FOOTWEAR FOCUS ROAD TEST
Emma Cooke ditches her heels in favour of
I
have a confession to make. I loathe heels. Well, maybe loathe is too strong a word, as I do afterall currently own 21 and a half (don’t ask) pairs of them, so perhaps ‘love-hate’ is a more accurate term. I love to LOOK at heels; I fall for a different pair every day, gazing longingly through shop windows at sky high stilettos I’m sure this time will transform me into Sex and the City’s Carrie, bouncing along joyfully despite having spikes strapped to my feet. But wear them? Er, no. So, minor correction to the above: I currently own
21 pairs of unworn heels, and half of a pair whose sister shoe met an untimely end in a battle with a sidewalk grate (there, it’s out, I fell into a grate, HAPPY NOW?). It’s blasphemy of the highest order. I work in fashion, in an office full of perfectly groomed, flicky haired, high-heel wearing women and can’t be persuaded into anything higher than an inch unless it’s a do or die situation i.e. Anna Wintour’s come to tea (hasn’t happened yet, but I’m still holding out hope). Worse still, I am A Short Person. High heels are my only hope of holding a
conversation that isn’t with someone’s chin. Alas, it’s not to be. I’ve tried every shape, size and height and yet I always end up right where I started, in my trusty flats. Turns out while I am happy to adore fashion from the sidelines, nothing is more important to me than being comfortable. My office knows the second I have a date, as shock horror, I’ll be wearing a dress and not my beloved jeans and t-shirt combo. Imagine my delight then, when it emerged that this season’s trends are
for no-makeup makeup, dishevelled woke-up-like-this hair and joy of joys: the comfy flat shoe! Ballet pumps, jelly shoes and sliders made their way down the runways and with every new pair I was whooping with joy - on the inside, obviously. One doesn’t whoop aloud at fashion shows dahling. And the trendiest of the lot? The lace up skate shoe I remember so well from my days as a 90s kid. Glitter jellies may be a step too far for me (I’m a
14 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JUNE/JULY 2014
fashion lover, not a fashion victim) but I can SO get on board with the laid back cool of these bad boys. Which is why I am now living in the Irina shoes from Portuguese brand, Softinos. Crafted from soft grey leather, realistically ‘worn’ looking rubber soles and of course, the 90s kid laces, they are a dream to behold. More importantly, they’re a dream to wear too, having barely left my feet since I first tried them on. It didn’t take much persuading to get me to try the Irinas. They had me at
the words, “Happy Feet”, the Softinos slogan summing up their mission. To make feet happy with ‘cashmere’ kid leather so soft it feels like you’re wearing a second skin. Um, Hell. Yeah. Add to this a style that’s 90s kid cool, looks authentically vintage - the ‘I’ve scrubbed my trainers to brilliant white with a toothbrush’ look isn’t to be desired under any circumstances - and can be styled with both jeans and skirts? Hurrah! I never have to wear heels again! From now on, if anyone dares throw a
disparaging glance or snooty comment at the lack of inches on my feet, I can just toss my (casually
tousled, Alexa Chung style) hair, roll my un-mascaraed lashes heavenward and declare, “don’t you know?! Comfort is the new cool! Casual is de rigeur, and flats are SO the thing!” Followed by a totter-free flounce off in the opposite direction, naturally.
Details: Style name ‘IRINA’ - £34.20 for £79.99.
Made with our ‘cashmere’ leather (kid skin – very soft) on a sports sole which has been treated to look worn/vintage. Contact:
ashley@softinos.com
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