Toms Classic
Product Type: Toms shoes
Newest Review: ... the right word, haha) but they almost felt cushioned. The elasticated V on the front of the Classic design makes it easy for the shoes to s... more
Comfort and Style but at a Price...
Toms Classic
Member Name: Drewster_Rooster
Product:
Toms Classic
Date: 20/01/12
Rating:
Advantages: Really well made, Comfortable, Lightweight, Stylish, Good company Ethic
Disadvantages: Sizing is a little too small, Materials used are a little thin and I doubt their longevity
Introduction
I've never been particularly fussy when its come to the footwear I wear and have for the past few years settled for comfort over style when it comes to shoes and trainers. I'm more than happy to be seen out wearing Crocs, I'm past the stage of being embarrassed and worrying about what other people think and as I do a lot of walking with my dog I need to wear something that I find comfortable without being overly fashion concious.
When I was younger I wore a lot of slip on Canvas espadrilles, they were quite fashionable in the 80's and I liked their simplistic style and comfort and preferred wearing them to everyday normal shoes and trainers. A couple of years ago I noticed that they were back in style again having spied a few pairs being worn on both young men and women and doing a further bit of research I became aware that the brand to be seen in were "Toms". As already mentioned I'm no longer interested in brand names myself anymore but liked the look of the Toms classic and pondered a while as to whether I should buy myself a pair, I didn't want to appear like a tragic fashion victim nor did I want to dress too young for my age but deciding in the end that these were *only* a pair of shoes I ended up taking the plunge and bought some for myself and this review discusses what I think of them.
Toms Classic
My Toms are black in colour, the upper part of the shoe is made from a canvas-like material which is soft to the touch but feels quite durable. The soles are also made from what feels like a canvas material and are joined to the upper part of the shoe neatly without any visible adhesive showing and my first impressions when I took them out of the box they came well packaged in were quite positive. They're a lot lighter than I thought they would be, they weigh very little but appear to be well made with tight, careful stitching and an all round quality look to them. The "Toms" logo is stitched to the upper heel part of the shoe as well as featuring on a tag and across the top band is an elasticised "V" cutout that allows the shoe to give a little once its worn. The inner sole looks as if it's made from quality materials and again is well stitched and has a nice look to it and overall I would say that the manufacturing process of these shoes is excellent with a nice attention to detail that does justify their rather expensive price tag.
I'm a size 10 shoe and I have what I consider to be "normal" feet. I don't usually take a wide fitting and have always worn size 10's since my school days and have never struggled in the past with any shoes that I've bought as I know that a size 10 is the right size for me so when I ordered my Toms from an on-line retailer I bought the size that I've always worn before. Upon wearing mine for the first time I soon realised that I should have probably gone up a size as I found my Toms to be a really tight fit which bordered on the uncomfortable when I first put them on, figuring that they'd 'give' I left them on and spent some time wearing them around my home before deciding to venture outside in them. After a couple of days of casual wear around the house I did notice that the upper material had stretched a little and I no longer had to struggle to put them on, length wise they're fine they are a 'proper' size 10 when compared to other shoes that I own but it's across the width where I think they're slightly smaller than my regular size and it's this area which I found the most uncomfortable at first and even the elasticated part of the upper shoe didn't stretch enough to be of much benefit. That said once they had relaxed a little they were fine so I decided to take advantage of an unseasonably mild day and wore them to take my dog for a walk.
When worn outside I hardly noticed I had them on, being as light as they are they seem to just mould to my feet and I do think that they're incredibly comfortable. The sole is of a nice thickness that you don't feel any stones or pebbles underneath your feet but aren't too bulky that they impede in any way, they're not really suitable for any sort of bad weather conditions though and won't offer any protection whatsoever to any rain or snow so I would say that they're definitely better suited for the Summer months of the year when the weather is fine and it's a nice day. I do think they look nice with a simple pair of jeans or in the Summer, shorts and I do like their design and also think that they're rather fashionable but above all else they are comfortable and that's the main plus point for me when it comes down to wearing any type of footwear.
My only concern with these is with their sizing and I would strongly recommend that you try them on in a shop to get an accurate idea of the size you will need. I jumped straight in with mine and ordered my regular size and in retrospect I perhaps should have gone for the next one up as even now mine are a little on the small side and quite snug so I do think that an 11 would have been better for me and should I buy another pair in the future I would get a larger size.
Toms do promote the fact that for every pair they sell they give a pair away to a child in need which I think is a nice ethic, it wasn't the reason I bought mine I have to admit but I do think it's a honourable thing for the company to do and they do mention this on their website and on the canvas bag that comes in the box with the shoes when they are packaged. They're not cheap though, I have to say, mine cost me a little over £30 and that was from an online retailer who had them on sale, I'm not entirely convinced that they're worth that sort of money in all honesty as they are a simple pair of canvas slip on's but they are comfortable so that's the most important thing for me. I doubt they're going to last for years though, I do think the materials used are a little on the thin side and I can see that they would easily wear out in time but for occasional wear in the Summer time I think they make a nice pair of trendy shoes and I'm pleased with my purchase.
Overall I would recommend these shoes to other people, they are unisex, available in a wide range of colours and styles and are quite fashionable at the moment and have been for a couple of years now, they should appeal to anyone who looks for something easy to wear and I do think with these that you get a combination of comfort and style which can be a tricky balance to get right and all in all I'm happy with mine.
