If you work in an office with an old-fashioned dress code and they still make you wear your big girl shoes, chances are you’ve got that separate pair of “commuting shoes” for hot-footing around Manhattan and up and down subway staircases. With fall finally here, it’s time to get out of those flip-flops and into something more substantial.
Once again, we charged some real New York secretaries with the task of testing comfort footwear on their daily commutes. Here’s what they had to say about four vastly different styles of sneakers:
For “Problem Feet”: A Classic White Sneaker
Marianne is a legal secretary who calls herself “Big Foot”. “My feet are like boats,” she laughs. “I wear a size 11 and my feet are wide, too. I have a lot of problems with them. Shoes just don’t fit me right most of the time, so my feet usually hurt by the time I get to work or get home.” In fact, Marianne didn’t think she’d be a good candidate to do a shoe review for us, because she says, “No shoes feel good to me. Besides, I have to wear big chunky insoles and that just makes shoes even tighter.”
But Marianne agreed to wear P.W. Minor’s Performance Walker for Women, a classic white lace-up sneaker made with a leather-like EVA outsole. P.W. Minor is known for having extensive sizes and widths. They design their shoes with deep toe boxes and extra depth.
So what did Marianne think? “Oh my, these shoes are wonderful. It’s like wearing two pillows,” she said. “There’s plenty of room inside for my foot, and they’re lined with this soft, cushy material that feels just wonderful against my feet. I tell ya, it’s actually more comfortable having these shoes on than it is going barefoot.”
How did they hold up during the commute? “Huge difference. My feet don’t hurt like they used to. These shoes are very stable. I feel like they hold on to my feet, secure but softly.” Not surprising, because these sneakers are designed with special features to maximize arch support, promote midfoot stability and soften impact.
And it sounds like Marianne will be enjoying them for a long time to come. “These aren’t flimsy shoes, by any means,” she added. “I feel like these will last me a lifetime. You can see that they’re very well-made.”
But how easy was it to keep those white-white-white shoes clean? “I had a couple of scuffs on them and to be honest I just took whatever soap was in the dispenser at work with a wet paper towel and they just rubbed right off. I’m actually kind of surprised they still look so new, because I’ve been wearing them all over the place for three weeks.”
P.W. Minor’s Performance Walker for Women retails for approximately $82, but shop around for the best deal. Find your nearest dealer at www.pwminor.com.
Good Enough to Eat.
Heather takes two trains to work, and then walks eleven blocks. “I’m not one of the lucky ones who walks right out of the station and into work,” she told us. She wore the Core Strength XT cross-trainer by Ryka to and from work for a week and gave us her opinion.
“If my feet were a mouth, these shoes would be the ice cream,” she expressed (rather uniquely, we thought). “Unbelievably comfortable. The thing I noticed right away was they’re so lightweight. My old sneakers feel like they weigh ten pounds each by comparison now. The Rykas were light, but I didn’t lose anything comfort-wise.” We can probably attribute Heather’s comfort to the dual-piece Nitracel Cushioning Cartridge at the forefoot and heel, with balanced flex grooves. The lightweight quality is helped by the “air mesh” material that makes up most of the upper.
“This material is great,” Heather said of the air mesh. “It has some stretch to it, and it obviously weighs nothing. So it fits my foot like a glove, but without being so obviously there, you know what I mean? These shoes support your foot without punishing you and letting you know every five seconds, ‘Hi, we’re your sneakers, and we’re here!’”
As to their appearance, Heather said the Rykas were “way cute. Really, really cute. I love the shiny purple-y part on the side.”
The Core Strength XT sneaker by Ryka goes for $70. Visit www.ryka.com.
No Fuss: A Sporty Slip-On
Kim tried two pairs of shoes by Comfortview Active. Comfortview Active footwear is generally marketed to plus size women via mail order catalogs and the internet.
The first pair Kim tried was a sporty slip-on sneaker called “Maxie”. “These cute little shoes gave me no problems at all. I know that’s not much of a review, but believe me, that’s saying a lot. I buy so many shoes and after I wear them once or twice, there’s always something wrong with them. The fit is wrong, they hurt in one place or another. Sometimes they slip off my foot, whatever. So then it ends up being too late to return them and I’m stuck with yet another pair of bum shoes I won’t wear again.”
But not so for Comfortview’s “Maxie”. “I wore these and the first day, no problems. Just comfy. Easy to walk in. I’ve been wearing them for two weeks straight – still no problems.” “I also like that they’re easy to get on and off,” she added. “When I get to work and want to change shoes, I don’t have to do any unlacing or unbuckling, none of that. I just slip my feet out of them, and slip my feet into my heels under the desk. Very easy.”
The Maxie slip-on sport shoe is made of leather and mesh with elastic straps sewn across the top of the shoe. They have a cushioned insole and rubber soles.
“I don’t know if this insole is made of special fabric or something, but I noticed these shoes don’t smell yet. It’s kind of gross, but the insoles of my shoes usually smell a little by now. These don’t.”
'Nuff said. Buy Comfortview Active’s “Maxie” at www.onestopplus.com for $39.99.
When Cute Matters.
Here’s the other pair Kim tried by Comfortview Active: The “Delta” Mary Jane. This style has a lightweight rubber-type sole, an adjustable strap with Velcro-type adhesive, and a fun quilted suede look. To us, the Delta just says “autumn”.
Unfortunately, Kim didn’t like the fit. “The part of the shoe that scoops down in front is cutting right into my foot,” she complained. “It’s like they made it too low. There needs to be more room for my foot.” She was surprised by this. “Well, they sell these shoes to plus size women, right? Well, fat women usually have fat feet. You’d have to have really slim, bony little feet for these shoes not to hurt. Look, I’m bulging right out of this shoe!” She showed us, and it’s true – her foot was actually thicker than the space inside the shoe. If she’d continued to wear them, she probably would’ve have a crescent-shaped rub or crease in the top of her foot.
“I really can’t speak for how they wear otherwise, because they just fit so poorly across the top of my foot, I couldn’t wear them on the street. I mean, they really hurt.” We can tell you that the Delta has a similar sole and insole to the “Maxie” shoe reviewed above, which Kim liked.
If you have a slender foot and tend to have good experiences with Mary Jane-type shoes cut open low in the front like this, you may love the Delta. It’s sweetly seasonal but, at least in Kim’s case, not the best bet for commuting comfort.
You can find Comfortview Active’s “Delta” at www.onestopplus.com for $39.99.
