Thursday, July 29, 2010

Sneaks

I never thought I’d pull a Working Girl, but, today, I conceded to practicality and wore sneakers with my business casual. I usually just suffer the walk to and from the bus stop in my heels, but I had to trek from downtown Cincinnati, across the Ohio River, to the Covington riverfront today (at 6:30 a.m. – ugh). I needed something comfortable and supportive.


Blouse, Daytrip. Skirt, Mossimo. Headband, self-made. Sneakers, Champion (thrifted).


When not hoofing all over the tri-state, I wore a pair of leopard print Steven by Steve Madden wedges.


The older I get, the less tolerance I have for uncomfortable shoes. I may bring the sneaks out more often.

Do you commute in an athletic shoe?

19 comments:

Rebecca said...

I wore athletic shoes when I took the bus to work, but now I drive so I usually just wear my heels. During the winter I'll wear winter boots, to protect my shoes from snow and salt.

Franca said...

I walk to work, and I go through phases. Richt now I am in a phase where I wear my work shoes for the walk, but I have in the past kept heely shoes at work and worn trainers to walk in. I'll probably go back to that come autumn and horrible weather. When it's raining I just want to get there as quickly as poss, when it's sunny i don't care that it takes a bit longer.

Sheila said...

Heck, yeah! And I'm not ashamed of it. On Casual Fridays, I take the bus so I walk to the stop in my heels (it's only a block on each end), but as you know, I walk to and from work every day.

Baby your feet now and you'll be able to wear heels longer...I'm starting to feel all the years of heels in my poor ol' 42-year-old feet.

Diana said...

Those are some really cute sneakers!

Lately I've been craving flats for comfort. I work at a school, so I'm on my feet most of the day, and even my most comfortable heels start hurting after a day of work.

Michee Rose said...

If you don't like the look of sneakers, check out Danskas or the like. They're designed for chefs and nurses. They aren't cheap, but they'll last for *years*. Looks like a bulky, leather clog but are uber-supportive and comfortable (and a little bit more stylish than sneakers, in my opinion). I've had a pair for 10yrs now and they're barely showing their age. I replaced the insoles once, but the outer leather looks just slightly weathered. It's only in the past few months the elastic on the buckle has died (again, repairable).

Cynthia Gibas said...

I just make an effort to find flats or sandals that I can be both comfortable and reasonably stylish in. There's no place in my lifestyle for really tall spiky heels -- I have just never been that girl and now that I'm 40(ish) I am definitely a creature of comfort and of saving my back and joints for the ages.

The Cocoa Goddess said...

Definitely. I figure if I wear an athletic-looking shoe (as opposed to a comfortable flat that may or may not go with the outfit I'm wearing), people will know for sure that I'm changing my shoes when I get to work. Otherwise, if I wear my ugly black but seriously comfortable Aerosole mary-janes, I'm sure people are thinking, "Nice outfit but what was she thinking wearing those shoes??"

That and I'd rather keep the shoes I love looking nice instead of wearing them out prematurely or having to re-heel them every few months.

Lynnea said...

I can't bring myself to wear athletic shoes unless I am exercising. I bought some converse all stars to see if I can get over this.

I wear Dansko clogs if I am doing a lot of walking. I have the brown oiled leather ones. I love them. I gulped at the price, but they are worth it.

Paige said...

I recently just got a parking space right by my building, and realized that I can downsize my bag by a whole pair of heels. This was life changing for me, ha.

Great skirt!

Lacey R said...

I cringe everytime I see a woman wearing athletic sneakers with her dressy work outfit (and sometimes shoes/nylons). Just does not look good. I'm of the opinion that there are many fashionable (and comfortable) flat shoes out there that you can wear if you have to walk to and from work or during lunch. I do this often if I don't want to wear heels and need to walk somewhere.


However, it is different if one wears retro sneakers or the like if the shoes indeed go with the outfit you are wearing (like today's outfit!)

Melissa said...

I LOVE the leopard shoes with the red/blue combo.

I'm considering buying some sneakers (or cute flats) because we're moving into a new building soon where our office will be on the fifth floor...and I don't do elevators.

Hopefully I'll end up with great legs from going up five flights of stairs every single day. But I think I may need some sneakers to do that.

Steffi said...

I ought to wear sneakers for the way from the train station up the English cobbled hills to work, but refuse to... instead, I am hoping for an extra shoe allowance to be introduced by the government.

Kara said...

Yup. Or flip flops or -gasp- my fake Ugg boots. I love all my heels and I try to protect them from the dirty ground!

Unknown said...

When I used to work in the city, I preferred comfy flats to athletic shoes for the long walk crosstown. Now I drive to work, so I can wear whatever. :)

Rail Writer Janet said...

Absolutely, I wear sneakers. In fact, right now I am wearing Curves sneakers, hoping that as I walk from the train to the subway and then to my office, I tone my backside. Other commuter exercise tips include -- walking all steps and doing bicep curls with my tote bag as I walk. Now that's multi- tasking!

gina said...

I hate the look of sneakers with dressy clothes. I have 1 super comfortable pair of walking sandals and a few pairs of great-for-walking boots. If I have to do a lot of walking on any given day, I'll coordinate my outfit to the super comfy shoes.

Most of my shoes are pretty comfortable though if I'm not doing major hiking. Certainly enough for my regular work commute. I only worry about the super-comfortable shoes if I have lots of errands to run, or for example when I have a doctor's appt before work so it's a longer walk to a different bus, then I usually walk the mile and half to the office afterwards. Or if my boyfriend and I are going to a museum after work, so we'll walk there, walk around, then walk to a restaurant bar, then back to the bus stop. In situations like that I wear my super comfy shoes. Otherwise most of my work shoes are good for regular commuting.

Laura said...

I do wear sneakers or crocs or some other trashy shoe with my work clothes during my commute. I drive, so it's not a comfort thing. I've simply ruined one too many pair of heels over the years from driving in them and decided that had to stop. So, I drive in my crappy shoes then change in the car if it's a nice day, or in my office if it's raining and I don't want my good shoes to get wet/muddy.

Pam in Cincinnati said...

It depends on the weather, really. If it's bad weather, it's definitely sneakers. If the weather's nice, it's either a cute pair of flats that cooridate with my outfit or else my slingback flat crocs. I'm not about to ruin my heels driving and then walking from the parking garage to the office.

Lini said...

I love your hair, like all the time. I can't get a bouffant together if I coated it in nothing but hairspray. I envy your hair in the best possible way.