Woe!

[saxikath]

Okay, small woe.

My beloved Ecco sandals have cracked clean across the left sole. The right sole is cracked too, but it hasn't made it to the edges yet. (They're not cracked all the way through the footbed, just the sole, but.)

This is the second or third pair of these I've had. I love them. But now they want $100 for them! Gah. I'm willing to spend money on good shoes, because my feet are so cranky, but that seems like a lot for sandals.

I hate my feet sometimes. Why can't I wear cheap, cute shoes?

Comments

[ex-colorwhe.livejournal.com]

i heartily recommend dansko. they're not cheap, but they're excellent for your feet and0 will not crack. they'e built to last, yo. and they're cute! -- i stole them (conceptually) from in_parentheses because she looked so adorable in them.

[magickcat.livejournal.com]

Oh, I must contest the not cracking part. As saxikath herself witnessed the demise of my beloved Dansko clogs.
I will, however, say that it took six years of wearing them nearly every single day before that happened. ;P
Oh how I miss my Danskos.

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

I love Danskos, and also my Birks. The Danskos are for cooler weather, Birks are for summer, and starting last winter, my Uggs are for the cold days.

How long did you get out of 'em? I can get about four years out of a pair of Birkies, and I figure that's a pretty good deal. If they wore out after a year, though, I'd rethink replacing 'em.

My husband and two eldest kids swear by Merrells.

Didja see these come across bOINGbOING? Goofy!

[magickcat.livejournal.com]

I say again, I miss my Danskos. Sorry, but I had to interject again, because I saw those crazy fingertoe shoe things somewhere and couldn't stop laughing and never saw them again. This just made me laugh!

[saxikath]

I've had these at least two years. I'm not sure if it's longer than that; I had another pair just like them before that. I'm generally hard on shoes, so to get two years out of shoes I wear pretty much every day all summer is not bad.

Those five-finger shoes are weird! I could never wear them; my toes aren't shaped like "normal" people's. (I can't wear Birks either -- the toe indentations are in the wrong places.) This photo sort of shows why -- I have bunions and my toes are all scrunched.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Nomi gets a type of sandal from Israel. I forget the brand name, but they generally seem to be of good quality.

[(Anonymous)]

Naot sandals. (http://www.zappos.com/n/es/d/722667446/page/1.html) They're wonderful! I have very persnickety feet, and Naots keep them happy. I currently have the Kayla model (http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/14928166/c/4072.html). Naots tend to be cuter than Birkenstocks or Eccos, but super-comfy, top-quality.

I just hit on the idea of buying two pairs of good sandals. I lost my Merrell sandals in a castle in England this May, and when I went to buy a replacement pair, I also bought the Naots. My theory is that letting the sandals breathe on their day off will prolong the lifespan of both, thereby saving me money in the long run...so that I can buy still more comfy sandals guilt-free.

And in the winter, my Merrell Primo Chill slides and the matching boots keep my feet warm and cozy.

It's time for a remake of Sex and the City, but with the shoe-mad main character evangelizing about these sorts of shoes, the ones that make feet happy.

[saxikath]

Those are very attractive. I hesitate because much of the feedback says they run narrow, which is likely to be a problem for me.

Is there anyplace around here that sells them, so I could try them and see?

[crossword-fiend.livejournal.com]

You can call or e-mail Naot (http://www.naot.com/Contact_Us/contact_us.html) to ask what stores carry them. I know where to buy them in Chicago and Vail, but that's not going to help you, is it? And my feet are rather straight and narrow, so if Naots run narrow, that could explain why I love them so.

My husband has bunions and high arches, and loves his new Keen sandals. They're dweeby-looking ("sporty dweeby," to be specific), but have tons of room for the forefoot. You should be able to find them (and maybe Naots) at the sort of shoe store that specializes in Merrells and Danskos and Ecco and whatnot.

(Didn't realize I was posting anonymously before.)

[crossfire.livejournal.com]

They're a nickel cheaper at Zappos! :-D

[in-parentheses.livejournal.com]

As a fellow owner of craptastic feet, I feel your pain. (The Keens I bought at the beginning of the summer have now worn unevenly enough on the left shoe to cause tiny worrisome little inklings of knee pain. Hate. My. Feet.) My new sandals are Wolky "Jewels," which are neat because you can remove the insoles and put in your own orthotics. They aren't cheap, though. I have seen Keens for $60 or so; otherwise, $100 strikes me as on the low side for the kind of shoes people with stupid feet need to buy, sadly.

Before you give up on your Eccos entirely, though, take them to a shoe repair place. I recommend Davis Sq. Shoe Repair (in the little shopping plaza with the Starbucks and the Planned Parenthood). He's done all kinds of crazy things for my shoes; maybe he can melt the soles back together or something. It's always a lot cheaper than I think it's going to be, and it doesn't hurt to ask.

[nubianamy.livejournal.com]

I am an SAS devotee. No other shoes but SAS will cross my feet. I have seven pairs.