Autumn/winter Uk 2012

[FastFreddy2 282]

(Very) Short review of Bertie shoe boot. [Review #4]

I have mentioned these before, >> here <<

Some images.....

They have a thick rubber sole, and padded footbed. The upper is leather, and they are very comfortable to wear.

I had bought a pair of these earlier in 2012, for a bit under £50, though they had been on a promotion for slightly less. They were worn once, and returned because the heel started parting from the shoe. No further stock, so I got a full refund.

The boots under review started life (this time around) at circa £110, and were quickly reduced to £99.

I got them for £66, again while on promotion. I seldom spend more than the minimum, but these were/are, an almost "wear everywhere" style. Plus, Mrs Freddy had offered to buy them for me as part of my Christmas present.

They were bought and put to one side along with 3 or 4 other newly acquired styles, while I decided what was going on the keep pile, and what was going on the return pile. They laid there, in the 'maybe' pile, for more than two months.

I finally got them out to wear, and discovered there was a loose bit of something rattling around inside the heel of one shoe.

That's two pairs, out of two pairs, badly made........

They went back, and I got a full refund. There is no time limit on 'fit for purpose' issues here in the UK. Meaning; I could have returned them after two years, and expected a full refund.

The Bertie franchise is run by the same group as Dune. I had considered Bertie to be better quality than Dune, though that wouldn't be hard given my personal experiences. It would seem Bertie are not as well made as their price would suggest either.

Fortunately the shoes had been delivered mail order (for free), and I returned them to a store while there doing something else, so no financial loss felt.

Very disappointing though. Both times. They'll be no third try.

......

Edited January 6, 2013 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2 282]

Very disappointing though. Both times. They'll be no third try.

.....

Stumbled across a new pair in HoF tonight, my size and priced at £47.

They are still there .....

[shyguy 15]

I was looking at these before Christmas when they dropped in price to £18

I usually find an Evans 7 pretty comfortable so kept an eye on the website waiting for some money to pop into the bank account. The money dropped in but these had sold out in size 7. Haven't had the chance to get to a shop so looks like it's game over for getting these.

[FastFreddy2 282]

I was looking at these before Christmas when they dropped in price to £18

....... but these had sold out in size 7.

That's a shame!

You might ring the store, and ask if they can check other stores for you? [Their internal stock control system might show stock that the web-site can't see. I know for sure this happens with Topshop.]

I still recommend Matalan for your budget. Had something similar

www.matalan.co.uk <remove gap> /fcp/product/fashion-to-buy-online/Boots-&-Wellies/Cowboy-Boot/58735

just before Christmas ..... [Link won't parse, so copy to address bar and remove remark for link.]

Wouldn't be as well made as an Evans shoe though.

Edited January 12, 2013 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2 282]

Link won't work, I suspect Matalan don't want price-matching search engines passing on links.

Anyway .....

Looks familiar .... I might have mentioned them before?

Edited January 12, 2013 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2 282]

Short review of ASOS 'Achieve' ankle boot. [Review #5]

Historically, I've not always done well with ASOS 'own brand' shoes and boots. Bought duplicate pairs of high stiletto ankle boots 5 years ago that fitted really well, but since found most UK8's fitted more like UK7's, so not kept any I've tried. Until now ......

Saw these at their original price of £65, and tried an 8. They came up a bit on the large side which was a surprise, so ordered up a 7. The second pair were good in the length, and snug around the upper foot and ankle. The high heel, at a smidge over 4½ inches, felt very stable. Leather upper, so a nice shoe.

At £65 I thought they were okay, and not over-priced despite no real padding in the footbed. With them being one of 5 or 6 pairs I needed to decide about, initially I thought I would probably return them .... Walking around in them was hard work, because the upper was not loose - which kept my ankle stable - but didn't let it rotate back/forward very easily. As with the other boots, I had 28 days to decide for sure. There was still plenty of stock at ASOS, so even if they went back and I then changed my mind, it was likely I could re-order anyway.

So; high. Stable block heel, leather. No padding in footbed. But desirable.

While deciding, the on-line price dropped to £45. I made a fresh order for 2 pairs, and returned the earlier [original price] purchases. Almost immediately I wore a pair out, and for the first time in a while, I actually experienced foot discomfort! In itself it's not a problem, but it was a surprise.

