…read moreunassumingly, I walked in one fine Sunday afternoon, with my friend. I wondered what style of shoes they might have. What's this? They do *all* the styles? Oh-ho! A *sale* too! Really very quickly I realised I was in major danger of spending money completely on a whim. I could see my favourite style of court shoe, in classic black, for only £35. Amongst those gems they had some seriously cool kitten heels, some uber stilettos, some lovely ankle boots and much much more. I noted that the original prices were sort of high end high street prices, which brought back into debate a conversation I had earlier with my friend regarding shoe price relating to longevity. My guess is that no high heels should really be worn enough not to last, as it'll be your feet that disintegrate first, but they should "last", as it were, to be worth the £100 mark. In these heady days of instant purchase, whim and frivolity it almost doesn't get to that point as we are so quick to give/throw away in favour of a new pair. Should you be blessed with a little more restraint, I reckon Moda in Pelle shoes should give you a few good years at least! Stylish, attractive and calling out to be bought. Just choose wisely!

Ilkley Dress Agency is another one of those quirky one off indie clothes shops of Ilkey, situated…read morein The Arcade. From the window display, and the shop signage, I had thought that the shop might not have been for me. However, on further investigation I found that they had a lot of lovely accessories, clothes, jewellery and handbags etc, that were really rather nice. It just goes to show that one shouldn't judge, doesn't it! I think being in Ilkley the customer is likely to be a little bit of a more refined in taste, and so if you are after young/alternative fashion I wouldn't necessarily suggest this shop. I happen to like quite vintage styled items and so this is why the accessories and such appealed to me - there was a fair amount that agreed with my kind of taste. But this sort of thing is all dependent on your opinion, isn't it? Even so, there was a great range of branded clothing to choose from, so what ever your preference it's always best to nip in and have a quick scan, isn't it? They had a large shoe rack too, with some pretty tempting heels, and of course some lovely hand bags! Similar to Deja Vu of Oakwood, the idea with this shop is that they buy in hoards of designer dresses - including Nicole Fahri, LK Bennett, Prada and more - to sell on at discounted rates. That alone is tempting enough for me to want to come back again for a secondary visit!

Now I'm a giddy kipper. Well obviously I'm not or else I'd be a fish and would have no fingers to…read morewrite but you get my drift. It's shopping baby and it's the Ilkley Dress Agency. Hoorah to it I say. A shop dedicated to dresses. What is a girl to do but spend? What you'll find is a lovely shop with a wide range of high quality, new and pre-owned fashions. Whether you want clothing, accessories, jewellery or footwear it's all here. It really is a great place to have a delve around and you can pick some really unique and top quality goods up. This is a girls dream. All I need now is a pair of killer pins and I'm ready to go. Oh well best come back in a year then. Wonderful shop.

Unfortunately, I have been to this shop three times with the intention of buying shoes for my…read moredaughter, and I have left three times because of the terrible customer service. My last visit was at 4.30pm on a Monday afternoon - there were 2 other mothers there buying their children shoes and despite waiting patiently for approx. 15 minutes, neither of the two sales staff so much as said hello, apologised for the wait, or said they'd be with me in a minute. They have some lovely shoes but appear to have zero customer service or multi-tasking skill. Very disappointing.

Poppy Red is a handy little children's footwear store in the cute little town of Ilkley. They are…read morequite a handy one it seems, as although ever-so-slightly off the beaten track they appear to be pretty popular. It's not really all that surprising really, though Ilkley has a few shoe shops none that I've seen cater exclusively to kids so they must be pretty specialist. They sell the all important school shoes, which to my understanding means smart, good for growing feet and black, generally. They also do more formal shoes, as little ones will be invariably required to attend weddings/meals and so on, and I was pleased to see that although there were some pretty and smart shoes here there were no horrid, ridiculous heels for 3 year olds in sight! If there was a heel at all, it was maybe a half centimetre at the most. Phew! As well as smart shoes they had a number of 'cool' options too. Some pretty dandy looking hi-tops, which I can imagine looking stupidly sweet on a little skater girl, and my least favourite - crocs. Eugh. I don't like them on adults at all. I suppose though, for wee ones, they are a pretty durable choice. I mean, I had them, after all and they lasted about 3 consecutive beach holidays. A number of good brands are also on sale, such as Mod8, Naturino and Sketchers. A handy shop for the little ones and their parents!

This shop is great - lovely staff with great customer service, not at all pushy, and really care…read morethat their shoes fit properly. They have a really nice selection of shoes and are happy for you to call in and have shoes checked to see if you're ready for the next size. The first time I went in to have my daughter's shoes checked I was told there was definitely another couple of weeks in them when it would have been very easy to say she needed a new pair for the sake of a sale. I'll definitely go back to this shop for my daughter's next pair of shoes!

I'm in the mood to shop now. The credit card is fully charged and my eyes are a wandering. What is…read morethis rather splendid looking boutique? It's only Attic. What a wonderful little shop it is too. It is crammed with independent designer womenswear and it is all stuff I've never seen before. If you want to stand out from the crowd but not in a bad way, this is perfect for you. It isn't the biggest place but it really has some quality stuff. It is fashion but not with your main stream labels. What I also love is that you can get an array of gifts and homeware too. Some real love has been fed into the creation of the shop and it shows. Don't go in expecting to spend very little as it is reasonably expensive but sometimes we should all shell out a little bit on ourselves. I do it often. Lovely shop and very friendly to boot.

I popped back in here during a recent day out to Ilkley and was reminded just how much I love…read morelittle independent boutiques like this. Love and care has gone into every display, each garment is wonderfully finger-spaced for easy browsing, items are matched in gently suggested outfits and the lady behind the counter was friendly and chatty. The item that I was particularly in love with was an utterly gorgeous washed leather jacket, in a taupe dusky pink. The leather was tailored with ribbed woven jersey and the design was utterly fantastic. The bottom of the jacket hung down in a beautifully flattering draped cotton affect and the leather was utterly soft to the touch. None of that plastic feel, and, it was on sale for about £120 - so so cheapl! There was also a number of delightful accessories, making this shop the highlight of my Ilkley visit. Gorgeous.