I like Clarks shoes and boots and Clarks is always my first stop when I am looking for footwear. The size 5 D fits me perfectly, I also like the variety of products that Clarks sells and the way they display products in their High Street shops.

The Sandals:
The Oscar Silk Sandals are basically mules, they have no back in them at all. They come in a variety of colours, white leather, cherry red leather and black leather. They are a one part mule and the heel is almost flat, it's less than an inch high. The upper half of the mule is made from leather and the bottom half - inner sole is made from suede. The actual outer sole is made from rubber. The strap of the mule has a buckle on it and this can be adjusted to 3 sizes. The inner suede sole has the added comfort of Clarks Active Air technology. This technology developed by Clarks in 1982 offers the following:

Durable Soles

Tough, wear-resistant soles
Use hardwearing materials such as rubber, Polyurethane (PU), Thermo Polyurethane (TPU), and thermoplastic rubber
Cushioned Footbeds

Spongy EVA footbed, contoured for comfort
Soft inner soles
The double layer won't flatten out through wear - ensuring long-lasting comfort
Shock Absorption

Air pockets and channels spread the impact as the feet hit the ground
Innovation

My results:

I bought these sandals in the white leather option in a size 5 D. I tried them on in store and they fitted fine. The first time I wore these sandals was on a visit to Tesco's to get some groceries. It was in the middle of July and the weather was quite warm. I found the sandals comfortable as soon as I put them on and because the bottom sole is made of rubber they have a good grip and they are not at all slippy. The suede insole is also very comfortable and my feet did not slip in and out of the sandals. Both the bottom sole and the insole are very well designed and comfortable.

After wearing the sandals for about one hour they started to become a bit less comfortable. The leather top part of the mule was rubbing both sides of my right foot and it was really painful. Ironically my left foot was fine. As soon as I go home I removed the sandals, they had made the side of my foot very red and I am sure if I had worn them any longer then it would have removed the skin on my foot.

I had paid good money for these sandals and I could not afford to waste them. I tried the old fashioned method of rubbing dry soap along the inside of the mules to see if that would make them easier to wear. I then put thin socks on and wore the mules around the house for a couple of hours.

The next time I wore the mules they were just okay. I was still very aware that the mule was rubbing my right foot but not quite as painfully as last time I wore them.

After every wear I rub dry soap on the insides of both mules under and around the sides of the leather. This seems to have helped but I will say this these mules really took a while to wear in and really when they were finally completely comfortable they were looking a bit scruffy and showing their wear.

This year I have the perfect plan for these mules, I will pack them when I go on holiday and wear them on the beach.

If you can wear these mules without them rubbing your feet then they are an ok buy, the bottom sole and inner sole are well designed and comfortable, it's just the leather upper that's the problem.

I feel I wasted my money on these mules. This year I am buying Flyflots. My friend swears by them!