Veja Good.

Veja V10 vs Veja V12

I said in my Friday Five last week that I would do a little post about the Vejas I chose. I went for the Veja V10, in Extra White, Oxford grey and Orange Fluo just incase you were interested. And how did I arrive at these? Well I deliberated, cogitated, digested lots of reviews, did loads of comparisons, changed my mind several times before I reached my conclusion. Yep, that's what I did.

I'm not short of a pair of trainers and I have trainers I love and wear to death and some I look at and pass over. I know I favour a white trainer (first pair of white Adidas Stan Smiths were worn to death and lasted five years and got me through a three day city break in Amsterdam walking 12 hours a day) and I don't get on with black trainers (Nike Roshe One - still have them - worn about five times - couldn't even pass them on to the youngest) besides which I always feel like they look like full stops at the end of my legs. I also like a classic tennis style trainer more than a running style. And I love a pair of Golden Goose though they are ruinously expensive. I like my Nike Air Max Ones - they just feel a little more urban and make an outfit a little cooler. And I like my Novestas though they be more plimsoll than trainer and they are the perfect summer shoe and go with everything. Somehow, I put those on and everything falls in to place and they are a darned sight more comfy and supportive than Converse. 

I digress. I decided I would look at the Vejas again after missing out on the Autry (American retro brand) trainers stocked at Mercantile Clothing. I didn't pull my finger out when Debra (owner) had the most delicious pair of white ones with an aubergine coloured soled and trim and they sold out promptly and no more were to be had. Autry in women sizes in the UK seem to be like gold dust. Live and learn. Live and learn. See them, buy them, decide later. Or not in my case and be forever doomed to wonder what might have been. I'm being a bit melodramatic here.  I digressed again. I stopped blogging for half a year and now you can't shut me up. Go figure.

Anyway, after reading various reviews about the overlong tongues on the Vejas which dig in and hurt and had people up in arms and crying (I may have made up the bit up about the crying), I was a bit put off. But I had a chat with my mate Michelle who did have a pair of Vejas and she said they didn't really come up that much higher than the Adidas Stans. So I bit the bullet and I ordered the Veja V12's in white with neutral detailing to go with everything. They arrived - they were lovely looking trainers but they were just "nice". If you're going to pay a bit for a pair of trainers, they need to be more than just "nice" don't they? Where did I go wrong? I basically had played it too safe. I needed them to have a little something to bring them to life for me. So I ended up ordering the V10s with the fluro orange heel trim and I also thought it would make sense to see the V10s and V12's actually next to each other before I sent the V12's back and regretted it if I didn't like the V10s. You know how some things grow on you over time - the V12's might have been slow burners. One thing of note - I smiled when I opened the box with the V10s in and caught a little flash of the coloured trims. I put those on and they felt like me. Just remember this is all personal and relative - fluro orange trims are not for everyone however they just work for me. You be you and I'll be the one with the fluro orange trims.

Veja V12 in Extra White & Sable

Veja V10 in Extra White, Oxford Grey and Fluo Orange

So I guess you'll want to know what I think about the Vejas in general? Well I've not actually had them that long nor places to go to try them out properly (Lockdown 3 at time of writing) but this is what I have surmised from first impressions. I also keep focusing on the tongue of the Vejas as this is the area which causes the most complaints.

• The V12's feel a little stiffer on compared to the V10s. I'm not sure if it's because the pair I chose had suede parts on the V10s which just make that model a little comfier but they just felt better on first try. But both are not as immediately comfy as say a pair of Adidas Stan Smiths.

• The tongues on both the Vejas do come up high on the foot but only just fractionally more than Stans. For comparison I noted that the tongue on a pair of Adidas Stans is also high but considerably more padded (see below) and curves gently in the middle so it lies better against your foot without jabbing in. 

• The tongue on the V10 is not padded whereas the V12 is lightly padded/lined which adds a little stiffness to the leather tongue and why I think it feels a little "sharper" and may dig in to the top part of your foot a little bit more than the V10.

• I'm not sure how much the tongue on the V12 will soften over time but from googling, people tend to slide the tongue to the side to minimise this problem. This is okay if you don't mind a lopsided tongue but I know this drives me mad on the Adidas Stans as I'm forever trying to straighten them back up. But sliding the tongue to the side on the Vejas to make them more comfortable is apparently a thing and a recognised Veja hack.

• The V12's feel a little dressier and smarter than the V10's which have a slightly more casual and sporty vibe to them with the perforated detailing. 

Casual or Smart? Which one are you?

• Both the V10s and V12s appear to be true to size for me and the fit on both is quite similar with no toe pinching going on. I know some people say they come up big but I guess that depends on whether you have a slimmer or wider foot. I can wear a thin sock with both styles comfortably but not a thicker sock. I might mention at this point that Clarks Shoes had my feet down as being wide fit when I was a child and nearly made me cry when they said they only had these Clarks Polyvelts which fitted me. I refused them outright as I considered them crimes against fashion - I can't believe they are still being sold forty years on!

• Both pairs seem fairly supportive and the sole is cushioned adequately. In fact I don't think there will be much breaking in with my V10s.

• Last but not least, the back of the V10s come up a fraction higher than the V12's - not a problem unless there is a chance that they might rub your ankles if you have problems in that area.

So I hope that helps you understand my thought process a little. I like the Vejas (both styles) and I haven't come across any real discomfort wearing the V10s around the house so far and a couple of 2km walks around the village. If the tongue starts to dig in which it hasn't so far I'll just put a padded plaster at the top of my foot and try again. And failing that - my contingency plan when lockdown is over is to take them to the cobblers to get them to cut about 1.5cm off the length of the tongue half way down and then restitch it back on so it sits lower down on my leg. The stitched join would be hidden by the laces. Now that's a plan eh?

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Last Note :

• Generally, the lower the tongue on the trainer, the more flattering it is on the leg. My Golden Goose trainers have tongues which sit much lower and are more flattering on the leg as they show off more ankle.

• This post is really more an observation than a review but it might help if you have been considering the Vejas. I favoured the V10's and V12's as I preferred the profile of these compared to the Esplar and Campo which are a little simpler in design. The soles on the Esplar and the Campo are slimmer/flatter which I didn't really want - I like bouncing down the road. #boing

• Whilst breaking in the V10s around the village, I was wearing socks to prevent any potential rubbing - I know some people think I'm a bit daft but I'm certainly not a masochist.