At 62, the shoes that let me be on my feet all day without the ache
At 62, the shoes that let me be on my feet all day without the ache
Six things the Esmay gets right that shoes get wrong, from a woman who is not a fashion writer.
Caroline Richards · Customer · Nottinghamshire · 5 min read
Let me be plain about who is talking. I am Caroline, I am 62, I live in Nottinghamshire, and I have never once sat down to write about a pair of shoes in my life. What had happened was that my feet had started to rule my days, aching by the afternoon and taking my knees and my back down with them, until I was quietly saying no to the very things I used to love. So this is not a review. It is a woman who got her feet, and her days, back, saying why.
The ones I am writing about are called the Esmay, from Nottingham Boutique, a small boutique that has been quietly dressing women our age for a few years now. They are the softest cushioned comfort shoes. When the boutique later asked if they could put my letter up for others to read, I said yes, on the condition I could be completely honest in it.
The first day I wore them, I got to the evening and realised my feet did not hurt. That was the moment they won me over. Read on.
Here is what sore feet had taught me to expect. That being on them was going to cost me. A morning round the shops meant an aching afternoon. An hour standing at the sink, a walk, a day with the grandchildren, all of it came with a price paid later in my feet, my knees and the small of my back. So I sat down more, and did less, and told myself that was just how it was now. It was not.
My feet had started to rule my days, and I was saying no to things I loved. These are the first shoes in years that gave me a yes back.
The Esmay are the first shoes I have owned that let me be on my feet all day and feel it in nothing but a good way, and having barely taken mine off since, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
The day they arrived. Softer and lighter than I expected, and far nicer looking than any comfort shoe I had tried.
THE CUSHIONED SOLE TAKES THE ACHE AWAY
This is the whole thing, really. The sole is thick and cushioned and gently springy, and it soaks up the jolt of every step so it never travels up into your feet, your knees or your back. It is the nearest thing to walking on a cushion I have found, and it is the reason I can now be on my feet all morning and feel fine by tea time.
The thick, cushioned, flexible sole. This is what takes the pressure off every step.
The cushioning is unbelievable. I have foot problems and I can finally walk round the supermarket without wanting to cry.
Christine B., West BridgfordSOFT AS A SLIPPER, BUT PROPER SHOES
The leather is wonderfully soft and supple, so it moves with your foot instead of fighting it, and nothing rubs or pinches, not across the toes, not at the heel, not even over a bunion. They feel like your comfiest slippers on, and yet they are proper shoes you can happily wear out to the shops or to lunch. Soft where it matters, smart enough for anywhere.
Soft as slippers but they look like lovely proper shoes. Nothing rubs, nothing pinches, even on my poor toes.
Margaret E., SouthwellSURE-FOOTED AND STEADY
The sole grips the ground rather than sliding on it, and the base is nice and stable, so I feel steady and sure with every step, on the pavement, on a wet morning, on a smooth floor. At our age a bit of confidence underfoot is worth a great deal, and these give me exactly that. I do not find myself watching the ground the way I used to.
Steady and sure on the foot, with a grippy, stable sole.
They grip beautifully and feel so stable. I feel much steadier and more confident on my feet in them.
Pauline H., ArnoldROOMY, FORGIVING FIT FOR TROUBLESOME FEET
If your feet have widened, or you have a bunion, or they swell as the day goes on, you will know how hard shoes can be to get right. The Esmay are cut roomy and soft where you need it, with a gentle give that suits a wider foot as easily as a narrow one, and room for a little swelling by the afternoon. For the first time in an age, a shoe simply fits, all day.
Roomy in all the right places. My feet are wide and swell a bit and these are the only shoes that stay comfortable.
Dorothy S., BeestonEASY TO SLIP ON, NO BENDING AND FIDDLING
They slip on easily, with soft elastic laces that stay done up and a little tab at the heel to pull them on, so there is no bending down to tie them and no fiddling on the doorstep. On a stiff morning, that is a small blessing that turns out to matter rather a lot. On they go, and off I go.
By the door, ready to slip straight on and go.
So easy to slip on, no bending or fiddling with laces. A godsend on a stiff morning, and they stay snug all day.
Eileen T., NewarkFOUR LOVELY COLOURS, AND THEY DO NOT LOOK "ORTHOPAEDIC"
This is what sold me, if I am honest. They give you all that comfort without looking the least bit like the clumpy, clinical things you dread being told to wear. They just look like nice, soft leather shoes. They come in four lovely colours, my soft beige and a black, a red and a brown, so there is one to go with everything. I have the beige. I am rather tempted by the black for the winter.
They are so comfortable but they actually look lovely, not clumpy or medical at all. I have ordered the black too.
Maureen C., BinghamThe Esmay, against the shoes that have been hurting your feet
You can have a cupboard full of shoes and not one you can be on your feet in all day. I know, because I did. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
Hard soles that jar your feet and knees
Stiff, and they rub and pinch
Tight over a wide foot or a bunion
Fiddly laces, bending on the doorstep
Or clumpy, clinical "comfort" shoes
Cushioned sole that takes the ache away
Soft as a slipper, nothing rubs
Roomy, forgiving fit for troublesome feet
Easy slip-on, stays snug all day
Lovely to look at, not the least bit medical
About the price
The Esmay are £29.95 at the moment. They were £60.00.
I will pass on what the boutique told me, which is that the middle sizes are the first to go, and with the sale on they are going quickly, so once a size has gone it can be a wait for it to come back. Their words, not mine. What I can tell you from my side is that half price is usually where I start asking what is wrong with a thing, and for shoes this comfortable, I have found nothing wrong with them.
And I do not trust perfect scores, so I read the reviews before I ordered. Just over three hundred of them, sitting at 4.2 stars, which sounded like real women rather than robots, so I read on. The same six things I have just walked you through come up in them, over and over, in other women's words.
A proper pair of comfortable shoes, ready for the next day on your feet.
If your feet have started to rule your days and you are saying no to things you love, these are the shoes I would put on your feet myself, while your size is still there. Stop dithering and go and have a look.
Caroline
ESMAY | ULTRA-SOFT ORTHOPAEDIC SHOES
- Cushioned, shock-absorbing sole that takes the ache away
- Soft as a slipper, nothing rubs or pinches
- Sure-footed, non-slip, stable base
- Roomy, forgiving fit for wide feet and bunions
- Easy slip-on, no bending or fiddling
- Four lovely colours, and not the least bit "orthopaedic"
- Sizes UK 2 to UK 8.5
- Free UK delivery and 30 day returns
The sale is on now. Middle sizes go first.