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RFI: Summer footwear that is cool
As part of my ongoing, inevitable, regrettable hippification, I am considering buying non-boot footwear for the summer. Something possibly in the sandal family. The last time I wore sandals, they were plastic k-mart flip flops when my age was in single digits.
I am, of course, still me, and don't want something like birkenstocks. However, I'm tired of wearing hot combat boots in summer, and taking longer to do up my boots than it takes to put on the entire rest of my outfit. So, I want some kind of summer footwear that's a) fairly easy to put on and take off, b) allows for greater airflow than combat boots, and c) looks good.
I've been looking at the Vibram Five Toes with the instep strap. Anyone know of other good looking sandal relatives I should be considering? Is it, for example, worth combing the stores on Yonge for some kind of gothy sandal with spikes on or something?
I am, of course, still me, and don't want something like birkenstocks. However, I'm tired of wearing hot combat boots in summer, and taking longer to do up my boots than it takes to put on the entire rest of my outfit. So, I want some kind of summer footwear that's a) fairly easy to put on and take off, b) allows for greater airflow than combat boots, and c) looks good.
I've been looking at the Vibram Five Toes with the instep strap. Anyone know of other good looking sandal relatives I should be considering? Is it, for example, worth combing the stores on Yonge for some kind of gothy sandal with spikes on or something?
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My other go-to shoe for comfort and style in the summer has always been Converse. I think Nike owns them now (boo!), but No Sweat makes a damn good knockoff that is 100% union-made: http://www.ethicalsoles.ca/home.php
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Oddly enough, converse hurt my feet - the reason I don't usually wear shoes is that anything that laces tight over the instep and lacks a bit of a heel will hurt my feet. So I never wear the chuck taylors I have.
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Not the prettiest but comfortable.
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However, they are not fast to put on at first, they don't have a whole lot more airflow than combat boots, and while they do look good you have to find a color and design that looks good on you and be ready for people to talk with you about them.
A pair of jungle boots with a good pair of wool socks will have better breathability than VFFs because each toe is encased in its own plastic rubber sheath.
The thing I like best about VFFs is that they let me walk using all of my foot and my toes for balance and they are the closest thing I can wear to barefoot while working on freight docks and making deliveries.
The most comfortable and fastest on/off shoe I have now is a self made pair of huaraches made off of this pattern http://www.invisibleshoe.com/ I changed the pattern by making three loops of string at each hole point in the sole and run a wide shoelace through those loops, around my ankle, and then tie in front of my ankle. My soles on those is just 8oz leather. And just to keep the huarache sandals from being too cutsie, I have black laces with skull and crossbones in them.
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In spite of my opinion, you may wish to find a store that sells VFFs and try them on for yourself. I found them tricky to fit and am very glad I didn't order them online for the first time.
They may just be what you're looking for.
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It's true that people will talk to you more. They've been likened to ninja shoes, and super hero shoes.
On a vaguely related in an every-day costume accessory kinda way... You bought a ninja umbrella a while back, didn't you? How's that working out? What's the actual umbrella quality like?
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The ninja umbrella is fantastic - it's very well built, and the longer handle and solid shaft mean that I can put two hands on it and hold onto it when strong winds have everyone else's umbrella turning inside out.
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(ObDisclaimer: I only have Keens shoes, not sandals.)
I would suggest Keens for city-wear and VFFs for festival/outdoor-but-not-sand wear. VFFs are fairly sucktastic pounding concrete all day long, which is how I usually end up wearing them. But maybe I'm a sissy. :P
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I wear my VFFs on concrete all day without a problem. Also good (for me) for running, bouldering (not rock-climbing), tree-climbing, and cycling (assuming your peddles don't have spikes for traction). Though sand really does suck. I can get away with strolling through a sandbox due to the higher cut of my Flows and KSO Trecks, but playing on a beach is right out. Go barefoot.
I also second the notion of trying them on in person before you order online. MEC has some styles, but no colours that look good. If you're between sizes, better to go a little loose than tight. They won't stretch out as you wear them, but you can use the socks to fill in some roomyness.
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There are maybe one or two of the women's sandals that might be able to pass as unisex, though (the Mallory style on that page, and maybe one or two others depending on how girly is too girly). BTW, all of them come in more colours than are shown on the category page, and black is virtually always one of them.
At least a few stores in Toronto carry Dansko - Walking on a Cloud does, and I'm pretty sure there are others. Also, if you know what size you take in European sizes (well, European women's sizes in this case), you can often find them on eBay or other online places for less than regular retail. Be warned that they're not cheap, but they last forever.
BTW, one thing I love on the Dansko web site is the "May we also suggest" bit at the bottom of each of the individual product pages. Instead of suggesting other products, it suggests things like taking your dog to work, baking a pie, donating to Habitat for Humanity, etc.
for the surfing goth (whether sand or sidewalks)
Lots come in black. Also, see tubeflops