BarkingDogShoes | Reviews and Deals - Comfortable Shoes for Women

Dansko Marcelle Red Patent Clog: Beth's Review

Good friend and guest blogger, Beth, reviews the Dansko Marcelle clog:

I receive compliments every time I wear these shoes, often from complete strangers.  Believe it or not, I have actually – for the first time EVER -- heard the words “Dansko” and “sexy” used in the same sentence! The Dansko Marcelle in this beautiful deep red patent is amazingly versatile. They help classy-up my usual look of jeans and a sweater, but are also great with tights and a skirt, or bare-legged with capris in warmer weather.  I was cautious in my expectations of comfort since Sanita is no longer the manufacturer of Dansko’s famous rocker soles.   But these deliver on all fronts, with a fit and feel very similar to my old Dansko Professionals (the only shoe I could wear with complete confidence to an on-my-feet-all-day job.)   The arch support is sublime, and the mary-jane style vamp is high enough on the foot that it will not cut across bunions.  If there is such a thing as the perfect shoe, this one comes pretty darn close!

Where to buy this comfortable shoe:

• OnlineShoes.com: $119.95, free shipping and exchanges.
• Zappos: $124, free shipping and returns.
• Shoes.com: $119.99, free shipping and returns.
• FootwearEtc.com: $115, free shipping.
• SoleStruck.com: $119.95, free shipping

MBT Shoes Review: Me and My MBT Kaya Mary Janes

And you thought Earth shoes looked oddball! Take a gander at these bad boys! Perhaps you've seen these on the feet of over-zealous power walkers and thought, "What is UP with those shoes??" Well, I'm about to tell ya. Say hello to the mother of all rocker-soled shoes, the MBT.

MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology. The shoe is engineered to create natural instability, similar to walking in sand or other soft surfaces, which in turn activates the muscular system to stabilize the body in a natural way.  The first time I wore my MBT Kaya's, it felt like I was standing on mini wobble boards. I had to stand up straight and tighten up my abs and glutes in order to find my balance. But once I took a few short walks, I started to get the hang of my new shoes. In fact, over the last week, I've preferred taking power-walks in the MBT over going to the gym. Not only are these shoes comfortable, I can totally feel my whole backside toning up--from calves, to thighs to bum. And my joints? No pain. My knees, hips, ankles are all feeling FINE.  You know what's so wonderful?  I see the hard sidewalk, but I don't FEEL it. At all. It's almost as if I'm really walking barefoot on the beach...except it's 32 degrees and I'm wrapped in polar fleece.

Hear what Sharon Seagrave, two time Olympian and MBT spokesperson, has to say about her "anti-shoe" experience:

As you probably know, the MBT is not a budget shoe. But if you're shelling out the big bucks on a pricey gym membership you rarely use, why not cancel it and commit to walking daily in your MBTs?  Interested? Head over to FootwearEtc.com where you can get free shipping and returns on all MBT styles. Currently 20 MBT styles are ON SALE!

Weekend Round-up of Shoe Sales and Promo Codes

First off, I want to congratulate Katrina over at Puglyfeet.com. Katrina won the $100 gift certificate to OnlineShoes.com by participating in last month's "How do you Dansko?" contest. My son drew her name out of a shoe box of 62 entries. Looks like she has her eye on Keen's new Wear Around Mary Jane. Let us know how they work out for you, Katrina! 

And here's your weekly round-up of shoe sales and promo codes:

• All Sofft footwear is marked down up to 52% off at 6pm.com.
• Check out ShoeParlor.com for super cool brands like El Naturalista, Naot, Dansko and more. Use promo code BARKDOGCOMFORT for 10% off your favorite pair of regular price shoes.
• Shoebuy is running a pre-holiday sale by gifting you with 20% off your purchase with free shipping and returns. Use promo code SHOP.
• Shoemall offers 25% off your entire order plus free shipping through 11/18. Enter promo code GIFT25.
• Shoes.com continues their November offer: Enter promo code NOV08SALE for $10 off a $50 purchase with free shipping and returns.
• PlanetShoes.com: save an extra 30% off clearance shoes with promo code clearnow30.
• Save $15 on your order of $100 or more at OnlineShoes.com with code 8SAVE15 (some brand restrictions).
• Many new markdowns on comfort brands at The Walking Company.

French Sole Sloop in Leopard: Shoe+Slipper--Get it?

