Many of you may have gathered at this point (from some of my references), that I am a little hippie girl wrapped up in a fashion bow. I spent my teenage summers in Grateful Dead parking lots and twirling at the shows to a little Scarlet Fire or Franklin’s Tower. Birkenstocks were, of course, a staple.
I haven’t worn them in a very long time, opting for Havaianas or ballet flats when I’m not in heels.
The thing is I have some serious foot problems. As in, I get stress fractures on a regular basis. Seriously, I was once on crutches three times in twelve months. Other than the fact that I decked them out in vintage scarves, the situation was not cute.
I’m in need of flat summer shoes that offer me some actual arch support. It’s the flats that kill me more than my heels, probably because I walk around the city in them for hours.
Re-enter the Birks. They’re created to give proper support to the heel and the arch. And I think this patent pair looks kinda jazzy, for a Birkenstock. Of course, I know any pair, especially the originals, will work with my hippie garb. But can I wear these on a regular basis without looking too Summer of Love? Do you guys know of other cute warm weather pairs that are also foot-friendly?
I can’t do crutches or the boot again. I just can’t.
Tags: Birkenstocks, Grateful Dead, Havainas
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one word: MARNI !!!
There’s no other way to walk for miles looking fashionable… and please, don’t do Birks if your not on vacation.
I too, found #29′s comment, very very funny.
Are Clarks shoes considered fashionable?
I am sure they are comfortable.
http://clarks.zappos.com/n/p/dp/49677005/c/19519.html
http://clarks.zappos.com/n/p/dp/49677005/c/8125.html
These Taiwan sandals are really cute too
http://tw.f2.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/b47509138?u=kouhirosai
http://tw.f4.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/d38742288?u=kouhirosai
I say go for the Birks! And try this new style, Madrid , very popular in Europe. And it comes in many different colors.
http://www.birkenstockusa.com/products/women/sandals/madrid/silver-birko-flor/4041
Agreeing with darcykins and austimsamuel. hahaha
Born shoes anyone?
http://www.bornshoes.com
Super comfortable :) Last years sandals were cuter, but what can you do…
There is a big dif from what people ‘think’ is ‘comfortable’-equating it with flat, like flipflops and ballet shoes. These will not work for people with foot probs (and many women will soon be in that category-if not later, then down the road when they are older, partly because of ‘what’s fashionable’.
What you need depends on your problem(s), but going to a store that carries: Birks, Mephisto, Haflinger, Helle, Ecco, Joseph Siebel, Romika, Dansko, Sofft, Aravon, Think, Naot, Finn Comfort, Clarks, Aetrex, etc. will help. Some dept. stores and shoe boutiques carry Robert Cleregie, Fiorentini & Baker, Giraudon, Cydwok, Trippen, Argila, and LAMB (I have their black fashion sneaker with my custom othotics inside for shopping in Chicago). You have to try on a lot of shoes, and sometimes a model (like Born, Clarks) will not work (like stretching out or offering no support). Birks are good, but I have a theory about their helping to ‘flatten out’ (widen) your feet, so I don’t wear them so much, mostly in the house. There are a lot of great sandals, but then when it comes to boots and shoes? Much less selection. Footsmart.com, and Pedshoes.com are good for online.
Some ideas: 1. Don’t go barefoot in the house; wear your birks or similar 2.) go up a 1/2 size 3.) try to get custom orthotics and use them-have them w/you when you go shopping (you don’t need them for Birks, etc. w/built in footbeds and some shops have ‘pedorthists’ who can build up your insole just like your orthotics. 4.) Think of depth when you try on shoes, not just width and length. 5.) Foot exercises to strengthen your feet (it’s worth a try-the old pick up a towel or marbles thing).
These tips are even more important for women who live in cities and are always walking on the pavement. I think more women have problems than they are letting on, and accept pain as normal. They do not realize that if you don’t take care of your feet as soon as you have problems you can end up with bigger ones that require surgery, and not just for bunions!
I was sick of the idea of being limited to wearing ‘ball-cap’ round toed shoes like J-47s, and Merrells for the rest of my life, so I started investigating and trying on different shoes. Still, we need better designed footwear and designers should start responding.
I like to wear the traditional flat Spanish espadrilles, but the ones that wrap around the ankles (look at pictures of Salvador Dali and his wife on the beach and they wore them all the time). The one thing I do to them, since the rope insoles tend to be a bit rough on the feet, is to put a nice cushiony in-sole that makes it more comfortable & softer, easier to walk on them, and they look both cool & chic!
You could try FITFLOPS! (http://fitflop.com/).
They’re comfy, look like platform flipflops and there’s a model called Electra, which has sequins on it. Super cute! ;)
And one big plus, is that they give you a work-out while walking in them – it tones your butt and improves your posture.
I love mine!!!
i too suffer from a plethora of foot problems caused by my ridiculously high arches just aching for support every minute of the day, and i found my life saver to be inner-soles, yes those nanna-esque inserts you put into the sole of your ballet flats, heels, whatever which give it that arch support. i found some that are easily disguisable in even the most strappiest of heels or bendy of flats. look for them in your stores..
Pedro Garcia did some great support flats last year, there were some really nice coloured thongs that looked really supportive, i can’t wear them because my foot is to thin, but on wider feet they look really nice and they have diamante’s
Funny you should say this – I have to wear insoles, which means sandals are not for me. (I already cheat with heels too often.) And only this morning I was cursing the heavens that I couldn’t get a pair of Birkenstocks to give my outfit a more casual, hippyish look.