A Letter From Michelle: The Serena
A Letter From Michelle
You love leopard on other women. So why does wearing it yourself feel so different?
On the thin black line running around these, the six things I would not give up on, and why the Serena is $79.95.
It is the thing I hear most often at the counter, and almost never from a woman who dislikes the print. She likes it. She admired it on somebody else that same morning.
What stops her is the worry that it will look like she is trying — too loud, too young, a costume rather than a shoe.
She is right about the shoes she has seen. Print running right up over the opening and right down to the floor, with nothing to say where the shoe ends.
Give the same print a border and it stops behaving that way. It sits still, it reads as a neutral, and it goes with the clothes you already own.
That border is the whole reason the Serena is in the store, and it is a fine black line you could cover with a fingernail.
Six things I would not give up on.
The line that stops the print
Follow it with your eye. It runs all the way around the opening, down both sides, and around the edge of the sole, so the leopard is framed on every side instead of bleeding off into the floor. That is the difference between a shoe you wear with black pants on a Tuesday and a shoe you wear to a party in October.
“I bought the Serena for a birthday lunch where I wanted to look nice without wearing heels. I paired them with ankle-length black pants and a simple blouse. The print added enough interest that I didn’t bother with much jewelry. I especially like the black trim around the edge. It gives the shoes a neat finish.”
Marilyn C., LexingtonThe bit sits on its own band
The gold-tone bit is not set straight onto the print. It sits on a black band of its own that crosses the front of the shoe. That is why the hardware reads as part of the shoe rather than something screwed onto the top of it, and it is the detail people notice a second before they could tell you what they are noticing.
“The gold-tone bit caught my attention because I’ve always liked that classic loafer detail. Combined with the leopard print, it feels a little more playful. I’ve been wearing mine with tan pants for afternoons out.”
Renee F., SpokaneA pointed toe, not a round one
The toe comes to a soft point rather than a circle, which carries the line of your leg on through the shoe instead of stopping it short at the hem of your pants. On a flat that matters more than it does on a heel, because a flat has nothing else doing that work. It is also most of why these lift a plain pant instead of just sitting underneath one.
“These make my plain black pants much more interesting. The little gold-tone detail is lovely.”
Cheryl A., RichmondFour tenths of an inch, and nothing to fasten
Not a flat, and not a heel either. It is about four tenths of an inch — enough to lift the shoe off the ground and give the back of your foot a little shape, and not enough to think about at four in the afternoon. There is also nothing to buckle, lace or zip. You step in, and you are out the door.
“Really like the low heel and slip-on style. A pretty option for days when I want to dress up a little.”
Janice T., MedfordCamel and black go with more than you think
The print sits on a warm camel ground rather than a cold gray one, and the only other color on the shoe is the black of the trim and the band. Camel and black is barely a pattern once you stand back from it — two neutrals you already dress in, arranged in a way that happens to be interesting, which is why these end up next to navy and cream as often as black.
“I wasn’t sure how much I’d wear leopard print, but the camel and black go with plenty in my closet. So far, my favorite combination is jeans and a cream sweater. Easy to put together without feeling too plain.”
Barbara N., AmesEight sizes, and the four that are missing
5.5, 6, 7, 8, 8.5, 9.5, 10, and 11, all at one price. That is the whole list, and I would rather tell you here than let you find it at the dropdown: there is no 6.5, no 7.5, no 9 and no 10.5. Measure your foot against the size chart before you choose, because on a pointed shoe a half size matters more than it does on a round one.
“My shoe shelf is mostly solid black or brown, so these were a small departure for me. I chose them because the colors still work with what I usually wear. They look lovely with dark jeans and my black cardigan. I wore that combination to dinner with friends last week. Glad I gave the pattern a try.”
Kathleen V., Cedar FallsThe Serena, against what you have been buying
| Most $80 loafers | The Serena | |
|---|---|---|
| The print | Runs off at every edge | Framed by a black trim at the opening and the sole |
| The hardware | Set straight onto the print | A gold-tone bit on a black band of its own |
| The toe | Round, and it stops the line | A soft point that carries the line on |
| The heel | Flat to the ground, or a block | About 0.4 inches, which is enough |
| Getting them on | A buckle or a strap to deal with | Slip on — nothing to buckle, lace or zip |
| Sizing | Stops at 10, if you are lucky | 5.5 to 11, and I name all four gaps |
Why we are clearing them out now
The Serena was $269.95, and that price reflected the details that bring the design together: black trim around the opening and along the sole, a gold-tone bit across a separate black band, and a pointed toe with a low heel measuring about 0.4 inches. I’m not going to stand here and tell you that’s a small amount of money for a pair of loafers. But the store turns twenty this year, and my daughters Julie and Amy are both at the counter most days now, which is not something I let myself count on in 2006. We wanted to mark the occasion by giving something back to the women who kept those doors open, so we’re offering them for just $79.95—a little under a third of their original price.
I’ll tell you how I think about it, too. A patterned shoe is the one thing in an outfit that decides whether plain clothes read as chosen or just worn. This is the pair you buy before the dinner invitation comes, not the week it does. And if it’s the pair that makes your favorite black pants look like a decision, then $79.95 was never the point.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$269.95$79.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 70%
- Black trim around the opening and the sole edge
- Gold-tone bit on a black band of its own
- Pointed toe
- Low heel, about 0.4 inch
- Slip-on — nothing to buckle, lace, or zip
- Leopard print on a warm camel ground
- Sizes 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 8.5, 9.5, 10, and 11 — one price
- No 6.5, no 7.5, no 9 and no 10.5
- Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Every size the same price · measure before you choose
One more thing, and then I will let you go.
If you own a patterned shoe you never reach for, take it out and look at the opening and the sole edge. See whether anything stops the pattern, or whether it simply runs off.
That is usually the whole problem, and it is almost never the pattern itself.
So run that test on the Serena the day the box arrives. If it fails, send it back within thirty days and we will refund you.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
SEE IF YOUR SIZE IS STILL AVAILABLE →This is a personal letter from Michelle Hayes, co-founder of The Hayes Family Hamptons. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.