As Much As I Don't Need More Footwear .....

[FastFreddy2 282]

Not having been able to escape to the Sales much, I've been a bit dependant on the internet and online shopping.

I almost tried >> these << on during a recent trip (only trip) but chose not to as they didn't look like they could be fitted in under 20 minutes. I don't mind being stared at for a couple of seconds, but entertaining people for 20 minutes practically qualifies me as a street performer ... ... which I'm not.

Ordered online, and Royal Mail tell me I have a delivery coming tomorrow.

Will have to wait to try them on, as I've a builder in tomorrow.

While I was at it, I also ordered >> these << from ALDO too.

In the cold light of day, I'm looking at spending money I don't need to, so I'm hoping at least one style won't fit .... Curiosity, and a very lean Christmas got the better of me. Reports here tomorrow night.

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[BobHH 3]

You always pick nice looking footwear.

This was my first Christmas alone, I think, for a very long time. Although I've been without the wife for 9 years now (!!!), our youngest son moved out (for the 3rd time) and moved to the other side of the country for a job. I did get phone calls from the two sons from the second marriage, though.

Yes, I bought some heels, too. The Stef wedges I mentioned in the shoe critique thread, plus another pair from Shoes USA. They are really too large to wear, though - generously large to the point they are not staying on. Maybe they will be better in the summer's hot weather.

[hh4evr1 18]

Both pair are nice. Hope you are able to choose which ones to keep, if they both fit.

[FastFreddy2 282]

The expected delivery did not arrive....

That means they'll probably try to deliver today, while I'm 50 miles away at Lakeside.

So much for on-line tracking.

ALDO are very good with their sizing. Plus vanity would make me very reluctant to own a size 9, when I'm convinced I'm an 8.

More news tomorrow.

...

[FastFreddy2 282]

All three pairs [two styles] are here.

Pictures and report tomorrow, if herself allows.

[FastFreddy2 282]

ALDO Chupka

As they were £31.49 I ordered two pairs. [Cheap for ALDO shoes.] Sent from different locations, they both arrived on Saturday.

First pair fitted okay, though lacing up was a bit of an exercise. Noticed the right boot had not been made well, as the stitching holding the tongue in place was missing. With such a long tongue, this is an important omission. Moved on to pair No.2 .....

Left heel had a fault with the heel covering. Most people could and would ignore it, but I won't/can't. Right boot fitted better than right foot on the first pair [so I'm thinking I could make one pair from two] until I found the heel tip in right hand boot looks to be twisted. Not sure if the tip just needs pulling out and inserting squarely or the insert in the heel isn't straight. Either way, removing the tip will destroy it. I might have spares somewhere ....

Upshot is ..... of 4 shoes (boots) 3 have not been made very well at all. Not sure what to do at the moment. They have a 120mm [4 3/4"] heel, and tightly laced give masses of support to my ankle, so easy to wear despite their height and slim heel. I suspect I'll order another two pairs hoping I'll end up with one good one?

ALDO Levere

Given my disappointment with the other two pairs of boots, I wasn't expecting much from the package when I opened it up. My anticipated disappointment was realised when I saw the box the boots had been sent in. Jeez, had they been to a war zone? 'Wrecked' didn't come close, and part of a £45.49 purchase?

Trying on the boots was a different story .... Also 120mm [4 3/4"] high, these were so loose around the ankles, they felt like slippers. The rounded toe provided much more room than the Chupka style. My only concern really, was they felt so loose, they feel more like wearing mules? My heel moves at least half inch off the shoe before the shoe starts to catch up. The strap around the ankle is just tight enough to stop my foot leaving the boot, but it's a close thing. They're a comfortable fit, but right now I'm not convinced they are keepers. I'll have some time tomorrow to walk around a bit more, but I can see them going back too. I'd just have no confidence wearing them, I'd be continually expecting them to fall off my feet.

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Edited January 17, 2011 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2 282]

Lefthand heel problem with Chupka pair No. 2 .. Notice lump on side of heel.

Tried to remove the heel tip from the righthand boot to replace it. Tip wouldn't move, and broke in the wrong place for extraction. Not good.

To remove it now means drilling out the old tip. I'm quite capable of doing this, but don't know if it's worth bothering. The heel isn't straight [vertical] and I'm now thinking the tip wasn't twisted, but the heel is slightly canted?

Canted heel?

On balance, returning them as they are is the favourite option. The plastic tip came off with the top of the splined bit inside. With the tip placed back on the shoe, they look complete. I'm wondering if the wrong size tips were used, and this was always going to happen at some stage.

