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Last autumn I slipped on wet leaves outside the library. At 64, I spent a year walking like the sidewalk was ice. These are the boots that gave me my stride back
Six things these cream lace-up boots get right that my smooth-soled flats and slippery old ankle boots never did, from a woman who had quietly started taking smaller steps everywhere she went.
Catharine Laurent · 64 · Dallas · 5 min read
I am 64, and last October I went down on a carpet of wet leaves outside the library. Nothing broken, thank goodness, just a bruise and a great deal of pride left on the sidewalk. But something changed after that. I started taking smaller steps. I held Geoff's arm on any slope. I stopped going out at all when it had rained. I did not even notice I was doing it until Jean said, "You walk like you're on ice, even in the kitchen." So this is not a review. It is a woman who got her stride back, saying how.
The boots I am writing about are the Charlotte, cream lace-up ankle boots from Novira Dallas, a small boutique that dresses women our age. They have a chunky, deep-tread sole, laces with a strap across the ankle, and stitching right round the edge like a handmade shoe. Jean, who never lets me get away with anything, sent me the link with one line: "Look at that sole. Buy them before winter." She was right, as usual. When Novira Dallas later asked if they could share my letter, I said yes, on the condition I could be completely honest in it.
Here is what that year taught me. A fall does not have to hurt you to change you. Once you have been down once, every wet sidewalk, every shiny shop floor and every leafy path feels like a trap. And most of the shoes I owned, the smooth-soled flats, the ankle boots with soles worn as slick as glass, did nothing to help.
I had not lost my balance. I had lost my confidence. And it turned out my shoes had a great deal to do with it.
The Charlotte is the first pair of shoes in a year that has made me feel properly steady, and having worn them for a month, through wet leaves, to the store, round the trail round White Rock Lake and to Sunday lunch with Jean, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
A deep-tread sole that feels planted
This is the reason I bought them. The sole is chunky and deeply treaded, so it grips rather than skates, and I feel planted with every step in a way I have not felt for a year. Wet leaves, damp paths, the shiny floor at the supermarket. I am not going to tell you any shoe makes you fall-proof, because nothing does. But I can tell you I have stopped taking little steps.
Rained overnight. Walked to the library anyway, over the same leaves. Did not hold anyone's arm. Did not slow down. Bought a book to celebrate.
Laces and a strap, so they hold you snugly
There are proper laces up the front and a soft strap across the ankle that fastens with a touch. Between the two, the boot holds my foot snugly, with no heel slipping about and no wobble at the ankle. And the strap means I can tighten or loosen them in a second without bending down to retie anything.
Laced once, never untied. Just undo the strap, slip them off, pop them back on. Simple.
A cushioned footbed for long days
Inside there is a cushioned, supportive footbed, and you notice it on the first walk. They feel soft underfoot without being squashy, and I have done a full day out, the store, lunch and the walk home, without that tired, flat-footed feeling I used to get by dinnertime.
Four hours on my feet at the Christmas market. Feet fine. Jean's were not. She has ordered a pair.
Stitching that makes them look handmade
Round the edge of the sole there is a row of chunky stitching, like a handmade shoe from a little workshop, and a deep berry-red rim above the black tread. It gives them real character. They do not look like comfort shoes. They look like boots you would buy because you liked them, which is exactly how I feel about them now.
The girl at the bakery asked where they were from. Twice. I wrote it on the back of my receipt for her.
Cream, which brightens every winter outfit
I chose the beige, a soft cream, and it lifts a winter outfit in a way black boots never do. With jeans, with pants, with a long skirt, it looks fresh and cheerful on a gray morning. I will be honest, because I promised I would: a light color does show a muddy splash, so I give them a quick wipe when I come in. If you would rather not, they come in darker shades too.
Cream boots, navy coat, red scarf. Geoff said I looked "like a Christmas card." I am choosing to take that as a compliment.
Five colors, and an honest word on sizing
The Charlotte comes in black, brown, red, beige and khaki. I will be honest about sizing, because I promised I would: there is no measurement chart on the product page yet, and not every half size is offered, so if you are between sizes, ask Novira's team before you order. There is a thirty-day money-back guarantee if they are not right.
Walked past the library on a wet morning and realised I had not even thought about the leaves. That is the whole story, really.
These boots, against the shoes that let me down
Most of us do not notice our shoes have stopped helping us until something goes wrong. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
Soles worn smooth as glass
Heel slipping, ankle wobbling
Thin and flat underfoot by dinnertime
Black, plain and forgettable
Small, careful steps everywhere
A chunky, deep-tread sole that grips
Laces and a strap that hold you snugly
A cushioned, supportive footbed
Handmade-look stitching and soft cream
My stride back, finally
About the price
The Charlotte is $69.95 at the moment. The website says that is down from $232.00. I will not pretend I know what a pair of boots like this ought to cost, but I can tell you I would have paid a great deal more for the feeling of walking normally again.
Novira Dallas also take a bit off if you buy more than one, up to 20%, which is how Jean's pair ended up in the same order as mine.
Shipping was free and tracked, and there is a thirty-day money-back guarantee if they are not right. That is what got me to press the button.
sole
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If you have had a slip, or a scare, and found yourself quietly taking smaller steps ever since, these are the boots I would hand you myself, while your color and size are still there. Take your stride back.
Catharine
Charlotte · Lace-Up Comfort Ankle Boots
Bundle and save up to 20%
- Chunky, deep-tread sole
- Laces plus an easy strap across the ankle
- Cushioned, supportive footbed
- Handmade-look stitching round the sole
- Casual or dressed up, with jeans or a skirt
- Black, brown, red, beige and khaki
- FREE tracked US delivery & 30-day money-back guarantee
Not sure of your size? Ask Novira Dallas's team before you order.
About the writer. Catharine Laurent is 64 and lives in Dallas with her husband Geoff and a spaniel called Biscuit. She taught elementary school for thirty-one years and still cannot walk past a library.
This page is an advertisement for Novira Dallas. Individual experiences may vary. No footwear can prevent every slip or fall. Novira Dallas · FREE tracked US delivery · 30-day money-back guarantee.