I took a padded step back and realized that instead of shoving my feet into the pointiest instruments of torture I could find, I instead needed to focus my efforts on finding comfortable, but stylish, footwear. I caught myself laughing at this notion and realized abruptly that I was associating pain with glamour and comfort with dowdiness.
I knew in my heart and soles that I wasn’t alone in thinking fashion had to hurt to look good. I also knew that I hadn’t tested my pain threshold in many years.
When I trudged my besneakered self into Aerosoles for the first time, I expected to find “comfortable” shoes. I did not expect to find stylish comfortable shoes. I thought grannies and nurses shopped in Aerosoles, but when I visited, they had a decidedly young and hip new customer—and rightly so. Aerosoles carries a shocking amount of cute, hip shoes that don’t necessarily look “comfortable.” I tried on seven different pairs and the one thing they had in common was that they all felt as if they’d already been broken in. Nothing felt pinched, squished, or compressed. There was no teetering either. The heels were all sturdy without being chunky.
I ended up with two pairs, both with lots of cushioning and rubber soles. The first one is a retro-inspired oxblood patent leather heel with a wing toe and a t-strap—very old-school, very moll. The other pair is a more basic sandal in black with white stitching and a two-inch wedge heel. The stitching and braided leather detail on the toe strap gives it a slightly earthy look, but even so, it’s light years more stylish than my New Balance trainers.
The next day, I strapped on the wedge sandals and took them to the dry cleaners, Walgreens, the post office, Staples, Kinkos, the hardware store, and the grocery store. I felt proud that I had lasted the whole day without my sneakers; I also felt … nothing—no pain, no blisters, no arch-aches. It was as if I’d spent the day in my sneakers.
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