The knock-on to that thought, is I have 4 other ALDO pairs with possibly the same problem .....

Picture of the box used to send Levere style.

P.S.

How clever am I ... [4+1= ?]

I've just realised I have four pairs of ALDO boots, and one pair of ALDO black patent courts. (See Schuh thread.)

...

Edited January 18, 2011 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2 282]

Took the pair of Chupka with duff heels back to Brent Cross ALDO and swapped them out for another pair. It transpires these were good ones, so I may now have a pair I can keep.

Once home I spent some time with the pair of Levere on my feet, but this time wearing socks rather than hose. [socks = less 'slippery'.] My feet seemed to fit better, and these boots are surprisingly comfortable. Expensive at £45 against a budget I don't have, but come with a very passable toe shape to them. I'm very tempted to hang on to them too.

Beginning to look like I might be keeping two pairs.

Do I seem like someone with any willpower?

Reason for edit; typos and grammar.

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Edited January 23, 2011 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2 282]

I've taken the two 'returns' pairs back towards ALDO must be 5 times so far, never quite getting to the stores .... Although I have decided I really like the Levere, £45 is more than I would want to spend on shoes I could (and would) wear out quite quickly ..... My failure to complete the returns, was I suspect, linked to me thinking they might join that short list of shoes and boots permanently returned that I subsequently wished I hadn't.

This weekend, ALDO have reduced the price of these boot styles even further. Chupka coming in at £22-49 and Levere coming in at £32-49.

At these prices ...... What chance do I have of resisting?

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[FastFreddy2 282]

The 'returns' went back, all £108's worth.

Replaced by £32's worth of Levere, this time with a box that doesn't like it should be thrown straight into a bin. These shoes are high, but a good fit (meaning a bit loose if I'm honest.)

These are going to be wearing shoes.

[FastFreddy2 282]

This weekend, ALDO have reduced the price of these boot styles even further. Chupka coming in at £22-49 and Levere coming in at £32-49.

At these prices ...... What chance do I have of resisting?

.....

As below, I didn't resist the Levere at £32-49. The Outlet store didn't have a larger size for me in the Chupka, so I went without. Maybe not a bad thing ...... I've got plenty of stiletto style shoe boots, though I though those were particularly interesting. [interesting usually means "head turning" and would that be a prudent purchase?]

Checked the ALDO site the other day. [Well, I would wouldn't I? ]

Both these styles have been removed from stores, and only available on-line now. Both styles are again available in my size, [Levere 8/Chupka 9] but both have had their discounts reduced. Do many of us make a fashion purchase when the product effectively goes up in price? I doubt I will.

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[FastFreddy2 282]

As below, I didn't resist the Levere at £32-49.

Long story short [here anyway], went out in these yesterday, for some of the evening at least.

Blooming difficult to walk in, plus I damaged a heel. But as Mrs Freddy pointed out at the time, "Better worn and damaged, than stuck in a box." At the time I struggled to agree, but today I see the wisdom in her remark. Her further comment was that now they have signs of use, they might get out more as I won't be so worried about altering their 'perfect' status.

Hopefully that proves to be the case.

...

[FastFreddy2 282]

The longer story .....

I'd gone into London on the Sunday [free parking] as an excuse to wear heels on a day out with Mrs Freddy.

Trawled the usual shops for about 3 hours, including Selfridges. Sadly, the mid season sales produced very little of interest to either of us, but we had a nice time out. Weather was warm, with a light breeze.

Had some food in a restaurant, having had to wait 5 minutes to be seated as the West End was so busy. We sat out on a busy street, with my boots on plain view to anyone who cared to look. Think we were there for around 2 hours in all. No rush.

Having enyoyed my food too much, I decided we could (and should) have a little walk. The air was still warm, and a long way off being dark. We walked back to the parked car, and I moved it further along Oxford Street to a place just off Regents Street. I changed from my 'regular' Harley boots, to the ALDO Leveres.

The change in height was noticeable, despite me having walked at least a mile before dinner, and having had heels on for over 5 hours. Using Google Earth I now know the following round trip along Regents Street, through Leicester Square to Charing Cross Road and back through Soho to the parked car just off Oxford Street, was a walk 1.78 miles long. We did have a coffee and a rather fattening slice of cherry cheesecake at Charing Cross Road, but hey, there's more to life than decorating ......

The walk to the second restaurant was uneventful save two Spanish (looking) women passing us, with one turning back to look at my heels. Sadly, walking through Soho wasn't so uneventful due to the pavements there. At least 3 times my heels dove past regular street level trying to find Australia.... The last time [after which I gave up and started walking along the road], the right heel got well and truly graunched in a particularly sharp hole where tarmac used to be - maybe 30 years ago.

