Today I bring thee good shoes, a local (to me) British brand, and some of my favourite photos from a collaboration ever. All the good stuff!
I came across Lanx Shoes on Instagram, as is often the way these days. They’re nice looking shoes with nice photos, but the ‘Made in Lancashire’ line caught my attention mostly. Gotta have a nosey at anything made in your home county, of course. I’m always on the look out for local brands and businesses making cool products or doing cool things. After following Lanx for a wee while I saw their post about an Open Weekend / Sample Sale, and didn’t need much convincing to head down the road to check them out. I do love my shoes, after all. A sample sale is always going to lure me in.
Said open day at Lanx HQ was pretty busy, and I ummed and ahhed over which pair to choose for a good while. I wanted to choose something I’d wear all the time, for a long time, since they’re shoes that are made to last. Tan brogues seemed like a classic choice, so I went for a pair with a woven leather detail on top in addition to the Lancashire Rose on the heel. They happened to go with my OOTD rather nicely, so of course I didn’t waste any time taking a quick outfit snap in Whalley Abbey whilst over that neck of the woods.
Marv (Mr Lanx) liked my pics and asked how I found the men’s shoes. Clever me hadn’t even realised I’d bought a men’s pair, so if that doesn’t confirm they’re unisex then nothing will. Would you have guessed this pair were men’s if I hadn’t pointed it out? Probably not. Either way, I liked my brogues. Marv asked if I’d be up for styling a few men’s pairs for a video which was an obvious yes from me – a chance to see if everyone else can be fooled into thinking they’re women’s like I was. I can’t claim to have done anything revolutionary on the styling front (jeans and a jumper, anyone?) but I certainly made them work for my style. I’m not one for androgynous dressing or anything remotely like it, and I wouldn’t normally even consider looking at men’s shoes because… why would I? However, such classic styles like these really can work on anyone and look equally cute with dresses as they do dapper with suits. If I, with my fairly girly tastes and super skinny ankles, can wear men’s shoes, then we all can (if you’re a size 6 or above, that is). Smaller feet, and there are plenty of nice women’s shoes to choose from.
Of course I threw some of my recent handknits in there, along with a couple of my favourite thrifted pieces. I think they go rather nicely.
I’d like to think it’s a Northern ‘get sh*t done’ attitude that meant this shoot/collab was turned around in less than a week, with no unnecessary people or admin involved to slow things down! Holmes Mill in Clitheroe kindly allowed us to shoot in and around their venue, so camera wizard Tom Pope and I spent a few hours filming and shooting various clips of me walking around and pretending to pick vegetables. Safe to say this shoot made me hungry (and provided endless interiors inspo). If you’re local to Lancashire and haven’t checked out Holmes Mill then I’d urge you to put that right ASAP. There’s a food hall, bar, hotel, bistro, function room, ice cream shop, cinema… in possibly the most photogenic setup ever. No ugly backgrounds to chop out on this shoot.
I should probably quit waffling and let the photos do the talking at this point, because you’ve probably gathered already that I’m a big fan of the shoes and enjoyed the shoot. If pushed to pick favourites I’d probably go for the Neary black chelsea boots and Hayton tweed tan brogues, but I’d happily add any to my collection. Let me know which you’d choose!
Blog post in collaboration with LANX Shoes, and wonderful photos and video by Tom Pope of Tepee Creative. Thanks again for working with me guys! Check out their blog post on unisex shoes here.
Lily Kate x
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