Perhaps it shouldn't have been, as these are high for walking around in, especially since the fit is so (reassuringly) tight around the ankle. A larger size would resolve the rotation problem, but I don't like loose fitting shoes. If you are a size UK9, there is a realistic possibility you could wear an 8 in this style?

Weirdly, just after the 2 newer pairs arrived, the price went back up to £65? I'd still saved £40 on the two pairs against the original price though, and I was ALWAYS going to get a second pair.

The boots then stayed at £65 for some time, but have just recently gone down to £39. I would otherwise buy a third pair, but ..... I've plenty of other shoes to wear out. If the price drops again though .....

Find them >> here <<

There are two other variant styles I might want to try......

An even more stable version of the ankle boot recently released; >> here <<

And while I'm not big on tall boots (I've very skinny legs), these now reduced to £51 >> here <<

I'm in no rush to buy more though ..... I like the two pairs I have, and I expect them to last for some time, given how many other pairs I have. They are highly recommended.

.....

Edited January 12, 2013 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2 282]

That's two pairs, out of two pairs, badly made........

They went back, and I got a full refund. There is no time limit on 'fit for purpose' issues here in the UK. Meaning; I could have returned them after two years, and expected a full refund.

The Bertie franchise is run by the same group as Dune. I had considered Bertie to be better quality than Dune, though that wouldn't be hard given my personal experiences. It would seem Bertie are not as well made as their price would suggest either.

Fortunately the shoes had been delivered mail order (for free), and I returned them to a store while there doing something else, so no financial loss felt.

Very disappointing though. Both times. They'll be no third try.

....

And still for sale at full price in some stores ??

Stumbled across a new pair in HoF tonight, my size and priced at £47.

They are still there .....

Yeah ....... Well .........

Of course when I wrote that ..... I wasn't expecting to find a couple of pairs my size, marked: "reduced to £29" was I?

At that price ..... I had to give them a third and forth try ......

Self control? What's that then?

Edited January 15, 2013 by FastFreddy2

[FastFreddy2 282]

The money dropped in but these had sold out in size 7. Haven't had the chance to get to a shop so looks like it's game over for getting these.

You might also have a look at >> these <<

Again, slightly over-budget, but very "manly" in style.

[FastFreddy2 282]

There are two other variant styles I might want to try......

An even more stable version of the ankle boot recently released; >> here <<

And while I'm not big on tall boots (I've very skinny legs), these now reduced to £51 >> here <<

Looks like I left the long boots for a tad too long. Now out of stock, my size. "He who hesitates ..... "

[FastFreddy2 282]

Looks like I left the long boots for a tad too long. Now out of stock, my size. "He who hesitates ..... "

Just to put a line under this one ..... I ordered and tried the UK 7 in the tall boot. [Got some more stock in, or one was returned?]

The calf looks slim on the picture, but 'in the flesh' is too loose for my skinny leg. Fit on the foot was weird too. Felt like different sized boots? Maybe why the'd been returned? Anyway, not keepers.

They do still come up around a size large, so an 8 might fit you size 9's out there?

[FastFreddy2 282]

Mango pointed toe ankle boot at £90.

Direct link to Mango >> here <<

Or copy to address bar:

http://shop.mango.co...s=1348615013013

When I mentioned these originally, they were already out of stock my size; EU41.

Unbelievably, while browsing in a Mango at Bluewater, I found a pair - reduced in the sale! Originally priced at £89-99 they were marked down to £59-99. I had a quick try of one in the store, standing, as there were no seats except in the girls changing rooms ..... And while the shoe wasn't a great fit, it was worth a try - I thought.

At the till, they went through at £39-99, so even better.

Lovely looking shoe ........

Fit wasn't great on the right foot, care of my slightly long middle toe, but the overall feel of them was good. But .......

The left heel had a slightly imperfect finish at the tip:

Which could be remedied when they got re-tipped of course.....

But the stopper, was the problem with the rear zips. The right one wouldn't do up very easily, but it would do up.

The left zip would do up when the shoe was off (and do up easily), but not so with a foot in it? This was a similar problem I had with the Zara boots. (Above). The rear zips just didn't function as well as side zips. Worse, it looks like the reason might be a size 9 had been forced into a small size 8.

Nasty looking bulge?

It was a nice surprise to find them, but they had to go back. I like a bargain, but equally I like my footwear to at least start off perfect. These were far from that.

......

Edited February 27, 2013 by FastFreddy2