FOOTWEAR FOCUS ROAD TEST
Dawn Smith takes a trip to Prague to try out her new Adesso wedge boot
W
hen I was asked to try out the Adesso lace up wedge boot I knew just the place to do it: in a Central European city in the grip of winter. I had been warned about winters in
Prague. "I don't go out at all for three months of the year," said a cheery Czech colleague based in the city. "It' going to be 12 degrees below next week," he added. "Much too cold to walk far. I'd come some other time if I were you." In other words, if I braved the city of the Prague Spring and the Velvet Revolution in February, my feet were going to freeze. Err, no, actually. They didn't. Thanks entirely to the funky, fun and fabulous Adesso wedge boot, in black suede with a chunky grey fur lining, my feet could not have been more cosy and comfortable. They stayed warm as I tramped the city streets for hours, stooping into the biting wind. They didn't bother me one bit as I explored the draughty halls of an abandoned palace and the grizzly medieval dungeons. I didn't have the tiniest twinge of frostiness around my toes as I stood watching the buskers, the jugglers, and the Carnival parade. Even having a drink in the Ice Bar made no impression on the warm wrapping protecting my leg-ends. My hands felt as cold as the ice in the gin and tonic, but my feet stayed utterly warm. I can honestly say that in four freezing February days I didn't have so much as a slightly chilled tarsal. Another reason why Prague makes such as
great testing ground for a pair of boots is because it's not the easiest ground to walk on. I took two pairs of boots away with me. My lovely Adesso
wedges for the daytime, and a stylish, knee length boot with a regular heel for the evening. On the first night out in my regular heels, I hobbled across the cobbled squares, uttering little moans: "Ooh, that was nasty". "Ouch, nearly had my ankle over there." Regular heels in Old Town Prague just don't work. You may as well go out for dinner on ice skates. By the end of that first evening, my long-suffering other half was looking out for flat bits where I could walk without cringing. There aren't many in the Old Town – we didn't go far that night. It goes without saying that the next night, the
regular heels stayed in the hotel room while the Adessos made their evening debut. And very stylish they looked, over my skinny black jeans. The attractive but practical wedge heels made short work of the cobbles and I practically ran across the Old Town Square with glee. After that, the lace up Adesso wedges only left my feet at bedtime. They added a touch of cosy class to my candlelit dinners, they cut a dash in the bright lights of Wenceslas Square, they made themselves at home in the smoochy underground jazz club, and they kept the Cold War chill from reaching my capitalist socks in the Prague Nuclear Bunker. I had chosen a black pair, but in fact Adesso is all about colour. The company motto is ‘the brand with a colourful touch’. And in the bleak midwinter, the red pair would have been fab – or for that matter, any of the other comfortable and colourful boots in Adesso's winter range. As I gazed up at the statue of King Wenceslas, in air so cold that snowflakes were forming before my eyes
from the warm outbreaths of the population, I lamented the fact that I hadn't been more adventurous. The rich colours offered by Adesso would have been just the thing to brighten up those grey winter streets. I could have worn yellow boots with cream fur to cheer up the Museum of Communism, but I felt that my black boots struck just the right note at a concert in the Basilica. Whatever the colour on the outside, with
Adesso boots, I know my toes inside will be in the pink.
Details: The Adesso lace up wedge boot
• Rich suede lace-up boot with a comfortable wedge and cosy fur lining.
• Style: A1640 – Black • Style A1639 – Red • Also available in yellow with cream fur.
Trade price: £39.95 - SRP: £89.99 to £99.99
The Adesso brand belongs to West Midland Shoe Company Ltd: a British family owned business which has been trading - and growing strongly - for 40 years, from its base in the heart of England.
Contact: West Midland Shoe Company Tel: 01889 561790 Email:
enquiries@wmsc.co.uk
10 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• MARCH 2013
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