On footwear (210/365)

[white_hart]

The hardest thing about going back to working in the office after 15 months of working remotely is having to wear shoes all day. I much prefer wearing slippers or just going barefoot or in socks, but the state of my office floor means that even without considerations of professionalism, barefoot really isn't an option at work.

I'm also finding that walking 1.8 miles each way on pavements is very different from going for morning walks in the countryside and my feet are definitely feeling the strain. This is probably partly because I'm not wearing my proper walking shoes, because I've been trying to manage without bringing spare shoes to work to change into or getting back into keeping shoes in the office (I still have a lot of shoes in the office, but none of them I shoes I would actually wear any more, and I've lost the distinction between "work" and "non-work" clothes enough that none of the shoes I do want to wear are ones I want to leave in the office and not have access to if I want them), and my walking shoes are definitely too hefty to wear all day.

I'm seriously wondering whether I should just get some work slippers. As long as they weren't fluffy, would people even notice?

Comments

[cmcmck]

Something like moccasins maybe?

[white_hart]

Yes, that kind of thing.

[clanwilliam]

See if you could get a pair of Skechers memory foam soled shoes in plain black? Mine were useless outside for any sort of walking distance in a city, but are living a happy second life as neatly fitting house slippers.

[white_hart]

That's a thought. I got a pair of their trainers as something that might work for walking and wearing all day, but they aren't any good for walking and still a bit warm to wear all day - the slip-on ones might well work better.

[clanwilliam]

My summer house shoes are a pair of Aldi Birkenstock ripoffs. They only go as far as the bins as I'm not great with sandals that don't have a heel strap, but they do the job nicely. I'm splitting my morning walks between a pair of hiking sandals and my walking shoes, depending on the weather.

[white_hart]

I think it's possible that my Keen hiking sandals are a bit worn out after (I think) four years of regular summer use. And my new Tevas are lovely but have a foam sole rather than a Vibram one which I think isn't really up to lots of pavement walking.

[alithea]

I sincerely doubt anyone will notice. I wore slippers in the office when we had awful weather and I'd walked into work in snow boots which I did not want to wear all day and literally *one* person noticed, and those were fake fur booties so arguably 'fluffy'. And that was one person out of an entire floor of open plan office, so maybe 30 people?

[white_hart]

At the moment I'm still seeing most people via Teams anyway, of course!

[mountainkiss]

I do not know if this is generalisable but I am quite clear that when I get back to the office, I am going to keep a pair of Ugg boots there and I will live in them for ten months of the year. My clients can choose between Ugg boots and stockinged feet.

[white_hart]

I think I'd find Ugg boots too warm indoors (though I have occasionally wondered about them for after swimming), but the principle is good.

[mountainkiss]

My feet are always freezing, which is mostly why I suspect it isn’t generalisable. My clients will actually do better as I won’t keep the room at boiling point.

[white_hart]

And I'm usually hot! I have just ordered a pair of canvas espadrilles which I think could be a good option for summer office slippers, and I will ponder some more on what might work when it's cold enough that I want to wear socks.

[mountainkiss]

That makes lots of sense. There will be an element of trial and error to this.

[nineveh_uk]

Maybe a pair of those felt slippers with rubber soles?

[caulkhead]

I decided months ago that I was going to buy slippers for the office. Suppose I'd better get round to it now I'm going back in mid August!

[lilysea]

I'm seriously wondering whether I should just get some work slippers. As long as they weren't fluffy, would people even notice?

I bought these super comfy but professional looking wool slip ons that might interest you?

They come in a range of colours

https://www.allbirds.com/products/womens-wool-loungers

[clanwilliam]

Oh, what are the soles of those like? I've found the Skechers memory foam ones are super comfy but the soles are too thin for city walking, as you feel every single flaw in the pavement through them. I was wondering what Allbirds were like.

[lilysea]

Oh, what are the soles of those like? I've found the Skechers memory foam ones are super comfy but the soles are too thin for city walking, as you feel every single flaw in the pavement through them. I was wondering what Allbirds were like.

Really comfy and shock absorbing!

I am fat, and have arch issues and knee/hip pain, so I need A LOT of arch support and shock absorption

and they provide adequate padding/support/shock absorption that they are comfy for me!

[white_hart]

Those are nice (though sadly the UK shop only has black and grey and not any of the other colours!).

[mrs_redboots]

Definitely go for it. As long as they don't look like slippers (i.e. not fluffy or tartan) nobody is going to notice - or care, I expect, if they did. It is only sense not to wear the same shoes indoors as out of doors and your feet need a break. I wore black ballet flats at the office for years!

[musesfool]

I used to keep a pair of Isotoner ballerina slippers in my desk at work for exactly this purpose. No one ever noticed they weren't street-ready shoes.

[anna_wing]

Simple pumps from one of the orthopaedic shoe companies or the ones that do comfortable styles like Clarks in the UK? Oxford-style walking shoes are good too, in my experience, and don't need to be changed in the office. I discovered recently the joy of buying shoes from specialist ballroom dance shops and having them re-soled. The training or teaching models are often very like Oxfords, and extremely comfortable.

[white_hart]

Clarks shoes don't fit me, sadly. And I have tried looking for walking shoes that look like ordinary lace-ups, without any success so far (also, I suspect if I did they'd feel too heavy to wear all day, just the same as my normal walking shoes don't - I don't have to be particularly smart, but at the moment I find wearing shoes all day really uncomfortable unless they're very light).