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It's 7am. The heating hasn't caught up, the kitchen tiles are colder than the milk, and you're shuffling towards the kettle on the sides of your feet. Most men handle this with a pair of old football socks and a quiet grudge against the boiler.
We'd like to offer an alternative. The Norton is our new pair of men's faux fur slipper boots, built for exactly that walk from the bottom of the stairs to the first cup of tea. It has a puffa-style shape, a plush faux fur upper, memory foam underfoot and the same sole as our best-selling Gosling.
Below you'll find what goes into it, which colour to pick, how to keep it looking good past February, and why it might be the easiest Christmas present you buy this year.
The first thing you'll notice is the shape. The Norton takes its cue from a puffa jacket: rounded, padded and generous, somewhere between a slipper and a proper winter boot. It stops at the ankle, so it keeps the draught off your shins without looking like you've borrowed hers.
It's made for the man who's first up in the house. The one who works from the spare room three days a week, makes the school-day breakfasts and spends Saturday evening with his feet up in front of the match. Every one of those hours happens on a floor, and most floors in a British house in November are cold.
The upper is high-density plush faux fur. Density is the detail that matters. Thin faux fur flattens after a few weeks of being walked on. A denser pile has more to it, so it keeps its loft and its warmth for longer.
The finishing touches are kept understated. There's an embroidered Bedroom Athletics logo and our signature heel tab, which turns out to be very handy for hooking a finger through when you're pulling them on half asleep.
Plenty of slippers look warm in a photo. The test is what they feel like at 11pm on a Tuesday in January. Here's what's inside the Norton:
That sole deserves a second mention. The Gosling is one of the most popular boots in our slipper boots collection, and the sole unit is a big part of the reason. Giving the Norton the same base means it starts life with a foundation that thousands of feet have already signed off on. It's designed for indoor wear, though, so leave the bin run to your trainers.
The Norton comes in two colours, and both are the sort a man will actually wear.
Peacoat Navy is the smarter of the pair. It looks sharp with grey marl joggers, it sits well next to a dark dressing gown, and it's forgiving of the odd tea splash.
Charcoal is the quiet one. It goes with everything and draws no attention whatsoever, which for some men is the entire point.
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Faux fur gets an unfair reputation for going matted. Nine times out of ten, the washing is to blame rather than the fur. The good news is that the Norton can go in the machine at up to 30°C on a gentle cycle. After that:
Look after them like that and they'll look as good in March as they did on Christmas morning.
Buying for a man who insists he doesn't need anything is a seasonal sport. He probably does need warm feet. He just won't buy them for himself, because his current slippers "still have life in them" despite the hole by the big toe.
At £35, the Norton hits a useful spot on the gift list. It's a proper present rather than a stocking filler, and it isn't so pricey that he'll tell you off for spending too much. If you don't know his size, sneak a look at the label inside his trainers, then check the size guide on the product page before you order.
Buying for more than one? A Peacoat Navy pair for him and a Charcoal pair for his dad ticks two names off the list in one go. Wrapped, it also makes a satisfyingly squashy parcel, which is far harder to guess than a bottle of aftershave. They'll both pretend they didn't need them, and they'll both be wearing them by Boxing Day.
The heating will catch up eventually. Until it does, there's no reason to stand on cold tiles in yesterday's socks. Pull on a pair of Norton slipper boots, or browse the full slipper boots collection and meet the Gosling while you're there.
