Comfort Club Spring 2012

Spring 2012

club Red, white and blue celebrations

Meet our amazing customers Behind the scenes of our Spring photoshoot

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU Welcome to our

exclusive Comfort Club Magazine

Welcome With the start of a New Year there’s always pressure to reinvent, readjust and rejuvenate.

So while we’re waiting for the longer days and brighter evenings to begin, we’ve included a few stories in this edition to give you food for thought and keep you busy.

If you browse the internet perhaps you follow a blogger or two? Well we’ve asked two of our favourites to help you with your fashion and feet dilemmas. Meanwhile we’re getting up close and personal with three Hotter ladies with fascinating tales to tell. We’re always on the look out for inspiring ladies and gentlemen to write about so if you’ve got a story to tell we’d love to hear from you.

If you’ve a few minutes spare and want to cheer up a friend then why not turn them into a Calendar Girl?

Simply visit www.hotter.com/ calendargirls, upload your photo

and a friend’s into our photo with Camilla Dallerup and then share on your facebook page. Here’s one I prepared earlier with myself and our editorial assistant Jenni. It’s really simple to do, and while you’re on the website you could enter our competition where a lucky winner will meet and greet the stars of the show; or even book tickets to see Calendar Girls with an exclusive Comfort Club offer of £7.50 off each ticket you buy.

Keep us updated with your plans and photos, looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Best wishes

Melanie

Editor – Comfort Club

Find us on facebook 2

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a r b e l Ce

ating what’s great in Britain Parks, streets, cars and people will be awash with red, white and blue in 2012 as the country celebrates two Great British events – the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games hosted on our shores.

What better way to chase away the Winter blues than by planning a family get together or celebration to put you in the festival spirit. With an extended bank holiday weekend in June, a river pageant on the Thames and plans for a time capsule and a ‘Big Lunch’, the celebrations for the 60th year of the Queen’s reign are set to unite the country. Expect this wave of patriotism to provide a launch pad for support for our British hopefuls in the 2012 games.

We’re also proud to fly the flag for Britain at Hotter; as you know we currently make one of every three pairs of shoes manufactured in the UK, and we have also been nominated by our local MP Rosie

Cooper to be part of the Made by Britain campaign. Launched by an all-party manufacturing group in Parliament, this campaign celebrates the strength and vibrancy of the UK manufacturing sector – watch this space to find out more!

Stylish comfort in red, white and blue Celebrate 2012 in red, white and blue style – an enduring colour palette that will also keep you on-trend with ‘nautical’ charm.

Our latest collection is awash with hues of reds and blues, whilst classic, neutral white is a great all rounder that looks fresh, smart and cool with any outfit.

COMPETITION Fancy winning a pair of red, white or blue shoes to keep your toes in comfort as you celebrate in style in 2012?

The Golden Jubilee time capsule is being created for people to share their most memorable days of the Queen’s reign – we’d like to hear your favourite memories of the last 60 years and we’ll select our favourite three to win a comfy pair. Entry details on the back page.

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I M ari an ne wit h

Mich ae l Cra wf

Shoes,

and I also love...

Marianne, Susan and Jenni all played a starring role helping us with our recent TV campaign - Susan even starred in the advert herself! When we met them for a day of filming, we soon discovered their hidden talents.

Sig

ord

n u p.....

Marian ne in Hair

...acting

...running

When we discovered Marianne Welsh had once appeared on stage with Richard Gere we had to find out more!

Running enthusiast Susan Robinson from Leeds earned herself the title of Ladies Champion 2011 in the Yorkshire Dales race series last year and we met up with her to hear all about it.

Marianne started acting at 20 after attending drama school and has appeared in 21 musicals. When she played Sandy in Grease she met Richard Gere and enjoyed a whirlwind romance; “he used to take me out on his Triumph 650 motorcycle after the shows!”

Now as a busy councillor in Southport, Marianne has also appeared in the hit musical Billy with Michael Crawford taking over the part from Elaine Page. “My all time favourite show was the 1960’s hit musical Hair, which was amazing,” said Marianne who in 1975 performed in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance as part of the cast of ‘Billy’. “Unfortunately I didn’t get to meet the Queen but did meet Prince Charles in 1977 when I was in the musical 'The History of Mr Polly' alongside Roy Castle.”

