Like My Favourite Sneakers, Only Open for Summer

I ordered the grey, because grey goes with everything I own. When the parcel came, I held one up to the window.

The front is a soft knit with a pretty pattern of little holes, just like my favourite sneakers. Underneath is a thick white sole with a gentle wave to it, the kind you'd expect on a sneaker, not on a sandal.

But the toe is open, the sides are open, and there's nothing to buckle or lace. The back simply hugs your heel.

One tip: the product page says to go a size up if you have wider feet. I did, and they fit just right.

I did what I always do with new shoes: up and down the kitchen, then out to the letterbox and back.

The first thing I noticed was the weight, or rather that there wasn't much of it. They're lightweight, nothing like the chunky soles I'd been expecting.

The second thing was how they move. They bend with your foot as you walk, so there's no stiff, clompy feeling on the floorboards.

I slipped them off and on again without using my hands. That's when I started to like them.

The real test was a Saturday. The market in the morning, then a long walk through the Botanic Gardens with a friend, then back to the car I'd parked far too far away.

That's the kind of day I'd normally only do in sneakers.

This time I had the supportive sole I'm used to, a little extra height, and my toes in the fresh air. Light enough that I wasn't lifting my feet like I was wearing boots.

By the end of the afternoon I'd almost forgotten I had them on.

A week later I was back on the website. There are six colours: pink, black, grey, dark blue, blue and beige.

I don't usually buy the same shoe twice. But the grey had become the pair I reached for every morning, and I wanted one that felt a bit more like summer.

So I ordered the pink, and that's where I'll stop. It now waits by the front door for the warmer days.

Then came one of those sticky summer afternoons where everything feels too warm. Lunch with my sister outside our favourite bakery.

This is exactly where my sneakers used to let me down. Hot, closed-in feet by the time the coffee came.

The open knit lets the air through, and with the open toe and the open sides my feet felt fresh the whole afternoon. And unlike sneakers, they looked right with my summer dress.

My sister looked down and said they looked comfy and smart at the same time. That's exactly what I'd wanted.