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Skechers Women's Bikers Proposal Ballerina
by linzeelou
When it comes to shoes for work, I have to have something extremely comfortable. When I worked in a shoe shop in Toronto, I was introduced to Skechers which I had never worn before. Since then (2007/8) I have worn nothing but Skechers for work during the warmer months and I doubt I will be buying anything else for a while. One of my ... favourite pairs is the Skechers Women's Bikers Proposal Ballerina.
Skechers don't seem to have a UK website although I know Barratts stock the brand. However, I buy my Skechers from Amazon. The pair in question cost £39.99 and are available in white, beige and black. As I have been wearing black trousers for work, I chose to buy the black shoes so that they would match.
This particular pair of Skechers is in the style of a Mary Jane but with a more athletic look. The shoe is made from both leather and mesh, which makes it a robust shoe with the ability to breath at the same time. The sole, front and heel of the shoe is made from black leather which is quite stiff but does soften up as you wear these in. The sides and part of the front is made from mesh, which allows the feet to breathe and also gives the shoe a more sporty look. I really love the design of these shoes which is why I keep going back to Skechers. I hate to admit it but in other shoes, my feet can get quite sweaty at work but they don't in these. I even wear them with socks quite a lot of the time and still my feet remain nice and dry.
These are also not a basic slip on shoe. These have one continuous strap which criss-crosses over the top of the foot. The straps make the shoes stay on my feet really well which I don't think they would do otherwise. The straps have a velcro fastening which means you are able to have these straps as tight or loose as you need them. Everyone has different shaped feet so I think this aspect of the shoe is really clever, as it means everyone can wear them.
What I love most about this particular pair of shoes is how comfortable they are. Unlike many other pairs of shoes, there is no need to wear these in. From the first time I put these on, they were as comfortable as they are today. Never have they ever rubbed at the heels or the sides of my feet. Skechers make it possible to buy a pair of shoes and wear them immediately without having to worry about pain or blisters. I can't say that I have had this with any other pair of shoes that I own.
While I do wear these mostly with work trousers, they can also be worn on a more casual basis. These shoes look fantastic with jeans and even more casual looking skirts. They are a great pair of shoes for the summer as they keep my feel really cool and dry. I cannot recommend these shoes enough.
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Reef Guatemalan Love
by spiritwood
I was surprised to find this version of Reef's surf shoes on here because there are so many different types available. These were bought for me as a gift, I would certainly never pay this much for what are effectively very nice and different flip flops, but they are lovely and were appreciated by me. These are the Guatemalan ... "Love" sandals which come in a few colours including the lovely purples in the pic. Mine are brighter however and have a striped rainbow coloured design which appeals to my inner hippy and matches my horrible tie-dyed clothes...
I love bohemian clothing. Anything rainbow, floaty, hippy, indian style is my idea of heaven. These fit the bill because of their woven rainbow straps. I remember when my daughter was tiny we bought a pair of Guatemalan dungarees made from the same woven fabric. They were so bright and unlike anything found in the rather uninspiring high street that even though she has long outgrown them, I have hung onto them with a view to one day making some form of patchwork quilt with them. The person who bought these for me knew me well in terms of the style that I like and although Reef are primarily a "surfer" oriented company, these are just on the edge of that for me to like them.
WEAVINGS:
Traditional Guatemalan weaving is beautiful and colourful. The distinctive patterns and skillful designs make them recognisable. The descendants of the Mayan people pride themselves in using bright and bold colourways and the weaving is not confined to just rugs and throws, some Guatemalans wear whole outfits of finely woven patterns based on traditional shapes and designs. The same method of weaving has stayed the same over hundreds of years via backstrap looms or larger treadle ones for sheets of woven cloth. This is the cloth that the straps on these sandals are made from.
There is more on the history of the weaving in the link below with some amazing pictures:
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/the-weaving-of-guatemala
We are told that these sandal straps are hand woven in Guatemala and feature traditionally patterns and designs. Reef state that the straps are created in partnership with the nonprofit organization Nest. From an ethical standpoint this is very interesting but even with some digging I was unable to find out what proportion of profits actually go to the people who weave the straps. I would like to know though.