In 1977 Marianne appeared in ‘England England’ with Bob Hoskins playing the wife of Reggie Kray. “One night as Bob was looking out into the audience he noticed there were more people in the cast than the audience so rebooked everyone’s tickets for another night and took them all Maria n ne to the local pub for a drink”, she told us laughing.

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...for emails giving hottest news, shothe and special offers es at www.hotter.co m

Owner of 20 pairs of Hotter shoes, Susan developed a passion for running after taking part in the 5k Race for Life in May 2008 without any training. She was so amazed at her results she went onto complete more 5k and then a couple of 10k races that year.

Susan After her husband suggested that she 'push herself’ , Susan started trying to improve her time and by Autumn 2009 Susan was winning prizes - although each success came as a complete surprise to this modest athlete. Her running hard work payed off in 2011 when she was crowned Ladies Champion.

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Susan loves every training run and frequently runs over 20 miles on a weekend. Her top tip for aspiring runners is “start with what is manageable for who you are and where you are at (physically and emotionally) and then build up steadily over time.

“The greatest thing about running is that it does (truly!) get easier and more pleasurable over time.”

all bagged up!

Jen ni

...jewellery making Former Christian Dior and Yves St Laurent model Jenni Rhodes discovered a talent for jewellery making five years ago after offering to fix a necklace for her sister.

Jenni now runs her own business and when she needs to make her jewellery stand out from the crowd, she uses her modelling expertise to strike the perfect pose! Jenni was inspired to start making necklaces after watching her friend make her own when she lived in Los Angeles for 20 years.

When we asked Hotter ladies to reveal the secrets of their handbags we were amazed with what they simply couldn’t do without!

And our Glasgow Store Manager Andrea cycles into work each day so her essentials include a cycle pump.

Evelyn, whose sales area is Scotland and North England carries a pepper mill to spice up her meals on her travels.

Head of Customer Care Pauline told us she had yesterday’s lunch in her handbag – a potato.

Factory Manager Joan always includes the keys for the factory robots.

And some other interesting ‘essentials’… dummies, menthol cream, tweezers, umbrellas, a diet calculator, pens, nail file, newspaper, a sandwich, lip balm, a child’s cutlery set and a pooper scooper!

“I love to create beautiful pendants made with faux pearls, crystals and glass, and can even customise them for special occasions,” said Jenni.

When she’s not carefully crafting jewellery Jenni is still modelling and was recently dressed and accessorised for a photo shoot by celebrity stylist Gok Wan. If you’d like to find out more about Jenni, you can visit her website at www.jennirhodesdesigns.com.

Tell us the most unusual and useful things in your handbag and we’ll ask our handbag designer to pick her favourite to win one of our amazing new bags.

Entry details on back page.

Maui

Our ladies also love...

Hand-bags of style Shak e

No matter what you carry in your handbag, you’ll find a Hotter style to suit. Invest in soft, supple Maui if you’re looking for a timeless leather classic for weekends and holidays; or why not try Alaska for an on-trend fun look.

Alaska

Sug ar

FIND OUR FULL COLLECTION AT WWW.HOTTER.COM

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putting on the style CAROL’S FAVOURITE STYLE THIS SEASON:

“I teamed Livia sandal with an animal print maxi dress which looks amazing- animal prints are going to be big this season and Livia matches this style perfectly, it’s one I’ll be buying myself!”

Does shopping for a living sound like a dream job …well stylist Carol McKitty does love her work, but there is a downside – steaming and ironing outfit, after outfit, after outfit!

In this edition of Comfort Club we give you a peak behind the scenes of the latest Hotter photo shoot, where Carol has worked her styling magic on the models, their clothes and, of course, their footwear.

“I love working with the Hotter team, it’s always exciting to see the

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Me et Ca

rol - Hotte r stylist latest colours and styles and I look forward to the challenge of matching clothes and accessories to the different footwear categories,” explained Carol who has styled Hotter’s two seasonal shoots for the past six years. “I love the pale aqua and light beige shades for Spring, they are so on trend. Bright colour blocking, printed silk dresses and trousers are also coming through strong and it was good to see that Hotter’s designers have made sure that there are lots of footwear options to complement these looks.”

Every outfit was agreed and photographed in the studio before it was packed for shipping.

Carol works closely with Hotter’s design team to ensure they are involved with the model’s final look.

“It’s important I understand their vision of how the shoes will work with an outfit,” added Carol, who lives in Stockport.

