Toasties : Leafy walks and Winter woollies .. Autumn arrives!

[Laska2Meryls]

Here's a new thread for all things Toast..

The skirt arrived! It’s well made and true to size, but I’m not sure about it. I feel at my 5’6 height it’s just a tad long, and the lining is sewn to the hem of the skirt meaning it’s not as simple as taking it up.

I love a good cottage inspired look but I’m wondering if this is just a bit too on the nose… thoughts?

happysou think that the skirt rocks and you wear it very well. The pattern suits a larger skirt and with the nipped in waist is a lovely shape on you.

Agree, you look fab in the skirt @happysoju What shoes/boots will you wear with it?

I also think that sorry looks great @happysoju, sorry! Hard to tell from the pics of it's too long. In zooming in I wondered if it was a thin material best suited to summer or if it was just a trick of the light (1st pic bottom left of the skirt). For the price i think I'd want it to be really substantial.

My Fracap boots have arrived and they are indeed a thing of beauty. They fit well, albeit a little stiff, and smell divine. However the tread is not as deep as I would expect, so I have to make a decision whether they are going to be suitable for all the walking I do.

I see what you mean, that is unexpectedly shallow. But they look great, good making that decision!

Gosh yes, I think they might be quite slippery in mud. Could you keep them to stroke and buy some cheap ones for dog walking?

Thanks for the reassuring words everyone! Skirts are new territory for me (definitely a pants kinda gal) so maybe it's just that I'm not used to the look of them yet.

@Saurus72 This will be a summer skirt for me so will most likely pair it with my birks or fracap fisherman sandals!

@dudsville I wouldn't say the skirt is thin, but it's not heavy cotton either (the corner you're referring to is yellow fabric triangles! It's not see through at all).
It feels like a good weight, light enough to have movement but not super billowy if it's windy. I could see myself wear this spring through to autumn.

@Theteapotsbrokenspout That's strange! That does seem usually shallow for hiking boots.
I found these that look similar but have a deeper tread:
fracap.it/customize/configure/4001/

Not sure if you knew, but Fracap also does custom orders. You can get the same style but with a different sole at no extra cost, you just need to email them. I had my sandals custom made and I absolutely love them!

Ah found you all!
Just catching up…..
My Solovair loafers arrived and I’m not sure. I love them but the 5 is snug and my feet went a bit numb wearing them in the house. Have ordered the 6 to compare but think will be too big. Might they stretch a bit I wonder if I keep the 5? It’s an expensive mistake to make…..

@AmethystMoonShine - they are quite robust so might not stretch much. Def worth trying the 6 as a bit of difference in opinion in terms of sizing down.

While on on boot theme - does anyone have the Terrang boots? Thinking about them for muddy walks and just popping out in the rain. Any thoughts/guidance would be much appreciated.

That’s very interesting @happysoju I’ve just spent an enjoyable half hour playing with the customise feature on fracap. However I can’t work out what the import duties etc would be (I assume they would be applicable since we’ve left the EU ) .

@dudsville I have the Uniqlo Gabi-esque Cords, I recommended them on the last thread. I have them in brown and will be grabbing a navy pair if I can find them in my size.

They are incredibly comfortable and less crotch material than Gabis. I am a size 8/10/12, my Toast trouser size is usually an 8 but I need at least a 10 in Gabi's and I bought a medium. Worn lots and not much give in the shape.

Comfort is such that I wore them to fly to and from the US recently.

That Fracap site is amazing! But the customs thing is a complete pain. I was going to order a Bleu de Chauffe bag the other day, then I read the info on duties, etc and it sounded like a huge nightmare so I gave up. I thought you could order from some places and they took care of it for you? Has anyone had a good experience buying from anywhere in Europe?

@AmethystMoonShine it sounds like we're the same size in Solovair. I tried some boots in a 5 and they fitted but my feet felt numb. 5.5 were very generous and 6 were way too big.

@Stoic123 yes good point they are very robust so may not stretch…. Much like my DMs which haven’t. I always thought leather stretched but the leather on the Solovairs is very like my DMs and so maybe not.
Hoping the 6 fits as I really love them 🤞🏼

Ah that’s interesting @faustina and these don’t come in half sizes sadly. So 6 might be like boats on me! Might need to brace myself for them both going back 😥

I do not need these boots but did some Google window shopping as a result of this discussion and I wondered, is it a gender neutral item? There's a cute pair on a mens site for about £130.

With leather shoes I've had a lot of success with the wooden shoe stretcher thing, but you'd want to be confident you wanted the shoes if you were going to do that. I got a cheap one from amazon initially for my solovair shoes that were a smidgen too tight even after a season's wear. I've since used them successfully similarly on another purchase too.

Thanks @TerrierOrTerror , my unconscious must have logged that somewhere!

Just popped into the Edinburgh store on a whim as I was passing and had some time to kill, and bought the neat alpaca wool sweater in pear. It’s really lovely.
I had tried that style in the summer, but the sleeves were longer and the proportions seemed wrong on me as a result (short arms!). But the arms are slightly shorter on this one so it works. I sized up to a medium even though the small fit fine, as I like my knits a bit sloppy. The wool is a wee bit itchy, but I’m hoping it won’t bother me too much.
Now I have to sell a few sweaters that I don’t wear so I can justify the cost!

@dudsville interesting you mention the stretcher thingys. I was looking at those on Amazon. Do you managed to stretch solovairs…. Mmm maybe it might work?
I think it’s the bit over the top of my foot that needs to give a little. Will see how the 6s are then decision time 😫

Yes@AmethystMoonShine , mine were also from amazon also, quite cheap, nothing fancy, and they did work on my solovairs, which is quite tough leather. I left it in two days each shoe (my set came with one narrow and one wide, so i could only do one shoe at a time), and i kept the shoe in the sun when i could to provide a mild warmth for stretching, and added tension once or twice. They're now perfect.

I also did it on a pair of Shoe The Bear, softer leather but still a significant shoe, and similarly had good results. For me, if it is only a smidgeon needed for comfort and i loved the shoe I'd recommend it.

I wonder if it might be worth asking a cobbler if they think it's feasible? I think some of them do it too.

@ScottishMouse - if you're planning to sell anything in a nice dark navy let me know please!

The lovely jumper from Cos arrived and it is lovely but I think it might be too big. will try it on again tomorrow

Does anyone else have days where everything looks dreadful on you, and then the next day, the identical things look fine?

Sorry @faustina, I have nothing navy to sell. Everything navy is definitely staying with me, it’s my best colour.

Occasional Toast-lurker here

Would someone mind sharing the Uniqlo cords link? Love some autumn corduroy!

amethyst you may know this already but if not, you can also try the double-sock hairdryer trick for stretching leather. Basically you put on your normal socks, blast the shoe with your hairdryer and then whip your foot out, put on a hiking sock over the top of your other sock and then jam your foot back into the shoe. Another blast of hot air focusing on the really awkward tight areas, then wait 10-15 mins for the shoe to cool before taking off the hiking sock. Hey presto, great fitting footwear!

can I ask, have any of you used the Toast repair service? I have few clothes, many from Toast, and wear them super-heavily. Am wondering if the repair service is any good, as some unignorable holes have appeared…