The Vine: January 29, 2010
Hi Sars,
I have seen how wonderful the readers are with hunting down elusive shoes, and the time has come where I must throw myself upon the mercy of the readership to see if they can help me find The Shoe.
You know the one. You had it, you wore it almost every day, and you didn’t realize how perfect it was until it was gone. It’s like a breakup, but worse, because men come and go, but your feet are with you forever.
I got The Shoes in question probably six years ago; they were a birthday or Christmas gift from my mom, and for the first several months I had them, they sat in a box in garage while I moved all over the country. Then, in January, about four and a half years ago, we went to Panama for my cousin’s wedding, and I needed some durable, pretty flip-flops. I unearthed the pair from my mom’s garage, and they were perfect.
The soles were heavy-duty, almost like Birkenstocks. The thong part was a wide green leather strap with flowers, and the bottom part was dyed blue (I remember, because it rained the whole time were in Panama, and every time I went outside, the dye bled off the shoes and onto the soles of my feet — I had smurf feet for a week after we got back).
After that, the flip-flops and I became inseparable. I wore them every weekend. I wore them in the car on my 45-minute commute before I had to squeeze into my work shoes. They were pretty enough to wear out to dinner with a sundress, but sturdy enough to walk downtown to the farmer’s market or an art festival and spend the day. They molded perfectly to my instep, gave me incredible arch support for my freakishly high arch-y feet, and never gave me a blister. I wore them so much that I rubbed any identifying marks right off of them; I have no idea who made them. My mom doesn’t remember where she got them, and she refused to attend hypnotherapy or go through her credit card statements from six years ago.
I can’t even post a picture, because when the sole on one broke in half and I continued to hobble around in them, my husband threw them away so I wouldn’t break an ankle.
I know I haven’t given the readers a lot to go on, and I know The Shoes probably aren’t even available anymore, but if anyone can identify them, I’d be eternally grateful. That failing, if anyone can give me recommendations on sturdy, long-lasting, good-looking flip-flops, with arch support, I’d appreciate it. I live in Florida, so flip-flops are both everyday shoes and formalwear, and I need something with that kind of versatility.
Shoeless Kate
Dear Kate,
I couldn’t turn up anything with a blue sole; what I did find is perhaps not your style — Clarks, while comfortable, can present as a bit frumpy for some people — but you can always start with that link, see what else the site suggests, and click around until you find something similar.I’d also do a brand search for Mephisto, Born, and actual Birks, as those tend to have the sturdy/corky soles you mention.
Readers?
I hope the readers can help me.I’m looking for a digital watch that is not plastic, sporty, etc.I’d like one that is a classic, elegant, or professional design — the kind of thing I can wear with a suit or dress — but with a digital display.I’m willing to pay up to $200 but am hoping for a lot less, of course.
I don’t need any extra functions, not even the date, but I’ll take them if that’s what it takes.
Just to clarify, I’m not looking for something that is technically digital but has a light-up display with hands like an analog clock. I just want the time to display in numbers, like 1:23 or whatev.
Daisy
Dear Daisy,
I didn’t find anything suitable at Fossil or Swatch.Timex offers a ton of digitals, but mostly with the resin strap; this one, a href=”http://www.timex.com/s?searchKeywords=timex+classic&Action=submit” target=”blank”>the Classic (top row), looks a little cheap to me, but it isn’t a big honking “let’s time the Preakness”-sized thing, at least.
Amazon yielded slightly better results.I found the Kenneth Cole Women’s Quartz Digital, and a couple of offerings from Casio, including the Daily Alarm model.
My only other recommendation is to browse department-store websites and see what they carry: Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, Saks.They’ll have a range of brands.And if your wrist can handle a men’s watch, check those, too; the men’s line of watches always seems to have more digital options than the women’s.
Any of the readers found a professional-looking digital watch they’d like to tell us about?
Tags: Ask The Readers retail
Try Reef sandals. They have quite a large selection, and they’re the most comfy flip-flop ever.
http://bit.ly/avzbDl
Kate,
I have a pair of Kenneth Cole Reaction flip-flops that are somewhat similar to what you describe. I bought them several years ago, but Zappos still has some similar styles:
http://tinyurl.com/ya85ym2
For the shoes… don’t know what you had, but, a great shoe for us high-archy folks are Naots http://www.naot.com/html/womens_sandals.html
@Kelly: Word. Plus they have that one with the bottle-opener in the sole. Love.
Damn, Kate, Now I want those shoes too! (Awww, smurf feet…)
I’d go for the Timex. You can always replace the band. (Which I always do – those resin bands turn skunky on me!) I’m horribly hard on my jewelry, and the Timex really does keep on ticking. Through paint, and water, and being hit by a hammer-drill, and being accidentally soldered to a piece of stained glass…I never remember to take it off until it’s too late. And they’re cheap, so if you lose your watch, it’s not a big deal.
