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FOOTWEAR FOCUS ROAD TEST
Emma Cooke, discovers that her Earth Spirit Reno
sandals are blessed with brains, as well as beauty!
Before I start my review of the Earth Spirit
shoes I recently received, I need to issue a
warning first: these shoes will bring you
unprecedented amounts of compliments
when worn. This may not sound like something to
be wary of, but unfortunately being raised in
England seems to have rendered me completely
unable to take a compliment.
I either go bright red, start giggling nervously,
or, most embarrassing of all, start stuttering, ‘yes,
yes, they are lovely shoes, but look! Look at the
terrible condition of my feet! I’m so sorry that my
pretty shoes have drawn your eyes to my feet,
and you have now glimpsed my un-manicured
toes!’ So really, the compliments are more bother
than they’re worth.
Now you are sufficiently warned, let me
continue. I was recently sent the Earth Spirit Reno
sandals to road test. Between you and me, when
Earth Spirit shoes were first mentioned, all I could
think was, ‘Oh dear. Hippie shoes. Like what mum
used to wear back in the seventies,’ (I’ve seen the
pictures mum, you can’t deny you went through
that phase). But after having a look at the
catalogue, I started to feel the first stirrings of
excitement. These were…pretty! Summery! Dare I
say…stylish!
So upon arrival I unwrapped the sandals with a
fair amount of glee. And by glee, I mean tore open
like a child at Christmas – it was carnage, there
was duct tape and ‘earth-friendly’ packaging
everywhere. After dismantling the package, and
breaking a nail in the process (I hope the
Footwear Today editor appreciates the casualties
sustained in the grueling reviewing process) my
new shoes were ready to wear.
12 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • SEPTEMBER 2012
Too bad the English weather foiled my plans.
Rain, rain and more rain. Even when I escaped to
Germany, determined to wear my sandals there,
the bad weather followed me! Luckily, the sandals
were comfortable enough to wear around the
house as slippers, but oh how I yearned for some
sunshine to properly show them off! Until, at last,
a miracle happened – a glorious bout of sunshine
just as May was ending.
I always find it funny how whenever the UK
gets a little good weather, we think we’re the new
Caribbean of Europe. Newspapers were suddenly
informing us that we were not only hot, but hotter
than the rest of Europe! Hotter than Egypt! Hotter
than Australia! It seems we conveniently forgot
that Australia is currently having its winter…
So, reveling in the tropical British sunshine (a
paradox if ever I heard one), I finally stepped out
in my Earth Spirit sandals. They were just made
for the sunshine. While the shade is called
‘Platinum’, the colour of these is definitely more
of a beautiful pale gold that is not only a perfect
summer colour, but the perfect compliment to the
gorgeous turquoise stones used in the beaded
design. Whether we were on a par with the
Caribbean or not, in these, I felt like I was treading
on white sandy beaches.
At this point I should probably mention the
comfort of the shoes, as they were designed for
comfort, with an, ‘over-padded anatomic arch and
impact-absorbing cushioning’. However, whenever
I start to reflect the comfort of these sandals, I
will inevitably become distracted by just how
pretty they are. Like a magpie, or a small toddler,
I’ll end up wiggling my legs and watching how the
beading glints in the sunlight.
So unfortunately I don’t really have anything
profound to say on the sandals’ orthopedic
technology, other than that they are comfortable!
I can say this though: anyone who has
previously assumed orthopedic footwear could
not and would not be attractive, think again! I’ll
admit, I have, on occasion, gloated to friends
about being able to road test shoes, only to say,
‘ah yes, and Footwear Today really cares about
foot health too, so most of the shoes I’ve been
sent are orthopedic!’, and have my previously
agog friends lose interest, assuming comfortable
shoes could never be nice-looking shoes.
So after waltzing about in these to multiple
compliments from said friends about my
‘beautiful new sandals’ (and after recovering
from the aforementioned reactions this brought
on), it was with some pleasure that I announced
that my sandals had brains as well as beauty –
they were orthopedic!
Details:
Reno sandal.
Available in Platinum, Black and White.
Pig skin leather upper, Gelron 2000 insole.
TPR flexible sole.
Highly recommended.
Cost £16.95. - RRP £49.95.
West Midland Shoe Company
Tel: 01889 561 790
Email: enquiries@wmsc.co.uk
Web: www.wmsc.co.uk