I know vintage loving ladies who absolutely swear by Hotter shoes, and make elaborate claims about comfort and style that seem too good to be true. I have impossibly difficult feet, which are very narrow, and therefore I rarely venture away from Clarks shoes when I’m looking for something to complement a vintage style frock. So when the chance to review Hotter shoes arose, I was in two minds… Would they be only suitable for people with quite wide feet? Would they go with my style as well as my Clarks favourites do?
This shoe is called the Viviene and comes in several colours, including a navy blue and a summery nude. It retails at £75, which is a bit more than I’m used to paying for shoes, so I was intrigued to see whether it could live up to the hype. It has a nice t-bar fastening that gives it a look reminiscent of a 1920s or 30s dance shoe and has the added benefit of stopping my skinny little hooves from sliding straight out of the shoe. The sensible heel is a little chunkier than I would prefer, but it’s a good height. The soles are rubber and grippy and, whilst that’s great for walking around in, I wouldn’t want to try any serious amount of dancing in these.
When you put the shoes on for the first time you notice two things:
- they are very nicely-made with lots of soft padding underfoot and
- the outer leather feels terribly hard and new! I was a little anxious that I was about to suffer the mother of all blisters, but happily the leather softened within a half-hour so I needn’t have worried.
Surprisingly, the Viviene isn’t a terribly wide shoe, although there is a wide-fit option available. I’m wearing a size 6, which is my usual, high street size but there is a sizing guide on the website that you can print out and use to measure your feet, if you are ordering online rather than in a shop.
I rather like these shoes. The padding inside is very welcome, and they feel like a quality shoe. I can imagine them working with most of my wardrobe staples – wide trousers, skirts and dresses alike. If I’m honest, I think a tapered, 20s-esque heel would be more flattering and appeal better to women who like the fashions of the 1920s to 1950s. But they certainly are comfortable and I can see me wearing them often. I think I’d still be nervous of some Hotter styles that don’t have a strap, as the range does generally seem to cater for wider feet in general, and having looked at the website I do feel a little sad that so many of their shoes are beautiful, retro styles that I would simply walk right out of. But that probably wouldn’t be an issue for most people and I’m pleasantly surprised that Hotter has styles for a range of foot types.
As comfortable, classic shoes go, these make me feel a bit like Louisa Durrell and as far as I’m concerned – that can only ever be a good thing.
The Viviene heels are available from all Hotter stores or via their on-line store.