“We go through the catalogue page by page discussing how each shot should be styled. I’m careful to reflect the differences between the classic and contemporary shoes , switching from tailored styling for the classics to softer lines for contemporary. I’m always conscious that the clothes are comfortable, easy to wear and are appealing to Hotter customers.”

Carol gives the finis hing

touch

Armed with notes, and lots of ideas, Carol had to create 44 outfits and the shopping began. But that proved to be a new challenge as photos for the Spring catalogue were taken in December – so shorts and summer skirts were thin on the ground!

With the guarantee of long days, bright light and good weather in December, the Spring 2012 shoot took place in Cape Town. On arrival the team had a production meeting to determine which photos would be taken and when; at which point Carol’s outfit photos came in handy and she had to unpack, steam and iron each one.

Creative M an

ag er Joa nn a H Versatile Carol was also in ou ghton was the ‘athletic’ sta nd in for thi s locati charge of hair and makeup for on te st shot... the models – again carefully matching the model’s look to the classic or contemporary styling.

“This added an extra half hour on the start of my day,” said Carol, who was up and ready each day for 6am.

With up to six shots taken per day, and having to keep a close eye on the models to make sure they were looking fresh and crease free for each shot, Carol was kept so busy that it wasn’t until the final night when the team went out to celebrate that she had time to style herself!

carol’s tip!

“Darcey is looking really good this season – if you team it with skinny jeans it’ll give you a look that’s young, trendy and really up to date!”

Carol took seven days to complete her shopping trip using the internet and high street stores.

Livia

... an d he re is t wit h m od el he f in al pho to V ik ki.

CAROL SAYS...

Da rce y

“The newer Hotter styles look so good I’ve had to look twice at them... WOW... and the bonus is they’re really comfortable too!”

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new Year, new You With Spring just around the corner it’s a great time to try a new look, get healthy or even test out a new hobby.

We combine all three here with tips on style and healthy feet from two guest bloggers who might just inspire you to delve deeper into the web – following their latest news, or maybe even starting a blog yourself!

Of course we asked them to focus their advice around shoes and they’ve both come to the same conclusion …read on and all will be revealed!

How to wear shoes fashionably Vicki Day, has just been voted one of the top three UK bloggers in Vogue’s Online Fashion 100 poll. Find her at mrsd-daily.blogspot.com ‘A shop girl at heart’ Vicki, who lives in South Kensington, started as a weekend sales assistant at Vick i Kendal Milne in Manchester and after college became a management trainee at Jaeger. Age 40 Vicki returned to university to study journalism, landing an internship at fashion industry bible Drapers.

Vicki’s motto is “there are no rules to fashion just great style”; we asked her how to wear shoes fashionably…

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“The whole shoe process starts with the face and then the feet: do the shoes put a smile on your face which make you want them to put them on your feet … and do they fit? The second part of the ’feet to face’ ratio is… are they not only fabulous but comfortable, because nothing looks worse than a woman with her face screwed up in pain from her shoes.

“Make sure your clothing is tailored or you'll risk looking sloppy. A trouser leg should fall at or above the ankle, while skirts or dresses should end above the knee - so Darcey is a perfect choice for trousers.

“And if you’re ever in doubt, always take the line of comfort or a classic black court shoe as this is always in fashion and will always look fabulous on you.”

“Make a statement with your feet, so if you’re looking for full on glamour go for those spindly stilettos, but if you’re thinking cute then buy kitten heels - basically know what look you're going for, and go full out. Let’s also remember night time is the right time for attentiongetting shoes. If you till want to wear a ‘drop dead’ look during the day, choose a closed-toe or peep-toe shoe or sandal Surabaya Surabaya is perfect.

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Shoes to choose for happy healthy feet Heres are Sue’s tips...

Sue Ferguson is a podiatrist with a private practice in Tenterden, Kent and blogs as www.footstar.co.uk.

“What could be more interesting than feet?” says Sue. “I knew a chiropodist who used to say ‘how can you be Sue beautiful if your feet hurt?’ and he was right, if your feet are comfortable you stand tall and you feel confident – you project how you feel. I use chiropody to take away pain and recommend shoes and orthotics to help compensate for mechanical foot problems. I say to patients; “you wear glasses so you can see to read, they don’t fix your eyes, they just help you to function.

