Freebird Quail odor--anyone else?

Thanks to Firecracker I was able to score a pair of Freebird Quail sandals in tan *for half price* from Shopbop. They fit well and I was looking forward to wearing them tomorrow with a shirtdress.

However when I came home tonight my bedroom had a strange pronounced odor. I traced it to the shoes, which I had put on a closet shelf. I can even smell them from my living room.

I spend a lot of time at work in my office with my door closed (sometimes talking to people, sometimes working on things) and it's not an option to wear a shoe that will imbue the entire atmosphere with a strong chemical smell. It's not just a smell of tanned leather.

Just wondering.... Did anyone else who has these shoes notice a smell? I can't find any reviews that mention it. Actually some reviews mention that they smell fantastic. I wonder if they are counterfeit?

These shoes were somewhat of a style stretch for me, so I'm willing to accept that the universe is saying "no" for now! Luckily returns are free if I get them in the mail fast enough.

9 years ago

Brooklyn

Veteran

OK, I will fess up that I got them in the half price sale too. Thanks FC! And yes, there is definitely an odour. My husband noticed it more than I did (they are sitting in our family room waiting for him to punch some extra holes in the straps). I am not sending them back because I LOVE them (and returns are not free here). I am going to assume the smell will dissipate over time. I don't find it that noticeable myself. I definitely cannot smell them from another room!

Coming back to say my DH bought a memory foam pillow that had a strong chemical odour and the advice was to leave it directly in front of a fan for an extended period. He did this (left it all day) and the smell improved. Could be worth a try?

Anonymous

Nope - mine are fine And bought right out of a Steve Madden store.

SandyG

I don't have experience with the Freebirds but a few years ago bought a pair of Mephisto sandals that stunk to the heavens when I opened the shipping box. I left them outside to 'air out' for a week or so -- and then returned them. The company blamed me in several emails but it was clearly a fault in the material, not with me being tremendously sensitive.

We reached an agreement with a refund but never resolved the reason for the odor. Online reviews didn't address any smelly issues. Good luck! Cute sandals can break your heart sometimes.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Oh, that's bad news. I hope the odor dissipates!

Adelfa

Brooklyn, that's funny. I wonder what the deal is with the half price sale. I boxed them up and I can smell them through the two boxes. So can my neighbor. I confess I was willing to take a chance, but once a colleague in a meeting noticed another colleague's new shoes had an odor, and she asked him never to wear them again! I couldn't cope with the humiliation!

I had a sweater with an odor once and it went away after airing. But this is SO STRONG that I'm not going to work with it.

Lisa, I'm curious to go to a Steve Madden store and sniff me some tan sandals!

Sandy, thanks for your story. Sigh. Glad you got your refund!

UmmLila (Lisa)

Mine did not have a smell. I bought this year from Amazon.

I have a pair in taupe, and they just smell like leather to me. I wonder what's causing the problem with the pair you got?

I bought a belt one time that had a horrendous chemical odor. I had to put it out in the garage for six weeks before the odor dissipated. I was still rather reluctant to wear it because it seemed like it must be toxic to have smelled so bad!

Thanks, Ummlila and Xtabay. I am really wondering about these half price Quails that Brooklyn and I got. People who bought elsewhere didn't find the shoes smelly. Hmmmmm.

Elizabeth P

Mine are fine, but they are taupe. Viva has tan ones, I wonder if she noticed anything.

Elizabeth, I too was wondering if the smell was just with the tan ones.

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