Buying slippers - for houses where you take off your shoes. Post 748 by Angela Lansbury.
Last week I went to dinner at a house where I was asked to take off my shoes.
On the way I stopped at another house half way to get a lift.. They also preferred guests to remove shoes. They had a child under five years old who played on the floor, and new carpets. They had stairs. Backless slippers are not safe on stairs. Backless slippers can slide off when you lift your legs. Dangerous.
In Asia a lot of people have spare slippers for visitors. In the UK you are more likely to need to bring your own shoes
At the second home I was offered a pair of slip on shoes. This meant have shoes which were tight on my toes, or large so I risked losing one, or falling over. I thought, I'd rather wear a new pair of shoes, once in a while, rather than other people's old shoes which are less elegant, not co-ordinating colours, other people's foot sweat, could even be giving me verrucas or other foot problems.
Sometimes I remember to take with me a pair of Crocs or cheaper \Croc-style shoes, which you can wash so the soles are absolutely clean. But mostly I forget. Or I don't have room in my shoulder bag.
What I need is compact slippers which I can carry around all the time so they are with me when needed. Not as bulky as Crocs. But equally light weight. Possibly more clearly an indoor slipper. And a colour to go with every outfit.
I searched online, on ebay and Amazon. With a quick look at a couple of other sites which had very expensive slippers, or difficulty in showing me what I wanted. Ebay allows me to limit the price, go from the cheapest upwards. I also wanted to see reviews of different styles.
Amazon allowed me to ask questions. The answering text box is programmed to answer the half a dozen usual questions. Is postage free? Are they washable? Are they non-slip.
I looked at the reviews and one reviewer said her slippers were too small. I decided that whichever brand I ordered, I would opt for size five, rather than 4 and a half. I could always wear thicker socks, as I do with boots.
Two other qualities I looked for were search words foldable, or travel.
Patterns On Socks and Slippers
My favourites were the ones with the message about wine on the toes. One version just had photos of wine glasses of cocktails. Humorous. Original. Different. Sophisticated. Put the postage from the USA to the UK was about twenty pounds, on top of the price of the slippers. If I really wanted them, or was looking for something for a birthday, Xmas, or anniversary, I might come back to them.
Others showed cats. Snoopy, or other cartoon figures. Great for some occasions. Not necessarily for all occasions. Some, on closer inspection, were for children, not adults. I might have to specify adult or women's, not girl's.
I found three pairs I liked. My husband thinks I have too many clothes and shoes and hats and gloves. I thought he might be happier if he had chosen the item. He was happy with the idea of my needing slippers, since we have been asked to bring slippers and have both forgotten several times.
My shortlist was three pairs. My favourites were the silver with the two pom poms on the front. More elegant for an evening out. Slightly more substantial, less likely to stub my toe. They were marginally dearer.
My second choice was plainer, red wine colour, the only decoration being a bow. Did they look cheap?
The third pair was smaller, thinner, foldable. Nearest to what I wanted. But one of the reviewers said they were flimsy and the back had stretched so that the shoes fell off the first time she wore them. I have wide feet. When it comes to shoes, I am accident prone.
My husband at once vetoed the pom poms. Not on price. He did not like pom poms. He is a practical person. He hates bling. Sequins. Pom poms. Pink - like a child, he says. Everything I like, he hates. So what I think makes me look pretty, he doesn't like.
So I ordered the wine colour ones. When I get them I shall wear them and show them to you.
Meanwhile I shall keep looking, trying to resist ordering the pom pom pair.
Useful search words
1 Slippers
2 Socks / bed socks (can be worn in bed). Thick, but less protection for your toes than slippers.
3 Non slip socks - have dots of solidified stuff like chewing gum, to stop you sliding on tiles, or polished wood, or wet floors. But not as protective as a proper sole. Dots will wear out quicker.4
If you can see the underside of the socks or slippers, that is useful. Often, several retailers stock the same style, the same brand, even the same colours. You might find one supplier shows a photo of the underside, or has a review commenting on this aspect of the product.
4 Cosy, warm, lining, fur, Sherpa. Usually you can see this.
5 Foldable, travel.
6 Prices, free postage, postage included, price low to high, price under ten pounds. (Or to avoid paying large amounts of postage, state only from your country.)
Sometimes the style you want, or the colour you want, or the size you want is dearer. You may find another stockist is cheaper or dearer. Check on the postage. Is the seller offering a cheaper price still cheaper if they are charging extra for postage?
I started off with lots of options. I eventually put the three of my shortlist in my website cart.
Below I am adding the links for the pictures.
1 The red slippers I ordered
If you live elsewhere, you might wish to use
2 The pom pom shoes
3 the foldable slippers in the case
Other Useful Websites For Slippers
Please follow my blog and share links to your favourite posts. Books by Angela Lansbury, author and poet, on quotations, weddings, etiquette, poetry, are on Amazon.com and Lulu.com
Updated April 5th 2026 _
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities/managing-specific-infectious-diseases-a-to-z
Athlete's foot and ringworm, warts and verrucas, can be spread through socks and shoes. The fovernment websites advise avoid sharing footwear if infected. Also do not walk around barefoot. Change socks daily, so you may need two pairs whilst one pair is drying. Some websites offer a reduction if you buy two or more pairs of socks, bedsocks or slippers.
Comments
Post a Comment