Let’s get this out of the way: I own a lot of shoes. We’re easily talking over 65 pairs of heels. Just heels. Add in flats and we’re probably nearing 90. I know, it sounds excessive, perhaps downright ridiculous, but let’s look at it sensibly: one pair of black strappy wedges does not equally work well for office wear or a full day’s walk around a city in autumn as it does for a summertime BBQ, though an outfit for each of those scenarios may require black shoes of some description. I wear a lot of red accessories, but different outfits might respectively require red mary jane low heels, a killer pair of red cork heeled wedges with red ankle ties, red bedazzled ballet pumps, red faux suede heels or satin red bow slides. Hence…the downward spiral into multiple shoe racks of a bagillion pairs of pretty pretties for my little piggies.

And yet, what would you know, I don’t yet have a pair of adorable little lace up houndstooth booties! In fact, I am very poor on the boots front in general, only realising this winter that my vast selection of peeptoe heels and ballet pumps perhaps doesn’t offer me a wide and sensible selection of cold weather footwear. As a result, I’ve been making a conscious effort to pay more attention to boots, as they’re not a style of footwear that I’m naturally drawn to. Browsing endless websites to study thousands of pairs of boots in the search for a small selection of styles that might suit my tastes, my vintage style wardrobe and the weather that necessitates their purchase, I slowly began to adapt to the idea of boots and how I might incorporate them into my style. Aaaand then I saw these Banned Moss Garden Hound heels on BlueBanana.com and I didn’t have to adapt or adjust at all, it was simply love at first click. Because, hello, could they be any cuter? I kind of doubt it, but let’s just double check with pictures.

Shoes: Banned Moss Garden Hound Heels C/O Blue Banana
Skirt: Rosie Tweed Sparkle skirt by Collectif
Top: Black Sabrina top from Deadly is the Female
Brooch: Luxulite
Bag: Lola Von Rose

Answer: No, they could not be any cuter, because they’re already superlative in that regard. The houndstooth pattern might seem too busy to some people to be considered versatile footwear, but I think the black heel and toe caps make these heeled brogues more classic than outlandish. They can function as a statement shoe should you want them to, but it’s also easy to style them to be a cohesive part of a look as well without grabbing all of the attention.

Since they’ve got overall foot coverage they’re a great little cold weather shoe. The heel is sensible and comfortable, thick and sturdy at 3 inches tall making them easy to walk in. My feet are standard in terms of width, neither narrow nor wide, so I got these in my usual size 7 and find them to be a perfectly comfortable fit, something I always expect to be harder to find in boots.

The patent black panels make them easy to wipe clean and care for, while the fringed PU laces add extra flair and adorability (yes, I’m claiming that as a word) to the style. Together with the reasonable heel, these are comfortable enough for me for daily wear, though they’ll look just as great paired with outfits for evening. Whether worn with a pair of high waisted jeans, swing trousers, a pencil skirt or a swing dress, I feel like there are endless ways to style these booties that will keep your toes warm and your style on point all winter long. Now that I think about it, I might be a boots girl after all.

The Moss Garden Hound Heels are available in UK sizes 3-8 for £39.99 from Bluebanana.com, who offer international shipping at a range of prices and speeds (such as £4.96 for these shoes shipped to the USA, like are you kidding?!)