Smart enough for lunch, soft enough for a day on your feet

On days like that, most of us end up in sneakers. They are comfortable, but they look like you are off to the gym, not out to lunch. The nicer flats stay in the wardrobe, because by two o’clock you would rather be carrying them.

If that sounds familiar, this letter is for you. We want to tell you about a shoe that sits right in between.

It is called Christine, and it has been a steady seller for other online boutiques this year. When we looked at it closely, we understood why.

Christine is a slip-on loafer in soft perforated suede, with a little tassel on top, a silver trim at the heel and a cork-coloured band around a flexible rubber sole.

Inside there is a cushioned insole with a gently curved arch. There are no laces and no buckles: an elastic entry lets your foot slide in.

It comes in five colours, Blue, Red, Green, Black and White, in sizes 6 to 10 AU.

We want to be straight with you about the part that matters most.

It looks like a loafer and wears like a soft everyday shoe.

The perforations let the air in on a warm day, the sole bends with your foot, and the insole is cushioned with a little support under the arch. We are not going to promise more than that. It is simply a soft, neat shoe for a long day.

Why this one? Read enough reviews of comfort shoes and the same wish keeps coming up: something soft enough for a long day that doesn’t look like a sneaker. Christine is our answer to that. The tassel and the silver heel trim make it look finished, and the cushioned insole and bendy sole take care of the rest.

Saturday at the market, from the first stall to the last.

Lunch with friends, with jeans, cropped trousers or a summer dress.

A day in the garden or with the grandkids, when you are up and down all afternoon.

And travelling, when you want a shoe you can slip off and on again without sitting down.

They go with almost everything you already wear: jeans, cropped trousers, a summer dress or a skirt.

Christine is $69.95, with free tracked shipping to Australia and New Zealand.

Plenty of women like a second colour, so we keep the multi-buy simple: buy 2 and save 10%, buy 3 and save 15%, buy 4 or more and save 20%. You can mix colours, and it works across the whole store.

We won’t tell you it is almost sold out or that the sale ends tonight. It isn’t, and it doesn’t.

We would tell you to start with Blue or Black. They go with the most.

Christine comes in whole sizes only, 6 to 10 AU (37 to 41 EU). Choose your usual size. If you are between sizes or have a wide foot, go one size up. As a guide, these are the foot lengths for each size:

Suede doesn’t love the rain, so keep them for dry days and wipe them with a soft cloth.

And if they aren’t right, you have 30 days from delivery to send them back unworn.

If your days are long and your shoes need to keep up, Christine is the pair we would reach for.