as you know, my wardrobe is an ever evolving labor of love. for the past two years it has undergone seasons -the maternity season, the postpartum season, and now the “my twins are almost two years old” season? at any rate, i’ve been doing a lot of purging and pruning and assessing -most notably in the shoe department. i recently sold or donated 2/3 of my shoe wardrobe in an effort to rebuild it with quality pieces that will withstand the test of time. i think i’ve done my feet a disservice for way to long by subjecting them to subpar footwear so moving forward, i want to focus on quality over quantity. i’d rather have four amazingly made and comfortable pairs of shoes (that will last me years) versus a dozen pairs of mediocrely crafted styles that while more affordable, will only realistically serve me for a season.
SO with that mindset in place, i decided to finally treat myself to a pair of shoes by freda salvador -a small female-owned brand i’ve heard raved about for years. yes, their shoes are an investment. as in more than i’ve ever spent on a pair of shoes (excluding maybe my frye boots). HOWEVER, their products are handcrafted in spain and el salvador with materials designed to last for years. and if shelling out a few more dollars for a pair of shoes means they’ll take me well into my 40’s and make me look and feel great when i get there, then sign me up!
freda salvador eda sneakers (sized down 1/2 size) || cos stores puff-sleeve top (here & here) || madewell momjean denim shorts (same fit in a darker wash -size down!) || mango jute basket bag
as a newly crowned sneaker girlie, i knew one of the first pairs i wanted to try from the brand was their eda sneakers which i swear have a cult-following by instagram influencers (at least most of the ones i follow). i will be honest, i was very resistant to spending an exorbitant amount of money on a pair of tennis shoes on principle alone. but then i thought about how often i wear my court sneakers and how they’re really the perfect shoe for park and zoo adventures and future visits to legoland, seaworld, and disneyland. i also thought about how most days i just want to be comfortable and that usually equates to reaching for my sneakers over a sensible flat. then i thought about how well they seem to pair with everything from denim to shorts to dresses and you know we love a piece that can pull double, triple duty! needless to say there was a lot of thought that went into the purchase. what ultimately gave me the final nudge to treat myself was the fact that they were on sale for 20% off for pre-mother’s day.
i initially ordered my usual size -9.5 and when they arrived, they certainly fit. however, being that they are genuine leather, i knew they might continue to stretch out with wear. i contacted their customer service department for advice on how to proceed and erin, their wonderful representative was so helpful in guiding me through the process. ultimately i decided to size down 1/2 size to a 9 and in receiving the new pair, the adjusted size definitely fit best. so if you are interested in also trying out the eda, i suggest sizing down! i found them to be comfortable right out of the box, but i will say in my first full day of wearing them out in the wild, my feet were a little tender. i think there’ll be a small window of breaking them in given how stiff leather can be, but i’m not worried about blisters or anything. like all leather goods, they will continue to get better with time.
all in all, i’m really glad i finally decided to try them and i’m 100% happy with my investment. i think i will continue to wear them all summer long with shorts and dresses and well into the fall with jeans and trousers.
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