For the first six years of my life I had to wear a uniform everyday for school (an all-girls Episcopalian school) and I hated it. Not only were the uniforms really impractical for the Hawaii weather (a wool dress on the special days) but it was so boring. I wonder if that motivated me delve so deeply into style in my later years. Anywho I bring this all up because part of that school uniform was the requirement of wearing plain white Keds. Now I have nothing against Keds now (though tbh I haven’t purchased a pair of Keds since elementary school), but back then I was so sick of them. Yet I have to begrudgingly admit, they are pretty darn comfortable sneakers (and maybe also the reason why I’ve always been so intolerant of uncomfortable shoes). Well this long-winding story was just to illustrate that these Mary Jane shoes from Small Lot Co feel like a comfortable pair of Keds but have 10x the style factor IMHO.
If you’re not familiar with Small Lot Co, they are an ethical women-owned brand based out of Vancouver and the SF Bay Area. They ethically make their shoes in Guatemala from upcycled cotton canvas. The soles of their shoes are natural rubber and they only use natural plant dyes. Their hats are made by one of the founders Karly in Vancouver. And I can attest, after having to do an exchange due to ordering the wrong sizes, that their customer service (handled by Karly) is warm and personable. It makes me so happy to find not only an ethical women-founded brand that make comfortable and quality products, but also to see that they really care about their customers and want to see them satisfied.
My first purchase was a pair of the rust colored Mary Janes (above) in March. I wanted both the indigo and the rust but decided to stick to just one first to see how I like them. Well as you can tell I must have liked them since I then purchased an indigo pair for myself and for Emi, along with a hat. I find the Mary Jane shoes to be super comfortable and love the breathability of the canvas material. I usually don’t care for shoes with a buckle but I find I can slip these shoes on and off without having to mess with the buckle. Unfortunately the shoes can’t be washed and only spot cleaned so I’m pretty careful with the rust colored ones (the darker indigo ones can hide stains better). But I did wear the rust colored mary janes to go cherry picking and the dirt from that fields blended well into the shoes.
Oh and a note on sizing, I ordered my usual size 8 and they fit perfectly. Since they’re made of canvas, I think the shoe sizing is a tad more forgiving. I have wide-ish feet and I have no issues with this shoe. Also FYI there’s no arch support for the inner sole. For the children’s sizing, I would say they run small. Emi currently wears a size 8 in Crocs and had to size up to 10 for her indigo t-strap shoes.
As for the canvas bucket hat, I originally purchased the wide brim hat in the largest size but the brim felt too big and floppy for me. So I asked to exchange it for the short brim version but in the largest size they had, but it only comes in the medium size. So Karly (who I think makes the hats herself), kindly made me a custom short brim hat in the largest size. And she offered to do it without even me asking (nor did I mention this blog where I do reviews). And I’m so lucky she made it for me because it really is the perfect simple bucket hat, and I love how easily packable the hat is. I do worry about the hat getting dirty so I do baby the hat a bit.
Anyway, since they’re still a fairly small brand their stock is a bit limited (especially in the shoes) and so they do sell out fast. You can follow their instagram account to know when they’re about to restock (and shoes usually sell out in sizes within a day or two I think). And for good reason too because these shoes are pretty much the most comfortable thing around.
{November 2021: I thought I would add my brief review of the Lug Sole Mary Janes here since I ended up returning them. I got the same size as the regular mary janes (size 8) but they were a tad long for my feet. The width was perfect but whenever I walked, my heel would slip out the back. I think because the lug soles, pretty as they are, are so heavy, there’s a tendency for my heel to pull up (while the shoe stays weighted down). This fit might not be so much of a problem if I wore socks, but I’m not the type to wear socks normally with my shoes. I wish these shoes fit better because I do like the look of them and I love how cushy the insoles are (seriously they’re bouncy!).}
{April 2022: Due to a toddler that likes to step on my feet with her dirty shoes, I eventually had to wash my Rust colored Mary Janes. And I just wanted to let you guys know that since they use plant-based dyes, regular dish soap will cause the dye to fade (washed the one on the left with a toothbrush and diluted dish soap). I’m not sweating it because I know my shoes will be dirty again due to said toddler, but if you’re one to want perfect shoes you’re going to need to baby these.}