The heeling experience was great. Food, and company, great. London paths ...... almost Third World.

In all I was out in public for about 8 hours in 2 pairs of boots, always in full public view. Sometimes sitting, with my heels in view of people passing by. The nice part was I didn't feel like I had two heads, and got quite used to walking in heels. [Meaning, it seemed the natural thing to be doing ~ I felt I was dressed 'normally'.]

Epilogue:

Back home, I thought I was going to be crying when I saw the damage to the heel in good light. 15 minutes with the shoe cleaning/repair gear, and the heel looked quite reasonable again. Yes the heel is marked, [in a couple of places,] but not so you'd notice at usual viewing heights. Sooooo..... I've put the damage down to 'wear and tear' (literally), and passed it on as some of the cost of a great day out.

......

[FastFreddy2 282]

This weekend, ALDO have reduced the price of these boot styles even further. Chupka coming in at £22-49 and Levere coming in at £32-49.

At these prices ...... What chance do I have of resisting?

Not sure why I hadn't commented before, but sometime during 2011, I did succumb. I bought a second pair of Levere, and the Chupka in a size 9. And just as a reminder ... I'm an 8 going on a 7½. I think I may have mentioned deciding the 9 was more suited to my foot on another of the Forums here? [shopping experiences at retail outlets perhaps?]

Anyway, the reason for posting, ALDO have another sale on. The two boot styles I like are on offer at their all time low prices, and there's a third boot I'd like to try too. £80's worth of temptation at the moment. [Which isn't bad for 3 styles all with leather uppers.]

Might be worth a look?

.....

[FastFreddy2 282]

Anyway, the reason for posting, ALDO have another sale on. The two boot styles I like are on offer at their all time low prices, and there's a third boot I'd like to try too. £80's worth of temptation at the moment. [Which isn't bad for 3 styles all with leather uppers.]

The evil hand of fate has stepped in.

The third style mentioned, have already sold out of my size, I found out when I went to order last night. Before deciding whether to order the other two again [i really do like the Chupka] I thought I'd try the size 9 pair I already own. Good job I did!

The right shoe [my larger foot] fitted fairly snugly. In fact surprisingly snugly. The left shoe, felt a size too large? And with what might be faulty [distressed] leather along the outside of the shoe, the boot also looked a size too large. Best way to describe it, is the leather looks stretched. Because they can be laced fairly tightly, most of the 'slop' inside the shoe can be removed, but the left shoe definitely doesn't look right. Consequently, they are going back.

With so many other nice boots, I think I should just give up with that particular style....

....

[FastFreddy2 282]

The evil hand of fate has stepped in.

The third style mentioned, have already sold out of my size, I found out when I went to order last night. Before deciding whether to order the other two again [i really do like the Chupka] I thought I'd try the size 9 pair I already own. Good job I did!

The evil hand of fate had a holiday this week.

As reported before, the Chupka in a size 9 went back. After owning them for 5 or 6 months, I finally looked at the left shoe, which is always a looser fit than the right - so no need to bother when they arrived? On looking, I discovered the leather the shoe was made from, was 'distressed' to the point of being faulty. Consequently they went back. Reward for sending them back, was free carriage on my next posted order.

As I have two pairs of the Levere [see Avatar], I don't need a third pair. It's Spring/Summer, so few new styles of interest to me. But .....

One pair of the third style I wanted to try (above), seems to have come back in stock in my size! So, ordered them up.

Link here [for short while] showing brown version. >> clicky << Last pair in stock a size 9?

Should be here soon.

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Edited May 3, 2012 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2 282]

The evil hand of fate, cancelled time off after all!.

Bit surprised I hadn't had a delivery from ALDO as shipment was indicated as 1st or 2nd May. Got an email tonight, "Sorry we don't have that item in stock, so we've refunded your card."

Just not meant to be .....

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[FastFreddy2 282]

Link here [for short while] showing brown version. >> clicky << Last pair in stock a size 9?

....

Looking at the ALDO stock situation for this style ...... Gone (as expected) the size 8 I ordered in black. [Was the last pair.] Mysteriously, the 8 /41 ordered not there, but a stock adjustment has found a size 3 in black??? A size 3 had been put in a size 8 box maybe?

Someone should have gone to Specsavers? [uK joke, nodding at current advertising campaign for Specsavers.]

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[Love4heels 20]

Link here [for short while] showing brown version. >> clicky << Last pair in stock a size 9?

Should be here soon.

.....

Very nice boots!