I went to big school in the 90s. Apart from a brief affair with a pair of Kickers (one green sole, one red; what were we thinking?) I wore Dr Martens shoes the entire way through. They were comfortable, lasted more than one year & had the unique feature of being both desirable for us picky teens, and still be allowed uniform for such a fussy school like Sullivan Upper.

So with school starting back on Tuesday, I took Michael along to the Dr Marten store in Corn Market in Belfast to try their Back to School shoe styles, and to pick up my own yearly new boots for the school run.

The store has sizes from tiny baby booties, right up through primary school sized feet to young adult styles for secondary school. There is the classic black leather, but also brown and various leather effects to choose from. There are several styles of girls' 'Mary Jane' strapped shoes also, I wouldn't mind a pair of those myself, I love the bows.

There are also fun designs for the weekend for kids to choose from. Shiny patent leather that will be long lasting and keep them cosy and dry all winter. They provide a measuring service so you will get the longest wear out of the size you take home.

I wouldn't have thought of the shop being a place to look for a school bag, but they have just got a collection of gorgeous leather bags in stock that would be perfect for school or university. There are also classic satchels which I adore, I wish I needed a school bag myself!

You can even match your bag to your boots.

After Michael tried his pairs on, it was my turn. I think a pair of Dr Martens is pretty much vital for the winter, and when the school run is wet & miserable, I always wear my Docs. I go for the almost knee high, zipped boots from the women's department and they've just had the Autumn collection arrive.

So these are the new women's boots for winter, in two different leather effects. I chose the centre boot, called Viola, in rich brown. I have a similar pair from three years ago in black, and below you can see my pair from two years ago, in red. So I chose the brown to look well with my leopard skin coat. I can wear them with jeggings underneath, or with tights. They look great with either. They take absolutely no wearing in- they are soft and comfortable from day one. You can also see from the photo below that even after two years and constant wear, they don't fall apart. You would have a hard time wearing out a pair of Dr Martens in fact!

So there you go, a one stop shop for shoes for both your primary and secondary school aged kids, sturdy school bags, and finally something for you to wear on the school run too!

I think I will be making a return visit to buy the light bluey green shoes that caught my eye.