I’ve been eyeing the Dahlia wedge from Banana Republic for a while. I’ve always worn flat sandals every spring/summer, and this year I wanted something just as comfortable but with a little more edge and height. It seems the Dahlia wedges fit the bill – lots of rave reviews about comfort, very simple and elegant look, and a huge 4″ heel. Well, I bit the bullet with their recent weekend 25% off promotion, and they arrived today.
Well, I have mixed feelings about the Dahlia wedge. It IS unbelievably comfortable, though understandably with a 4″ heel comes some awkwardness and blockiness in walking, especially if you’re trying to walk quickly. That said, the ball of feet area is very cushioned and the wedges are light. Definitely most comfortable wedge I’ve ever slipped my feet into. Now the not so good stuff…
Yes, the jewels are plastic, and though they are secured on the leather with some kind of metal hook thing into the top piece of leather, the jewels themselves are flimsy. Just as I pulled these out of the shoe box to look at them for the first time, the top jewel just popped off. Looks like not enough glue or maybe dried up glue in there. Thought about exchanging them right then and there, but I realized they are all glued on for every pair I can exchange for, so might as well arm myself with some super glue and deal with it now. Then I looked at the other shoe and it wasn’t in better shape.
Not sure if you can tell, but the bottom jewel has smeared remnants of dried up glue on the lower right hand corner. Does not come off. The middle jewel has a deep scratch. Side of the leather (not pictured) has been scratched with some dirt still remaining, but that came off with a simple pencil eraser so I won’t whine more about it here.
Many women have also raved about how these wedges make their legs look miles long. But I think because of the block of leather right at the top of your ankle, it kind of cuts off the line of your leg. I didn’t even realize it until I took pictures and saw how stumpy my legs look here, as opposed to when I wore pumps or went barefoot in my previous pictures. Maybe it’s just these pictures…not sure. Anyway, here’s my conclusion about these Dahlia wedges – Banana Republic has clearly invested a lot in improving the comfort of their shoes. My last purchase from a few years ago was nowhere near this comfortable, and it was a flat! BUT…with this investment, they perhaps ran out of money to invest in touching up the details because they are not good. Are they still keepers at the price I got them at? Yup. Here are some more IRL pictures.
I’m wearing: J.Crew Favorite Tank, Banana Republic Smocked Skirt (Similar here)
If you’re eyeballing these on the BR site, don’t hesitate to get them when a promotion comes rolling around (and they’re comin’ around pretttty often these days). Meanwhile, they’re $98 here at Banana Republic. Also comes in brown leather with multicolor jewels. I personally think the gray version looks more chic but both are gorgeous!
