Shoes!!!

I wore a very expensive pair of black M&S velvet shoes to a party two years ago, at Xmas. It was a very posh party in a beautiful house with cream carpets. My black shoes gradually shed all their velvet pile, someone pointed out the soot on the carpet. I had no idea it was me until I noticed that the entire covering of my shoes was peeling away. I phoned the next day to apologise, the hostess said, no need to worry, they had already booked for the carpets to be cleaned even before the party, but they did wonder what on earth it was all over their carpet!

Certain kinds of composition sole crumble after a while. I used to wear those Cosyfeet shoes that you sew up yourself and had several pairs in the bottom of the wardrobe that had not seen the light of day for a couple of years. It may have been the darkness, or maybe just time.

Not as bad as a friend whose husband inherited from his father a lovely set of brushes with real tortoiseshell backs and silver fittings (not very PC but an antique). He kept them in a plastic carrier in the wardrobe for a couple of years and when they were taken out the tortoiseshell had decomposed into a sticky lump. Apparently the plastic bag was giving off some kind of fumes that attacked it.

I had a pair of shoes that crumbled too! They were the most comfortable, black leather clogs, with a sort of small wedge heel. They gave way in the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne, in the middle of a formal evening. I'd worn them because they were comfortable...

I have just bought a pair of canvas deck shoes from the Croc shop - they have a Croc footbed, so they are very very light. I am hoping and hoping that they will be comfortable this summer. (My bunion was a bequest from my mother and grandmother, along with gallstones and two pieces of nice furniture)

My favourite paid of Pavers which were relegated to gardening duty did the same, after many years of wear! I unearthed them one Spring, wore them while weeding etc. then felt as though I was walking strangely.

The low wedge-shaped heels were disintegrating with each step I took, leaving a trail of crumbling stuff that looked like breadcrumbs...

Judging by all the complaints and reviews on these shoes, nobody will give refunds either, or even tell the customer when they buy them!

Nfk, I did a bit of Googling, and it seems that shoes made by Hotter, Ecco, and Clarks, to name but a few, Often crumble away if not worn enough!
It's the material the sole is made from PU, light and comfy, but needs constant compression to get any liquid out of them, and kind of dry them out.So, if you buy a pair, wear them straight away and keep wearing them for a while, don't stick them in a cupboard.I think that once you have worn them a lot of times, it may be safe to put them away for a while, but not even sure of that!The more expensive shoes at M&S do the same.

Oh dear I hope mine last a while. I've just bought two new pairs of Hotter shoes. One pair plain black (for work), the other, a jolly red trainer style which I love. They both have very shiny black soles, I hope they last and don't disintegrate. They are not cheap shoes either.

NFK the assistant was well out of order to try and suggest that it wasnt possible a fault with the materials.

My OH had a pair of smart shoes which he had not worn for a while. Those soles disintegrated completely in exactly the manner you describe.

I wonder it if was due to a new substance used to make the soles that had not been properly tried and tested.

They have a Facebook page, Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes.
You could leave an acerbic comment on there

(Joseph Steibel are good for narrow feet. Buy them in the sales and they're Hotter price!)

The Hotter woman did annoy me somewhat! I came home and composed a rant to the CEO. Found out his name, but no email and only Reading as an address. By this time I'd cooled off!

I've found that I can wear socks with my shoes or no socks but I can't wear knee highs because the material slips about and makes the soles of my feet sore.

I don't think Hotter are as good as they were. I've bought several pairs of slip ons from Claire at Serenza on line. They seem pricey to me but I live in the past regarding the cost of things.

Not that I wear dresses much, but I used to.

I agree about paying more to have shoes that last. I'm still wearing shoes daily that I've had for about twelve or thirteen years. OK, they're a bit scruffy now but they are perfect for wearing at home (our house isn't warm enough to go around barefoot). They were expensive but they are made of elk leather and beautifully soft. The sole has worn but not excessively. My last pair of hiking boots lasted twenty years. Current pair three years old now and I wear them a lot. I still regard them as new.