Good shoes are the same, they don’t fix your feet, but they support them and let them function without hurting.”

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Club readers? other Comfort tails to Send in the de hotter.com @ es ho es welov a look! ve and we’ll ha

“If you had back pain 50 years ago chances are you would be told to lie on a board for a month and not move. We now know you need to move as soon as possible. To get walking quickly you need comfortable shoes; you don’t want sore feet to add to your misery.

Make sure you only wear shoes that are supportive and comfortable.

“I deal with people who admit to me that their feet are not perfect. So what should you do if you think you are in that category?

When in doubt think ‘comfort’ and you won’t go wrong.

“Second tip: save your inappropriate glam shoes for party nights when you are not planning to walk far.

“Third tip: When you go out dog walking don’t wear cheap rubber wellies … your feet will get cold and sore. Choose boots or shoes with GORE-TEX® technology to keep your feet dry, warm and comfortable.

And don’t forget to slip in your orthotics if you normally wear them.

Walking for miles on uneven ground in unsuitable footwear like wellies can wreck your feet… and even cause back pain.”

“First tip: wear shoes that accommodate all your lumps and bumps. It sounds obvious but your shoes should have room for all of your toes. So if you have hammer toes or toes that overlay each other wear shoes that are deep and wide enough at the toe box end. If you have bunions make sure your shoes are wide enough across the forefoot. Don’t make bunions or corns worse by wearing tight narrow shoes with Nirva na pointed toes.

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“Nothing looks worse than a woman with her face screwed up in pain from her shoes.”

“I knew a chiropodist once who used to say ‘how can you be beautiful if your feet hurt?’ he was right, if your feet are comfortable you stand tall and you feel confident.”

Footstar

Mrs D FIND OUR FULL COLLECTION AT WWW.HOTTER.COM

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WINE WITH A CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY TWIST by our wine writer Graham Gendall Norton

In Britain our classic wines came, and still mainly do, from that great home of wine - France. We’ve also enjoyed the classic fortified wines of Portugal and Spain - port and sherry - which have alcohol added to keep them drinkable long after the cork has been pulled.

For French red wine Bordeaux is a classic, with great ‘Château’ vintage years dating back decades and even longer fetching many thousands of pounds a bottle. Made to be ‘laiddown’ to mature, these wines often come in a claret shade which, for centuries in Britain, became the name of this great wine.

Claret has to be a blend of two or more grapes, of which Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot must always be included. One to try is Bordeaux Rouge Patrice Calvet 2009 which has newly arrived at Majestic Wines at a modest £7.99 (buy two, £5.99).

I found it immediately enjoyable, traditional but soft and fruity.

Today, wines come into the UK from across the world: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South

America, California. These ‘New World’ wines can all be called contemporary, but are made to have wide appeal. They use classic European grapes, some which have been given new life after almost dying out.

Most of these contemporary tipples are single grape, but we’re beginning to see an increase in the number of blends, some following the Bordeaux tradition, such as West Australia’s Margaret River, Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2009. West Australia is zooming upwards for the quality of its wines, and this is reflected in its price (£12.49, £9.99 buy two). This wine really manages to get back to the taste of France where the vines came from, with a rich blackberry mix and dark plum. It also can keep for a decade or so.

A note of caution readers and fellow drinkers, New World wines are very often higher in alcohol by volume than their classic European ancestors. This Aussie, for example, is 14.5% compared with Bordeaux which is usually 12.5%.

After that warning, let’s find a delicious white which is comparatively low in alcohol, (12%).

Made with the only other grape whose wine is accepted as a world classic model - Riesling the great wine of the Rhine. This German wine was almost unchallenged as the supreme white but from the 1970s much of the quality fell off (though now improved). Better Riesling came from Alsace, Austria, and now the New World, especially Australia and, for our bottle, New Zealand, from their leading wine region, Marlborough, made by Fairleigh Estate (£8.74, £6.99 buy two). Apple and a hint of lemon on the nose, when sipped, clean and fresh in the mouth, with a great balance of sweet and dry notes. Perfect as an aperitif or a light lunch of just vegetables or salmon.

COMPETITION Win two bottles of each of the wines featured if yours is the first correct answer randomly selected - see back page for details.

