Fantastic Footwear: Whistles Barbara Ballet Shoes from Atterley Road

I do love a quality ballerina pump and these black suede Whistles ones with an ankle strap are simply divine.  They are stylish and elegant, but will be comfortable and practical for wearing during the day - perfect for the office teamed with a smart skirt suit.  I think they could also be worn with ankle skimming jeans for a more casual, but still chic, look.  They are available from Atterley Road in sizes EU 36 to 40 for £110 and, until midnight on Monday, customers can get 25% off with code PAYDAY25, meaning they're £82.50.

Wardrobe Staple: Toms Shoes

Toms Shoes is an ethical shoe company; when they sells a pair of shoes, a pair of shoes is given to an impoverished child, and when Toms sells a pair of eyewear, part of the profit is used to save or restore the eyesight for people in developing countries.  For this reason alone, I'm happy to say that a pair or two of Toms shoes should be a wardrobe staple.  The fact that they are simple, classic and comfortable is a bonus extra!

Having said that, the style of the shoe does seem to divide opinion somewhat.  I've heard them called 'dull', 'ugly' and 'boring'.  However, I don't think this is the case - and anyway, they've expanded their collection significantly and there are loads of lovely versions available.

There are two on which I'm going to focus, which I particularly like.  The first is in the classic style, but a crochet material which should cost no more than £45.  Amazon's a good place to find a selection of different colours for reasonable prices.  I like the cream, but they're also available in navy on sale for just £30 at Box Clothing (but only in a size 3).

The second is a fairly new, ballerina flat pump.  They tend to retail at around the £65 mark but this is far too much!  Get them on sale at Soletrader for just £39.

Toms are also available for the standard prices (i.e. not inflated) at Office, Schuh (some are on sale) and Footasylum (again, some are on sale).  And, of course, there is the official Toms UK website!