For Shoeless Kate:
I don’t know what sandals you had, but I do have some suggestions for brands that sound just like that, in particular I had a pair of Chacos that were very, very similar to what you describe. Also, Teva, Merrell and Keen carry great sandals with similar styles and functionality.
@ Daisy, you might check zappos.com to see if they have anything you like. I found a different Kenneth Cole there that looks sleek, if not exactly elegant: http://tinyurl.com/ycqr2uf. Good luck!
For Daisy:
I’m wearing a Diesel digital watch right now, as it happens, as I have nearly every day for the past, oh. six years. It’s this…
http://tinyurl.com/nxfxth
…which presents as more of a bangle, as it’s a men’s watch and I’m a woman, but I adore it. Diesel makes a number of rather sleek digitals (full collection here: http://tinyurl.com/r46nd7), and I heartily recommend finding a store (or checking out their display at a Nordstrom or Macy’s) and giving one a try.
Another Reef recommendation here. Amazing support (and I have a bad foot), comfy, and lots of styles.
Daisy – I bought a digital timex which came with the requisite plastic band, then took it to my local watch repair guy who sold me a nice brown leather strap to replace it. His costs including labour was $20. Good luck!
Try Merrell’s for the sandals. Probably not the ones you had before, but lots of comfy sandals…http://tinyurl.com/yefoyrv
Daisy, have you found Philippe Starck watches anywhere? A guy friend of mine has one and it’s pretty awesome. Try here:
http://www.watchco.com/Philippe-Starck-Watches_s/45.html
I’m so glad for the watch question! I look forward to researching all of these links. I just wish I’d thought to ask the readers this question sooner myself! I once found a beautiful digital watch at Fossil. It had a metal band and was really nice and professional. But a week later, my dad bought me a fancy analog watch for Hanukkah and I felt like I didn’t need two watches. I made the mistake of returning the digital one. Within weeks, I was wishing I hadn’t returned it. I hate using an analog watch. I can read one but it takes me enough time that it’s hardly worth wearing. I stopped wearing that watch before a month had passed and went back to Fossil to get the digital one. Of course it wasn’t there. Every time I go into a Fossil store, I look for it or something like it. It’s been years and I’ve never found it.
I really want a women’s watch and something in a metal band, nothing thick and black, so I haven’t found anything yet that works for me in the links, but I can’t wait to see more suggestions!
I’ll second (third, fourth?) the Reefs recommendation, though I haven’t tried their harder-soled versions. I should, too, because word to Floridian flip-flop ubiquity: I’m wearing some right now. In the office.
Digital watch lovers: if you can pull off a man’s watch, try Casio. They make a gold version of their basic old-school digital watch. It’s fun, it’s super cheap, and it passes for a nice watch at a glance. I always wish I could steal my boyfriend’s.
Maybe http://tinyurl.com/this-watch-right-here would do it for you – it has big ol’ Frankenstein neck bolts sticking out of it, but it’s metal, at least.
I checked the Timex website, searched “digital” and got 14 pages of hideously sporty watches. I found this-watch-right-here by Googling “women’s digital dress watch” – very very few responses, sadly.
I third (fourth?) the Reef suggestion as I HAVE the ones with the bottle openers. They are indespensible. I would also like to suggest Sanuks, which I also love.
http://bit.ly/b0Ce9s
Chaco flips are awesome. Can’t beat them for arch support, and they’re durable as hell. They make them with leather or synthetic uppers. Love them!
I cannot recommend Chaco flip-flops highly enough. They are true work horses – my mom and I both live in them nine months a year (I’ve been known to wear mine in the snow, too) and only upgrade every few years when the straps start to look faded. I wear guys’, b/c they fit my wide feet better, but the ladies’ come with some cute patterns on the straps.
Also: this Casio watch seems pretty nice. I might get it for myself. http://tinyurl.com/y9xz9cx
@Sars: I have the model with bottle opener. It’s genius.
I love Endless.com for narrowed shoe searches — I prefer their interface to Zappos. Here are TinyURLs for flip flops that look comfy and not too crunchy-granola (to me, at least) available in shades of blue and green:
http://tinyurl.com/ya6qj2h
http://tinyurl.com/y8od2dk
http://tinyurl.com/y86jsf4
http://tinyurl.com/ybzvg4x
http://tinyurl.com/yczb4jg
http://tinyurl.com/ye55kfl
Play around with it (you can set the size, heel height, price, etc…) and read the reviews. Return for free if you buy them but don’t like them!
Reef me! Mom gave me a pair almost five years ago and they are still the best support in my closet.
