I wrote this review before I had my Everlane bubble burst that I wrote about here (and I can't say they are unethical, just not as transparent about their ethics as their marketing makes you believe. And in the end, I do believe that they believe their factories have fair labor practices and I do think that some of their products are of a great quality with a decent price point though definitely not all their products. I do think their shoes and handbags are better made than some of their clothes). I'm still planning to review all the items I got or are getting from Everlane, but have decided to stop reviewing their stuff when my Everlane referral credits run out. I won't reinvest more money into Everlane to do reviews but will work on styling what I currently have and wearing/rewearing items to the max in order to be more sustainable and ethical with my closet. So here's this review without further ado:
Sometimes you look at a shoe online and you just know that it’s for you. Well that’s how I felt about these Everlane V Sling-backs, especially the woven pair in the light leather. So I was really happy to find out that not only do these sandals look as exactly as I had imagined but that they are also comfortable and very wearable. It’s funny that Everlane would choose to market the Day Glove so hard, but then release nothing about these sling-backs (and as you recall in my Day Glove review, those didn’t work out as well for me as it did for most of the other bloggers Everlane gave the shoes to). This V slingback shoe is worth way more hype IMHO even though a lot of you guys don't agree lol.
As for sizing, I would say they run true to size. I got my usual Everlane size of 8 (I’m usually a 7.5-8 in shoes). I think the woven leather and elastic backing make sizing particularly forgiving in this shoe.
Anyway I’ve been admiring for awhile now the high-vamp V-shaped shoe trend like these but even though at times they look a little alien-like to me. But I appreciate how different and modern it looks, as well as the fact that this type of shoe shows zero toe cleavage (yep not really a fan of toe cleavage). That’s probably why I was so excited for the release of these shoes. I love that this is a more muted take on the high-vamp V-shaped heel. I also love that this is a flat rather than a heel (though it seems like Everlane is working on making a heel version and a mule version of this--pictures from their insta-story).
The sole of the shoe is made from a synthetic plastic called tunit. I first learned about it through Everlane’s insta-story when they previewed the shoe. Even though it’s not replaceable like leather soles, it’s meant to last and give a little more grip. However, it’s not the same as the rubber sole of the Day Glove, which I found had a little better grip. I do still end up sliding a bit in these shoes and plan to take it to my shoe guy to see if they can put a thin rubber outsole like they do for heels (and I hope this will make the shoe last a bit longer as well). Also the sole is rather stiff and not as flexible as the Day Glove.
Even though the woven leather pair is quite a bit pricier than the suede pair (and quite a bit more than most of Everlane’s shoes), I think it’s totally worth it. The quality leather is woven beautifully and the inside of the shoe is lined with leather (which as you can see above, Everlane claims will make the shoe less sweaty in the summer though I would think it would make it sweatier). But the leather lining means the shoe is a delight to wear. I also love that that the woven texture stretches to accommodate my wide feet without showing the bumps of my toes (unlike the Day Glove). Also unlike the Day Glove, there’s no stitching at the vamp of the shoe (top of the foot), so even though I have feet with a high profile (thanks for teaching me Alexandra!) there’s no rubbing there. And lastly, I’m so glad that they put a thick stretchy elastic at the heel (unlike with the Editor Slingback), so the shoe comfortably stays on my foot.
You can read Jamie’s review of the suede V sling-backs she got from Everlane (love that beautiful rust color, though I’m not a fan of suede shoes in general). Anyway I hope to wear the heck out of these shoes this summer and I’ll update this post with how the shoe ages. I am a little concerned about the fragility of the soft woven leather, but we’ll see how they hold up!
