Shoes, Shoes, GLORIOUS Shoes

• Clarks
• Hoka
• Vionic
• Fit Flops
• Sketchers
• Cole Haan
• Keen
• Crocs
• Taos
• Birkenstock
• Revitalist
• ASICS
• Brooks

The shoe store that we go to in Austin carries all of these brands except ASICS, Crocs, Fit Flops, and Sketchers. I highly recommend Karavel Shoes if you’re in the Austin area or providing your patronage via the Internet. They’re the kind of shoe store that measures your foot, is very knowledgable about each pair of shoes, and even put the shoe on for you. You know, how things were back in the day. But, I digress.

WHAT I ENDED UP GOING WITH

For work, I ended up going with Clarks. They were the most recommended shoe. On top of that, they have a great selection of work casual shoes. I work in a law office, but not THAT kind of law office. I don’t wear business suits or dress slacks and a blouse and a blazer. In fact, I’m wearing a black shirt, jean leggings, and tennis shoes today. That being said, I do want to put a little more effort into my ensemble. I got a pair of red flats and a pair of black Mary Janesque flats.

I was also in the market for a pair of casual sandals and an athletic shoe. When it comes to shoes, I’ve always reached for the first pair of on-sale or clearance shoes I could find at Academy. I’ve never really thought much about my feet. I went to a disc golf tournament on Saturday, and I knew. I am getting too old to be cruising in subpar shoes. The salesperson stated it perfectly, “Women spend hundreds of dollars on their purse and then go spend $22 on Target shoes.” First, I felt attacked as I looked over to my Michael Kors bag. Second, he’s not wrong. Your feet are more important than your bag.

I ended up going with a pair of Hoka. These are game-changers. If you’re in the market, have some money to spend, try on a pair. The amount of support and cushion was immediate. I’ve been walking in them all day, and no knee soreness. I have never heard of the brand, but I felt like I was last to know what I was missing out on. Multiple employees were wearing a pair of Hoka while working. The gentleman helping us said he always wore New Balance until he tried on a pair and has been a faithful customer since. Casey, motivated by my impression, tried on a pair and ended up buying two pairs of Hoka and a pair of their recovery sandals.

As for sandals, I fell in love with a pair of Ecco. They, too, have a lot of support and I wore them most of the evening yesterday and didn’t have any kind of foot fatigue. I love the velcro and being able to adjust the sandal to your foot.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE OTHER BRANDS

Sketchers. I got a few recommendations for Sketchers. I have nothing against Sketchers, but I have never been able to find a pair that didn’t hurt my feet in some way. I have “special” feet. I have a wide toe box and a narrow heel. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a pair that wouldn’t fit the bill. I just haven’t found it yet. More times than not, they slid on my heel and pinched my toes. I think that’s just an unfortunate quality of my foot LOL.

Brooks. Awesome selection. They had a ton of styles and color combinations. Admittedly, I fell in love with the Hoka before even trying on a pair of Brooks, but they have a great reputation for quality. I think, at some point, I will pick me up a pair of Brooks to go with my Hoka to really gauge which is better for my foot.

Cole Haan. I LOVE me some Cole Haan. Wore the crap out of them back in the early 90s when loafers were in style. I found a lot of shoes I wanted to try, but I ended up going with Clarks. No particular reason other than I found a style I liked in Clarks. You CANNOT go wrong with a pair of Cole Haan. Classic.

Keen. They had a lot of really, really nice outdoorsy shoes. If I was in the market for a shoe to go camping or trail hiking, this would be the brand. At this time, it just wasn’t what I am looking for, but more than willing to grab me a pair when the time comes. I really liked their boots and sandals.

Vionic. I loved A LOT of pair of Vionic. They had a lot of really cute casual shoes. Again, it wasn’t really what I was looking for at this time, but I can see myself picking up a few pairs down the road. Their ankle boot game was on point. I loved a lot of their ankle boots!

Taos. Oh, Taos. How I loved A LOT of you. Their boots. FIRE.

Birkenstock. To this day, I still have not tried on a pair of Birkenstock. I’m indifferent.

Fit Flops, Revitalist, and ASICS. Also highly recommended, but they weren’t carried at the store I went to. That was the only deterrent to purchasing that brand while I was out.

CROCS. You either love Crocs, or you don’t. I, on the other hand, am indifferent. I have never been able to find a pair that I felt comfortable in. Not to mention, not really workplace appropriate. I would proudly wear them at home…if I could find a pair that fit.

HONORABLE MENTION

Pikolinos. Holy smokes, these are some amazing leather sandals! They really are beautiful. You should check them out.

That pretty much sums up my shoe shopping. I spent way too much money, but now I have shoes that I know will be better on my feet. As a diabetic, I really need to take better care of my feet while they’re not an issue.