Veering away from my well trodden path of supersexy shoes, I decided to show the comfortable practical shoes some love too.
I like to incorporate a good dose of exercise in my life, sometimes in the gym but I really love to walk. No hiking or anything as stenuous or complicated as that, just a nice amble along the streets I live in (depending on where I am). I know this sounds frightfully snobbish but I hate public transport so if its humanly possible to walk it, I'll walk it. And with this credit crunch looming so large, I suggest you start putting your best foot forward and saving those transport pennies for something else!
And doing so much walking really does help you sort out the wheat from the chaff with comfy shoes. For the most part, ballet pumps tend to rub at the back and give me blisters which is no fun. So I had to dig a little deeper to find the level of comfort I needed. And it turns out comfortable, cute shoes are very hard to find shoes!
First up on my radar was the much loved Converse All Star. I got my first (and only so far) pair when I was the grand old age of 10. They were read, and I loved them. And I seriously think I'm getting another pair. Maybe red for old times sake, but realistically speaking I think far more likely to be black. The whole trainers (sneakers for Americans) thing doesn't really work with my everyday wardrobe but the Converse are so retro and old school, they just about cut the mustard. Get them from the fabulously named website www.shoebacca.com for a recessionista friendly price of $29.99
Next up on the horizon are these rather clever Adidas Amyrina. Designed to look like ballet pumps but with all the futuristic ergonomics of trainers, these will give your tootsies no trouble at all. These are surprisingly rare and hard to find shoes, I love the colour combo of pale blue and fuchsia too. And they're reduced from $60 to $39.99 here.
And for all my fellow gym bunnies, no tush too tight right? Right. And we all know the importance of wearing appropriate footwear in the gym. A couple of weeks ago I found myself in the market for a new of trainers aka sneakers aka running shoes, as my last pair had literally fallen apart. You know that thing when the front of the sale detaches itself from the shoe...yeah, that. And I was rather dismayed to find the trainers on the market were all so....expensive! I like to save real money for pretty shoes, not trainers. But then again, when you think about it, wearing the wrong footwear in the gym will mess up your feet, your back and just about the rest of you anyway so all your pretty shoes will have no purpose to serve anymore!
Oh, but look at these, the Adidas Ayanna....they're a bit cool aren't they? I'm so tired of white trainers and these black ones would look fab with my black yoga pants. AND they're only $39.99...bargain!
Then I came across these, the Nike Air Max '97s. (get them from ShoeBacca for a reduced price of $129 or a very similar pair for $99) I remember these! I had a pair when they came out and they were the most comfortable shoes my feet remember, hands down. Doing my online search for my trainers, my tootsies literally started tingling as they popped on my screen. They have this fantastic cushion of air that absorbs all the impact on your feet...I guess that's the air max technology. I know there are lots more fancier, more complex, and more clever trainers out there, but these ones had me at hello!
