I bought these Beklina Matisse Criss Cross Platform Slides back in November and if you follow me on Insta you’ve probably seen them a lot. I first heard of this small women-owned ethical brand from Erica (my number one enabler/tempter lol), but had seen her shoes before (especially her clogs and sandals). So when Beklina had a November sale I couldn’t resist getting these platform slides in buff (with the 50% off sale I got them for $115 including tax and shipping—such a good deal for ethically made clog-type shoes). {Update: they still have a sale going on right now here and 30% off sale with the code 2021welcome.}
If you’ve never heard of Beklina before, it’s a small business based in Watsonville, CA (near Santa Cruz) run by Angelina Rennell. She does everything from design, customer service, social media, and sourcing/production. When I asked her for more details about her production, she let me know that the clogs (including this platform slide) are all handmade in Peru by two small family-owned factories that she visits regularly. The wood and leather is also locally sourced in Peru.
As for these slides, I sized up to a 8.5 (I’m usually an 8) since I read that these run a little narrow. I would say the 8.5 was a little snug at first but having worn them around for several months, the leather has softened and it feels quite comfortable. I really love that the leather straps are padded on the inside so there’s some give and it makes them extra comfy. The soles are also slightly padded. I like this buff color because it matches my skin tone pretty well and I feel like it really lengthens my legs. Also these shoes go with everything, from my casual slow fashion clothes to even my flashy blue nap dress. The wood platform soles are light and sturdy. I like that the heels on this are square-shaped giving the sandal some interest (and can be used as a weapon in a pinch due to its sharp corners lol). Since these are platforms they’re super easy to walk in. The bottoms are completely lined with rubber so there’s no chance of slipping. I’ve tried clog-like shoes in the past (my Bryr clog review here) and never really liked them. So I thought I wasn’t a clog person but these Beklina shoes are convincing me otherwise.
In fact while writing this review, I went back to check out her website and got two more pair of shoes 🤦🏻♀️. I’m going to justify the purchase by saying those were the original clogs I had wanted. I couldn’t decide between the buff pair (because I really do love this color) and the black so I got both. But these were on a great sale (coming out to about half the original price). Anyway I have a feeling you’ll be seeing me in Beklina shoes often in the future!
P.S. I got both shoes earlier this week (super fast shipping from Angelina) and I love them. Maybe even more than these criss cross platforms. Of course I’ll be doing a full review of them once I wear them more but I don’t regret getting both! Oh and for the two clog above I got a size 9 because I have wide-ish feet and I’m glad I went with the size up—the fit just right!