At 54 I Thought Comfortable Sandals Had to Look Sensible

It was the shape that caught my eye. A clean T-strap across the top of the foot, an open toe and a strap around the heel. Simple, a little bit classic, nothing chunky or clinical about it.

Then I saw the colours. Yellow, blue, orange, black, grey and beige. Proper summer colours, not just the usual black and brown.

What made me hesitate was the footbed. The page said it was contoured to cradle the arch and heel. I've read that before and ended up with sore feet anyway.

I decided to give them a try, and I chose the yellow.

When the parcel arrived, I sat on the bench by the front door and tried them on.

There are two touch-fasten straps, one across the front of my foot and one higher up near the ankle. I pulled each one until it felt snug, pressed it down, and that was it. No buckles, no fiddly holes, no guessing between two settings that are both wrong.

My feet are a little wider at the front than they used to be, and that's usually where sandals pinch. Being able to set that strap myself made all the difference.

I wore them around the house for the rest of the afternoon. Nothing rubbed. Not the heel, not the top of my foot.

The real test for the yellow pair was the Saturday market. Two hours of walking, standing in queues, wandering back for the stall I'd missed.

That's usually when my feet start talking to me.

This time I noticed something else: my arches felt held. The footbed curves up under the arch and cups the heel, so I wasn't standing flat on a hard sole all morning.

I walked from one end of the market to the other and back again with a full basket, and I didn't once go looking for somewhere to sit.

The footbed I'd doubted turned out to be the part I like most.

A few weeks later we had a weekend down the coast. I used to pack three pairs of shoes for two days. This time I packed the Selina and a pair of sneakers.

The sneakers never came out of the bag.

They're light, so they never felt heavy by the end of the day, and they slip on in seconds when you're heading out the door. The sole has a bit of cushion and a steady base, which I was grateful for on the uneven paths along the water and the old footpaths in town.

I walked a lot that weekend and I wasn't watching my feet the whole time.

Back home from the coast, I realised I'd been reaching for the yellow pair almost every day. With dresses, with cropped trousers, with jeans rolled up at the ankle.

So I went back for a second colour: the blue. I've never been one for black or beige, and now I have yellow for the sunny days and blue for everything else. It means fewer decisions in the morning.

The first time I wore the blue pair to lunch, with a light summer dress, my friend looked down and asked where they were from. She was surprised when I said they were the comfortable pair.

When I went back for the blue pair, I read the story behind the boutique.

The founder has handed the business to her daughters, Emily and Charlotte, and to mark the new chapter they're running a New Chapter Sale across the online collection.

The Selina was part of it, in all six colours.

If you're tired of choosing between the pretty pair and the comfortable pair, it might be worth a look while your size is still there.

When I looked, the Selina was $69.95 AUD, down from a listed earlier price of $169.95 AUD, as part of the New Chapter Sale. Every colour is the same price.

The site says popular sizes can sell out, so I'd check your colour and size sooner rather than later.