ShoeSense

Sometimes, a picture is worth about 17 words

I felt kind of blah ordering these brown suede slides from Zappos. They weren't exactly exciting, you know. Rather, they looked ordinary, the kind of shoes that will--and sort of have to--be overshadowed by the rest of your outfit. These were the type of shoes that would take you places, without getting you noticed. And you know, sometimes that's ok, too.

Here's the thing, though. As I've recently confessed, I was in dire need of a practical brown sandal. Why, I had nothing in that color for the summer!!!--an unbearable situation, with which, impulse shopper that I am, I could live for no longer than one minute. Now, a cute alternative were those Clergerie knock-offs from Anthropologie, but I already have the original in gold/yellow, and I'm not a big fan of owning the same shoe in various colors. (As an aside, I never understood that: when the choices are so numerous, why not keep your shoe closet as varied in color and style as you can? I'm a big fan of variety.) Anyhoo, then I remembered that I live in a walker's city, that I walk regularly at least 2 miles a day, and that, duh, I needed something that will support that (and the gold Clergerie sandals, btw, offer no arch support, so in the long run they can be fatiguing for my high arches, though not unbearable). So, I thought I'd try these from 1803, a brand that I've only recently heard of as making comfortable women's shoes. It didn't hurt that they were on sale (about 65% off).

Well, what can I say, the picture didn't even come close to doing them justice. Zappos, I believe, has the best product pictures in all the shopping sites I've seen, but the lighting on these ones hid the fact that they have these gold flowers on the insole, peeping right from underneath your toes, which is a surprisingly cute effect. Also, the upper is a soft, breathable cut-out suede that fits your foot like a glove, no rubbing, no break-in, no nothing, and it's quite stylish in person. There are flowers and such on the side of the wedge sole, which is far less bulky than it appears in the picture.

But, best of all, the sensation of walking in them can only be described as walking on clouds. Hands down, the most comfortable sandals I've ever had. Excellent arch support, and perfect cushioning from the impact of walking on concrete for your hard-working foot bones. It's like Tempur-Pedic for your feet.

In conclusion: I'm glad I wasn't completely put off by the picture of these slides, which are much cuter in the flesh (and on the flesh) and also supremely comfortable. These are working shoes with just the right amount of style to carry you through the hot summer days in the city (alas, yes, I have to stay here for the whole summer... sob-sob). I'm also glad I found another brand I can count on for supreme comfort. Yay!

posted by Cristina Hanganu-Bresch @ 3:33 PM