One of the perks of my new commute is my convenient proximity to Minute Man National Historic Park. The stunning scenery, miles of walking trails, and historic buildings make it a favorite haunt of mine.
I stopped by after work last week to take advantage of the beginnings of the fall foliage to snap some pictures of my outfit and the second pair of shoes I picked up from Royal Vintage Shoes. I haven’t had a pair of brown shoes that I love, so I picked up the Dolores slingback, partially with this outfit in mind. I’ve worn pretty much everything but the shoes before here.
So. About the shoes. As per usual, I must disclose that I am a brand ambassador for Royal Vintage, which (lest you think people are throwing shoes and money at me) in this case means I got a little discount on the shoes that I definitely would have purchased anyway in exchange for writing up my honest review here.
I’m sorry to say that I do not love the Dolores quite as much as I love the Marilyn. I absolutely adore the look of the Dolores— the platform and styling is perfect and the faux alligator (real leather, fake gator) finish looks better in real life than I had imagined it would, the scales are wonderfully 3D. As with the Marilyn, the footbed is comfortable and padded and the heels are excellently balanced.
Unfortunately, the Dolores is not really a comfortable all day shoe for me as it stands. Even with the strap at its tightest, my heel still slips out while walking. I think I’m going to try punching another hole to see if that helps. Since my feet are rather wide, I can’t really go down a half size to fix the length problem, but I suppose it might help. I also found that on me the cut-outs were still a bit overly large. I know I’m near the upper end of the size range, but I felt like the amount of foot that was cute on a smaller size was a little too much foot on my size 9 boats. The vamp on these was also uncomfortably tight out of the box, but it does seem to be stretching and breaking in. At least with the top of my foot bearing most of the pressure I don’t have squished toes!
In spite of these quibbles, I’ve worn these shoes at least five times since I got them and they have yet to give me a single blister! I also tend to really put my shoes through the wringer, any pair that stays in my closet needs to treat my feet well after 2 miles and a bit of standing! So although I’m not 100% happy with the Dolores it definitely has earned a spot in my regular rotation, and I’m excited to see what other designs Lauren and Abby will come up with for future Royal Vintage collections.
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- Yellow feathered tilt hat: Raspberry Beret Cambridge
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- Carved orange Bakelite earrings: Antiques mall in Wisconsin
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- Fakelite ’80s Avon maple leaf brooch: Wakefield Uncommon Antiques
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- Yellow sweater: Target
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- Brown 1940s suit: Stutterinmama on Etsy
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- Brown platform sling-back pumps: Dolores from Royal Vintage Shoes (I purchased these shoes at a discount in exchange for images and a review)