posted by: Shomore in Shoe Accessories on March 29th, 2007

Ever seen a very simple concept and wondered why you didnt think of it yourself? I recently experienced this very reaction when approached to test drive Muleos. Muleos is basically a strap or tie which can be used to hold down your mules or backless shoes. According to the Muleos website, founder Michele Hickford formed the idea when her pants were getting caught under her heel. Michele borrowed a pair of mens shoelaces to hold down the heel and her first Muleos prototype was born.

Are you a visual person like me? Here is a very simplified version of how Muleos looks:

We personally tried out the straps and ties. Our impressions:

MULEOS STRAPS:

Sizing: Out of the bag, none of the holes on Muleos straps matched my fit. Apparently, my ankles are rather cubby (doh!) so I could only get the strap to wrap around once. I used a safety pin (didnt have a turkey skewer available as mentioned on the Muleos website) to create the holes myself. It would have been nice to have turnkey straps as I am simply not a very handy person and created two rather ugly looking holes for myself.

MULEOS TIES:

Shoesense tried the ties and heres her saga, in pictures:

CONCLUSIONS:

If you are looking to add a little variety to your shoe collection but your shoe fund is low, consider Muleos straps. They are reasonably priced from $9.90 $11.99. Straps can add some bells and whistles to your shoes and prevent the trousers from being annoyingly sandwiched between your heel and shoe. For the more crafty lot, consider visiting a fabric store and seeing if you can make your own version of the ties, perhaps with crystals, lace, or painted?

One final note: Michele personally contacted us and we have nothing but nice things to write about Muleos customer service. She was very gracious in accommodating the bloggers on Shoeblog and for that, we are very appreciative.