This is another non-sponsored review of convertible heels – today I’m focusing on the Mossto Praga booties (with the EQUAL style heel). I first heard about Mossto in October 2018, almost exactly a year ago. After a month of deliberation, I purchased the Praga booties from their European website in November, and received them in January of 2019. I wore them several times through the summer but now that the weather is getting a little cooler through autumn, I’m wearing them more often, and feel ready to talk about my experience with Mossto in depth.
I spoke with the owners of Mossto USA, Mike and Ike (really!) and they have agreed to create a generous discount code for my followers, so if you like the concept and designs that Mossto has to offer, use the code ILOVELUCY for 20% off.
Unboxing
Packaging is not a dealbreaker for me (I order a product for the product and not the box it comes in), but when the packaging is particularly cute, I do take notice – and Mossto’s packaging is super cute. The shoebox has a carrying strap that keeps the box securely closed when it’s being carried, and they include not only one but two bags of spare heel extensions (I’ll talk more about the extensions in a bit).
Named for Globetrotting
All of Mossto’s footwear are named after fashionable cities around the world. And specifically, I chose the style called Praga, which is an ankle boot made from power elastic and leather. I deliberated between Praga and Amsterdam, but in the end I chose Praga as it looked more comfortable at the back of the heel, having a small elastic insert by the Achilles tendon so it won’t cut into the skin. (I was so glad I went for it because the back of the heel is indeed comfy.)
The Praga shoe appears to be sold out / discontinued now, but the closest next design is called the Milano. I also love the look of the Milano, but I’m glad I went with the Praga as leather is easier to clean salt and mud off compared to the Milano’s suede – and every Canadian knows that the winter and spring is a messy time and our shoes need to keep up.
Courageous, Fashion-Forward Designs
There is a trend among convertible heels for sure — most brands tend to focus on black sandals and open toe designs, probably because:
- they’re easier to fit (since you don’t have to worry about round toe vs pointed toe, you worry less about foot widths, you don’t have to worry about fitting a variety of instep heights, etc)
- there’s less fabric usage, so less material costs (apart from the sole of the shoe, it’s just some straps on the ankle and straps across the toe, really — much less fabric than covering and supporting the entire upper foot, and no need for toe boxes, heel counters, etc).
- Black sandals are generally a “safe” design as you’re not deviating too far from a fashion classic with trendy colorways and designs
So I love when brands like Mossto use their half-century of shoe making experience to design some brave, trendy and fashion-statement shoes and booties. I’ve been looking for close to 4 years for another pair of suitable leather kitten-heeled booties that I can use as my “run around” shoes in the autumn (ever since my last pair got eaten by the neighbor’s dog), and I think I’ve found them in these Praga shoes.
Heel Heights and Styles
Mossto has two heel heights. During research and development of their shoe, they mentioned that the two heights that were found to be the most adaptable for the sole of the shoe and the comfort of the wearers were 4cm (~1.5 inches) and 8cm (~3 inches). This is consistent with what other convertible heel brands have said of their own research.
The heels are made from a hard molded plastic, and the detachable heel extension has a magnetic shank that nestles inside of the bigger attached heel.
Mossto has accessory heels in their UP store, where you can purchase heels in many different colors (and even Swarovski embellished styles). They sell the caps / covers, which allow you to keep the 4cm heel, or you can purchase the 2cm heel extensions (NEO style only) if you want a little boost (giving a 6cm / 2.4″ total heel height), or the 4cm heel extensions for maximum added height (giving an 8cm/3″ total heel height).
Mossto also manufactures their shoes in 3 different heel shapes or styles.
- EQUAL, which is a square stiletto with a very slight convex curve to the back
- NEO, which is a bit more blocky with a wider base, and it’s shaped like a semicircle
- EXCEPTION, which is a round delicate-looking stiletto (and probably my personal favorite, aesthetically speaking. It’s a shame that so few styles on the site feature this heel!)
The heel on my Praga is called the Equal heel. If you click on the listing of a particular shoe, for instance the Milano booties, you’ll see many different colorways, and depending on the color you choose, you might get either the Neo heel, the Equal, or the Exception.
Limitation in heel choice
Do note that the extensions for those heels are not interchangeable, so if you buy a shoe with an Equal heel base, it can only be worn with an Equal extension. So while these shoes are certainly adjustable in height (especially in the Neo, with the intermediate height heel) and in their color and design, Mossto doesn’t have the versatility of switching from a block heel, to stiletto, to kitten, or completely flat. It’s not a big issue to me, as you know I highly prefer stiletto over any other heel, but it is something to keep in mind if you want to maximize your versatility.
