Then sings my sole

March 19, 2017 12:37 PM

Seeking quality sandals that will hold up well, are suitable for business casual dress codes, can handle serious walking on unforgiving surfaces, take little to no time to "break in" and work for narrow feet with fairly high arches. Bonus if they are vegan and/or less than $100.

I typically buy most items at the thrift store but it is time to invest a little in the perfect summer shoe. I'm hoping you can help. Color can be brown or white or gray/silver/gold or multicolored. I have been living in my Keens and my employer just modified the dress code.

posted by crunchy potato to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (11 answers total)

SAS has been my go-to sandal. Comfy, good support, comes in a variety of dressy but low-heeled styles.
posted by thomas j wise at 1:20 PM on March 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

Some versions less than $100, vegan, as infinitely wonderful as you want:

mohops
posted by Ms Vegetable at 1:47 PM on March 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

Naots are amazing. They are expensive and real leather, but I wore my main pair almost daily for about six years and only just replaced them for starting to look a bit scruffy. They take nearly zero breaking in and are excellent all situation walking shoes while still looking business casual.
posted by mirabelle at 5:21 PM on March 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

Before you spend the money, are you quite confident that your employer's idea of "business casual" includes open-toed shoes, especially sandals? I imagine it varies from region to region and from industry to industry, but in my region and industry, it would not. Just a heads-up so you don't end up with something you can't use.
posted by praemunire at 5:55 PM on March 19, 2017 [5 favorites]

Not vegan and usually not less than $100 (though they can get that low on 6pm.com) but Dansko sandals are SO comfortable I can walk all day in them on the first day I wear them. I have narrow feet (well, curvy feet: narrow heel, normal ball) and a relatively high arch.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 6:03 PM on March 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

I love my Wolky sandals. I wore a pair totally out wearing them all summer every day for 5 or six summers.
posted by leahwrenn at 8:13 PM on March 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks for your question, praemunire. We live in an area that gets really hot, and my employer has relaxed standards for footwear as a result. Open sandals are fine, flip flops are not. Sneakers are even acceptable since some of the employees need a sturdy shoe for medical reasons. But my Keens are not sneakers.
posted by crunchy potato at 7:12 AM on March 20, 2017

If you'd like to try a bunch of things on in a one-stop brick and mortar, try "The Walking Company" which has shops at a lot of malls.
posted by aimedwander at 8:30 AM on March 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm partial to Taos Footwear sandals. These are my favorites. (Yes, I'm the sort who likes fancy doodads and blingbats on my sandals, so sue me.) They're fully adjustable, the footbed is extremely comfortable and forgiving, and I think they look rather dressy. I walked all over Barcelona in these the year we visited.
posted by Weftage at 8:31 AM on March 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

(I don't have an answer; I just want to commend OP for launching a weird 35-year-old Baptist choir earworm.)
posted by uberchet at 9:36 AM on March 20, 2017 [3 favorites]

If you still want to buy used, do a search for Fisherman's sandals in your size on eBay. I have several pairs of Naturalizer Fishermen's sandals which are open but not on the toe so they look a bit more office compatible and are supremely comfortable.
posted by IpsoFacto at 12:28 PM on March 20, 2017