Wearing: Ankle Boots from Vegetarian Shoes

I'd been looking for a good, non-leather, pair of boots for ages. You can find lots of leather free shoes on the high street, but they're often cheap alternatives that disintegrate when they face a tiny bit of bad weather. I wanted to find something that had leather's durability, but none of its cruelty. With Vegetarian Shoes' 'Jeanette Boots' I found it.

The Material

They're made from a breathable and water-resistant 'Vegetan Micro Material'. It can be shinned up, or left dull - like it has been in my photos. I've found that any dirt can also be wiped off really easily.

Rain? Not a Problem
When I'm in Exeter its raining about 80% of the time* and I was fed up of having constantly wet feet. While you can't jump around in puddles and treat these like wellies, if you walk in the rain (and I mean rain rain, not just light showers) your feet will stay perfectly dry.  

I also love how these boots look, which is something I struggled with when looking at other vegan shoe companies. These ones are perfect for dry days too, but if you happen to get caught in a sporadic shower, you're not going to be fazed. You don't need to make a conscious effort to check the forecast, and I'm all for saving time where possible. (Because you know, checking the weather takes HOURS)

The Style

The 'Jeanette' style is so versatile. You can wear them casually, or dress them up. I think the small heel helps with this, but don't let this put you off if you're not a massive heel wearer - neither am I. It's only about 4cms so very small, and very easy to walk in. I even feel like it makes the boots comfier, the sole curves with the shape of your foot and gives you lots of support. If heels really aren't your thing, then there are lots of other designs to pick from. :)

The Fit

I love the double zip feature on the boots. It looks really cool, and it's not something that I've seen a lot. It also gives them a nice tailored shape. I did find the boots a little tight over the top of the foot at first, and with hindsight I might have brought the size up. They have adapted to my foot shape though, and wearing chunky socks for a few days helped move things along a bit quicker.   

The Price

The shoes aren't cheep (£79.95), but as a wise man (who may or may not be my younger brother) once said 'you should invest in good quality things that keep you off the ground'. If you want a high quality, durable shoe that looks great too, then I can't recommend these enough.

The Company

You can also buy belts and bags, and the satchels are the perfect Cambridge Satchel copy for about £100 less. Wins all round. 

If you happen to live near Brighton you're a lucky luck person and can go and browse the Vegetarian Shoes shop on Gardner Street. If not, and fear not, the website is there for us, and they'll ship worldwide. Wahoo! 

You can also find out more on their facebook page.

If you know of any other good cruelty free footwear/clothes companies do let me know in the comments! This one is great for investment/staple pieces, but I am on the lookout for some student-budget-friendly companies that can cater for the bulk of my wardrobe.  

*not a real statistic (but it does rain a lot)