Review: Hotter Shoes

When I like a brand I tend to talk about it. That's just the way I am and over the years my friends and family have just got used to that. Or got better at ignoring me! Over the last few weeks I've been testing a pair of shoes that I was sent to review from Hotter Shoes and, as usual, I mentioned to quite a few people that I was doing so and how I was getting on with them. What surprised me was their reactions.

Now I have to admit that up until another blogger told me they were looking for reviewers I hadn't actually heard of Hotter Shoes before. It seems I was in a bit of a minority though as pretty much everyone I spoke to had heard of them, and thought they were fantastic. Everyone from my mum and mother in law, through to friends of all ages. Quite how I'd managed to miss them until now remains a bit of a mystery, but I'm rather glad that I finally did discover them.

Now when I was offered a pair of Gaby Wedges to review my first thought was that they would be perfect for the wedding that I was attending in Copenhagen and so I chose a pair in plain red to go with the dress that I was planning to wear.

When the shoes arrived I instantly fell in love with them – which is saying something as I'm not a woman who has a big shoe collection and I normally live in pumps of some kind. I tried these on as soon as the postman delivered them and was instantly impressed with just how comfortable they were. That's the whole idea behind Hotter Shoes – to make comfortable shoes – and they're now making them look rather sexy too. The only disappointment I had was the when I took them out of the box the flower on top was a bit squashed looking. Over time it has opened out though and may just have been the result of how they were put in the box originally.

I must have walked around the house for about an hour in my shoes that morning and was amazed that they honestly just felt like slippers – albeit ones with a three inch wedge heel. I was in no doubt that they were the ideal shoes to take away with me though and that they would work really well with the dress I had planned for the wedding.

Before then I gave them another little trip away and took them with me to BritMums. The beauty of these shoes is that they worked really well with quite a casual dress and leggings as well as with something smarter. I wore them for at least six hours on the Saturday of the conference with lots of standing up and also walking to the venue from the hotel. In the end the only reason I took them off was because my legs weren't used to being in heels after so many years of being a mummy in flat shoes. The shoes themselves weren't causing me any discomfort at all.

The shoes were perfect for the wedding this last Saturday and again were extremely comfortable to wear when standing up lots bouncing Master C or pushing him backwards and forwards in his buggy to try to get him to sleep. They worked really well with a smart dress and the wedge heal was ideal when all the front of the church was covered in cobblestones! I sadly didn't get the opportunity to test them on the dance-floor, but even after 8 hours of wedding celebrations I still managed the 15 minute (toddler speed) walk back to our hotel with them still feeling really comfortable. If that's not a great shoes experience then I really don't know what is!

Looking through their catalogue there are some really lovely looking shoes in there and I definitely think I'll be back the next time I need a new pair. I'm not someone who usually spends much on shoes, so that news that the Gaby ones cost £70 did startle me a bit, but looking around that's not actually expensive compared to similar styles elsewhere. In my mind a comfortable pair of shoes are worth every penny.

I'm very tempted by the Gaby Wedges in this floral pattern which I think would work really well with a plain dress or trousers. I can't at the moment think of a reason to buy them, but other women tell me that you don't always need a reason to buy new shoes. I'm also seriously considering some of the flat ones as my everyday shoes, especially as I tend to walk a lot with the children. My shoes seen to get a lot of wear and the last pair of cheap pumps that I bought before going away have fallen to pieces in just a week (I will be taking them back tomorrow and having a few words…) so spending a bit more for a comfortable, quality pair sounds like a better financial option in the long run too.

Disclaimer: I was sent a pair of Gaby Wedges by Hotter Shoes for the purposes of this review.