What am I doing in heels when I was just bemoaning my aching joints last week HERE IN PUBLIC ON THE BLOG? Well, before you ask for a doctor's note, these aren't just any heels, they're my Naya Maher sandals. I tried on a few pairs of formerly comfortable shoes to wear with my newly thrifted dress and after a walk down our hall, I was a-fussin' and a-frettin' something fierce. I had one last option, my Nayas.
Could I wear these all day comfortably with my compromised joints? No, probably not. But I was surprised at their ability to calm the barking dogs while making them look stylish and...small! There's something about the shape of the shoe that makes even big dogs look miniature. But let's talk comfort.
When I first reviewed the Naya Maher, I hadn't had chance to truly walk around in them. This past Sunday I wore them to church. Now we attend what some may call a "mega-church." It's big. No, it's huge. Let's put it this way; you'll know if you wore the right shoes on your way home. Much walking is required to park from car, check kids in to their classes, find your class, go to service, pick kids back up and get back to the car. I wore the right shoes.
Here's how I know:
- My moderate-sized bunions were left unscathed. The leather is not only buttery soft, it covers the bunion area completely as you can see in the photo.
- The ball-of-foot area, which screams out in pain in other heels, was relatively silent--and only mildly whiny after standing to sing for 15 minutes. Although the footbed doesn't provide the same cushioning as a SoftWalk, the biodegradable latex foam in the footbed is definitely noticeable. Also, there's some contour to the footbed so it cradles the foot nicely.
- I knew I would feel some pain in my ankles and decided to suck it up since I love the look of neutral shoe with the neutral background of the dress. My ankles held up remarkably well. I adjusted the heel sling strap a bit tighter than usual and it did the trick.
- I didn't kick them off the moment I got in the door. Instead I fed the family, had hubby take a photo...and then changed them out for my Birkenstocks.
Keep in mind that wedge heels are more foot-friendly than other kinds of heels. They often feature a platform that distributes weight more evenly and provides stability.
The Naya Maher and other Naya styles come in narrow, medium and wide widths in sizes 4-12. I
wear between a 9.5-10 and the 10 fits perfectly. $134 @ Zappos, $130 @ Naturalizer.com, $130 @ Shoes.com.
On the topic of thrift/consignment store shopping, I'm a huge fan of The Clothes Mentor. I spent around $100 this weekend and found 3 dresses, 5 tops and 2 pairs of capris; all name brand, all in great condition. Check out their website to see if there's one near you.
