Last year, I discovered a comfortable German shoe company, Waldlaufer that you’ve probably never heard of – I hadn’t until Benjamin Lovell Shoes introduced me. Since then, I’ve been a (super) fan of the shoe company wearing my Waldlaufer Jasmin Henni Oxford every day since my sandals were put away for the season. The only downside to my super comfortable and stylish travel “sneaker like” shoe was that I couldn’t wear them when I needed to be a bit dressier. So imagine my delight when contacted by Waldlaufer to review their new collection – I quickly chose the Waldlaufer Liberty Habea Black Multi Croc as it would be my dressier winter travel shoe for jeans and was an easy slip on loafer.
Waldlaufer is a family owned German company (who doesn’t love supporting small businesses?) since 1960 that sources their leathers in German and Italy and believes in being “bound to tradition” when they employ traditional craftsmanship in their shoe lines for women (and men). The contemporary designs and lightweight construction make the shoes easy to wear, easy to pack and easy to fall in love with. As someone with a size 11 foot (EU 42), it’s been hard to fall in love with any shoe unless I was willing to compromise with cute shoes = sore feet or cute shoes = blisters, etc. So how lovely to find a brand that puts so much thought into comfort and style.
Review Waldlaufer Liberty Loafer – Winter Travel Shoe
The Liberty Habea is an easy slip on shoe. In Black multi croc, there’s a bit of surprise and texture that adds fashionable to your feet. For me, the biggest plus was when I turned the shoes over to see the ridges that function to provide a pleasant walking experience whether to the market or throughout the city on a vacation. I’ve been wearing the shoes with jeans for my day-to-day activities which involve stairs, errands and walking in Philadelphia (easily hitting my 10k steps). I’ve also worn them out to dinner where my sneakers are not welcome. With the design of the Liberty there is a slight lift which gives it a bit of an advantage over the look of a flat.
What surprised me most was the number of compliments I received on the first day I wore the shoes. I ended up slipping off my shoe to show them the layers of color, style and comfort. The shiny black croc caught their eye originally but then up close they saw the brown leather divider between the stylish top of the shoe and the depth of the sole. On a rainy day, the shoes were easy to wear without any worry of my feet getting wet. At one point, at the movies with my legs crossed, I saw in the dark the bottom of my shoe and quickly forgot what I was wearing because the bottom reminds you of a hiking shoe or rugged shoe. That’s the nice part of the Liberty Habea shoe, it’s doing double duty as a fashionable shoe and a shoe ready for anything (travel cobblestone streets, city walking, uneven surfaces at the park or field or in the rain).
Waldlaufer tagline is spot on – “hard to say, easy to wear”. If you want to attempt to say the name, the phonetic is [valt – loy – fer] – rolls off the tongue if you are German of course, otherwise I’m sure like me you’ll say Wall – Law – Fer. Doesn’t matter what you call them – your feet will be enveloped in comfort while you enjoy the fashionable side so be prepared to shun all of your other shoes and be ready for compliments. The Liberty Habea is versatile enough to be casual and dressy, for me, it’s now my everyday winter travel shoe.
Shoe Fit Tips
The Liberty Habea Black Multi Croc was true to size. I ordered size 11 (EU 42). My first wearing was with a thin sock as the shoes will stretch a bit. Subsequent wearings (every day now), I have been using a normal sock for easy fit and could if needed go even thicker without sacrificing comfort/fit.
Waldlaufer International Shipping
For international readers, Waldlaufer ship international including APO/FPO addresses, using a third-party, International Checkout.
Thanks to Waldlaufer for letting me review the Liberty Habea this season. As always, my opinions are uniquely mine.