Price and Shipping Fees
I checked the Mossto site periodically and found that the Praga shoes were on clearance, marked from 144 Euros down to 86 Euros (which converts to about $94 USD). But shipping from Spain ended up being another 60 Euros, so I paid around $175 USD after conversion. It took over two months for the shoes to be delivered, and it was only after that point that I realized I could have ordered from their US location and saved myself so much time (not to mention possible savings in duty charges, as Canadians pay less importing from the US compared to Europe) but I’ll discuss more about the full ordering process below.
A Family Business
The owner of Mossto is Patricia Ruano, who thought of the idea of interchangeable heels in 2008 after an event (the same common song and dance about how high heels can be a literal pain after long work days or parties). And while there are many iterations of interchangeable heels, Patricia created a unique take on it by incorporating strong magnets. It took over 3 years for them to design, prototype and perfect the shoe, and they released their design for the first time at the end of 2011.
Patricia mentioned in an interview with Paso A Paso that she worked in a technology center, and due to the nature of her work, she had the resources and skills for research and development in this field. From what I understand of Mossto’s interview (please excuse any inaccuracies as my Spanish is not very strong), shoes are a family business for the Ruano family. Diego and José Vicente Ruano, Patricia’s brothers (?), worked in the shoe industry, learning from their father, who made shoes for some 45 years. Now they’ve continued the family business –applying modern technology to traditional techniques. They now operate Sanitipies and Prefabricados Ruano; researching, manufacturing and supplying different types of toe caps, heel counters, and soles depending on the needs of the shoe, the company who finishes these shoes, and the wearer — whether they require hard plastic, elastic, rubber, etc. The Ruano family are constantly trying new technological materials and textiles and pivoting according to the needs of the industry. For instance, they mentioned in the interview the need to pivot away from metal in shoes in response to Europe’s changing policies around wearing shoes through metal detectors in airport security.
Previously the family focused primarily on upper end men’s shoes –but now with Patricia, the Ruano family had the opportunity to use their respective skills and create something new in the women’s shoe industry, and from that came Mossto.
The Shoe in Detail – Materials
The sole is flexible but still supportive, and the insole is lightly cushioned for a comfortable walking experience. On the upper, power elastic panels are used strategically where the foot is known to flex in both the high heel and the low heel position, so it remains comfortable.
Quality leather is used around the toe and heel counter, and around the majority of the ankle cuff (except for an insert of elastic right at the Achilles tendon).
On the inside, the leather areas are lined in what feels like soft suede and microfiber. (The elastic panels are unlined so they retain their stretch and breathability.)
The soles don’t have tread, so I recommend lightly scuffing it for better grip on slippery terrains. However, the bottom of the heel caps and heel extensions both have a small amount of tread.
Ordering Process and Shipping Times
It took a little over two months for me to receive my boots, for a few different reasons (not all of them on Mossto’s part). The first is that apparently anything going in or out of Spain requires a DNI / NIF / NIE number (which from what I understand is an ID number that each Spanish citizen has). However, since I’m Canadian, I don’t have this kind of ID. This isn’t Mossto’s fault of course, but I wasn’t comfortable putting in something like my Passport number as that opens one up to identity theft. (This is the first reason that I recommend ordering from their US location instead)
Once I found a workaround for the ID, and the shoes were ordered and shipped, the Spanish border held the parcel for over a month and inspection was slow. And then when the parcel was finally released and shipped to Canada, the Canada Post system was in the middle of a rotating strike, which caused further delay! And it was only after I finally received my shoes in mid January that I realized that Mossto USA exists and I could’ve bought my shoes there instead! Live and learn. So if you’re in Europe, ordering from Spain might be easier; but if you’re in the US or Canada, definitely get your shoes from Mossto USA to avoid the high shipping fees and exporting complications.
Shoe Sizing and Fit
As mentioned in previous videos, I tend to wear 6.5 in North American shoes. My true shoe size is 6 Wide (sometimes 5.5) but I get by alright with size 7 most of the time since many brands don’t carry multiple widths or half-sizes. But my “non-standard” feet makes ordering shoes online (especially in European sizes) a bit of a gamble. So, do I go with 37 or 38? (I only found out this year that size 37 in French shoes are different from size 37 in Italian shoes!)
