On my 19-day trip to Capetown, Victoria Falls and Camps in Botswana Solely Jane sandals let me give my feet some breathing room from wearing sneakers all the time. This is the Ilala Lodge in Victoria Falls.
What do you wear on your feet when you can only take a duffel bag under 40 pounds for 19 days? Soley Jane!
There is something so satisfying about finding a product that’s unique. The footwear by Solely Jane is one of those products. Their base is a simple and slightly padded black sole onto which you can slide (literally) different tops (“Solemates”) to make totally different looks. One pair of soles and two tops is just $99 (additional tops are $33/each). Imagine an entire wardrobe of shoes from one pair of walkable soles. That’s the Solely Jane shoe system.
I was wearing sneakers most of the time on this trip, but my feet needed a break now and then from them. I couldn’t bring more shoes, but I could and did bring 3 pairs of tops for the Solely Jane sandals I took along.
Tops Slide Onto the Sole:
One Sole Many Styles:
As of now, there is just one bottom, called the”classic comfort sole.” It’s got a walkable block heel and some padding in the toe area. Once you slide the top on with “runners” onto the classic comfort sole, you’re off and running, literally. It’s easy and takes just seconds.
There are a number of styles in a couple of colors. I’m showing you tan “Phoenix” because you can easily see the runners in the photo but I didn’t test this one out.
Comfort Sole:
The bottom of the comfort sole has indentations in the front and heel to help you so you don’t slip. If there is one downside (and it’s a small one), the sole is not as flexible as I would like, and that causes you to “clomp” a bit as you walk. Maybe it’s just me, but the sole does feel like it could use some “spring” in it.
Front and Back:
To show you the front and the back, I am modeling the cross front “Adelaide” in black,” the smooth front “Syndey” in white. The bottom two photos in this series show the “Adelaide” snakeskin print.
A Few More Thoughts:
I really really love Solemates! They are especially great for travel because you can take one pair with a lots of different tops for every occasion in the space of just one pair of shoes. However, I wish there were solemates styles in more colors. Also, in my tests, the black cross-front Adelaide style was very stiff and irritated some of my toes. But the snakeskin Adelaide top was softer as was the white Sydney top. So I guess it depends upon what color as well as style you choose.
I also wish there was another sole to choose from. I love the one sole that’s classic and walkable and looks nice with anything. But maybe one with a wedge, or a higher heel would be nice, too. Then I could have had even more shoes to choose!
That said, it’s Solely Jane has a stylish and affordable way to build a big shoe wardrobe. I couldn’t have made my trip to Africa without them.Visit https://trysolelyjane.com/
