Saddle shoes

RodeoRose · Aug 25, 2011

PearlsandPearls, I just got some Bass saddles as well! I love them to pieces, they're so comfortable and sturdy. Awfully cute, too!

Here are mine, the Glenbrook in cream/fawn.

Moon Matrix, I hope yours were just a faulty pair, though I must confess, the construction is not exactly high quality on mine (the glue from the soles shows in places, tsk tsk!). Shame they won't give you a refund!!

moonmatrix · Aug 25, 2011

Mine are the flat cork ones. So I hope the heeled ones fair better for you!

ZombieGirl · Aug 26, 2011

moonmatrix said:
Good luck w/ the soles on them! Mine cracked right in half on the front sole. Bass refuses to do anything about it, even though it happened in the first 30 days of wearing them!

They are cute but I looked at the reviews on Zappos... seems a lot of people had the same trouble.

HomesteadHattie · Sep 1, 2011

Here's my saddle sob story with a (I hope) happy ending: I bought a pair of coffee-n-cream saddles from Muffy's last summer - but I ordered a wide size despite the fact that I have a regular foot, because that was all they had left in 9 1/2! My unwise decision can only be explained by the fact that I had been pining and saving for a pair for over a year and they never had anything close to my size in stock, so when they finally had a 9 1/2 I jumped on them. It was a stupid move, because although they are beautiful shoes, they just look weird and don't fit my feet right, and they look too-wide, awkward, and clunky with the skirts that I so want to wear them with. After a year of denial, I just ordered a pair of what I feel to be daintier-looking shoes from a seller named Golden Ponies on Etsy; not exactly saddles, but a close approximation that I find charming! Plus, they are handmade and reasonably priced. I can't wait for them to arrive!

Jezebel_Amazon · Sep 19, 2011

To girls considering Bass Saddles.. YES they do crack.. my sole split the 4th time wearing them!!!! I would say save up and go with Muffy's leather soled. I've heard no complaints and they are absolutely beautiful in person.. The quality of Bass is not what it used to be!!!

moonmatrix · Sep 20, 2011

Glad to know it wasn't something I did to the shoes. I used to love Bass, I have a pair of winters boots from them that I have had five years plus and they are still going strong. The Saddles I am having resoled which will cost me 30 dollars. The guy said this isn't the first pair to come in the door with that issue. The thing that irks me the most is the customer service, no reply or answer to my complaint. Horrid practice if you tell me!

LinaSofia · Sep 20, 2011

Here's a question for all you saddle shoe-wearers... now that it's getting a bit cooler here in the UK, I'm wondering how to wear my saddle shoes! So far I've worn them with bare legs and ankle socks. But how would you wear them in the autumn/winter with a dress/skirt? With stockings and no socks? Doesn't seem quite right to me somehow... socks over stockings also seems weird. Opaque tights seems the most reasonable, but it's not very vintage at all. Any ideas?! And I never wear trousers, so that's not the answer

LizzieMaine · Sep 20, 2011

They were often worn with cotton or rayon stockings, which had a dull semi-opaque or opaque finish -- so cotton tights would be a reasonable alternative if you don't have the originals.

lareine · Oct 9, 2011

Anyone know where I can get decent saddle shoes -- probably not Bass based on this thread -- shipped to, or available in, New Zealand? The only ones I ever saw for sale locally were the Aris Allen dance shoes, and I don't want suede soles. (Re-soling isn't an option since the earthquake in February destroyed the city centre and most, if not all, of the city cobblers.)

lolly_loisides · Oct 10, 2011

lareine said:
Anyone know where I can get decent saddle shoes -- probably not Bass based on this thread -- shipped to, or available in, New Zealand? The only ones I ever saw for sale locally were the Aris Allen dance shoes, and I don't want suede soles. (Re-soling isn't an option since the earthquake in February destroyed the city centre and most, if not all, of the city cobblers.)

I bought mine from Shoebuy.com . They ship to Australia, so I'd be very surprised if they didn't ship to NZ. I bought these & very nice they are too.

Looked through their site & yes they do ship to NZ.

lareine · Oct 10, 2011

lolly_loisides said:
I bought mine from Shoebuy.com . They ship to Australia, so I'd be very surprised if they didn't ship to NZ. I bought these & very nice they are too.

Looked through their site & yes they do ship to NZ.

