Earth Bellwether flats in brown — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Earth Zag sneakers in burgundy velvet — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Earthies Apollo boots in black velvet — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Earthies Tolo flats in navy — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

For those of you that started reading here more recently, I’ve had a longstanding collaboration with Earth Brands since spring 2015 that involves styling a couple of pairs of shoes in the spring and again in the fall into outfit posts. I have enjoyed our partnership so much; it is such an honor to be working with them still in 2018! I wanted to write a more in-depth post about how the pairs I’ve received have been holding up over time. We didn’t start collaborating in the fall until 2016, which is why this post features shoes that are only 1 to 2 years old (here’s the spring/summer edition). Below, you’ll find my honest thoughts on how each pair has held up as well as outfits they were featured in (click on the photo to go directly to the original post). This post was not written in collaboration with Earth.

SALE ALERT: Earth Brands is offering 30% off sitewide in their Friends & Family sale event from now until November 11th! Use coupon code EarthFF2018. I have never seen a discount this high before, so now’s the time to buy if you’ve had your eye on a pair of shoes for yourself…or maybe for a gift!

Triple play / Earthies Tolo flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Earthies Tolo • 2016 (2 years later)

I was immediately drawn to the Tolo flats in the textured navy suede when I saw them in the catalog and definitely thought I would wear these the most out of the two pairs I chose. It turns out that I wear the flats below way more than these!

According to my Stylebook app, I’ve worn these flats 8 times since I got them two years ago—5 times in dedicated outfit posts. That’s not as much as I thought I would wear them. If I had spent the full retail price of $140, the cost per wear would be down to only $17.50.

I think I don’t wear these as much for three reasons: 1) they’re suede, so I avoid wearing them if there is a threat of rain or if the ground is snowy, 2) I have another pair of navy flats, and 3) these are not my most comfortable pair of flats. The elastic back can dig into my heels if I have these on for too long, but they’re a half size larger than my usual size and easily slip off, too. The area around my toes and the sides of my feet also tends to dig in.

Like with most of my flats, I wear these the most with skinny jeans or pants, but I also loved how they looked with a mini skirt. There’s a small wedge in the flat that gives just a bit of height!

April in February / Earthies Tolo flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

What's old is new / Earthies Tolo flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Fall is for layering / Earthies Tolo flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

A fall frolic in the City of Trees / Earthies Tolo flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

That fall feeling / Earth Bellwether flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Earth Bellwether • 2016 (2 years later)

I selected these flats because I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a pair of neutral brown flats—and I was right! These shoes have gotten way more wear than I had anticipated.

Since I got them two years ago, I’ve worn these 25 times according to Stylebook (blogged 9 times). Their cost per wear would be down to only $3.80 if I had paid the retail price of $95. These would have definitely been worth it!

These flats run about a half size large, and I received my true size, so I have a tendency to step out of them if I walk a little too vigorously. That’s really the only negative thing about them, though! These flats are so comfortable. I have no issues with them digging in anywhere (probably because they’re too big, haha).

Since they’re brown, these flats go with pretty much anything. I’m honestly not sure what they wouldn’t go with! I’ve worn them with various styles of jeans and pants—skinny, crop flare, boyfriend—and with many different colors. I think they would work great with shorter hemlines, too. They’re perfect to wear when I want a neutral shoe that doesn’t steal the focus from the rest of the outfit.

This is spring / Earth Bellwether flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

New-to-me / Earth Bellwether flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Summer 10x10: Outfit 10 / Earth Bellwether flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Summer 10x10: Outfit 5 / Earth Bellwether flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Weekend wear / Earth Bellwether flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Spring has sprung / Earth Bellwether flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

In a holidaze / Earth Bellwether flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

An evening on Capitol Hill / Earth Bellwether flats — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Earthies Apollo ankle boots in black velvet — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Earthies Apollo • 2017 (1 year later)

I originally picked out the burgundy velvet version of these boots, but they had sold out! Instead I went with the sneakers below…and then when I opened the package, I also found these boots! That was a pleasant surprise. :)

I’ve worn these boots 7 times in the past year; 6 of those times were in outfits I blogged. If I had purchased them myself for their retail price of $180, the cost per wear would be down to $25.71. I’ve only worn them in the fall and winter since I tend to not wear as much black in the spring.

The velvet is gorgeous, and I haven’t had any issues with scuffing even though I tend to hit my feet when I walk. I love the classic cut and the manageable heel if I end up on my feet for a while. Since they are velvet, they attract cat hair and other lint easily.

I definitely did not need another pair of black boots (I had so many already), but these are fun to wear in the fall and winter. I especially love them when I need to dress a little fancier, like if I’m going to the ballet. There’s just something special about velvet!

Blustery / Earthies Apollo boots — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Working in the winter / Earthies Apollo boots — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Holiday flair / Earthies Apollo boots — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Crooked earmuffs / Earthies Apollo boots — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Autumn textures / Earthies Apollo boots — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Freak Alley / Earthies Apollo boots — Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Earth Zag • 2017 (1 year later)

When I couldn’t get the Earthies Apollo boots in burgundy velvet, I chose these sneakers instead. I love the rich, dark velvet, and the lighter sole gives them a sporty-casual vibe. (I also love the gold shoe eyelets!)

I’ve worn these sneakers 6 times (including in 4 blog outfits) since I got them a year ago. Had I paid the full price of $120, the cost per wear would be down to $20 now. Not the best.

I’m not surprised that I haven’t worn these as much as some of my other pairs of Earth shoes; I don’t typically wear sneakers in my day-to-day, even “fashion” sneakers. The dark velvet on them also leans toward more of a fall/winter look than spring/summer (hence why they were released for fall/winter, I’m sure!), and that limits their versatility—though I have worn these shoes in every season except winter! I will say that they were a little warm in the summer.

These sneakers are incredibly comfortable to wear all day, as you would expect! I usually wear them without socks with no problems. They look great with shorts or jeans (and I bet would look cute with a dress or skirt, too). Note that the white soles are easy to scuff up or stain.