Today’s review comes to you via the nice folks at Easy Spirit–who also generously sponsor our contest of the month, which gives away a pair of shoes to whomever makes the best guesses about what shoes these celebrities wear. The shoes up for grabs? The TravelTime model:

You know what was the best-selling shoe of 2006? A stylish Manolo Blahnik stiletto, you reckon? A vertiginous Louboutin platform, perhaps? A Giuseppe Zanotti bejeweled sandal, maybe? None of the above, of course. It was the TravelTime Easy Spirit mule. I’ve had the pleasure of trying this shoe in action–and I can confidently tell you why.

You’re a woman of infinite action and limited means. You’ve got things to do, places to run to when you’re not at work or on an elegant dinner out. You’re not going to stroll to the dog park with your poochie in your Louboutins. You’re not going to wait in line at the post office and then run to the grocery store in pointy, toe-scrunching Manolos. And you’re equally less likely to run an errand to the bank or to the pharmacy or simply go the riverbank and rest in kick-ass stilettos. Besides, you’re a practical woman. You don’t want to spend anywhere between half this month’s rent to twice next month’s rent on a pair of practical, comfortable, relaxed shoes that allow you to go about your life in comfort and style.

If so, may I suggest to you this pair of Easy Spirit mules? They’re really well-made and really comfortable. And they also come in silver, gold, and a beautiful forest green (my top-three color choices), as well as a variety of other easy-to-wear colors.  The instep area features two elastic gores that allow for a snug, but comfortable fit–that means that they’ll stay put no matter what. For those of us with a wider footprint, the toe-box is roomy and generous. There isn’t much in terms of arch support, but there’s a lot of cushioning–and if you really do need that much arch support, you can easily fit in the orthotics (the back ‘lip’ ensures they stay put), or alternately, you can remove the insoles and replace them with your own. And best of all, at $59 these will not break the bank. In fact, they’re pretty much featherweights in terms of cost. I’ve worn them around the house and out on errands, with or without orthotics, and the fit is superb.

A word about sizing though: you may be advised to order a half a size down. I’m a relatively standard size 10 and I’m pretty confident I would have fit as well in a size 9.5. In fact, I was surprised to read the European size equivalents on an inside sticker: they equaled an American size 10 with an English size 8.5 and a European size 42.5. Now, I’ll probably write a whole ‘nother story about these size conundrums (a size 10 has been equaled to anything between a 40 and a 42.5, in my experience), but so far I’ve fit a 41 pretty consistently; 42.5 seems a bit of a stretch.

No matter! If you were looking for that perfect pair of casual shoes to live your life in, look no further. The price/quality ratio is hard to beat with these ones.

And by all means, go play our little guessing game for a chance to win a pair of these. Would it help to tell you that one of the celebrities featured wears Easy Spirit shoes? Have I piqued your interest? Good luck!!!