Dear Internet,
I need to replace a pair of shoes. I’ve been looking for months (and months!), and I just can’t find anything that does it for me, and I need your help! I know I could just get the old shoes resoled (and maybe clean them up a bit), but I think I can do better. I love these shoes, but they aren’t the most comfortable—there’s very little support, and the leather across the toes starts to pinch after awhile. The brand is Tabarca, but all I can find online in that brand are sandals.
I’m looking for an everyday shoe that’s mostly black. It doesn’t have to be dressy, but I should be able to fake it if I wear them with a pair of black pants. (I work in a pretty casual office). I love love love the red straps on these—enough to make the shoes fun, but not enough that I worry about them not matching. Here are my other requirements:
- Must have at least reasonable support. I live in Chicago and walk a lot—I don’t need to be able to walk all day in them, but I need to be able to walk a couple miles at a time.
- Must be flat or very low-heeled. I have enough knee problems already, thank you.
- No loafers.
- No ballet slippers (I have lots already, including a particularly beloved turquoise patent pair), and no Mary Janes (I have lots and LOTS).
- I thought about something like these, but they are just so dreadfully boring.
- I wear size 10 shoes but am only 5′6″. Things that look cute and dainty in a size 7 often look like boats on me. I’m not overly concerned about this, but really chunky shoes and shoes with long pointy toes (that extend the size of my foot by several inches) are usually no-gos.
- Reasonably priced. I’m going to leave that definition open-ended, but no $400 Taryn Rose shoes.
Okay, internets, whaddaya got for me? Leave links/suggestions in the comments. Photos of my poor beat-up shoes below.
Danskos. Can’t recommend ‘em enough. I have three pairs and wear them constantly. The clogs are about $110 a crack, but they go with everything (seriously, everything), are great for walking, and last for ages. My black pair was my first, purchased about four years ago, and I wear them an average of about three times a week still. http://www.dansko.com/flash_fw08.aspx#detail,Professional,Stapled%20Clog,2
I’m a big fan of the brand Wolky, they have the support of Danskos (which don’t fit me because I have a really high arch) and they come in lots of pretty versatile shapes.
Here is a link to the online shoes Wolky section:
http://www.onlineshoes.com/landing.asp?type=brand&brandid=83
I own the strap clogs and LOVE them, but you might check out the Halia (in the slip on section), they look a bit like your old shoes.