Q. Which two grapes must always be included in an officially recognised red Bordeaux?

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My hotter boots and i Neil Simmonite, Registered Podiatrist, Lecturer

It is five years now when I look back sorting through some photos, a great thing to do on a drizzly day in December. I was going to Norway with some friends and needed some walking boots and as a podiatrist you can imagine that I am very particular about my footwear.

So when Mel from Hotter suggested I try their GORE-TEX® walking boots I was scornful, ‘surely not’ I thought, ‘they are for casual wear and not up to the rigours of climbing and walking’.

With the challenge from Hotter set, I decided to push the boots to the

limit; climbing Preikestolen (Pulpit rock) near Stravanger, Norway. I arrived after a four hour trek through some amazing terrain including bog, rocky crags and streams to find my feet were warm, safe and amazingly without blisters.

You can see in the photo my Hotter boots standing proud at the summit. I am the first to admit when I am wrong and in thinking Hotter boots were not up to the task, I was indeed wrong and I can thoroughly recommend them.

Ne il Si mm onite at

the pea k

Try our Weatherproof Collection yourself Mist

Vent ure

Postcard

Over to you...

china from

We’d love to feature your dream holiday in Comfort Club, send in your stories and photos and you could feature on our next postcard.

Dear Comfort Clu b,

COMPETITION Health conscious Tracey wears a pedometer every day; how many steps do you think she takes in her five day Hotter working week? The closest answer to the total will win a £20 Hotter voucher. See back page for details.

I’ve always been fascinated with th e culture and histo China and last Oc ry of tober I was lucky enough to go there partner Mark. We with my arrived at the Grea t Wall in 34Cand sa several thousand w people walking to the highest part, them in high heels some of ! I decided to powe r walk the wall to how far I could ge see t in two hours an d the scenery wa s amazing.

Our visit to the Ch engdu panda sanc tuary turned into memorable all-d a ay event. Tony th e tiger, our travellin proved to be a fo g mascot, cal point of our tra vels and we were constantly by peop stopped le wanting their ph oto taken with him .

China was everyth ing I expected an d more, the peop so friendly and ac le were commodating, ev en singing Christm to us when they sa as carols w our tour guide’s British flag!

Love Tracey May Hotter Store Man ager, Exeter

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Readers’ letters hococo helps out

Here's Hotter fan Charles Kinsey, from Bristol, trekking in Rwanda wearing his trusty Victor boots, look what he found on his way! Charles went on several gorilla treks in the Volcanoes National Park as well as the Nyungwe Forest. He walked for hours through forest areas and muddy paths and told us his boots performed brilliantly keeping his feet dry, warm and comfortable!

join in the fun on facebook

Hotter fans love to visit our Facebook page to share their shoe stories and we’d love to meet even more of you there. Visit our page today and we’ll also keep you updated with all our latest news, product updates and juicy gossip from Hotter HQ! And if you’ve got any questions, we’ll find a Hotter expert to get you an answer.

Customer Service: 0800 525 893 Personal Shoppers: 0800 083 3083

E: weloveshoes@hotter.com W: www.hotter.com Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes @hottershoes Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes

COMPETITION

Would you like to win a new pair of Hotter Shoes?

Simply go to our Facebook page, find the photo album we’ve created called ‘Comfort Club Favourites’ and then tag your favourite style. We’ll pick one lucky winner on 27th February to win that pair of shoes!

Hococo, Hotter’s knitted lemur Hila ry B ra dt toy, created by renowned designer Alan Dart, has helped raise over £3,000 for Money for Madagascar in the six year s since he was ‘born’. Former Comfort Club writer Hilary Bradt introduced Hotter readers to the charity which raises money to help street children in Madagascar and we decided to help by commissioning a lemur toy – as it is native to the country. Hilary recently took part in the Great South Run to help raise more funds and, if you look closely at her photo, you’ll see her very own Hococo keeping an eye on her over her hat.

There’s still chance for you to knit Hococo, simply email weloveshoes@hotter.com and we’ll send you his pattern.

Send in your stories, photos and competition entries to Melanie Killilea, Editor, Comfort Club, Hotter Shoes, 2 Peel Road, Skelmersdale, WN8 9PT or email weloveshoes@hotter.com. Any stories or photos sent to us may be used in future editions of Comfort Club or on our Facebook page.

Unless otherwise stated, competitions in this edition will close on Saturday 31st March – winners’ details will be printed in our online Comfort Club at www.hotter.com or contact the Editor for a full list.