A letter from Niamh

At 61, I fell for a pair of Mary Janes. I had forgotten shoes could feel like this.

I have never written anything like this before, and I nearly did not. But I keep telling friends about these shoes, so it seemed easier to write it down.

Somewhere along the way, shoes had become the part of getting dressed I dreaded. The pretty ones pinched by lunchtime. The comfortable ones looked like something you would be issued in a hospital. I would put a nice outfit together and then ruin it at the very last step, at the front door.

You do not stop wanting nice shoes at our age. You just stop finding ones that are comfortable and still look like you made an effort.

And in Ireland your shoes have to do a full day. Wet pavements in the morning, a long walk on the prom, a lunch you did not plan for. You want something you can walk in, stand in and still feel smart in.

Then my sister turned up in a pair

I would never have picked Mary Janes myself. I thought they were for little girls and very fashionable thirty-year-olds. But my sister arrived for a Sunday walk in a brown pair with a T-bar strap and that lovely punched brogue detail, wide jeans turned up at the ankle, and she looked effortless, not like she was trying too hard.

They were the Madeleine, from Lily Dublin. No laces to fight with, just one strap and a buckle. A good solid sole underneath. A rounded toe that does not squeeze. I ordered the brown that evening.

What happened at the market

The first Saturday I wore them, I went into town with my wide jeans and a cardigan.

A woman stopped me outside the bakery to ask where they were from. Then my neighbour Bríd, who has never once commented on anything I have worn, looked down at my feet and said, "Well, aren't you very smart." I have decided to take that as a compliment.

They have barely left the hall since. With jeans and a knit for errands. With a skirt and tights for lunch out. With trousers for Mass on a Sunday.

Three things I have learned since

One. No laces, no fuss. One strap, one buckle, and you are out the door. I had not realised how much I hated bending down to tie shoes until I stopped doing it.

Two. They are made to follow your foot. The shape hugs the natural line of the foot instead of pinching it, so there are fewer pressure points by the end of the day. I walked round the whole market and still felt fine at teatime.

Three. They dress up more than you would think. With jeans they look relaxed. With a skirt and tights they look like you planned it. One pair, lots of outfits, very little thinking.

About the price

I will be honest, the price made me suspicious more than anything.

The Madeleine is €79,95. It was €200,00

My first thought was that there had to be a catch. But there is free delivery in Ireland with An Post and a 30-day money back guarantee, so if they had not suited me I could simply have sent them back.

What I would tell you if we were friends

If we were sitting down over a cup of tea and you asked me, this is what I would say.

If your hall is full of shoes you only wear because they do not hurt, and none of them make you feel like yourself, it is worth ten minutes of an evening to have a look.

Not because a pair of shoes changes your life. It does not. But putting on something comfortable and liking what you see in the hall mirror is a small thing I had stopped expecting, and I would rather you did not stop expecting it either.

The sale is on now, they come in brown and black, sizes 36.5 to 43, and if you add a cardigan or a pair of jeans you get an extra discount on top.

I have not gone back to my old shoes since. I do not think I will.

Niamh