I Need Some Sensible Shoes
That's a quote from a 1991 David Lee Roth song; this is an open thread about summer sandals that look good but don't hurt...
Readers,
Not long ago, I told you about reluctantly handing over my treasured clogs to a friend because in my late 50s I find that wooden shoes aren’t exactly the best choice for managing my arthritis and other aging-related aches and pains.
Now I find myself in the market for some new, more sensible shoes—specifically summer sandals that are super comfortable to walk around in, but also attractive. I’ll tell you about a few pairs I bought, or am looking at. I hope you’ll point me to some brands and styles you like, too.
Last summer—once I realized the blue Mia clog sandals that had been my go-to summer shoes for a few seasons weren’t doing me any favors, orthopedically—I found myself combing the SAS Nola website for sandals that weren’t, well, farty, like a number of their styles.
I’d first learned about the SAS Nola brand at a shoe store in Florida that I’d patronize on annual visits to my mom when she had an apartment down there. I can’t remember the name of the store, but it had a big sign in the window that announced they had “Diabetic Shoes,” so I always referred to it as “The Diabetic Shoe Store.”
The store had an antiseptic no-frills vibe, but it stocked the chicest offerings from all the best orthopedically beneficial brands—Birkenstock, Dansko, Taos, Beautifeel, Naot, and others.
The SAS Nola styles there were always too stodgy for me then. But I remember a sales person inviting me to poke my finger into the foot bed of a pair, and being impressed by how it was firm, but had give. When I visited SAS Nola’s website last summer, I was thrilled to discover the Marina style. I ordered it in Silver/Blue, and well: 10/10, no notes. These shoes are unbelievably comfortable—and not only attractive, but, dare I say, sexy, too.
A year later they’re still the most comfortable shoes I own. At $178 they’re not inexpensive, but also not too too pricey, at least for me. And I find them to be worth the cost, for the comfort and support. Now I’m thinking about grabbing a pair of their Pampa style.
Call me crazy, but I also have a perverse attraction to this decidedly farty pair, SAS Nola’s Bounce lace-up wedge, maybe for fall? Could they maybe be “farty-chic”? (Could that be a thing??? Like the Worishofer trend in the aughts?)
I love SAS’s comfort footbed so much, I might also order some of their orthotics to insert into other shoes I own. By the way, SAS Nola makes men’s shoes, too.
A few weeks ago, I ordered these Mirabelle style sandals from a brand called Sofft. They are well constructed, incredibly comfortable and good looking, too. At a reasonable $119, they feel like a good deal.
Speaking of good deals on comfortable sandals, I got this custom pair in the summer of 2001 from Piper Sandals, and they are still not only wearable, but comfortable. (They’re beat up and have paint splatters, but I still love them for knocking around the house and the Kingston farmer’s market on summer Saturdays.)
Back in 2001 they were only like $50—for custom sandals! How it works: you trace your feet and send the sketch in, then they make your sandals to fit and add a Vibram sole. Piper no longer makes my style, and like everything else in the world, they’re more expensive. Still, $149 seems like a more than reasonable price for custom sandals with a Vibram sole!
For about half that price, you can get an assortment of desert sandals from Jerusalem Sandals in California.
Jerusalem Sandals also offers both men’s and women’s styles, most of them around $77-$79.
I’ve got my eye on Jerusalem’s the Bethany style, in Black. I hope they’ve got enough give and support for them to be…sensible, as David Lee Roth sings.
Okay, now tell me about the comfortable-but-attractive sandals you recommend, please and thank you. I’m in the market for at least one more pair…
-Sari
What a great post! I’m very cheap when it comes to shoes, but my first Tevas may have cured me of that. They feel amazing! Would love to see a similar post about summer tops that don’t mind the fact that your waist is gone & your arms are not as shapely as once upon a time. Where are all of the hip summery tunics for instance? ;-)
Ahhh….shoes. Footwear. Sandals.The great unifier.
I won’t be able to buy new sandals…or even shoes…until the Great Curse passes over. (Shoe curses do)
I refer of course to the curse of WHITE SOLES. I don’t have words to say how much I hate them. City or country, they are guaranteed to get dirty and point out that my feet are big.