Another week, another shoe review. Clearly, I have a weak spot when it comes to my closet. That aside, today I wanted to share an Oliver Cabell review on the three pairs I have from the brand (PR); the dream flat, dream mule, and low 1 sneaker.
I first discovered Oliver Cabell approximately two years ago, around the time that I was starting to explore adding a pair of sneakers to my wardrobe. I was drawn to the transparent nature of their pricing, and the level of detail given for each of the materials used. Uncommon in the fashion industry. So when they asked if I’d like to try out a few of their women’s shoes, I emphatically said yes.
The whole concept behind the brand is high quality, enduring wardrobe classics, without the markup. Sign me up.
This Oliver Cabell review will be split into three parts, each focusing on a different style of shoe. Starting with my favourite… the dream flat.
The Dream Flat
You don’t need to tell me that a ballerina flat is a classic. A wardrobe staple that does. not. date. Yet despite this, it was one of the few areas in my closet where I had a significant gap. While I love wearing my Everlane day gloves (in the reknit, always), the high vamp makes them more of a modern take on the classic silhouette. And clearly, it was a style I felt was lacking.
The Oliver Cabell Dream Flat is exactly that. A dream. Hardy pebbled leather; a rounded toe; a vamp that covers toe cleavage but doesn’t go any higher. Oh, and comfortable to boot.
Outfit 1: Uniqlo sweater*, Everlane skinny jeans*, The Curated bag*, Oliver Cabell Dream Flats*
Outfit 2: J.ING dress*, Madewell denim jacket*, Mango straw bag, Oliver Cabell Dream Flats*
STYLE | Let’s start off by dissecting the style of the dream flat. As I mentioned above, it has a rounded toe. It doesn’t pull too flat across the toe of the foot, and there’s a nice curve across the vamp. The vamp itself is a decent height. It covers any toe cleavage, but it doesn’t come up too high – a classic detail. The sole of the shoe is rubber with tread so non-slip, and there’s padding at the heel. I went with the “saddle” colour, which is a beautiful, warm caramel tone.
SIZING & FIT | I found these to fit true to size. I’m an EU40/US9, and went with the US9 in these. They felt a little “snug” or sock-like when I first popped my feet in them, but the leather gave pretty quickly without any complaints from me.
QUALITY/WEAR & TEAR | Of all three pairs of shoes in this Oliver Cabell review, I’ve reached for these the most. They’re so easy to slip on, and I love the way they look. The quality really exceeded my expectations. As I mentioned above, the dream flats had a glove-like fit when I first popped them on. The pebbled leather gave quickly, to have a customised/moulded fit. You might be able to see from the photo’s above, but the shoes do highlight the ridges of my toes as a result of this. Something I personally don’t mind.
The pebbled leather has a slight sheen to it, which makes them look a lot more expensive than they are. I love this material, as it’s more hard-wearing than a smooth leather; less prone to showing scratches. Despite wearing them numerous times, they’re yet to pick up a single scratch.
Finally, the ridged rubbed sole has been great as it’s anti-slip, and there’s a good amount of cushioning in the insole. Again, that little cushion on the lip of the heel is another nice touch, and a little design feature which adds to the comfort of these shoes.
The Dream Mule
Next up is the Oliver Cabell Dream Mule. Admittedly, this is the one pair that I’ve not taken out of the house, and I’ll share why below.
I’m not sure if it’s all the time that we’ve been spending at home, but I love a good shoe that I can just slip on. Especially if it quickly jazzes up, or elevates my outfit. Exactly what a pointed toe mule can do, while also creating the visual illusion of longer legs.
Outfit 1: Workshop NZ utility jacket (old but similar), J Brand jeans, Oliver Cabell Dream Mule*
Outfit 2: Madewell stripe top, Assembly Label shorts, & Other Stories cardigan, Everlane bag*, Oliver Cabell Dream Mule*
STYLE | The dream mules are a pointed toe, backless mule. Something you can easily slip on your feet. The pointed toe has a curved edge to it, as opposed to a “sharp” edge, a detail I think was probably selected so that the tips don’t show as much wear and tear. Unlike the dream flats, these have a very high vamp. On the sides, are two elasticated panels, which give stretch and cocoon your foot in the shoe.The sole is rubberised again, with grip. I have these in the colour “truffle”, which is a true olive green.
