Get On The Good Foot

February 20, 2018

Get On The Good Foot

Having been given the all clear on my broken toe I'm in the market for some new shoes, Dr's orders and this is the criteria:

1. Round toes, absolutely NOTHING pointy.

2. No thin soles. A moderate platform sole is permissible and indeed preferable (who knew?)

3. No high heels (as if!)

4. Very soft leather or some kind of mesh arrangement as seen on most trainers, budget permitting.

Obviously I still have to take it easy so a day traipsing round the shops is out (who does that anyway these days??) so it's virtual window shopping time and I want trainers or similar rather than shoes or boots.

First up is Altra trainers. Absolutely brilliant if you have wide feet/bunions/broken toes in recovery due to their very wide toe boxes. Fashion trainers they are not but you could do a lot worse for yourself in the shoe stakes for general mooching around in. On top of this you can do proper sporty type things in should you be willing and able.

I really like the Escalente 1.0 available in sizes 4 - 9. Not cheap at £115 but worth the investment if you're recovering from an injury such as mine.

I had a look at Clarks and there wasn't an awful lot of choice in the 'wide fit' section that floated my boat. I did, however, like these Trigenic Flex babies. The Trigenic Flex range follow 'a silhouette that meticulously follows the shape of the foot' apparently. Whose foot exactly one will never know but worth a go even if they do only come in a standard fit. The leather professes to be very soft and so there should be some give after a few wears. They are available in half sizes and often giving yourself a little bit more room in the toe box lengthwise can help with the width of the shoe. Retails at £110.

I had brief look at Hotter Shoes and I retreated pretty damn hastily. I'm JUST NOT THERE YET. Never say never though future 80 year old self.

Rocket Dog Jazzin Range. I FREAKIN love you Jazzin Range, I truly do. If only your soles weren't so thin. Not to worry, if you don't walk all day in them you'll be fine. I've had numerous pairs of these over the last few years to accommodate that pesky bunion of mine. Some really great designs and very comfortable for short-medium bursts of traipsing about. Note to self, perhaps an insole would help with the cushioning? Too many lovely ones to showcase here so take a look for yourself. I'm feeling the spot love at the moment so these are my current favourites, though they may have to wait for Spring as canvas just ain't cuttin' it at the moment.

I've never been a massive fan of M&S shoes historically but I could definitely go for these in white. Unfortunately I'm not clever enough (yet) at this blogging malarky to work out how to feature the actual white ones so here they are in a metallic gold. They're a wide fit with a nice thick sole so should be able to accommodate feet that are of a sturdier nature. A very reasonable £29.50 (of course they're not leather but you can't have everything) and go up to a size 8.

These are a total bargain for £18 at Simply Be and come in black and pink. Lots of mesh going on so high stretchability which is an added bonus to the E width fit.