My soles are super hard. Gravel is no problem. The only issue is occasional glass slivers, tiny shards still penetrate my skin, and they are a bastard to remove because the surrounding skin is so tough.
It doesn’t happen that often, but I have used a scalpel to excavate.
But then, I am a bit of a nutter, I used to own my grandfathers British Army boots. They were hobnailed, which is so archaic I probably need to explain. Basically the sole is nailed to the upper.
So one nail worked its way through the sole and into my left big toe area. This did not stop me, as a kind of alternative/punk kid so just wore them and danced in them, and just developed an inverted callous on my toe.
I blew out a pair of steel toe Doc Martins in less than a year, those boots served me way longer, not to mention my grandfather.
It’s the weekend, so at this moment I’m wearing a pair of Ugg brand slippers. They were kind of pricey for slippers, but they are well made and will hopefully last a lot longer than the cheapo ones I used to have.
On work days I wear a pair of black Sketchers. I’m not sure how to describe them; they’re more casual than dress shoes, but they’re nicer than athletic shoes.
In the summer on non-work days I wear a pair of Birkenstock sandals when I leave the house.
And then I have a pair of hiking boots, which I’m going to wear when I go to the store later, because it’s raining and they’re better at keeping my feet dry than the others.
My main shoes are black. They’re not very formal, but my job isn’t particularly formal, so that’s just fine. I actually bought them along with a couple of other pairs imagining that I would rotate amongst them, but these just kind of asserted themselves, I guess. It looks like I’m going to have to invest in a new pair of shoelaces, because the end of one of them has recently become really frayed and fuzzy. I wonder how that might have happened.
I have plantar fasciitis, and I have to wear either Vionic or Ziera shoes, because of their built-in sturdy arch support. I’ve tried using orthotic inserts with other types of shoes, but there never seemed to be enough room for my foot and the orthotic in the shoe at the same time. Zieras have a built-in “Super Support” insole which you can customize so that the arch support is in just the right place. Also, I’ve lately started to need wide and even extra-wide shoes, so I’m going to have to look for that factor as well. Also also, since menopause, my feet always feel uncomfortably hot, so sandals and mules are starting to be the only types of shoes I can tolerate.
You know you can get fur lined crocs for winter?
I have a pair. Not my favorite.
I just wear socks with my most preferred.
The Lil’wrekker can’t stand it. She looks down at my feet and just says “Moth–er!!”
Hey I’m for comfort and ease of wearing.
I have a jacked up foot right now, not much else I could wear.
I own a pair of Reebok men’s tactical boots that I really dig. I don’t wear them every day but they are really good for the cold, outdoors, or going to concerts. I think that they are a little clunky looking for tac boots but they are very comfortable and feel like sneakers.
For close to 40 years (yikes!) my “dress” and workplace shoes have been SAS. Incredibly comfortable, just dressy enough to pass in any occasion, and the only half way dressy shoe I’ve found that doesn’t cause incredible instep pain (in my feet) after a couple of hours of wear. Plus, no metal, just glue, which makes air travel easier. The style I buy has gone through many name changes, but has always looked like this:
Right now, high ugg boots, chocolate brown, picked up in an opportunity shop a few months ago brand new for $20. (I had previously donated an identical pair to an opp shop a few years ago after moving to the tropics, but now back in chilly Victoria again, well, let’s just say I kicked myself for giving them up, but happy as a pig in shit that I could find them again)
Due to chronic back issues, I can’t bend over to tie shoelaces any longer, so in summer I wear Birkenstock sandals and winter closed-toe Birks with thick socks. One pair of each are originals, the others knock-offs I picked up in Vietnam.
I’ve had those Ecco shoes for over 25 years, but only recently (well, since 2018) wore them regularly for work. I just bought a pair of Florsheim shoes to replace them. I think this is what I got, the Florsheim Norwalk Plain Toe Oxford (I don’t have them in front of me right now) ➜ Norwalk Plain Toe Oxford Men’s Casual Shoes | Florsheim.com ■
Florsheim. Now there’s a company that’s been around a little bit. Per wiki, they were founded in 1892, in Chicago by Milton S. Florsheim (1868-1936). He was a young man of about 24(!) when he founded the company. Prior to that he had worked in his father’s shoe store. Gotta love Wikipedia.
