My feet are a challenging case study for any shoe. After a lifetime of unfortunate decisions, like running around on 3-inch heels 10 hours a day for decades, my tootsies have issues. After much trial and error, I have finally found the only shoe that works for me. That shoe is – drumroll please – Bob’s by Sketchers.
I know Sketcher sneakers are not “cool”. My students wouldn’t be caught dead in them! And honestly, as far as sneakers are concerned I wear Pumas. My son bought me a pair for Christmas a couple of years ago and I like them.
But we’re talking shoes here, not sneakers. When I shoe shop here are some of the constraints I face: the shoe must have some width at the top, but not be too wide, it’s gotta have a soft, pillowy inner sole, I need some arch support, it can’t put my foot on an angle and can’t rub against my heel in the back.
That’s just to name a few.
Once I happened upon Bob’s for Sketcher’s the clouds opened up and music started to play. My feet were soooooo happy!
Here’s a look in my closet.
My Number 1 Go-To Shoe: Bob’s Breeze
I have these in 2 colors, black and a taupe color. They’re AMAZING. You feel like you’re walking on pillows that are just the right level of firm and soft at the same time.
I bought these in black several years ago and wore them to a convention. I had to take the subway, walk to the west side of Manhattan, then traverse Javits Center which is HUGE! At the end of the day I had clocked 5 miles.
And my feet could have done 5 more!
These shoes run a tad larger than true-to-size. Most of my footwear is 8.5 and I wear an 8 in this style.
The little tiny bit of height in the heel is really nice; it feels better than complete flats.
These were my first experience with Sketcher shoes, so mine are a couple years old. They’ve tweaked the style a bit. I’m not going to lie, I liked the old woven rattan a little better, but they’re still really nice.
Caveat: This style doesn’t come in wide.
Close Runner-Up: Plush Peace & Love
The style, as you can see, is almost identical to Bob’s Breeze above. However, they are flatter with a shorter heel. The black color also comes with a black sole rather than the lighter color pictured above. I kind of like that; feels a little dressier.
These shoes look just like Toms, don’t they? And I know Toms is super-popular and they give away a pair for every pair sold. But they’re not as comfortable – sorry, Tom!
Plush Peace and Love comes in a TON of colors, which is awesome. You can literally buy these to match every outfit in your closet.
The sizing is the same as Bob’s Breeze: A tiny bit large than true to size. The medium width fits nice and snug (I hate when slip-ons have that gap when you walk) but there’s enough room in the toe area not to squish.
A great selling point for these style is that they come in wide width that so many women need; yay!
I LOVE me some Leopard: Plush-Prima Pup Slip on Ballet Flat
This shoe has a different name than Plush Peace and Love but for the life of me I can’t see any different except the pattern.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think leopard print has been out of style for the past 20 years! And it’s so fun when you’re wearing a boring neutral outfit to add these shoes to make everything pop a little!
Sizing is same as above: slightly larger than true-to-fit. I mean, I’m sure I could wear the 8.5 (my regular size) but the 8’s seem to fit nicely without pinching anywhere. And yes, they come in wide width.
Feminine and Pretty: Cleo Honeycomb Flat
Aren’t these so pretty?! The off-white color works great with so much of my closet. And they look great with dresses, too.
As much as I love the look of this shoe they’re not quite as cushiony as the styles above. That said, I can walk around all day in them without a problem.
The sizing is true to size, I bought the 8.5. Even though these do come in wide width it has a “stretch fit”, the fabric gives a lot. So if your feet are on the fence as far as width go with the medium width.
The light color is very summery, but these shoes come in many other colors as well.
For Wide Feet Only: Seager-Stat-Scalloped Collar, Engineered Skech-Knit Slip-on-Classic Fit Loafer
I wanted these shoes to fit, but alas they did not. I liked the scalloped design (yes, I have a “look”). And it’s a pretty shoe matched with sneaker-like comfort. Finally the “natural” color was a great neutral.
But they gap. Even the medium width are too wide if the middle of your foot is average in size.
However, if you have a thicker foot this is the shoe for you. They felt like I was walking on a cloud. I wanted to skip and jump when I put them on. Over 3,700 women gave these a 4.8 star review. So, clearly, they do fit plenty of feet!
A Little Booty that’s the Bomb: Arch-Fit Lasso Fancy Modern
I bought these for my daughter (another teacher) when she started having her own foot issues. Jackie needs a shoe with an arch and these fit the bill.
They’re black leather, with a side zipper and cute strap embellishment.
Aren’t they gorgeous? This boot looks great dressed up or down. Wear them with jeans or leggings. Or throw on a casual dress and these will look adorable!
According to Jackie they run true to size, but sorry, no wide width:-(
Haven’t Bought Them – Yet: BOBS Chill Lugs – Bretton Woods Ankle Bootie
This booty is more casual than the black ones above, but how cute are they?!
They must be a new style, because there are only 4 ratings on Amazon so far. Three of the four gave it 5 stars.
I can’t speak to the sizing, because I haven’t bought them yet. I will update this article when I do. The bummer is that they only come in one color. Luckily I really like the color!
Happy Feet, Happy Teacher
As you can see, I wasn’t lying when I said there’s only one shoe you’ll need for your entire teaching career!
There’s nothing worse than wearing shoes that hurt – especially when you’re a teacher! We can’t just sit down and not walk!
So even though I have a bunch of shoes in my closet it’s a rare day that I’m not wearing Skechers. Give them a try; your feet will thank you.