There is more information on Nest here:
http://www.buildanest.org/nests-mission/programs/
QUALITY:
These shoes are very soft underfoot and are well cushioned. They apparently used to have thicker soles on them and there have been a few negative comments on the internet due to this, but as these are my first pair of this type I really do not know any different. I wear them around the house, and have worn them to the beach. They are easy to walk on sand with and dry fast when wet from the sea. The weaving has stayed intact and I have even hand washed them. They also look good with pretty much anything due to the variety of colours on the strap.
The toe posts of these are flexible and did not need to be broken in at all, no blisters or problems even when worn for long periods. These have a footbed shape to the base which I love (Birkenstock fan here) which are exceptionally comfortable and good for my feet. The soles although soft keep their shape well so there is no sagging over time of the footbed itself or the straps. The outer tread is rubber and lightly textured with an all over "leaf" type design. The "Reef" logo is embossed onto the bottom of the sole but this is subtle which is good because nobody wants to look like an old fart trying to be "down with the kids"....
These are a hand-made item and therefore the website states that slight variations may occur in the colours of the woven straps. This is true for mine where the straps are slightly mismatched but then I think that gives them character. These are very lovely shoes but I wonder if the high price is due to the name rather than the materials unless of course Reef are donating a sizeable chunk to the charitable organisation involved with the weavers.
The colourful woven straps are double seamed at the edges with tight stitches and these have held true despite being worn a lot. The rainbow colours on mine have not faded either and they are just as bright and beautiful as the day that I received them. So I would say that these are well made despite their simple design and they seem to be able to hold up to all sorts of wear and tear. They have also survived a few rounds in the washing machine on a cool wash with no damage showing.
Features:
* Soft cotton strap with hand-woven textiles from Guatemala
* Colourful and lively shoes
* EVA footbed
* Lightly textured rubber outer sole
* Toe post logo
* Excellent arch support
AVAILABILITY:
These are available in a whole variety of colours and range from size 3 up to size 9 . They are sold on Amazon and in various online shops, especially surf shops and the prices range between £29.99 and £39.99.
There are a whole range on http://www.surfdome.com and the rainbow ones like mine are £31.99.
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Puma Suede Classic
by -becky-
I'm not really a person for wearing trainers and the only ones I own are a pair of Converse and a £10 pair for exercising. Doing a lot of window shopping when I have no money (too often) I fell in love with the blue Puma Suedes in Shuch. I did leave them for a while wondering if I'd actually get my use out of them, but eventually gave ... in and treated myself to them.
In the Women's section at Shuch I had the choice of seven different colours: blue, light blue, light pink, black, green, coral and burgundy. I opted for the blue as I thought they were a bright enough colour to stand out yet would still match a lot of clothes I already owned. They're really versatile and can be worn with jeans, leggings, disco pants or anything else really. The shoes are also unisex as they're sold in the men's section too where they have a slightly different selection of colours. In Shuch they'll set you back £55 and they can also be found in Office and on the Puma website.
The pair I bought are in fact the ones on the photo above. They're a lovely blue colour, not too light or dark, and can easily be teamed with a lot of different clothes. Whatever colour you choose will have a white strip down the sides (except the men's have more variation in colour) and also Puma Suede written in little gold lettering on the outer sides of the trainer. The soles are quite thick and are white. The sole themselves can get dirty easily but it's not hard to clean with a wet wipe. Barely anybody wore these when I got them so they seemed a little unique, but I think they must be a little trendier now as I've seen a lot more of them about! They're not too girly at all, and my dad even got a little jealous that I picked the blue colour before he got a look in - we don't want to go out matching now, do we?!
A lot of shoes tend to rub my ankles on the first couple of wears but with these I didn't find that at all. They were comfortable right from the word go and I have no complaints at all. A size 6 fit me perfectly, which I'm thankful for as half sizes aren't available. It's advised not to wear them out in the rain though as the colour of the suede can run. That's my only worry with these shoes as I'm too scared to wear them if I think there's a possibility of me getting caught in the rain! I can't comment if they do run or how badly as I've been lucky enough to avoid it for now...I hope I haven't spoken too soon.
From what I've heard, these Puma Suede Classics have been around for a good few years, and I'm pretty gutted I didn't find them sooner as I absolutely love mine. They're the kind of trainers that suit everybody and are also really comfy to wear so I really can't fault them. My reason for deducting one star is for my worry of the colour running if I wear them out in the rain - but that's what I signed up for when I bought suede trainers.
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