The make of the elk leather shoes is Bär. Yes, their shoes are expensive but they do last so in the end you don't pay more. Bär shoes also have toe wriggle room. As essential for me as pockets in dresses

Crikey nfk how did you restrain yourself with the Hotter woman?

She sounds like something out of a John Cleese training video demonstrating how not to do customer service!

I did have to throw out a pair of Nine West sandals recently, as when I got them out of the cupboard the rubbery soles disintegrated ......... but I must have bought them in about 1995 and they were well-worn, so I wasn't too bothered.

Shoes are not made for occasional use? Words fail me!

And one or two have mentioned having problem feet. If you have bad bunions, dropped instep etc, you can get shoes made for you on the NHS. Two pairs a year. Needs a doctor's referral. My mum did and they were excellent quality - although not high fashion! I'm now waiting to have inner soles made for my fallen arches.

A small warning about Hotter shoes.

I used to love them - comfy, stylish and lightweight - but last year, a pair I'd had for around four years and not worn much (an impulse buy in a hard-to--match green) let me down. The soles on both shoes disintegrated completely in under 15 minutes! I had driven five minutes up the road to our local NT pile and in the distance between the car park and the hall the soles fell to pieces. Five minutes later there'd have been a trail of black bits throughout the hall which would have been rather embarrassing to say the least.

I took them back to the Hotter shop and learned -

The new material they make the soles in these days isn't meant to last Madam. They are very old. No one keeps shoes that long Madam.

It's a special composite to make them lightweight. All modern shoes are made this way now - including Nike and a few others she named.

Shoes are not made for occassional use. I should have worn them more often - Madam.

There was no point in complaining, but she would, when pushed, give me £20 off my next pair. I declined politely saying I'd gone off Hotters.

This has rather annoyed me as I keep my lovely purple, lightweight, comfy, must be at least four years old Hotter walking boots in the back of the car to slip on when the walk requires walking boots. I daren't wear them any distance now for fear of eminent collapse.

Last summer I replaced my Keen walking sandals with a similar pair. They were eight years old and getting a bit scruffy. Lesson learned - It's worth having fewer, more expensive shoes with rubber soles (the difference in weight is negligible) which aren't going to fall to bits.

I've just bought 2 pairs of Hotter this week, one pair of pink sandals off the website and a pair of going out sandals off ebay. Together they cost me £41.00, not bad, although I did try the pink pair on today and ended up with a plaster for a bleeding toe. Maybe a hot shower with them on to stretch them to my feet?

If you like Skechers (I do) there's a voucher code for 40% off and free delivery today. Just type in the code Spring40 when you order. it does work! (Oh, dear, is this advertising? I'm not a shareholder, honest!)

One of those little catalogues just fell out of my newspaper....it's for House of Bath and there is an advert in it for Cushion-walk sandals. They come in 5 colours, sizes 4-8 and width fittings E, EEE and EEEEE.

Just wondered if they would be helpful for those of you with problem feet.

I have just looked for Rieker sandals on Amazon as I need a pretty, but comfortable, pair for evening (can't wear heels).

They seem to have every size but mine!

Those of you with corns, hammer toes, bunions etc. have you looked on Amazon because they sell some helpful items which can help those problems. I would only look for 5 stars and read some of the reviews if you are interested.

Aren't babies' feet the same shape whether they belong to girls or boys? Isn't it fashion that puts female feet into pointed toe shoes and gives us bunions and overlapping toes? Why do they sell socks 'for men'? I think I know the answers to these questions. I'm just giving them an airing.

hilda if you are not boycotting Amazon I got some lovely Reiker sandals last week.I have worn the last pair for 2 summers and saw the new ones priced £52 and got them from Amazon in 3 days with p&p for £37 and they are great.

I love my Hotter trainers. I wear them when travelling. I also have a couple of pairs of Regatta trainers, (now somewhat the worse for wear). For the summer I have some Rieker sandals which I love. I must try and find some more for this year. I take size 5, and most makes of shoes fit me.