Imagine slipping on a pair of pumps or ballet flats so comfortable you can wander all day through Rome, Bangkok, Barcelona, Florence, Vienna and even New York – without once thinking, my feet are killing me.
I’m not imagining it. I’ve done it.
And the shoes that made it possible? A Bangkok secret I almost don’t want to share: O&B.
I walked in Copenhagen for days in these cherry ballerina flats, even rode my bike.
Menopause, Swollen Feet and the Death of “Cute but Painful”
Let’s get one thing straight: feet change.
They get wider, they get fussier and, if you’re in or near menopause, they definitely swell.
The days when I would suffer in silence for a pair of razor-thin stilettos are gone. I still adore beautiful shoes – but if they don’t let me walk a city from sunrise to sunset, they’re not coming home with me.
That’s where my O&B cherry leather pumps come in.
They’re not just pretty; they’re my travel companions. I’ve worn them in 40-degree Roman heat, on cobblestones that would destroy lesser shoes.
And the comments? Endless.
In Rome people stopped me in the street to ask where my shoes were from. Here’s the fun bit: hardly anyone in Europe wears them the way I do. Nobody is walking around Rome in Thai leather pumps in cherry red, styled the Gracie Opulanza way. That’s the joy – turning a Thai mall discovery into a global style signature.
Bangkok’s Best-Kept Secret: O&B Pumps
Bangkok is chaotic, humid, and full of hidden fashion gems. Among all the noise and neon, O&B quietly sits there creating ballerinas, pumps and loafers in lambskin so soft it feels like butter.
I first fell for the classic pumps – proper leather, simple shape, a little Audrey Hepburn energy about them. The kind of shoe you can wear with cropped trousers, a summer dress, or tailored shorts and still look effortlessly polished.
But the real test wasn’t how they looked.
It was whether they would survive my lifestyle.
Bangkok pavements.
Samui stairs.
Airport marathons.
Roman cobblestones.
Florentine laneways.
Barcelona’s endless rambla walks.
They passed every single test.
When your feet are older, a bit swollen, maybe a little temperamental, you notice small things: how the leather stretches just enough but doesn’t collapse, how the heel height supports you instead of punishing you, how you can slip them on in the morning and forget they’re even there. That’s what O&B does for me.
Exclusive for Haus Of Abbi Garden Of Eden Collection
The Masterpiece Moment: Van Gogh on Your Feet
Now, about the collection I can’t stop thinking about.
O&B’s Masterpiece Collection, inspired by Vincent van Gogh, is quite literally art on your feet. Their latest drop – the Garden of Eden – is currently only in the window at CentralWorld in Bangkok. Not on the shelves. Not online. Just there, teasing you through glass.
Of course I had to go and stare at them.
Soft, painterly florals, brushstroke-like prints, colours that feel like they’ve walked straight out of a museum and onto a pair of ballerina flats. These are not quiet little basics. These are “look down at your feet and smile” shoes.
Do I need more shoes? Absolutely not.
Am I going to buy them when they finally go on sale? Absolutely yes.
If there’s one pair I’d happily break my “no more shoes” rule for, it’s O&B’s Garden of Eden from the Van Gogh Masterpiece collection. Menopause feet or not, some temptations are worth surrendering to.
Lemons, Loafers and Being Officially “All Lemoned Out”
O&B doesn’t stop at Van Gogh. They also have the Ciao Collection – all lemons and sunny vibes, straight out of the Amalfi Coast playbook. Think southern Italy on your feet.
Now, full confession: I love Italy. I’ve walked its cities too many times to count. I adore the food, the drama, the fashion. But in terms of lemon prints?
I am officially all lemoned out.
Every influencer, every high street brand, every resort collection had its lemon phase. I’ve done it. I’ve worn it. I’ve photographed it against every Mediterranean backdrop. So while I can appreciate the Ciao Collection for its playful charm, it’s not where my heart is right now.
What does make me smile, though, are the Romeo loafers. These embody that effortless Italian sophistication I know so well. Slip-on, relaxed but refined, they’re the shoe you wear when you want to look like you know the maître d’ at every restaurant in town – without trying too hard.
They feel like strolling through Florence at golden hour, or sitting at a café in Vienna with a coffee and a notebook. Easy, elegant, confident.
Not on sale yet.
Ballerina Flats as Moving Canvases
If pumps are my city-warrior heels and loafers are my “I’m in a mood for sprezzatura” shoes, then O&B’s signature ballerina flats are my wearable gallery.
Crafted from premium lambskin, they hug your feet in that almost slipper-like way – but with prints that turn them into tiny canvases. Lemons, garden florals, Monet-inspired prints… it’s all about sliding into something that feels like art, not just footwear.
You don’t just wear them; you curate them.
One day it’s a Monet vibe with pastel florals.
Another day it’s a bold garden print with a simple white shirt and jeans.
Or you let the shoes do all the talking under cropped black trousers.
When you’ve spent years walking cities, you start to care less about high trends and more about personal signatures. For me, that’s where O&B ballerinas come in. They carry stories. They say:
- I’ve walked Rome at 40 degrees.
- I’ve wandered Bangkok malls at closing time.
- I’ve crossed piazzas, markets, stations and hotel lobbies in shoes that refuse to quit.
Just adorable, Garden of Eden Collection, you can only buy online, and they are not for sale yet! Central World, Bangkok, window display.
The Roman Heat Test: Why People Stared
That day in Rome – 40 degrees, heat bouncing off the stone – I wore my cherry leather O&B pumps with a dress that caught the breeze just right. Sensible people were in sneakers or flat sandals.
Me? Cherry pumps.
People stared. Women asked where I bought them. Men noticed – and trust me, men don’t usually comment on women’s shoes unless something is really standing out.
But it wasn’t just the colour. It was how I wore them.
Because here’s the truth:
No one in Europe wears them like Gracie Opulanza does.
You can give ten women the same shoe and get ten completely different stories. Mine happens to be a mash-up of Thai discovery, Italian streets, menopausal honesty and a refusal to give up romance in my wardrobe just because my feet have opinions now.
Pumps for Real Life, Not Just Photos
There’s this trend online of “sit-down shoes” – heels that look fabulous in photos but never touch real pavement. I have no time for that.
If a shoe can’t handle:
- cobblestones
- uneven pavements
- sweaty metro staircases
- long-haul airport transfers
- and a surprise detour because I saw a vintage shop down a side street
…then it’s not for me.
O&B has somehow managed to capture that Audrey Hepburn elegance – the feminine, pared-back silhouette – but built it for real women with real feet in real heat, at real ages.
Including menopause ages, swollen-foot ages, “I’ve lived a lot of life and I’m still going” ages.
Why I Keep Reaching for O&B
Out of all the shoes in my wardrobe (and trust me, there are plenty), I keep circling back to my O&B pairs because they tick every box that matters to me now:
- Comfort without compromise – I can actually walk, not just pose.
- Artful design – from Van Gogh’s Garden of Eden to Monet florals, they are conversation starters.
- Travel-tested durability – Rome, Bangkok, Barcelona, Florence, Austria, New York… they’ve done the circuit.
- Age- and body-honest – they work with swollen feet, wider feet, tired feet. Real feet.
I don’t need more shoes.
But I do need shoes that make sense for the woman I am now – a woman who has seen half the world, refuses to dress down her personality, and needs her footwear to keep up.
So when I say the Garden of Eden pumps are worth breaking my no-more-shoes rule for, that’s not just consumer lust. That’s a seasoned, menopausal, city-hardened, style-obsessed woman saying:
These aren’t just shoes.
They’re a lifestyle – on your feet.
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