A 4 star rating seems fair to me, they are well made but I don't think they're hard-wearing enough to last for many years and at a price of over £30 I do think they're expensive but they are comfortable so long as you get the right size and overall I do recommend them. Thanks for reading my review.
I've never been particularly fussy when its come to the footwear I wear and have for the past few years settled for comfort over style when it comes to shoes and trainers. I'm more than happy to be seen out wearing Crocs, I'm past the stage of being embarrassed and worrying about what other people think and as I do a lot of walking with my dog I need to wear something that I find comfortable without being overly fashion concious.
When I was younger I wore a lot of slip on Canvas espadrilles, they were quite fashionable in the 80's and I liked their simplistic style and comfort and preferred wearing them to everyday normal shoes and trainers. A couple of years ago I noticed that they were back in style again having spied a few pairs being worn on both young men and women and doing a further bit of research I became aware that the brand to be seen in were "Toms". As already mentioned I'm no longer interested in brand names myself anymore but liked the look of the Toms classic and pondered a while as to whether I should buy myself a pair, I didn't want to appear like a tragic fashion victim nor did I want to dress too young for my age but deciding in the end that these were *only* a pair of shoes I ended up taking the plunge and bought some for myself and this review discusses what I think of them.
Toms Classic
My Toms are black in colour, the upper part of the shoe is made from a canvas-like material which is soft to the touch but feels quite durable. The soles are also made from what feels like a canvas material and are joined to the upper part of the shoe neatly without any visible adhesive showing and my first impressions when I took them out of the box they came well packaged in were quite positive. They're a lot lighter than I thought they would be, they weigh very little but appear to be well made with tight, careful stitching and an all round quality look to them. The "Toms" logo is stitched to the upper heel part of the shoe as well as featuring on a tag and across the top band is an elasticised "V" cutout that allows the shoe to give a little once its worn. The inner sole looks as if it's made from quality materials and again is well stitched and has a nice look to it and overall I would say that the manufacturing process of these shoes is excellent with a nice attention to detail that does justify their rather expensive price tag.
I'm a size 10 shoe and I have what I consider to be "normal" feet. I don't usually take a wide fitting and have always worn size 10's since my school days and have never struggled in the past with any shoes that I've bought as I know that a size 10 is the right size for me so when I ordered my Toms from an on-line retailer I bought the size that I've always worn before. Upon wearing mine for the first time I soon realised that I should have probably gone up a size as I found my Toms to be a really tight fit which bordered on the uncomfortable when I first put them on, figuring that they'd 'give' I left them on and spent some time wearing them around my home before deciding to venture outside in them. After a couple of days of casual wear around the house I did notice that the upper material had stretched a little and I no longer had to struggle to put them on, length wise they're fine they are a 'proper' size 10 when compared to other shoes that I own but it's across the width where I think they're slightly smaller than my regular size and it's this area which I found the most uncomfortable at first and even the elasticated part of the upper shoe didn't stretch enough to be of much benefit. That said once they had relaxed a little they were fine so I decided to take advantage of an unseasonably mild day and wore them to take my dog for a walk.
When worn outside I hardly noticed I had them on, being as light as they are they seem to just mould to my feet and I do think that they're incredibly comfortable. The sole is of a nice thickness that you don't feel any stones or pebbles underneath your feet but aren't too bulky that they impede in any way, they're not really suitable for any sort of bad weather conditions though and won't offer any protection whatsoever to any rain or snow so I would say that they're definitely better suited for the Summer months of the year when the weather is fine and it's a nice day. I do think they look nice with a simple pair of jeans or in the Summer, shorts and I do like their design and also think that they're rather fashionable but above all else they are comfortable and that's the main plus point for me when it comes down to wearing any type of footwear.
My only concern with these is with their sizing and I would strongly recommend that you try them on in a shop to get an accurate idea of the size you will need. I jumped straight in with mine and ordered my regular size and in retrospect I perhaps should have gone for the next one up as even now mine are a little on the small side and quite snug so I do think that an 11 would have been better for me and should I buy another pair in the future I would get a larger size.
Toms do promote the fact that for every pair they sell they give a pair away to a child in need which I think is a nice ethic, it wasn't the reason I bought mine I have to admit but I do think it's a honourable thing for the company to do and they do mention this on their website and on the canvas bag that comes in the box with the shoes when they are packaged. They're not cheap though, I have to say, mine cost me a little over £30 and that was from an online retailer who had them on sale, I'm not entirely convinced that they're worth that sort of money in all honesty as they are a simple pair of canvas slip on's but they are comfortable so that's the most important thing for me. I doubt they're going to last for years though, I do think the materials used are a little on the thin side and I can see that they would easily wear out in time but for occasional wear in the Summer time I think they make a nice pair of trendy shoes and I'm pleased with my purchase.
Overall I would recommend these shoes to other people, they are unisex, available in a wide range of colours and styles and are quite fashionable at the moment and have been for a couple of years now, they should appeal to anyone who looks for something easy to wear and I do think with these that you get a combination of comfort and style which can be a tricky balance to get right and all in all I'm happy with mine.
A 4 star rating seems fair to me, they are well made but I don't think they're hard-wearing enough to last for many years and at a price of over £30 I do think they're expensive but they are comfortable so long as you get the right size and overall I do recommend them. Thanks for reading my review.
Summary: Stylish pair of Slip on Espadrilles that come with a hefty price tag
