The walk of shame.
Most of us have walked “the walk” at least once.
Thinking back to my university days, the walk of shame was a regular occurrence. I’d go out, drink, dance and dirty text one of the guys I was “kind of seeing” at the time which would always lead to me waking up in his bed the next morning in last night’s make-up. I’d crawl out of bed in the morning, slip on my mini-skirt & 5 inch heels and hope that I didn’t look too conspicuous on my walk home.
You know what the worst part about the walk of shame is? (Besides the Jimi Hendrix hair and the fact that you’re carrying last night’s underwear in the pocket of your jacket) – THE SHOES. What do you do with your shoes?! After extensive shame walking I’ve concluded that you pass off most party wear as “daytime casual/dressy” if you remove your heels. (Unless the outfit is covered in sequins. That just screams out “I was having sex four hours ago and/or might still be drunk.” FACT.) To counteract this, I’d sometimes pack a pair of flip flops into my purse before I went out. However, back then my love life was pretty erratic so I’d often be caught unprepared. Walking barefoot through the dirty city streets was not an option so I’d just grin and bear it, stumbling home in my heels and immediately removing them as soon as I stepped into the safety of my building’s elevator.
My walks of shame these days are few and far between however, I’m still hopelessly addicted to my heels when I go out at night. Never one to sacrifice fashion for comfort when it comes to dressing up, I often find myself wearing heels when I’d prefer not to be – like when I’m in Vegas after a long night of dancing & walking the strip with a bunch of bloggers. For those of you who are thinking of going to Bloggers in Sin City next year (DO IT!) I’ll say this: Vegas is murder on your feet. The Strip is deceivingly long which means that you end up walking way more than you think. Throw in a couple nights of dancing and if your not careful, your feet will be pulverized by the end of the weekend. Having a pair of flats on standby is always a good thing when you’re in Sin City.
This is why I was so excited when Chinelas By Michelle contacted me to see if I wanted to review a pair of their folding shoes. This is a product I could actually put to use! Chinelas (which comes from the Spanish word for “slippers”) are comfortable and durable flat sandals designed to be worn after killer heels. These cute portable satin ballet slippers are perfect for wearing at the end of a big night out (or to and from work!) and conveniently fold up to be stashed inside your purse, gym bag or carry-on luggage. Industrial designer Michelle Chung created the brand to solve the problem of getting women home comfortably and safely after wearing high heel shoes – (while still looking fashionable!)
In other words, Chinelas are the perfect accessory to have on hand so that your next walk of shame doesn’t look like this:
Although I’ve never been one to wear leather chaps to an airport, I can’t help but think how much less shameful my life would have been if only Chinelas had existed in the early 2000’s. Also, I’m sure if I had these bad boys in Vegas I wouldn’t have had to do things like risk catching leprosy by walking through the Imperial Palace Casino barefoot at 5 in the morning.
One of the things I like about Chinelas by Michelle is that they are actually cute. They are made of a soft silky material and come in a small carrying pouch.
Remove them from their pouch. Unfold. Ta-da! You have instant ballet slippers:
The shoes themselves are quite comfy. The outsole of the shoe is designed to be durable enough to protect your foot against rough surfaces and glass. The sole is made of a corrugated rubber material and is definitely more substantial than most folding shoes out there.
I usually carry a very small clutch when I go out. Even though the Chinelas by Michelle are super flat and compact, they are still slightly too big to fit in my favourite clutch. However, they fit perfectly inside the front pocket of my other favourite “going out” purse, along with all of my other essentials.
Every pair of Chinelas comes with a pouch that transforms into a sling to carry your heels home in. The pouch also includes a zippered pouch that you can use to carry other small items like cab fare, lip gloss or phone numbers. How handy!
Chinelas come in a bunch of fun colours:
I feel like these would be really handy for wedding season & make a fun bridesmaids gifts!
Chinelas by Michelle come in three sizes – small, medium and large – and can be ordered online for $29. My only complaint about Chinelas by Michelle is that although I received a size small, they were still slightly loose and floppy on my tiny size 6 feet. Until they start making “extra small” I would recommend these shoes for sizes 7 and larger. With that said, I’m still going to bring my Chinelas along with me when I go out for drinks next week….just in case.
What do you guys think? Have any of you tried folding shoes?
My Chinelas were provided to me free of charge in exchange of my honest assessment of the product. Thanks Chinelas by Michelle!
