Get in shape..and help your bad back (if you have one!!)

MBT jambo in red

Get in Shape and REALLY tone up this summer… (and get rid of any back or joint aches at the same time!!)

Over the last few years there has been lots of talk about shoes that will give you a marvellous behind…but could they really keep to their promises??

A recent court case in the USA has thrown out the claims of certain brands as nonsensical….all but one…and my true one favourite MBT.  I have been a wearer of MBT shoes for almost three years, since  a customer of mine (who was a long term wearer of MBT) suggested that the only reason her baby tummy had disappeared was due to wearing MBT’s.  Within five minutes of her leaving the shop, I kicked off my Jimmy Choo’s and have never looked back!  The change in my body shape was almost instantaneous… first I had an aching lower back (MBT’s improve your posture and force you in an upright position which your back muscles  strongly object to) then I noticed my calf muscles were more defined and then the back of my thighs and then my bottom lifted.  I am walking proof that they work.  The only think is guys and gals, they won’t work from the bottom of your wardrobe.  Get this…. You need to wear them!!! This is where the stumbling block is… MBT’s are not, and never have been the best looking footwear out there, in fact they have been referred to as “special shoes” and I really can’t deny this.. With their thick sole units and Swiss styling they really are not the best looking things, but they really do work.  MBT’s work for you in two ways and for two separate clients.  Firstly there are the body changing wearers such as me, who wear them just to tone up.  The second group of people who wear MBT’s really can’t do without them.  MBT’s help people who have bad backs, arthritis, hip problems, knee problems, foot problems..you name it, if there is a physiological problem out there MBT’s wearers will have found a benefit from wearing these things.  Exclusive Footwear are now the authorised fitters of MBT for Leeds and York District Hospitals.  We fit customers for MBT’s before they go for an orthotic fitting..we do this very well.  We know our product and we know our stuff.. I think the most important thing to mention here is when we speak to these customers, we actually know what they are taking will work for them in a number of ways.

The way an MBT’s works is almost like stepping into sand.  The “massai sensor” on the shoe – which is really a soft, squidgy pad compresses as you step upon it and then you take off with the curved part of the middle of the sole of the shoe.  Your toes never touch the ground and nor does the ball of your foot.  This makes MBT a really good choice for those who have fused toe bones or feet that cannot bend because the shoe does all the bending for you.

Walking with MBT’s increases muscle activity by 40% so you actually burn more calories walking in MBT’s whilst improving your posture at the same time.  They really are miracle pieces of equipment! By the way and for the record, that claim comes from me – a user – and not MBT!!

Aside from that, MBT are incredibly comfortable.  Once you start wearing them you will be hooked!

So before you run to the gym after work (or don’t as I do!) then give MBT a try.  For the price of a pair of (not so good) party heels you could see a body changing experience.  Take it from me..they really do work!  Oh and by the way, I still have a wardrobe of towering heels which I do wear two or three times a week because I think it’s good to alternate your footwear. F x

MBT offer a range of styles from their website at www.mbt.com and also on our website at www.exclusivefootwear.com We don’t hold a massive range as we prefer to offer the whole range on a special order basis.  Please call Frances on 01904 611588 for more information on MBT and how they could help you.

Love from Australia Boots – Ultimate LFA Sheepskin Chic and loving it!

LFA or Love from Australia was one of the very first bands I bought on my first foray into shoe buying.  I still remember coming across the LFA stand at one of the UK shoe trade shows…they were tucked around the back of this huge hall – and when I saw the brand I knew it was a winner.  I still do.  I think the “UGG” boot phenomenon will never go away and no matter how these brands try to diversify into sandals, slippers and boots the one core thing they will always sell will be their sheepskin boots.  LFA haven’t disappointed me this year.  I’m totally in love with the new Foxy Tall Zip Fur in Sand.  Retailing at £252, it’s so glamourous!  I’ve also had my head turned by the Tibetan cupid range again.  This boot sold out for us in a flash last year and I can see it going the same way again.  As we upload the new season boots to the website and you see them and fall in love (as I did!) Don’t leave it too late because before you know it there will be no more to get!

