I’m a woman on a mission. There’ve been a couple of niggling issues in my wardrobe that I’ve put off fixing for one reason or another.
The first is the elephant sitting in my shoe cupboard. A number of pairs of sensible work shoes that have stretched a half size too loose or the right sized killer heels that are just too painful to wear for a full day at pacing the lino and concrete at work.
I’ve managed to get my loose shoes to drop a half size with these Scholl Gel Activ inserts. They’re around $14 per pair and come in a variety of cuts depending on the kind of shoe you’re using them for – flats, mid and super high heels. They only come in one size for up to an Australian 8. My feet are a half to full size up from this but desperate and determined times left me with no choice but to get them and hope for the best. As for stockists, look no further than my good friends Priceline and Chemist Warehouse.
In my comfy shoes, the inserts provided the perfect amount of ‘fill’ to prevent my feet swimming around as much as they were. They have a peel off backing and you then just stick the inserts into the heel of your shoe and press down. It is suggested that they be changed every 6 months. The only problem is that my heels were still slipping out the back as I walked.
Which is where @immashoeaddict on Instagram stepped in to save the day. She put me onto suede heel grips. They retail for around $5 for a pack of four versus around $8 for the Scholl Party Feet version. Yes, for the purposes of research for you, dear blog readers, I bought both. I’ve only seen the suede version at Priceline while the Party Feet are more widely available.
This is how the Gel Active insoles and Party Feet Heel Shields look in that frustrating pair of work heels I have. They’re Rockport which I thought would be synonymous with all day comfort but sadly, while they do have more arch support than the average heel, I just can’t stand for more than around 10 minutes in them or walk in them for more than around three. A deal breaker in my job.
But I refuse to give in. Now that I’ve plastered them in gel inserts, I’m going to take them for a spin into the city for you. If my feet survive that then I’ll be wearing them into work.
This is how the suede heel inserts look. They need around 8 hours ‘setting’ time before they can be worn. To be honest, I think this means that they’ll stick and wear better than the gel version which slipped a bit when I tested them out. I’ve been proved correct about the gels. They do migrate around the heel as the day progresses.
My second wardrobe issue pertains to winter knits for work. I’ve been all about the skivvy since the beginning of time (1998 to be precise, the year I first joined the ‘real’ workforce).
In the spirit of embracing change, I’ve branched out into V neck sweaters (
$49.90 AUD, heaps of colours). Uniqlo do a brilliant range of machine washable merino wool fine knits. I just pop them into a laundry bag whenever I wash them. They hold their shape pretty well and air dry fairly quickly even in the winter. They don’t even need to be ironed (black hides so many sins…). I started with the skivvies last year and this year, I’ve branched out into the V necks.
Still on the V neck theme, I splashed out on some Uniqlo cashmere. These sweaters have an RRP of $129.95 but they had a recent promotion which saw the price come down to $99.95. I’ve heard mixed reports on the quality (early pilling) but at the price and for pure cashmere…. a girl can’t expect everything. I will update on wear and longevity over the next few weeks.
