When I ask a new client if she has any foot or shoe issues I cringe in anticipation for their response. Invariably, a client has foot problems of some sort. After all these years it’s actually more the norm than the exception, especially when most of your clients live in NYC, a walking city. I’ve dealt with wide feet, narrow feet, foot injuries and women who just can’t be bothered with uncomfortable shoes. And who can blame them? Women are on the move, we have places to be and we want to get there without wincing. In today’s One Item, Five Fashionable Ways I am going to show you how comfortable summer shoes can be stylish and how to create a casual comfortable look without sacrificing style.
Comfort brands have really stepped up their game. Year ago, having to wear comfortable shoes was like a prison sentence of a lifetime of total fugliness. You had two choices: suffer and look good or feel good and look like a dork in Herman Munster clunkers. In fact, I used to steer clear of the store Eneslow, one of the top comfort brand stores in New York, simply because I knew, while the styles they carried were comfortable, they were horrendous looking. Well, I have changed my mind about this store since my last visit and highly recommend you check them out either online or in person. The other shoe store that I love, particularly for special sizes, like wide, narrow, big and small, is Marmi Shoes. While their shoes sometimes look just a wee bit too sensible for my taste they do have some gems and are a Godsend for women who deal with special sizing in their shoes.
For me, when the weather gets warm, and I am looking to wear a comfortable pair of shoes, I turn to my favorite styles: my Birkenstock Gizehs, my Fit Flops, my Naya wedges or my Tieks Ballerina flats (which I recently reviewed here). For a more corporate look I love my Tsubo nude pumps. All of these brands are known for their comfort.
In today’s series I am going to showcase these adorable little orange Dankso sandals that a client of mine, who has serious foot issues, recently purchased. This client has wide feet, foot pain issues and also walks a lot. She also had particular issues, like not being able to wear a thong sandal and also needing shoes with backs or they would fly off. We were thrilled to find these shoes and also noticed that, despite being in a pop color, she could wear them with a lot of what she owned and bought with me. Versatile, stylish, comfortable and colorful. How could you go wrong?
Of course, at the bottom of this post you’ll find some other stylish and summer shoes from reputable brands that specialize in comfort but, check out the way I styled these orange summer sandals to see how you don’t have to sacrifice comfort for fashion.
How to Look Stylish in Comfortable Summer Shoes
Outfit #1 – With olive
My client bought this adorable elephant top from Lucky Brand. It’s super cute and fun for summer. In this outfit I styled it with a pair of olive pants from J. Crew (which I also featured in last week’s One Item, Five Fashionable Ways post) a denim jacket, striped tote from Aldo and turquoise and orange earrings. The orange Dankso sandals offer a comfortable finish to this cute, casual look.
Outfit #2 – with khaki
Next, with a khaki skirt, these orange sandals would be adorable. I styled this with a navy and white sleeveless polka-dot shirt from Boden, a navy cropped tie-front summer cardigan for arm coverage, that could also shape the top if you don’t want to tuck it in, a straw Ann Taylor LOFT clutch, orange bracelet and simple gold hoop earrings.
Outfit #3- With denim
With a pair of denim shorts, like this pair from Lucky Brand (that I also featured two weeks ago in this series) these Dansko sandals would also work. Here I styled it with a Mango tunic, denim handbag and a pair of orange earrings from Kenneth Jay Lane.
Outfit #4- With a summer dress
You can even style these sandals with a fun printed summer dress, like this one from Modcloth. The outfit is finished with the same turquoise and orange earrings and orange bracelet, used earlier, along with an Aldo cross body bag in turquoise.
Outfit #5- With navy
In this last look I elevated the style slightly, yet these orange sandals fit right in. This stunning tunic from Anthropologie is paired with a pair of navy cotton cropped trousers from Boden and the look is finished with a pair of turquoise Banana Republic earrings, Lauren Ralph Lauren bangles, and a metallic seaglass bag from Modcloth.
Check out these comfortable, yet stylish, summer shoes
Here are some chic styles I found from some of the most popular comfort brands around