LFA Foxy Sheepskin Chic

More Cool Shoes

Just because you hoard cats doesn’t mean you can’t subscribe to Vogue. In other words, being a crazy cat lady doesn’t automatically make you a total freak. Get yourself a pair of Smoking Cat Shoes from Charlotte Olympia’s Fall 2011 collection. These velvet styles are available as pumps, flats, and sky high, super chic wedges. The fashionable feline footwear comes in red, leopard print, or black.

Charlotte Olympia has also created some other unusual designs:

Weird and wonderful shoes

There have been some wonderful and wacky developments in the world of shoes lately. Here are some of the latest designs to tickle or torture your tootsies.

 Louboutin has created a shoe design to look like a shoe has been made up of a tape measure. The straps are calfskin, there’s a criss-cross ankle wrap with adjustable golden buckle, padded insole, leather lining, and a 4-inch heel. The signature Louboutin red sole is underneath.

 

And another: As part of his Autumn 2011 collection, Christian Louboutin will debut his golden lion paw pump. Definitely purrr-fect for the catwalk.

Lady Gaga in her black platforms with clear plastic penis heels by the British Label Void.

The Company United Nude has created a DIY shoe that looks rather uncomfortable and hard to assemble. United Nude created the shoe as part of an art project about space travel and the possibility of humans living on the moon in the future. The shoe collapses for compact lunar travel and the upper parts are interchangeable for customizing.

Check out these: Fashion student, Lisa Dillon from Bath Spa University near London, designed these heels out of stale bread and West Country cheddar as part of a competition to promote the region’s dairy industry. More melted and “molded” cheese makes up the embellishment on the toe of the shoes. Maybe not the most wearable shoes though.

Harrods, Shoe Room

In the Harrods new shoe room a pair of stunning Alexander McQueen black leather ankle boots with a gold flower heel take centre stage. They cost a massive £2,195 – and 18 pairs have been sold. There are 35 people on the waiting list, which has now closed. 

I Will Literally Be The Old Woman Who Lived In Her Shoe!

Putting a different take on shoes…

The Boot was created by a couple living in Tasman, New Zealand in 2001 and has had years of happy visitors.
The giant boot guesthouse is on a 6 acre property, and rather than convert an existing building, it was designed from scratch.
With curved walls and ceilings, everything had to be custom fitted into carefully planned spaces. The result is an unusual, romantic hideaway – in the shape of a giant boot!

Killer Shoes

Shoes to die for, or shoes that kill?

At Paris fashion week it wasn’t just the clothes that were getting noticed it was the models feet too! There were some amazing styles for any shoe lover to feast upon, A lot of them ingenious and architecturally marvellous.

At Yves Saint Laurent, the soles of Mr. Pilati’s needle-thin stilettos were replaced by a thin metal rod that connected the heel to the toe, leaving the most sensitive underbelly of the foot vulnerably exposed.

Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy offered gladiator styles that laced to the knees, in sandal and stiletto variations.

Alexander McQueen included a pagoda shoe in his show that elicited applause for the model who wore them without falling.

Our favourite; Antonio Berardi showed a high heel on an elongated platform at the toe that actually had no heel.

Church Footwear

Church’s Footwear began manufacturing in 1873, we wanted to show you a few of their creations! they are amazing to say the lease…

What we love best is the heritage style mix with bold fashion statements such as studs, but with over 100 years of experience we couldn’t really see them going wrong.

Dior’s Vegan Shoes

 

Busting the myth that leather is the only ‘quality’ fabric for shoes and rising to the challenge of working with animal friendly material Dior had responded to Natalie Portman’s pleas for vegan footwear. She sports the shoes in her campaign for Miss Dior Cherie perfume.

Now the animal-loving star has Dior wrapped around her little finger, we may just see more vegan styles in their portfolio.