They are the best of shoes, they are the worst of shoes. And while I deserve to be egged for adapting one of the greatest opening lines in literature to talk about my footwear, I’m currently living with a serious shoe dichotomy.
My current favorite shoes are my brand new Mizonu Wave Rider 15 sneakers. (Nobody paid me to say that. However, brand reps can hit me up via email to send me more goodies that I won’t write about.) While they sound more like a surfboard than something used to traverse terra firma, I assure you they are awesome.
Typically, I go to DSW and find whatever sneaker feels most comfortable in my price range. But as I am a lady in her 30s now, I felt it was time to invest in something that might keep bone shards from exploding out of my knees as I age while running. After trying on several pairs at Marathon Sports, I elected to take these babies home.
Oh, how better my feet and knees feel already! It feels more like I’m floating than running. The only things keeping me from running marathons now are my lack of mental focus and slightly subpar cardiovascular system.
After wearing the sneakers for a run, my feet are insulted to be inserted back into these abominations.
Aiiieeee!
I bought these loafers years ago at Target. I don’t think I really loved them at the time, but as you can see, they’ve grown on me. I love their simplicity. I love their off-brown color. What would you call that color? Or what you can imagine what it used to be when they weren’t horrifyingly in need of tossing out.
The problem is, I’ve got entire outfits built around these shoes, and I have yet to find a suitable replacement. It seems like all the penny loafers I see have an ugly buckle on the top, or come up too high or too low on the foot, or aren’t the right color. I want THESE EXACT SHOES BACK AGAIN, without the campfire marshmallow residue on the right toe. (Target reps can feel free to email me when they find a size 8.5 in a warehouse somewhere; I WILL write about that.)
I know they’re gross. But I love my loafers too much to let go. So I keep wearing them in public, much to the chagrin of my loved ones. My Mom is starting to make comments and asking me if I’d like to go shoe shopping. I’ve scoured stores from high-end to low- to find shoes I like even remotely as much without luck. Now my knees are starting to hurt when I wear these, so I know it’s nearly time to let them pass on to the great shoe beyond. Hopefully before someone lights them on fire when I’m not looking.
Amy Derjue 