Over the past 8 months, I have slowly been converted from being a loyal full time wearer of heeled shoes to a part time wearer of flat-soled shoes. I know that I feel taller and more confident in heeled shoes, but the comfort that flat shoes offer sometimes make me forget about that. These Sporty Wedge Designs Tokyo Mary Jane shoes by Jambu have renewed my faith in heeled shoes.
One thing that bothers me about sporty flat shoes, other than their making me feel short, is that they are too casual and are only a half a step dressier than sneakers. I like to wear shoes that will look just as stylish with a pair of jeans as with a skirt. I loved the look of the Quebec ankle strap shoe, but my size was out of stock. The main things that drew me towards the Tokyo Mary Janes were the details of the side zipper and the red contrast stitching. Nothing is better than a little hardware to give shoes a little touch of edginess. The combination of brushed suede and vintage leather is right in line with the Fall 2011 trend of mixed media clothing, shoes, and handbags.
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Although I very much like the look of these shoes, the comfort of the memory foam footbed was what made me love them. That combined with the cushy rubber outersole made these shoes surprisingly comfortable. One thing I had been worried about was that the wedge bottom would be rocky and unsteady. I own a pair of clogs with a similarly shaped bottom that never fail to cause me to sprain my ankle because my foot would tip too easily. It turned out that the bottom of the Tokyo shoe was not tippy at all and were very secure to walk in.
Something Jambu footwear is known for is their efforts to use recycled materials. The outersoles of these shoes are made of partially recycled rubber. The shoebox these shoes came in is 100% recycled, recyclable, and reusable. In fact, there is a message printed on the inside bottom of the box that reads "A Keepsake Box for You - 100% Reusable".
To view Jambu's full Fall 2011 line, including the Sporty Wedge Designs, Metro Designs, Bare Feet Designs, and more, visit Jambu.com. The Tokyo shoes retails for $120 and is available in Black and Moss. You can purchase these shoes at Athleta.com.
Thank you to Jambu for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.
