Vessi -vangelist - A Completely Biased, Independent Review

Move over, Natives.  There's a new favourite shoe in town.

It's the Vessi Everyday Sneaker, and I am in love, even though I kind of hate myself for caving to the hype.

Local company Vessi has been in the news lately, and they've also been advertising aggressively on FB and IG.  Usually when that happens, I refuse to engage, mostly because I don't like to be a conformist, but also because there are usually 10 fly-by-night scams for every legit ad on social media.

But I was intrigued by Vessi's claims, and also in the market for a black sneaker with white soles.  I sat on my buying impulses for a good two months, though, because the Vessis don't come cheap at $135 a pop, and I'm usually the girl who buys her footwear on sale at Winners.  Everyone told me to just get a pair of Sketchers, but I don't like how Sketchers feel on my feet.

Anyway, with Christmas coming, I decided to take advantage of a pre-Black Friday deal, and I ordered myself a pair as a gift from Hubbs.  Well, let me tell you - the shoes arrived a couple of days ago, I'm already wearing them, and I've now ordered another two pairs using the Black Friday promotions.  My second pair (in beach and white, and a slightly bigger size) will be my Christmas gift, and Hubbs gets a pair of black and white ones as his.

So what makes me love these Everyday Sneakers over my Natives, which I have worn every season for the past two years?

They're so comfy!
Like, as comfortable as my actual Reebok sneakers.  They are a bit weightier than my runners, but not by much.

They're great for all temperatures.
I was breaking in my first pair and so I wore them around the house for half a day, without socks, and my toes didn't feel claustrophobic and my feet didn't sweat.  Then I wore them out to the Christmas Market in below zero weather.  My hands in my gloves were freezing, but my feet? Toasty warm.  Did I mention that I still wasn't wearing socks?

They don't require you to wear socks.
I'm not actually sure *why* people have to wear socks with sneakers, but I've always assumed it had something to do with foot sweat and odour.  Well, I don't wear socks with my Vessi's, and I don't have issues (at least, so far) with smelly feet or foot moisture.  I love not having to wear socks, which usually give my toes a bad case of claustrophobia.  I know, I'm weird :P

They're waterproof.
Okay, so in fairness I haven't tested this feature out yet, but a cursory Google search will show that these shoes can withstand the wetness of puddle splashes or light snow.  The shoes have a wider sole than the upper shoe part, so my guess is that it displaces some of the water away from the foot.  The material itself can also block rain and snow from seeping through, and the very cozy opening at the top is kind of cuffed, so you'd have to be shin-deep in water before it gets your foot wet.  That said, I'm definitely not recommending that you wear Vessi's if you plan to be wading through deep puddles, because that's just not a bright idea, and as Daniel Tiger says, "Think about what you're gonna do, then pick the clothes that are right for you!" 

They look awesome.
I finally feel like I can blend with some of the hipsters in my city.  This shoe is stylish.  It's definitely a decade or more younger than my actual generation!

So what's the catch?
Besides the slightly higher price point (which is relative, because I know some of you probably drop $200-$300 on a good shoe and don't even blink),  I'd say that the only issue is that these shoes are not easy to put on when you're doing it for the first few times.  The opening has a small cuff and is elasticized, the way that an ankle sock would be.  However, owing to the thicker material of the shoe, you don't have the same malleability that you'd get from a sock; squeezing your feet into these shoes for the first or second (or fourth) time might make you feel like one of Cinderella's ugly stepsisters.  But the good news is that it does get easier, and once they are on, they start forming to the contours of your feet.

According to Vessi's FAQs, if you take out the insoles, you can give yourself a little bit more room for your feet to slip into them.  That is one way to practise and get the hang of things, but I totally didn't do that because I like the extra anti-bac cushion that the insole offers.  Some may not care about that additional layer of foam, though.

I was also initially worried about the elasticized opening rubbing against my ankle and the front of my foot, and chafing me.  But those worries were unfounded; my feet didn't get that weird elastic circulation line that you sometimes get when your socks are too tight.  That said, if you have thick thick ankles or really cankley legs, I'm not sure if these shoes would fit.

I ordered my first pair of Vessi's in the same size as my Reeboks, and the fit is perfect without socks.  I don't think I could put them on with socks, though, nor would I want to (see above).  But I did order my second pair one size larger, and once they arrive I will do a comparison to see if that extra size up might allow me to wear some ankle socks with them.  I read that some ladies with wider feet might consider ordering the men's styles (which look the same, but are a smidge wider), but I didn't bother.  And Hubbs is a 10.5 so I ordered him an 11.  He's a sock guy, though, so this might be a whole new world for him :)

Anyway, the Black Friday deal is still happening right now, so if you want to score some Vessi's for $108 instead of $135, now's the time to grab a pair.  And if you want to buy a second pair, the BF price is $89.  We almost picked up a pair for Little L, but for my kid, having light-up sneakers is probably more important than having waterproof ones at this point!

And before you ask - I was not compensated for this totally biased, independent review.  I didn't get any extra perks or products or incentives or diddly squat, so you know that I'm just telling you what I think because I don't believe in keeping a good thing to myself :)

Happy Black Friday shopping, everyone!

**Edited to add:** So I just received my size 10's.  I *think* I might be able to wear thin ankle socks with them, but I'm not sure that I want to until I've stretched them out.  For now, no need to break in the 10's because they fit super comfy and slipped on ridiculously easily compared to the 9's.  Until I actually wear the 10's around, however, there's no way for me to know which size is the "better" one for me, but at least I can be assured that the 10's won't slip off my feet and aren't too big, so I'm not going to need to deal with an exchange. Moral of the story: you are probably okay even if you size up or size down a little.