GREAT IDEA: Rollasoles
From the Department of “God, why didn’t I think of that?” come these roll-up ballet flats, by Rollasole. They’re sold in vending machines in 25 or so clubs around England, so if it’s been a long night and your feet are about to fall off because of your heels, you can just drop about the same amount as you’d spend on a cab and spend the end of your evening in comfort.
The package even comes with a little tote bag to carry around your ouchy shoes for the rest of the night, in case you don’t feel like jamming them into your purse.
They come in small (US sizes 5-6), medium (7-8) and large (9-10), and at £5 – £7 (about $8.25 – $11.50 at the current exchange rate), they seem pretty reasonable. And they’re actually cute, too!
Unfortunately, although the vending machines are apparently enormously popular in Britain, there’s no information on when creator Matt Horan (who came up with the idea after seeing his girlfriend’s painful experiences at clubs) is planning to start marketing them internationally. But if you neeeeeeeeed them, or are an entrepreneur with a shopping cart you can park outside Rouge, you can order them online, too.
We should get these installed all over Old City and Rittenhouse, just so I don’t have to feel the pain of all the girls in sparkly party tops hobbling around at closing time while I’m tromping home in my sneakers or flats. Or, I dunno, change societal expectations so that women don’t feel they are obliged to wear shoes that cause them pain. But as that may take a while, for the short-term let’s get some Rollasoles stateside.
Rollasoles: via NotCot
Societal Expectations? Quit blaming ’society’ and wear what you want. No one is making you do anything you don’t want to do here.
“…so I don’t have to feel the pain of all the girls in sparkly party tops hobbling around at closing time while I’m tromping home in my sneakers or flats.”
I’ve got a bad case of overempathy, which means I don’t go to Saw movies and I hate seeing people in obvious pain because of their shoes, it’s like nails on a chalkboard.
There is a company here in the US that has been selling these for years. Their site is sparesoles.com and my favorite pair is the leopard print. You can purchase a pair online or at a local shop.
Rollasoles are cute, to be sure. I can see them falling easily under the ‘impulse buy’ category, and at $8US, that makes sense. But will this be a ‘get what you pay for’ situation? The sizing is S/M/L, so likely a poor fit regardless of your size.
The benefits to compactable shoes are clear – style and portability is a great combo – but if the soles are dirty when the shoe is rolled, then the whole shoe gets dirty, and what’s to keep them rolled in your bag?
It’s great for gals to have an option like this – especially brides. For the rest of the ladies (and the gents!) who want to get out of painful dress or sport shoes and into something stylish and comfy, check out http://www.kigofootwear.com.
kigo shoes are lightweight (about 1/2lb p/pr), foldable, have a patent pending hook system to keep the shoes compacted, come in unisex and women’s styles, in a multitude of color schemes, and are eco-friendly. Rollasoles are a cute option for the club, and for the commute or for transitioning to and from sport activities (like cycling or skiing), kigo footwear is a much sturdier, yet still stylish (and eco) option.
This is also a newly launched company, poised to make a mark. They’ll be for sale online in August, but info and pictures are on the site http://www.kigofootwear.com.
There is an even better website called Footzyrolls.com Check it out they are much more stylish and have a real bottom to wear outside. Check it out… all the girls in NYC are wearing them!!
Dear marketing interns, or whoever these competing disposable shoe companies have going around and posting positive blog comments about their product (and marketing people in general):
“All the girls in NYC are doing it!!” is not a great way to persuade someone in Philly to do something. Even though many people who live in New York assume Philly has an inferiority complex and wants nothing more than to copy New York, we actually find it kind of insulting when marketers try to play off this perceived insecurity. Just a tip.
Love,
Philly
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