I was reading through the Wall Street Journal and saw a fashion trend that made me smile.
Asics are hot. Who knew? I wear my big clunky Asics every day. Despite my lateral move playing ping pong and crashing to the ground last week (I wrote about that HERE) they are seriously the most comfortable shoes I own — well, maybe tied with my Sanuk yoga mat flip flops.
I have a painful arthritic growth on my left foot that I’m surviving with shots of cortisone from time to time. When that no longer helps, the doctor said I’ll need surgery.
In the meantime, I only wear super comfortable shoes. The last time we went out to dinner with friends, I struggled with the dressier shoes in my closet. They are painful! I finally settled on a retro pair of Adidas, which is hardly fancy enough for a fancy restaurant, but it’s that or the Asics or flip flops.
The story I read in the WSJ was by Rebecca Malinsky. Here’s an excerpt:
Why Asics and Salomon Sneakers Are Fashion’s Hottest Shoes
Style is all about comfort these days, which is why performance sneakers, like the ones worn by Hailey Bieber, Mary-Kate Olsen and Emily Ratajkowski, are this season’s must-have footwear
THE LATEST shoe trending among Hollywood It girls and fashion types isn’t a slim stiletto or a sleek, minimalist mule. It’s a sneaker. A chunky, technical running sneaker, to be exact. Mary-Kate Olsen has been seen sporting Salomon Speedcross 3s, high-performance trail-running shoes. Hailey Bieber has lately swapped her Jimmy Choos for a bulky Balenciaga sneaker. And model and author Emily Ratajkowski has frequently been photographed in white Asics sneaks while striding through New York.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/asics-salomon-womens-sneakers-11645640840?mod=life_work_major_1_pos1
I am thinking about donating all my uncomfortable fancy shoes to the local Kiwanis mart. But if I do get surgery, I may be able to wear them again. I’m excited to know I’m in style, rather than just a middle aged frump.
What type of shoes do you usually wear? Are you more interested in looks or comfort? Any suggestions for a dressier shoe that is super comfortable?
I’m all for comfort. I wear fit flops most of the time as they have arch support. Recently I got Skechers with arch support which are very comfy.
Thanks for the advice on brands.
My pleasure.
These are great! I wear these and Skechers, also!
Cool. They have specially designed soles for flat feet.
I live in my Anywear shoes, so I get it.
I’m happy fashion came around to my lifestyle.
I ditched my heels. My go to shoes this time of year are black suede pumas. I also have knee high leather boots, ankle high moto boots, grey brushed leather work boots and my furry lined duck boots in the rotation. Spring switches to ballet flats and white supergas, and grey striped converse. Summer adds in teva style flats and gladiator sandals. I have low heeled black sling backs and low heeled scrappy sandals for dress
You sound like quite the shoe and boot diva! Of course you’re in the city where people dress up more. I think I’ll look for low heeled scrappy sandals for spring and summer.
Oddly the average woman owns 19 pairs of shoes. I’m below that especially as I live in a four season climate and need seasonal shoes
I’m going to count mine. I tend to hang onto shoes that I will no longer wear. Maybe I should give up high heels for Lent.
Works for me
I counted my shoes. 19 pairs including flip flops.
There you go! Average on the nose!
It’s funny, we’ve just been sharing our “lessons” from the sci-fi show Expanse, and one of the lessons is that 400 years in the future, yes, heels still are thing…
Nooooooooo!
Indeed! That’s why that moment stuck with us… Who knew the future could hold such horrors? 🙃
😉
Ha!
Comfort has to trump anything else. My feet are flat and so I need extra wide shoes through the arch. Then I have arthritis in my ankles so I need inserts for some extra support, especially when I walk. Long-term callouses from my younger days with bad shoe choices add a third issue. I’ve found some Easy Spirit everyday athletic shoes that work well and have good sizing. My hikers are Merrells. Sandals for spring/summer are Clarks- which by the way is a decent brand for “more than casual” shoes as well. I have one pair of generic black shoes I can wear with pants for something less casual. Anything beyond that…I either stay home, wear inappropriate shoes, or make some last minute shopping run for the cheapest short term fix I can find. Anything with a heel will never enter my house again though.
Thank you for all the advice. I have Merrill hiking boots. Also, I’ll never wear heels again. My podiatrist made me inserts and it helps.
I love my Sorel high tops. I got a pair or Sorel running/walking shoes the spring of the pandemic, and they look brand new. I will never get another brand of shoe again. Worth every penny and they’re so comfy too. 🙂
Thanks for the tip. I bought a pair of Sorel snow boots 20 years ago. They look brand new because I rarely get the chance to use them. I bought them when I was an avid skier.
They are such good quality.
I used to wear heels every day to work, even when I was pregnant, except for the last one. Then I started wearing flats and now rarely wear heels. Shoes have never been a big thing for me and so comfort is more important than style to me.
Comfort is definitely what I want. I used to wear high heels decades ago to work.
I am still looking for the perfect shoe. As a teacher on my feet, I wear out my shoes. I did find some really comfortable and cool ones through Amazon! I ordered a few new colors. Sneakers are most comfortable running around the school!
I think I need to go to a shoe store and try on shoes for dressier occasions. I need something that doesn’t hit on my arthritis.
Many teachers at my school have had to have cortisone shots. So far, I have been lucky.
I’ve had two in five years. It’s the joint of my big toe where it connects to the foot. The cortisone takes away the pain unless I wear shoes that aggravate it.
At home we found that crocs (don’t laugh 🙂 ) are more comfortable than being barefoot. Don’t knock them until you try them (and just to remove all doubt, we are not affiliated with them!)
Crocs were very popular when my kids were swimmers.
I almost always wear black flats or tennis shoes. For those special occasions I have a basic pair of black pumps or boots. Of course it goes without saying flip flops in the summer! Hugs, C
I always go cheap which clearly is not the best thing for old feet on an old body. I have a bunch of multi-colored flip flops I bought on sale from Target as a (Memorial Day) birthday gift for my daughter. She didn’t want them but I kept them even though I have had little to no occasion to wear them. They just look so pretty in the drawer!
Of course, I have also been relegated to wearing flat shoes only, though my most recent purchase was a pair of zip up short boots with a low and stacked heel. I tried them out and found I was able to deal with the minimal level of discomfort I felt at first which I was able to sublimate as the day passed.
Due to arthritis in my hips (and a “botched”? recovery from replacement of one) I have worn mainly slipons which in my experience usually don’t provide the level of support I need for my weak ankles. Skechers and Easy Spirit are not so good in that area but since they are easy to find I have several pairs.
After seeing the comments I think it is time for me to branch out to pricier brands that can probably only be found in pricier stores or online.
I branched out to add inserts into my Asics. I am taking the few pairs of high heels I have left to the Kiwanis Marketplace this weekend.