SIZING & FIT | Sizing is definitely where I went wrong with the dream mule. I wasn’t aware that these came up small, so I opted to receive them in my usual size – a US9. But on arrival, I quickly realised that they came up a little short. You may be able to see from the photos above, but my heel just hangs off the back. When it comes to backless shoes, I always, always recommend going up a half size just to give yourself a bit of extra space.
The other thing that set me back is that I also have wide feet. Because this design has quite a pointed toe and is a regular width across the foot, I found it challenging to squeeze my feet as high up as possible into the shoe. Additionally, the stitching for elastic panel skims the side of my bunion, creating a bit of friction and discomfort there. I imagine that this would soften with wear but not without getting the odd blister first. Definitely one I’d recommend more for those with feed that are either a normal or narrow width.
QUALITY/WEAR & TEAR | While I can’t comment much on the wear and tear, the quality is apparent; as with all three pairs of Oliver Cabell shoes I have. The suede has a smooth but textured feel, and the elasticated panels have a firm but bouncy stretch. I also love the detail of the suede on the insole – something I often associate with luxury.
Pointed toe shoes tend to show the most amount of wear at the very tip. While I can’t speak for these myself, the design incorporates more of a rounded edge that isn’t so sharp, which I can see wearing better than something like this.
The Low 1 Sneaker
The final pair of shoes I wanted to run through in this Oliver Cabell review, are the Low 1 Sneakers. I have to admit, when these arrived, I found myself wishing I’d gotten them earlier to include in my video on the best basic sneakers.
Outfit 1: Celine stripe top, Aje skirt, Celine trotteur bag, Oliver Cabell Low 1 Sneaker*
Outfit 2: Everlane tank*, Dr Denim jeans, Alex Mill blazer, Linjer lana bag*, Oliver Cabell Low 1 Sneaker*
STYLE | These are a low-top sneaker; effectively this means that they cut low under the ankles – something that is very flattering on the legs. The main “body” of the low 1 sneakers is leather, with a lightweight rubber sole. The design is atypical of sneakers, with branding both at the small tab on the heel, and on the tongue of the shoe. I opted to get these in the full black, but they come in a few different colour options, including classic white.
SIZING & FIT | Again, I went with a US9 for the low 1 sneakers, and have found that they fit true to size. The width across the foot toes the line between a regular and wide fit. As I mentioned above, I have wide feet and a bunion on my left foot, and have found these to be quite forgiving. Initially I found that they were quite snug, but after adjusting the laces I was able to customise the fit – in particular across the widest part of my foot.
QUALITY/WEAR & TEAR | I took a risk the first time I wore these; I popped them on to head out for an hour-long walk. And my feet survived. Not a single blister. Though I did note that the tongue is a little stiff, and it did occasionally press into the front of my leg. Nothing like what happens when I wear my Veja Esplar sneakers though.
The calf leather is nice and puffy, and despite wearing them multiple times, I haven’t gotten a single scratch on them. The insole is bouncy, and again there is that cushioned padding at the upper lip of the heel. Like all sneakers, they’ve started to whisker/crease across the toe. This is pretty standard wear and tear. Perhaps the only thing that niggles me about these sneakers is that the branding – at the heel – is fuzzy. It’s stamped on in gold, and the blurred detail of this is the only thing that stops them from feeling like a luxury shoe. A quick look on their website suggests that it may just have been a production fault with my pair, but still something I thought worth noting.
It’s unsurprising to me that these have been compared to Common Projects sneakers. In fact, I’d say that the Oliver Cabell low 1 sneakers are actually better. I didn’t have the best time with the CP low achilles; while I loved the way they looked, they gave me blisters which lasted two weeks on two parts of my foot, squeaked with every step, and the leather was so delicate that they got scratched up the very first time I wore them.
So that wraps up this Oliver Cabell review. I hope that you found it useful! Please feel free to leave any further questions in the comments below.
Wow these sneakers really are a CP dupe – I need to replace my white CPs (but oh the cost!) that Ive had for 5 years or so and are fairly worn looking and these could be an alternative.