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| Hotter Venture |
I’ll say this from the outset, I’m a bloke and blokes have a different attitude towards shoes than women do. We do not lust after them, we do not get shoe envy and we most certainly don’t cram our feet into shoes that aren’t comfortable. So having defined myself as some sort of inverse-woman, what do a think of a £90 pair of Hotter shoes?
Well before I let you into that secret I want to tell you a bit of my footwear history. Apart from a brief dalliance with M&S slip ons that fell to pieces within a month, I’ve been a life long Clarkes shoe wearer as far as work shoes have been concerned. The quality has dropped since the manufacture shifted overseas but then the same can be said of most of the high street. Sometimes an 11 will fit, sometimes a 12 won’t be big enough, there’s no particular rhyme or reason and I’ve been getting more and more dissatisfied with them in the last year or two.
I have a rather great commute that sees me walking two miles through the park to work each morning come rain or shine and then and the end of the day I walk another two miles come more rain or shine. Usually rain it has to be said. The 3 things I look for in shoes are durability, comfort and style, probably in that order. I get a minimum of 25 miles a week out of my shoes and they still have to look smart enough for a full day at work. This is no mean feat.
I’ve been wearing a pair of Hotter Venture shoes now for nearly a month and with the exception of one of the laces starting to fray, they look pretty immaculate. Frayed laces are a perennial problem for me mind you, since I have big feet but a narrow ankle, I’m always pulling the laces tight to the point where the eyelets almost touch. The shoes have a gortex inner, a very nicely cushioned sole and nice soft leather. I’m as happy striding through the park as I am driving the car or sitting at my desk. The goretex adds a level of security- I know even if it’s pelting it down with rain I’m not going to have wet shoes or feet but at the same time I’m wearing a smart pair of shoes I can leave on in the office.
Very pleased really, and I shall definitely be venture-ing back (hahahaha, see what I did there?) when this pair eventually wear out.