I'm gonna come right out and say it. These have no arch support and the footbed is thinner than your grandma's house-slippers. See, there are comfortable shoes for those of us with more serious foot issues (like Earth and Dansko) and then there are comfortable shoes for normal feet. The French Sole Sloop fits into the latter category. If you're looking for a cute-as-a-button flat with a slipper feel, the Sloop (a combo of "shoe" and "slipper") is for you. The sole is extremely flexible and the suede upper is buttery soft.  I also really appreciate the vamp on the Sloop--it crosses the midfoot just a bit lower than other ballet flats which means no dreaded toe cleavage AND if you have a small bunion, these hopefully won't aggravate it.

The French Sole Sloop is made for padding around daintily, not for pavement pounding. Remember my job is to take care of folks with sensitive feet and I'd hate to recommend walking long distances in these. I know I'll be wearing mine to holiday gatherings (or at least changing into them once I slush my way to the party in my Uggs).

The Sloop comes in so many pretty colors and patterns, you'll love looking through them all--sort of like 31 flavors, but shoes! Oh, and what's up with the Polyvore collage? Well, I don't have much in my closet currently to go with my Sloops, so I made some virtual outfits...it's my first time using Polyvore. When was the last time I made a collage? 1988?

Make sure to order up a FULL size as the Sloop runs small. This is the first pair of 11's I've over owned! Available at Zappos for $104 with free shipping both ways. Amazon also has a few styles of French Sole (some on sale too).

French Sole Sloop in Leopard by BarkingDogShoes

Earth Footwear: What's so Great about this Negative Heel Technology Stuff?

Improved posture. Better breathing. Stronger core muscles. Tighter thighs. These are the claims of the Earth footwear company. A bunch of hocus-pocus? Well, I wore Earth walking shoes for a summer and I'd agree with the improved posture, but tighter thighs? I forgot to notice.What I can tell you is that Earth owners have reported various health benefits ranging from relief of chronic back pain to alleviation of plantar fasciitis heel pain. Read more about the benefits of Kalso Negative Heel Technology here. And now to some "user reviews."

Knitter and Blythe doll collector, Rebecca, had this to say about her experience with Earth footwear (That's her feet in the Pirouette and Solar models above):

They are beyond comfortable. It is like walking around on a cloud all day long. Really it is. My body doesn't ache, my back doesn't ache, and all around my well being feels better. There is something to be said about your spine and neck being where/how it should be all day. When I don't wear them I notice a significant difference.

Bertha, owner of the Allure model and gorgeous knit socks above, has quite the collection of Earth shoes. Here she is in the Pirouette 2 and more beautiful socks (I envy the talent).

My sweet friend, Pam (Earth Fiona above), suffers from plantar fasciitis and was hoping her new Earth shoes would help lessen the pain. Pam, comment below and let us know how the Fiona is working for you, would ya? And then there's me. You can read more about my "Earth" experience here.

Where to buy:

• PlanetShoes.com has the largest selection of Earth footwear online plus free shipping and free returns.
• Zappos also has a good selection with FAST shipping and free returns.
• Shoebuy carries over 250 styles with free shipping and returns. The link goes to their "comfort shoe" category.

El Naturalista Iggdrasil and More: Where to Find on Sale

I've become quite a fan of El Naturalista lately--well at least a fan of looking at them online. I don't actually own a pair, but I'm working on that. Want to hear from some folks who have actually worn El Naturalista shoes and love them? Read Meg's review over at GoNaturale.com and Marielle's review at ChezShoes.com. Next take a look at the exhaustive list of characteristics unique to the El Naturalista brand. Love the shoes, but don't want to pay full price?

Where to find El Naturalista on sale:

• Walking Company has the Iggdrasil clog marked down from $134 to $99 and the Duna Pump from $169 to $129 with free shipping for purchases over $100 (buy 2 pair of shoes or over $150 and get hat and scarf set). Just search on "El Naturalista" under "brand" menu.
• Shoes.com has the Iggdrasil clog marked down 20% (certain colors only). Use promo code NOV08SAVE to get $10 off your purchase of $50 or more. 
• PlanetShoes.com has a great selection of El Naturalista. The Organico N056 is marked down to $119 with free shipping and returns. Use promo code tenoff and get $10 off!
• Amazon has many models marked down.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention ShoeParlor.com's wide assortment of El Naturalista footwear. Use promo code BARKDOGCOMFORT and save 10% off your purchase of non-sale footwear.