At 62, I have spent every autumn breaking in a new pair of boots
At 62, I have spent every autumn breaking in a new pair of boots
Six things the Verlissa boots get right that every stiff new pair I have ever bought got 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 boots. But I will tell you how my autumns used to start. A new pair of boots in October, stiff as cardboard, then three weeks of plasters on my heels and wearing them round the house in thick socks to soften them up. By the time they were comfortable, it was nearly Christmas. So this is not a review. It is a woman who finally skipped all that, saying so.
What I found is from Nottingham Boutique, a small boutique that has been quietly dressing women our age for a few years now. They are called the Verlissa, soft slouchy ankle boots with a long zip down the side and a low little heel. Mine are a lovely deep purple. 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.
No breaking in. No plasters. Read on.
Here is how it happens, and I suspect it happens to most of us. Boots that look smart are stiff, and boots that are soft look like slippers. So we buy the smart ones and put up with them, and spend the first month of every winter walking a bit carefully and keeping a plaster in our handbag.
I did not need tougher feet. I needed boots that were soft to begin with.
The Verlissa are the first boots I have owned that were soft from the morning I put them on, and having worn them most days since they arrived, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
The day they came. I squeezed the side of one before I had the tissue off. Soft as anything.
Soft from the very first day
The leather-look upper is soft and slouchy, gathered in gentle folds across the front of the ankle, so there is no stiff edge to dig in when I bend my foot. I wore them out of the house on day one and did not think about my feet once.
First afternoon in them. A cup of tea and not a plaster in sight.
Comfortable straight out of the box. I wore them all day at my sister's.
Margaret H., BeestonA zip that opens the whole side
The zip runs on a slant down the side of the boot, so when it is undone the whole side opens up like a little door. My foot goes straight in, I zip up, and that is me ready. No tugging, no shoehorn, no hopping about in the hall.
The zip opens the boot right up. On and off in seconds.
So easy to get on. The zip opens them right out.
Jean T., ArnoldA low heel I can actually walk in
There is a little stacked block heel, just enough to lift me and make my jeans hang nicely, but low and steady, so I am not wobbling across the car park. I have done a full morning round town in them.
Just the right height of heel. Smart but I can still walk to the shops.
Pauline W., HucknallA softly rounded toe
No pointed toes squashing everything into a corner. The toe is softly rounded, an easy everyday shape that looks neat with jeans and trousers.
Nice rounded toe. They look smart without pinching.
Sheila M., Long EatonLived-in in the best way
Because of the soft gathers at the ankle, they look relaxed and well loved from the first wear, the way your favourite boots look after a year. They go with jeans, trousers and a winter dress, from the shops to Sunday lunch.
By the door, ready for the morning. They have not been put away since.
They looked like old favourites from day one. I get asked about them all the time.
Brenda P., CarltonSix colours, and half sizes too
Mine are the purple, but they come in black, blue, red, mustard and green as well. They come in sizes UK 2 to UK 9, with half sizes in between, which for somebody who has spent her life between sizes is a small miracle.
Half sizes! First boots in years that fit me properly.
Christine R., West BridgfordThis, against my old boots
Most of us have a pair of boots at the back of the wardrobe that we never quite broke in. I have three. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
Stiff for the first month
A short zip and a lot of tugging
Either flat or far too high
Pointed toes that pinched
Black, black or brown
Soft from the first day
A zip that opens the whole side
A low, steady block heel
A softly rounded toe
Six colours, with half sizes
About the price
The Verlissa are £34.95 at the moment. They were £70.00.
I will pass on what the boutique told me, which is that with the cold weather starting the middle sizes are going first, and once this batch has gone it can be a long 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 after weeks of wearing them, I have not found it.
And I do not trust perfect scores, so I read the reviews before I ordered a second pair. 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.
If you are about to spend another autumn breaking in a new pair of boots, I would start here. Not because you need more boots, but because you deserve to be comfortable from the first morning. Go and have a look while your size is still there.
Caroline
VERLISSA | Comfy Ankle Boots
- Soft, slouchy, gently ruched leather-look upper
- Diagonal side zip that opens the boot wide
- Low stacked block heel, a little lift with no wobble
- Softly rounded toe for an easy everyday fit
- Six colours: purple, black, blue, red, mustard, green
- UK 2 to UK 9, including half sizes
- Free UK delivery and 30 day returns
The sale is on now, half price. The middle sizes are going first.