May 22, 2007 | I'll Gladly Pay You Saturday for a Sandal Today
First: Happy belated birthday to the little brother! He turned 30 yesterday.
Second: Happy birthday to Morrissey! (Once a Smiths fan, always a Smiths fan.)
Third: Photos from Saturday at the Maker Faire are here.
Finally: Am I the only one having a hard time finding casual sandals for summer? It feels like everything out there is either dressier than I want, or too sporty. I have some strappy Dansko sandals that I like, but tend to feel a little too dressy sometimes. The other end of the spectrum are my Chaco sandals, which I also like but feel a little too casual to wear to work except for Fridays. I thought I found a good option with a pair of chunky Dr. Marten's sandals which are working out quite well, but they don't pair with everything. I attempted to wear them with a skirt today and something about the combination was a little...off.
It doesn't help that I have wide feet and am picky about the sandal looking right on my foot. I don't want too much of a heel, but something with enough cushion for my temperamental feet. It feels like the nicer shoe companies (Born, Dansko) try to embellish sandals to make them dressier than they sometimes need to be, and I'm frustrated. However, I did order a pair of Earth sandals today. I'm hoping the comfort factor will win me over because I'm not 100% in love with the little knot bit on the front. If it weren't for that, they'd probably be perfect. (See what I mean about being picky?) I'll let you know how they work out, but until then I'll ask you: Do you have sandals that you love that go with everything? Leave a comment (and a link!) and help a girl (and the interweb) out.
I have these sandals in black by Naot and I love them. Super comfortable and go with everything and they have a leather insole so they don't get stinky...
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/14928614/c/15.html
i have a pair of black and white polka dots sandals that i bought at WALGREENS who would have thought??? I had to buy two pairs because they are so comfy & i wear them with everything. I also have three pairs of Simple sandals but i think they turned all hippy and green so they don't make more modern looking shoes anymore. If you find something let me know- cuz I have wide feet too and have a hard time finding something that isn't tooo chunky or toooo dainty! grrrrr.
Go to naturalizer.com. They have a LOT of sandals to chose from, ranging from super dressy to super casual, and everything in between. Very comfortable and very affordable. I have three pair of sandals and four other pairs of shoes. Someday, all my shoes will be Naturalizers.
Sounds like you and I have very similar requirements for shoes/sandals ... So, what about these? http://tinyurl.com/2do4k3 They're less dressy than the Danskos (of which I have a couple colors), less sporty than the Chacos (three colors), they're super comfy, and (drum roll please) they're also on sale right now! There's a different picture of them on the home page of the Gaiam website (gaiam.com), second from the left. Good luck with your sandal search!
Oh, Vanessa, how I love the Fluevogs. I'd even consider the orange, though I fear it is a bit too impractical.
Marielle, I've been eyeing the saltwater sandals too (apparently they're very "in" this year). I wonder about the arch support and things like that though...
I'm sorry to say that I have absolutely no recommendations - I may have to change my domain to chezshoesbutneversandals.com, since I completely cannot wear sandals of any kind - they just don't agree with my stubby little feet.
Although these are currently under consideration - I always found them comfy as a kid, so maybe I still would.
I was going to suggest the 'Joanna' sandal from John Fluevog but it looks like it's only available in orange.
Alas, no. :( years of working in a manufacturing plant, coupled with a future career in health care mean that the "go with everything" sandal is not really in my shoe repertoire. But I eagerly await your report!!