Our AW’10 collection is on its way into the Lodger shop in the coming weeks (watch this space), but we’re already well under way developing our A/W’11 line up. For AW’10, Annejkh drew upon from the antique, rich colours of the Old Masters. For AW’11 we’ve sought inspiration from vintage ski and mountaineering pursuits and their accompanying paraphernalia.

Our research took us back to the Shoe Collection at the Northampton Museum and its rich seam of shoe history. Our day turning over racks of shoeboxes yielded many ski and mountaineering boots from the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s.

We’ve been seduced by the hardy, chunky aesthetic: the heavier leathers, double leather soles and robust hardware. The buckle straps across the instep were intended to provide extra support and grip (to the admittedly ill-suited ankle-height boots!), the square toes were designed to fit into the bone crunching non-release bear trap bindings on old wooden skis.

But we’ve also been taken by the more subtle details: the contrast stitching on the uppers and welt, the woven, colourful laces and snug lining materials.

One of the more intriguing details was the variety of welts we came across and the visual impact these can have on the finished shoe.

Needless to say, you can expect to see a move on from our classic antiqued storm welts come 2011.

The collection remains under wraps (and on paper) for now, but there are more sneak previews to come from the design department as the sampling process progresses this coming Autumn.

The earliest memory I have of my father is watching him reading the paper in the garden, wearing a white T-shirt, sun-drenched jeans and classic black Gucci loafers, with no socks. I assume this is where my (healthy) obsession with footwear began. And this sockless style has become in vogue in menswear recently, perhaps fueled by the success of sites like The Sartorialist and the American designer Thom Browne.

There is something elegant about the sockless look when executed with a quality lace-up or loafer, injecting an air of informality into the look of a tailored trouser. It’s about the carefree lifestyle, and the image of someone who spends their day relaxing in a square with an espresso. Don’t get me wrong, I love socks, tall, striped, coloured, and especially when all I ever see on the morning commute is monotonous greys and black.

The sockless style can be hazardous for shoes, however. For instance, the interior heel of my loafers has become worn and slightly stretched, so this is not for the faint-hearted. I would suggest a little talcum powder here and there as well to avoid any unpleasant smells. Just make sure you always air them out after use (like raw denim, I’ve heard putting them in the freezer for a short stint can work wonders).

For those of you looking to inject some leisure into your footwear, consider losing the socks.

Christian Kimber (Style Sage)

For all my faults, I am polite. Most of the time. I always say please and thank you, always watch my manners when eating out and always give up my seat on the tube to the pregnant or the elderly.

So it is not unusual for me to hold doors open for people. I do it for ladies and gentlemen alike; the subtle difference is the switch from “after you” to “there you go mate” depending on the gender.

Earlier this month, I was leaving my apartment building and I heard some stilettos following me. I swung the door open and stood aside for the young lady. Except it was actually a guy, well over six feet tall with a beard. And Cuban heels. “How strange,” I internalised. “I thought man heels were the domain of Prince, Nicolas Sarkozy and other such vertically challenged men.”

Well, it seems not. Man heels are in. Marc Hare hinted at the trend and of his man heel obsession late last year on Gentleman’s Corner. And his AW2010 collection is splattered with heeled boots. Check out the Bazin and the Truffaut to see what I mean.

Since my meeting with the guy by the door, I have noticed men of all heights are wearing heels in New York. I’ve been back in the UK a week for a trip and I am yet to see a single pair. My theory is that American men are more accustomed to wearing cowboy boots and are therefore more easily persuaded by heeled Chelsea boots for example.

UK Cosmopolitan magazine (August 2010) has deemed the trend “so wrong” and I am inclined to agree. I was very short as a teenager and didn’t grow until I was 17. I remember considering a heel, but only for a second. I don’t think I could do it. (Incidentally, Cosmo called man heels “meels”. I think that is even more wrong.)

That said, maybe I can be swayed away from fear of ridicule. Hare longs to create man heels that you have to be “half-feminine to be man enough to wear”. Perhaps I just need to get over myself. It would help me get over my neurosis over being half an inch under six feet tall too.