Elizabeth Suzann Andy trousers (purchased secondhand)
Arq organic cotton tank
Splendid thermal cardigan (so old!)
Birkenstock Exquisite sandals
Well, I am having a hard time with shoes lately. Now that it’s a bit cooler in the mornings (and that is usually when I have time to take pictures) I gravitate towards socks and sandals. I know.
But with my foot and general body pain, along with my shoe size changing about a half size, I have to find exactly the right shoe, or else I really feel it at night when I have a chance to sit down. I’ve loved my Chaco sandals all summer, and wear them in the afternoons, but I’ve been going through all my other shoes to see what is going to work for cooler weather.
I have three pairs of traditional Birkenstock Arizona sandals that I’ve had for years, and I bought two secondhand, but I think I’ve worn out the footbed on each of them from so much wear? They are just not supportive at all anymore and rather uncomfortable to wear. I bought this platform pair in early 2019 and didn’t wear them much during my pregnancy so the footbed is still nice and “stiff.” The problem is that they’re ALL leather, so when I wear socks my feet slip a tiny bit if the straps aren’t tight enough.
Anyway, I’m taking all my old Birkenstocks to my niece and/or sister and/or mother, who all wear the same size so they’ll continue to be loved by someone who doesn’t have foot pain rn. ugh.
Also, I am going to be putting my Dansko XP clogs (black) up for sale on slowre along with the Swedish clogs I wore a couple days ago and purchased from Misha & Puff. The Dansko clogs are SO COMFORTABLE in the footbed, but very constricting on me where the top of my foot meets the shoe; I just can’t stand to wear them for more than a minute or so. And they’re basically brand new!! I got them right before quarantine/summer so didn’t wear them much.
The Swedish clogs are great, but not the footbed my foot needs right now. I’ve been trying to wear them around the house a bit to see if I think I can tolerate them, and I can’t.
(if you think you’d be interested in either pair, lmk before I put them up! The dansko clogs are black, size 38 and the Swedish clogs are size 39, natural leather)
It’s all a bit frustrating, but par for the course lately. Did I mention I also can’t wear most of my sweaters anymore because the sleeves are too tight?
I’ve been in survival mode for the last 14 months, but I can feel things shifting a bit – I have less overall pain (foam rolling and cardio everyday helps a lot) and I don’t feel as “heavy” all the time – so I think after Thanksgiving I will try in earnest to lose some of this extra weight. My cholesterol is borderline again now that I’m heavier, and that I cannot tolerate. Last time I saw that number I lost weight and started drinking filtered coffee (yes, really) and brought my number down by quite a lot. So. It’s time. In December lol
Happy Monday!! I hope you are well 🙂
I’m curious what filtered coffee is? I’m sorry about your continued struggle with shoes!
I had always drank French press coffee which is sort of gritty and not poured through a filter and I read some research about cholesterol and unfiltered coffee so I changed to a chemex with org cotton filters and saw my numbers go down!
These might not suit your style, but since I had my Achilles issues, and subsequently broke a toe, I wear my Mephisto wedge sandals, or my Timberland Jayne’s, or my Keene hiking boots, and that’s it;).
Sorry to hear about your pain issues and struggles to find the right fix shoe-wise. I had plantar fasciitis in both feet at the same time a couple of years ago and got rid of many pairs of shoes that no longer were possible for me to wear without pain (very flat flats/heels of any kind/fit flops, etc..) The podiatrist said the worst thing we can do is go barefoot, even if just for awhile, at home. Now when I am at home, which is pretty much all the time, I am wearing my running shoes which are supportive and comfortable. When I go out for errands, etc. I will put on loafers, boots, sneakers or my danskos. But if I will be walking for any length of time at all, ASICS 100%. It’s a great way to simplify your shoe collection to truly only have what you wear and what is healthy for your feet. Hoping you find some good options soon!
Love to read your posts, always. I’m wondering … what baby clothes brands do you recommend? Slash, what are the best new baby gifts, in your opinion? I have a couple of new babies entering my life, and I trust your recommendations so : )
My instep (the top of your foot) is kinda high and I had my Dansko XP’s stretched last fall in that area. It helped, but after not wearing them in the summer, I think I should get them stretched again.
Ugh I totally hear you on the shoe issue…I’ve been having issues with one of my feet and am finally going to get it checked out. But basically I can wear my Birkenstocks and that’s it (and I need to replace or dye them, because they were originally pale lilac suede and….are not anymore LOL). I have a pair of AllBirds that I got last fall and can’t really wear because they don’t have enough support.
Frankly, I have been pretty uninterested in style or fashion since the beginning of March, but I recently discovered Amy Similovic’s IG @amysmilovic (she’s the founder of Tibi) and she’s been doing a lot of IG Lives and posting on what she calls “Creative Pragmatist” style. Anyway, I love everything she shows and several of her employees also model the outfits in different sizes. Not that I have anywhere or any occasion to wear what she’s showing, but it’s been fun to watch and maybe feel a little excited again about clothing.
yes, i think you mentioned that already. maybe i’ll try that? would require a trip to my shoe repair place tho…which probably won’t happen any time soon tbh lol
hi kate!! hawk wears a lot of hanna andersson – they have mostly organic cotton pajamas and basics that i’ve found to be very high quality. before lockdown i got some pieces at a consignment store that were still in good condition too. and they’re basically having a permanent 40% off everything sale 😉
for gifts, i love natural baby co in general, and can recommend HIGHLY these haba eggs specifically – he received them as a gift before he was born and has played with them pretty much daily since he could grab onto things – they have been the greatest gift IMO. also the lovevery play mat was AMAZING for him until he started crawling, then he lost interest . that’s more expensive though – but it’s the one thing I recommend when it comes to things for baby…
really i think any wood toy, rattle, teether, etc., would be a wonderful gift.
Have you thought about buying wooden shoe stretchers? I got them and they gave me an extra half size in my shoes. I also got the boot version and they worked wonderfully. I got them from Amazon which was the only place I found that sells them. You basically insert them and turn a screw which widens the wooden part to expand the leather or shoe material. After a day or two they should be more comfortable.
Oh good idea! I wonder if they’d work on my dansko clogs – stretching the top part?
I have a couple different pairs of wooden shoe trees/stretchers. There are options – check which dimensions can be widened to stretch. One pair is ok as a tree but terrible as a stretcher – other amazing at both. I have used successfully with quite a few styles of ECCO but don’t have any enclosed Dansko at the moment so I haven’t tried – the stiffer the leather, the longer the stretching will take.
When my PF acts up, all I can wear are birkenstocks and a super old super beat up pair of Merrell sneakers. I keep trying! Even brands that “normally” work for me – ECCO, Vionic – not all the styles will be comfortable. I too have been cleaning the closet of “wonderful, but…” shoes. Some of the boots I’ve gotten rid of – tears in my eyes, I tell you!!! Others I can’t wear (hello, 1992 doc marten brogues) but have so far refused to kick out of the closet. I might get there eventually…..Then again, I might not 😉
Interested in the Misha & Puff clogs, if they’re still available. Sent you a DM on Slowre IG or you can reply to the email attached to comment. Thanks!