A letter from a reader Ivy Cushioned Boots
The ankle boots that feel like walking on clouds and never slip
Soft plush inside, a sole that grips on a wet floor, and room for feet that have spread a little over the years.
I am 63, and my feet have quietly changed shape. They are wider than they were, they get cold from November to March, and after a fall on my daughter's kitchen tile two winters ago, I have become frightened of smooth floors. Every shoe I owned was either warm and slippery, or safe and pinching across the front.
I had started to feel a little invisible in my own clothes — and a little unsteady in my own house.
It was my daughter Sarah, up in Boston, who said I should stop buying shoes for the feet I used to have. Then she sent me a link one evening with three words: just read it.
The Clarke family runs a small boutique here in South Carolina, family-run since 1986 — three generations, mother to daughter. The boots are called the Ivy, and their letter walks through the handful of things they refused to compromise on. I am going to let their words carry it, because they say it better than I could.
1Warm on the inside, right up to the ankle
The whole inside is lined with a thick, soft plush that folds over at the collar, so the warmth goes all the way up around your ankle instead of stopping at your toes. Cold tile in the morning, the walk to the car in January, a drafty church hall — your feet simply stay warm, the way they do in a good pair of slippers.
2So soft inside it feels like walking on clouds
Underfoot is a cushioned footbed that softens every step and molds to the shape of your foot as you wear it. It takes the hardness out of tile and concrete, and it stays soft instead of flattening out after a month. Women tell us they forget they have shoes on at all — which, when your feet have been aching for years, is the whole point.
3Room for feet that have widened over the years
The upper is a soft, flexible fabric that gives with your foot instead of pinching it. If your feet have spread a little across the front, as most of ours have, there is no hard edge pressing on the side of the foot and nothing to break in. The Ivy moves with the shape you have now, not the one you had at forty.
4A sturdy sole that grips on slick floors
We put the Ivy on a thick, sturdy rubber sole with a deep textured tread that grips on tile, wood floors and wet sidewalks. It is steady underfoot in a way slippers never are, so you can walk from the kitchen to the car, and across the church parking lot in the rain, without watching every step.
5Slip them on, and you are out the door
No laces to bend down to and no zip to fight with. The collar is cut with a soft notch at the front so your foot slides straight in, and the plush holds it there without any readjusting. It is the difference between popping out to the mailbox and deciding it is not worth the bother.
6It fits the foot you have
We make the Ivy from a size 5 to a size 12.5, half sizes included, in beige, brown, gray and black. The soft upper gives where you need it, so order the size you usually wear — there is no need to size up for width, and no need to slide about in a shoe that is too long.
The Ivy, against the shoes you've been buying
| The usual slipper or boot | The Ivy | |
|---|---|---|
| Warmth | Warm at the toe, cold at the ankle | Plush lining right up the ankle |
| Underfoot | Flattens out in a month | A cushioned footbed that stays soft |
| Wide feet | Pinches across the front | A soft upper that gives with you |
| On a slick floor | A thin sole that slides | A deep-tread sole that grips |
| Getting them on | Laces, zips, bending down | Slip on at the door |
- Warm at the toe, cold at the ankle
- Flattens out in a month
- Pinches across the front
- A thin sole that slides
- Laces, zips, bending down
- Plush lining right up the ankle
- A cushioned footbed that stays soft
- A soft upper that gives with you
- A deep-tread sole that grips
- Slip on at the door
Why they're clearing it now
They priced the Ivy at $149.95 when it launched, and it sold at that price all season. But for America's 250th, the Clarke family wanted to give something back to the women who have kept their doors open since 1986 — so every pair is going out at less than half of what it was.
Mine came in a kraft box on a Tuesday, wrapped in white tissue. I had them on before I had finished opening the rest of the mail.
The Ivy Comfort Cushioned Ankle Boots
- Plush lining, warm right up to the ankle
- A cushioned footbed — like walking on clouds
- A soft upper with room for wider feet
- A sturdy, deep-tread non-slip sole
- Sizes 5 to 12.5, half sizes · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
The Ivy · $64.95 while sizes last
Buy 2 get 10%, buy 3 get 15%, buy 4 get an extra 20% off. When it's gone, it's gone.
I do not usually write things like this. But I spent years with cold feet, pinched feet and a quiet fear of every smooth floor — and one pair of boots quietly took all three away. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before it clears.
— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC
See the Ivy boots — $64.95 →This is a personal account from a Clarke Family customer. Margaret was not paid to write it. · The Clarke Family · Family Fashion · South Carolina, since 1986 · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.