Whilst we are still catching our breath as the very strange summer term has come to an end, as parents, we all know that the whole ‘back to school’ will soon come around again. In the spirit of trying to pretend to the world that I am one of those parents who is super organised, I am trying to at least get my daughter’s school uniform ready for September as she has just finished primary school and starts middle school.
Of all my children, she is the easiest when it comes to buying school shoes. She doesn’t mind having her feet measured or trying shoes on and she likes practical shoes and we (so far) haven’t had any disagreements about which shoes to buy.
This made me chuckle as I know what a nightmare I was when I was her age. When I was growing up, there were two shoe shops in our town. One of them was run by my grandparents so I always had to have my very super-sensible brown lace up shoes for school from there. The other was a cheaper shop and I would gaze longingly at the totally impractical, yet so appealing shoes in the window and my mum would just laugh and say that they would last for a week. One time, after a lot of begging, she let me have a pair of patent slip on shoes from the cheaper shop. I LOVED them. They were so shiny and lovely. And they lasted about two weeks. Longer that my mum’s prediction but I was soon back in those oh so dependable brown lace ups.
Whilst this experience has made me very careful about the choice of shoes for my own kids, I am happy to see that there is far more choice when it comes to good-quality school shoes that will last. Even better now is the fact that you can measure your kids feet at home and order shoes online which is particularly useful this year as I am finding that my daughter doesn’t seem to keen on shopping at the moment.
Treads Shoes were the brainchild of a parent who had also struggled with the poor quality and durability of school shoes, even the more expensive ones and wanted something better. Using the concept of footwear designed for wear in construction or industrial workplaces, he applied that concept to school shoes. There result was school shoes that were built to last with good quality materials and the soles are fused on which offers comfort, flexibility and of course, shoes that last. These are shoes that will last a lot longer than two weeks.
One of the first things I noticed about the Treads website is the fact that they offer options for measuring at home. This is amazing. One of my sons had a huge aversion to having his feet measured in a shop and it was always really stressful. Treads give you the option of ordering one of their own measuring gauges and tapes for £4.99 and if you then order a pair of Treads shoes, you can claim the cost of the gauge off your purchase. There is also a paper measure that you can print out and use. Once you have all of the measurements, use their size calculator to work out the size for you. I think this is a really helpful tool, especially at the moment when a lot of people are avoiding shopping.
Treads Shoes have a good range of shoe styles for girls and boys. The shoes are all made of durable Permair leather with reinforced seams and heels. Inside the shoes there is a removable shock-absorbing insole and also a removable foot bed which if taken out can create width for wider feet.
It does seem like they have really thought of everything and I was interested to see what the shoes would be like. I chose to review a pair for my daughter. She is really hard on her shoes and always needs a pair that are built to last, so the Treads range for girls sounded perfect. There were several different styles to choose from and you can choose from lace-ups, t-bar or Mary Jane style. All of the shoes are black and perfectly designed to look smart with school uniform.
My daughter loves lace up shoes and chose the Dakota Oxford lace up shoe. These are perfect for her as they are lace-up, sturdy, stylish and with a slight heel, she feels very grown up in them. I am really impressed with the quality and the way they are made, they certainly look built to last.
The Dakota Oxford shoes are priced between £45 and £47 these are good value for shoes that are such great quality. All of the Treads shoes are priced between £45 and £49 which is a great price point in general. Treads also offer a 12 month guarantee which is reassuring but looking at the shoes we have received, I am certain that they will last my daughter for a whole year, without question.
So if you are looking for great quality school shoes for girls or boys, that will last, take a look at Treads shoes as I am sure you won’t be disappointed.
Disclaimer – we were sent one pair of school shoes in return for this review. All opinions are our own.
