Love walking on work days, but don’t want to ruin your office outfits with trainers? Our editor Anna Magee had this problem too so set out to find this season’s best walking shoes to wear with your work clothes
I’m Anna Magee, editor of Healthista and I absolutely love walking. The wind in my blow-dry, my feet plodding the pavements for me is the ultimate pre- and post-work meditation that punctuates the stress of work life and gets me out of my head and back into life after (or before) a stressful day. I even try and walk at lunch if I can. But what I don’t love is ruining my work look with trainers or going through the faff of changing my shoes before and after work. So…I put this question to some of Britain’s shoe manufacturers. They sent me in a load of shoes to try and a few passed my walking-for-miles-in-your-work clothes test. On my must-haves list? Comfort, style, flatness and a nod to fashion. Here are my picks.
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I’ll be honest, Dune win my comfort plus style needs hands down. Every season I tend to buy up big at Dune (also at Clark’s though I couldn’t find anything this season that didn’t look remedial) for that very reason. I love Gypsie because of the super-cool crepe rubber sole, which gives me great support and isn’t as heavy as it looks and the dee-vine colour. In terms of the way they fee’, there’s amazing support around the ankle and instep and a sturdy feeling about these brogues that I adore.
2. Lace Up Ankle Boots £132 Carvela by Kurt Geiger
I call these babies ‘Doc Martins for grown-ups’ as the embroidery and white trim on the rubber sole give them a slightly more classic look that works well with short skirts, or tea dresses during the day. I love the oval toe, which also adds a more adult-with-an-edge look to these shoes. And honestly, the comfort of these shoes is hard to surpass. I do love a rubber sole!
3. Michelle loafers £150 by Hush
Hush is my new obsession. They’re a new brand created with comfort in mind but the styles are lush. Here’s what they say: ‘A big hello from all of us at hush! We’re a clothing brand aimed at women of all ages who like fashion but are not a slave to it, who want to look good but don’t want to spend ages doing so, who want to be comfortable but not at the expense of style. We also believe feeling good is as important a part of looking good as the other way round, so we always go out of our way to put a smile on your face through those little touches that really do make a difference to all of our days. Comfort is a major piece of who we are as a brand and has always been at the heart of a lot of our collection.’ Love that. These loafers have a timeless, classic look that I think looks great with jeans or my capri pants (which I live in). Snug and supportive and great when I want a slightly more professional edge.
4. Charlotte Ballet Flat £85 by Calla
Calla is the new brand created by British girl Jennifer Bailey who was a shoe-a-holic who suffered with bunions. She got frustrated with not being able to find stylish shoes that didn’t make her bunions hurt so she decided to create a range of her own. These ballet flats are full of fabulous cushioning and created especially to help ease the pain of bunions. They’re honestly SO comfortable and so divinely beautiful. Calla also has a range of high heels whose straps are strategically placed to cover up bunions. For the one on three British women who suffer with them, that’s got to be the definition of genius.
5. Priyanka loafer £180 from Miista
After attending The London College of Fashion and working across several brands, Laura Villasenin wanted to create a label that emulated her fashion forward aesthetic and particular taste, so the Hackney girl created Miista shoes which prides itself on bringing ‘an uncommon beauty to the street.’ That’s certainly the case with these fluffy fashion-forward mohair loafers that are so on-trend right now. They’re made with an ergonomic padded insole for comfort too – great with capris or even dresses.
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