These days I’m hesitant to write negative reviews because I understand all the hard work it takes to launch and maintain a business, especially in the fickle fashion sector. And I especially dislike doing it to small brands. But at the same time this blog is for you guys, so that you can make an informed buying decision (based on my personal opinions). So I would be remiss to exclude negative reviews. This is all to say that I personally did not like the Prague Woven Leather Mules from Liberte Leather.
I impulse purchased these after writing my review of the St. Agni Ciao Woven Leather Mules (which I didn’t like at first but now like and wear almost weekly). I was looking for something like my St. Agni Paris Mules in a nude leather version for summer, and stumbled upon Liberte. They seem a lot like St. Agni in their values and production. Their shoes are hand made by artisans in Indonesia, much like the St. Agni Paris Mules. Online, the Prague mules from Liberte looks a lot like the St. Agni Paris Mules from the weave to the footbed.
Though they make look similar, the St. Agni Paris mules and the Liberte Prague mules are definitely different, especially when it comes to quality. The woven leather used for the Liberte shoes is not as supple and luxe as the leather used for the St. Agni shoes. The Liberte leather is thicker with less stretch, and the strips of leather are also wider than the St. Agni leather strips. The footbed of the Liberte shoe look like they might be cushioned like the St. Agni ones, but they are not (and thus not as comfy). And the bottom soles of the Liberte shoes, I suspect, are not made of leather. So they used some like of plastic to cover the bottoms. I guess you can’t expect the same quality of shoes if they’re half the price. The St. Agni shoes retail for around $250+, while the Liberte shoes retails for $100+.
I got my usual size 8 in these and find them a bit narrow. I could probably work on the shoes and stretch them out if I loved them. But since I don’t, I’ll be selling them on ebay for a loss (I should have returned them right away but I optimistically thought I would wear them—but they’re uncomfortable even when I wear them around the house). For a similar look, I much rather wear my St. Agni Ciao mules. Anyway, it just goes to show you sometimes get what you pay for. Finding a pair of St. Agni shoes secondhand is a much better bang for your buck (you can sometimes find good deals for almost new/lightly used St. Agni shoes here).