Real stories · The knee boots you can actually walk in

Smart knee boots always cost me my feet by three o'clock — these walk like my flats

The knee boots you can actually walk in — that's what these are. I'm 67, and smart boots have always been a deal with a deadline: look put-together all morning, pay for it from three o'clock onwards. The stiff shaft, the heel that argues with cobbles, the cold creeping in around two — I know the whole schedule by heart.

What I wanted was the smart-boot look with none of the smart-boot bill.

Then I found the Softvane from a British label called York Boutique — black knee-high boots with a sturdy block heel and a little bow-and-tassel detail at the back. There's a regular version and one with a plush warm lining. I took the plush, obviously.

The difference is that nothing about them is rigid. The shaft is soft and flexes as you walk instead of digging in, the sole bends with the step, and the block heel is wide enough to be steady on cobbles and bus steps alike — which is why they walk like my flats while looking like my smartest boots. The plush lining means warm from the first minute, and over black tights with a midi skirt they do that neat, leg-lengthening thing all winter long.

A soft shaft that flexes, a block heel that's stable on cobbles, and a plush lining that's warm from the first minute — the smart-boot look, minus the three-o'clock bill.

They were £39.95 — exactly the price where I hesitate — so I counted what the last pair of 'smart' boots really cost me: the price, the plasters, and one early trip home. Half the usual £80, a fortnight to send them back, free delivery. I stopped counting.

They have since done a full town morning, a christening (standing, hours of it) and the walk home from the bus, and at no point did my feet start negotiating. Malcolm says I 'walk faster in them', which I'm taking as a compliment. It was £39.95 in the sale, half the usual £80.

If your smart boots also come with a three o'clock deadline, do have a look. The Softvane is rated 4.6 out of 5 by more than 260 women, it comes in black with or without the plush lining, in sizes 3 to 7 — and at half price the plush version goes first.