+1 for Chaco. I got my first pair last summer and so far have been very impressed. Great support, somewhat stylish AND Chaco will replace the soles for about half the price of a new pair, so they are virtually a lifetime sandal. I am hard to fit with bunions and arch problems – I have walked 8+ miles in the Chacos with nary a blister. Zappos sometimes has sales on certain styles/colors.
I’m not sure what brand the shoes might have been. I immediately thought of Papillio – I’m not sure about the soles, but the design features sounded familiar. I realise on Googling that it’s a Birkenstock brand, so maybe not what you had.
I’ve been to a shop that sells a bunch of different flip flops and sandals, and they have a good list of them here (though the links are out of date in some cases): http://childrenoftherevolution.com.au/about/brands/. The shop was started by a podiatrist, and so most of the shoes are really comfy & good for your feet. Good luck with it!
I have some Rockport flip-flops which I’ve had for years and they are maximally awesome. I loved my red pair so much I bought black, too. They have kind of a sneaker-type sole, with suede footbed, and leather straps in kind of an A shape which I think makes them cuter than regular flip flops.
They don’t still make the same thing but these are similar:
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7362724/c/624.html
Chacos! Chacos! Chacos! Amazing arch support. They used to look pretty crunchy, to use my mom’s parlance, but they’ve branched out recently and make flip flops that look more mainstream and less river guide. I have a leather-strapped pair and they look great with summer skirts.
They can be pricey for ‘just’ flip flops, but if you’re like me and more or less live in them for about 9 months out of the year, it’s worth it (and they last).
Daisy, I’d vote for choosing the watch face that appeals, and replacing the band. Maximum options there, and your generous budget surely could handle the added cost for the band of choice. If your jeweler could arrange an attractive quick-change setup, you might be able to get several bands.
@margaret: “Through paint, and water, and being hit by a hammer-drill, and being accidentally soldered to a piece of stained glass…” Lady after my own heart! I shudder to think of the horror stories our watches could tell. (The one that took a bath in the chemical-wash bucket at the sign shop resents me to this day.)
@Michele: “I can read one but it takes me enough time that it’s hardly worth wearing. ” That’s me, except I have to parse the digital info. My brain can’t understand “2:53” until I see/visualize a big hand somewhat between the 10 and 11 positions. (Not that I’m a visual learner or anything.)
For the shoes, I know I have seen something similar at either Whole Earth Provision Co or REI. I’d suggest hitting either up around spring/summer when they restock their flip flops.
You could try Android for the digital watch? I’ve got two of their watches and while mine are analog, I do recall their range having digital as well
Another couple of watch brands to check out are DKNY and Nixon. Ebay has results for both. Also you might want to try the store inside a modern art museum, or any galleries/boutiques that skew towards modern art & design.
Also try store.too2late.com/us/watches, or just do a Google image search on digital watch and click on what you like.
Those flip-flops sound a lot like they might actually be birks. They have a lot of fancy styles.
But Tevas are amazing with the arch support and the molding-to-your-feet thing. I looked at their Web site and these look a lot like what you described: http://tinyurl.com/yc869kp
My mom has all kinds of foot-related issues and Merrell’s were recommended to her, and she loves them. They can be kind of pricey, but I often see them at TJMaxx for about half the regular price. They also seem to last for ages.
http://www.zappos.com/womens-merrell-sandals
Thanks, guys! I’m delighted by all the watch suggestions. I’m looking up all your suggestions one by one. Something I didn’t mention in my original letter was that I try not to buy leather, so even though I heart the Kenneth Coles, I probably won’t end up buying them. I’m looking through Zappos right now and am liking the Baby-G brand among others. Thanks again!
Okay, I went with the G-Force Baby-G Glitter Bezel from Zappos. Close contenders were the Suunto Lumi, Kenneth Cole 1583, and Diesel 7080. Thanks, guys!
@shoeless…Do you have any pictures of yourself wearing the shoes? Maybe that might help….
My FitFlops are the most comfortable shoes I own… unfortunately, they’re not very attractive.
@Daisy: I can recommend Lorus’ Fusion range of sleek, modern watches. They seem to do a lot more analog than digital than I remember, but anywhere you can get some of their older collections (eBay etc) might turn up something really nice.
Timberland also has great flipflops, I have a pink pair that I’ve worn for years.
Here is a bunch of blue soled shoes that like.com turned up.
http://www.like.com/blue-sandals-womens-shoes.htm
Another vote for Chacos! I love them because they can be re-soled. I’ve had mine since 2004 and they’ve been re-soled twice.
I have those flip-flops…I bought them years ago from the Sundance catalog. They are just as Kate describes them. Unfortunately, I have worn them so much that the brand name on the inner (blue) sole has worn off, but maybe Kate could call Sundance and ask if anyone there remembers where they came from.