Add to Cart: The Goldilocks of Summer Shoes

Add to Cart is Vanmag’s weekly style column, in which assistant editor Alyssa Hirose offers honest takes on current trends, local designs, and whatever new clothes/jewellery/shoes she’s talking herself into (or out of) buying.

We’re now in that perfect, almost-summer weather limbo that makes dressing comfortably next to impossible. Dress for chilly mornings and you’ll be sweating by noon, dress for a sunny day and you’ll freeze on your commute. Have you heard of a jacket, Alyssa? I hear you screaming at your computer/phone/printout of this article your grandma mailed you. To that I say, What about your feet, huh? You ever heard of a jacket for your feet? Who’s laughing now? Ha!

To answer the Goldilocks-like conundrum of hot and cold, there’s the mule. I can’t write about mules without addressing their half shoe/half sandal identity—in fact, I have always been under the impression that that’s where they got their name. The mule animal, famously, is half horse, half donkey.

But a quick Google search this morning revealed that the footwear got its name from “mulleus calceus,” the shoes worn by ancient Roman senators. No mention at all of donkeys or horses. How sad. Regardless of title, these shoes are summery, cute, and comfortable. They’re far more stylish than my usual summer go-tos (I love you, Birkenstocks, but you are indisputably ugly) and cover the toe area, which is nice when you’re a pedicurist’s nightmare.

Montreal brand Maguire has a selection of mules I’m eyeing right now—particularly the Navio style, which comes in Buttermilk, Biscotti (a purple-y brown, you know, like a biscotti), Olive, Black Suede and Black Leather. The Buttermilk is particularly cool—I love the sleek, off-white hue, and the little heel adds a little extra elegance. They’re handmade in Portugal and the store’s brick and mortar locations are in Montreal and Toronto, so you’ll have to take a chance on sizes—that is, unless you attend their pop-up with Decade Studio this week. The real-life collab is happening from June 9 to 13 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 28 Water Street. It’s a great opportunity to try both Decade jeans (only available online) and a pair of Maguires. Even when brands have a great return/exchange policy (as both Decade and Maguire do) it’s so much easier to get it right the first time.

The pop-up also features Maguire’s other styles (sandals, flats, heels, sneakers) if you’re not a mule truther like me. Either way, it’s time to up your shoe game—hopefully lots of people will be seeing your feet again real soon.

The Look: Maguire’s Navio mules in Buttermilk
The Price: $210
Where to Find Them: maguireboutique.com or at 28 Water Street June 9-13, 2021
Where to Wear Them: Grabbing a coffee in the morning, driving your car with the sunroof open, posing in a photo with your height-conscious boyfriend before you dump him for being superficial