Review of Clarkes 'Caramel Sauce' ladies shoes.

Last year, I was fortune enough to win a magazine competition. My prize was a shopping voucher for shoes with an internet shoe retailer, rubbersole.com. I took ages trying to decide what to buy and these shoes along with two other pairs were what I plumped for.

**My New Shoes**

Made by Clarkes, these shoes are called 'Caramel Sauce', a rather twee name for a pair of shoes, but there we go!

The shoes are made from black leather; the leather is fairly soft and very comfortable in wear. The inner lining and sock of the shoe is made of a man made material. They are not a highly glossy finish, more of matt leather. The shoes are what I would class as everyday shoes, smart, yet casual.

The shoes have a small block style heel, approximately 1.5" high and a fancy pull tab at the back of the shoe. The sole is lightly ridged for stability, although I wouldn't describe this as non-slip, they certainly have not given me any problems when walking on wet pavements. I haven't worn the shoes in icy conditions yet, so cannot really comment about their grip underfoot during very bad weather.

What I really like is the discrete elasticated gusset either side of the front which gives very slightly as you walk and allows for ease of getting the shoe on and off. The toe is a rounded shape and they look good with either trousers or skirts, in my opinion.

I believe the RRP of these shoes is in the region of £45 but the internet site I ordered them from was stocking the shoes at £35.99.

The shoes come in sizes from ladies sizes 3 to 9, including half sizes and width fittings 'D' or 'DD'. I ordered mine in a 7.5 D which fits me very well. I usually take a 7 but as, along with many other people, I have one foot slightly larger than the other, I decided to go up a half size as I was buying untried, so to speak. The shoes fit me well and do not move around on my feet, they support the arches of my feet and my heels snuggly and I am extremely pleased with them. These shoes are actually much nicer than the picture here shows, very comfortable and suitable for what I wanted, an everyday shoe that could be worn with a variety of clothing styles.

These shoes are well-made and excellent quaility.


**My Thoughts and Conclusion**

As time passes, I have learned a sad truth about footwear! As I become older (and heavier) my choice of footwear has had to change to accommodate the passage of time. In my youth I wore platforms, wedges, stilettos, sling backs, any style that I chose really, but nowadays my footwear is chosen for comfort, not fashion. I can no longer walk on spindly heels or strut my stuff in anything higher than an inch or two. Admittedly, I have kept a pair of black patent killer heels for old times' sake, but as I can barely wobble across the room in them and being a tall lady, they make me stand about 6'3" tall, I no longer wear these.

The Clarkes shoes were chosen not for their visual appeal, but for practicality and I feel I chose well. The style suits my needs and most importantly, the shoes are very comfortable. I wore these for several hours on their first outing and suffered no ill effects, no rubbing, blisters or sore spots.
Cleaning these shoes is simply a case of old-fashioned shoe polish and elbow grease, they clean up well and I have managed not to scuff or scratch the leather at all. They are not designed to be waterproof, but I have worn these on wet days with no problem of damp feet.

All in all, I consider these shoes to be an excellent choice for me, I fully appreciate that if you are into strappy, killer heels, you probably won't like these shoes, but they are great for me and I'd recommend them to anyone who requires comfort above fashion.

Thank you for reading.
©brittle1906 February 2013.

N.B. My reviews may be found on other sites under the same user name.