Fairytale Fitters

Last week I hot-footed it from Dundee to Edinburgh for the launch of the refurbished Ted&Muffy store on Castle Street. After 40 years, Ted&Muffy recently relaunched as a modern, bespoke brand on a mission to deliver high quality, well fitting boots to fashion savvy women – and they have a new store to boot (pardon the pun). Previously known as DUO, the founders (Ted and Muffy, funnily enough) felt that the brand had lost its energy – think of the new ‘look’ as an effort to inject a bit of life back into an old friendship.

Before visiting the store, all I knew of Ted&Muffy was that it was a brand with a difference, offering boots in different calf sizes to ensure a proper fit. I hadn’t ever handled a pair of Ted&Muffy boots, nor had I tried them on – I knew they were nice, but that was about it. So I was excited about the event so I could find out a bit more and, although I was late in arriving (#commuterproblems) and therefore missed the introduction, my eyes lit up as I approached the store from across the street; it was gorgeous. It was bright and spacious with shoes and boots clearly on display – I hate crammed rails and shelves, so I was delighted with the openness of the shop floor (even with thirty-plus fellow bloggers in attendance).

What surprised me most about Ted&Muffy though, was the product. Yes, it’s a bespoke service where the staff measure your legs to find the exact size to fit and so I completely understood the fairly hefty price tags (a pair of knee boots is in the region of £250). However, I wasn’t sure about the actual designs and materials – but, as soon as I finally laid eyes on the collection, I got it.

The quality of the designs really is astounding; the fabrics are beautiful (butter-soft leather and sumptuous suede) and the colours rich and jewel-like (ochre and cinnamon, onyx, ruby, and sapphire), while the different styles are well considered and, in particular, well crafted. Basically, your feet will look hot to trot and feel like a dream all the while.

The whole collection (from OTK boots to ballet pumps and courts) really talks to the desired Ted&Muffy customer: fashion savvy women to whom comfort is as important as style. Mission accomplished.

Stay tuned to see which Ted&Muffy boots I chose to take home with me.