Thank you so much - that is exactly what I was looking for, and they have 20% off at the moment! I think that's a sign I should buy new shoes right now

(US$43 for shipping, though. Ouch.)

lolly_loisides · Oct 10, 2011

lareine said:
Thank you so much - that is exactly what I was looking for, and they have 20% off at the moment! I think that's a sign I should buy new shoes right now

Glad to be of help

They run narrow, I ordered one size large than I normally buy & they still needed to be broken in (they're great now).

Yeah, postage from Europe & North America is a killer, but you just have to suck it up. You just can't buy shoes like that in Aus or NZ. [huh]

lareine · Oct 10, 2011

Well, they're bought now - my present to myself for my birthday next week. I am a bit nervous about the sizing because the reviews are all over the place. I went for the widest fitting but am prepared for some pain when they get here! Hopefully they will break in without crippling me completely.

lareine · Oct 16, 2011

My new shoes arrived! Willits Classic Saddle in size 10 EE, which for sizing reference is longer than required on almost-10" long feet, but a perfect width on almost-10" circumference feet.

They are really comfortable, and on my trial walk arond the block I kept forgetting I was wearing them, which is an excellent sign with new shoes. I think these will be taking the place of trainers as my default casual shoe this summer.

lolly_loisides · Oct 16, 2011

^^^^^^^^

Wow, that was quick! Lareine, I'm delighted you like them. They look great too.

lareine · Oct 16, 2011

Believe it or not, they have been "out for delivery" in Christchurch since Friday lunchtime, less than five days after I ordered them - the shipping to New Zealand may be expensive but it is fast! But the delivery didn't get to me on Friday before close of business, and DHL don't deliver on weekends so I had to wait until today. Needless to say, I was very impatient, LOL.

Thanks for the recommendation on the ShoeBuy site. I'd use them again.

lareine · Oct 20, 2011

Bass and Willits comparison

So, despite what I read about Bass soles cracking and despite already saying I would not buy them, I bought them

The direct comparison between the Bass Enfield (blue/cream) and the Willits Classic (black/white) might be of interest. I haven't had either pair long enough to comment on longevity but you can see the size difference here! I normally wear a 9.5 but sometimes need to go bigger as I have wide feet. The Bass is a size 10M (regular) and the Willits is a 10EE (extra wide). The Willits is at least an inch longer than it needs to be in the toes, but the width is perfect for me. The Bass width is also perfect but you can see the laces aren't quite as tight.

Hope this helps some future shopper with their sizing.

I find the Willits more comfortable and suspect they will last longer because there is less to go wrong - they are very plain and simple shoes. The Bass shoes have nice touches like the padded insole and the grooved soles, but that also means more options for something to break. Time will tell!

LinaSofia · Oct 20, 2011

LizzieMaine said:
They were often worn with cotton or rayon stockings, which had a dull semi-opaque or opaque finish -- so cotton tights would be a reasonable alternative if you don't have the originals.

Thanks Lizzie! It's got a lot colder in the last two weeks here, so I've been wearing mine with opaque cotton tights in black or grey. I suspect grey or brown ones would be more authentic.

By the way, if anyone is thinking of buying the Rocket Originals saddles, I totally recommend them! They were a bit stiff and I got really bad blisters the first time I wore them, but now they are totally worn in and soooo comfy! The only complaint would be that the sole wears down quite quick, but it may be because I don't walk evenly on my feet and my heels always wear down on one side rather than evenly.

sheeplady · Oct 23, 2011

I am looking to buy a pair of saddle shoes, but I have a question perhaps you ladies can help me with.

I am very hard on my shoes, particularly the heels. I wear them down very quickly. I have decided to only invest in shoes that are repairable by a cobbler, so I can buy better quality shoes and keep them going. I have access to a cobbler who does good work very inexpensively. I have a lot of foot problems, and am trying to avoid surgery so I am buying good quality shoes and keeping them going.

Most of the saddle shoes I have seen have a solid rubber sole/heel.

Can a cobbler replace such a sole/heel? Can they somehow just cut off the heel and replace that? Should I take them to the cobbler first thing to have a better heel put on them?

moonmatrix · Oct 24, 2011

My cobbler here in Utica isn't great so please tell where a decent one is in Syracuse so I can get my soles replaced on The Bass saddle shoes. The crack is so bad now I can not wear them at all.

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