In this case, I ordered in size 37 (only because the size 38 was sold out in the Praga style). Since leather shoes have the ability to stretch and these booties have the elastic side panels, I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. The length fits fine, but I find the width to be a bit narrow. I would probably have been okay with size 37 in the sandals, but because the Praga is completely closed-toe, they’re a bit more snug than I’d like them to be. Unfortunately, shipping from Canada to Spain for an exchange is not really an option, and I believe this style is now discontinued anyway. But I would have gone with the size 38” if I were to do it all over again. (Or, just ordered from their US site where they have North American shoe sizes. That’s my second reason for preferring their site.)
The fit definitely improved with breaking in, though — the fabric is elastic and hugs my foot nicely, and the only squeezy part is on my baby toe on my left foot where it’s leather (and there is a possibility that this can break in better over time).
I wish I had spoken more with their customer service prior to ordering, but their European site took a few days to get back to me for any question. Fortunately, the customer service livechat on their US site is very responsive, and they’ve quickly answered every question I had since then. (The third reason why I’d go with the US site for ordering instead.)
Heel security
I was mildly concerned that because the heels have no locking mechanism and nothing to snap together, that maybe the magnetic heels might not be very secure, but I was pleased to be proven wrong — the magnets are quite strong and they hold in securely.
There is no learning curve to these shoes, no tutorials needed — it’s absolutely an idiot-proof design. There is no possibility of putting the heels in the wrong way because of the way the shank is shaped. If I hit my heel on something, I can hear the heel extension shift slightly, but it’s never enough to dislodge the heel or make it feel insecure.
Quick Release as a Safety Design
One thing to note about the magnetic design is the easy release system: one time I was walking on cobblestones and my stiletto lodged in the soft mortar between two stones, which pulled the heel right out of my shoe. I noticed immediately as I took my next step, of course, and it was easily rectified — I just plucked my heel out of the ground and put it back in my shoe, and it didn’t happen again. However, I was able to speak with Mossto USA about this, and they commented that the easy release is by design — for instance, in a standard shoe, if you caught your heel in grating, your whole foot would become stuck, you would have to stoop down and dislodge yourself. At minimum, the heel might get scuffed or scratched, and the aesthetic finish of the entire shoe would be ruined. At worst, you might get your heel caught while crossing the street, which could be a safety hazard.
Whereas with the Mossto heel, they explain, when your heel is caught you’re not stuck — you can walk on and you have the option to discard that heel if it fell in a grate and use a new one (since they send an extra matching pair), and you can buy new heel extensions in a variety of colors, as mentioned above. Their accessory heels are the least expensive of any brand, starting at less than 10 Euros on sale in the European store, or $20 USD in the North American store. I hesitate in calling these heel extensions “semi-disposable” since that sounds wasteful (and also makes it sound like the heels are cheaply made), but they made the easy and quick release heels specifically in mind that accidents do happen, and you’ll be prepared if you ever become stuck. The design is not unlike a lizard that drops its tail when stuck in a sticky situation or caught by a predator!
Still, I would recommend you practice common sense, and if there are any ridiculous terrains that you wouldn’t normally wear stiletto heels like through muddy fields or in wet cement, don’t wear your Mossto shoes there either. 😉
Can you carry the magnets in your purse?
Now, is the magnet itself a concern? I admit, I will typically carry the heels in a different pocket and not in my purse next to my cell phone or credit cards, just in case there is a small chance that the magnets might affect their functionality, so I don’t fully know the answer to what happens if you throw the heels in your purse. But at the moment, I’ve had no real issues.
Would I recommend Mossto?
Mossto currently has other brands beat in a couple of ways: They have the largest selection of different styles and colorways of shoes (which makes up for the limitation of changing block heel to stiletto), and their heel-changing technology is the fastest and easiest to use, even if you have limited strength or mobility in your hands. While their shoe prices are middle-of-the-road in price and affordability, I appreciate that spare heels are the most affordable (if the neighbor’s dog had chewed up the Mossto heel like a spare rib the way she had chewed up my last bootie heels, I wouldn’t have to throw away the whole shoe but rather have just replaced the heels!).
Last I checked, the stock on their European site is relatively sparse if you wear size 37 / 38 like me, but their North American site seems well stocked at the moment. Check out their website if you like, and feel free to use the 20% discount code they made just for my followers: ILOVELUCY (works for all first-time orders).
Until next time,
~ Lucy
Convertible Heel Reviews 