No one likes uncomfortable, sensible shoes. We may wear them to work or on a date. We may even purchase shoes we know are going to hurt like razors if they match a suit we've been trying to find the right pair for. But when it's up to us, and it doesn't matter what we need to match, there are some comfortable sandals waiting that are just calling our name.



The Grunge Magnet

If there was anything Generation X loved in the age of grunge, otherwise known as the 1990, it was to be comfortable. Loose clothing, messy hair and a lethargic attitude demanded a shoe with an attitude all its own. The choice for X'ers? Birkenstocks. Oddly enough the shoe with the specialty insole and high price tag was almost 100 years old when it was adopted as the shoe of young liberals and a symbol of their ideas and youth. Birkenstocks are made with a foot pad of contoured cork as the sole which forms to the shape of the wearer's foot. That combined with the comfortable leather straps make this a durable shoe that becomes uniquely yours. They've been around 100 years, and with the extreme comfort and longevity, they'll be around 100 more.

The Beastly Boating Shoe

No one could have foreseen that the most popular shoe brand of 2006 would be a resin neon closed toe clog with holes in it. Yet, Crocs climbed to national recognition, climbing stock values, and can be found on the feet of men, women and children all around the country. Crocs were designed for boating originally because of the sole which is slip resistant. But as people began to tell one another about the comfort of the resin, and the fact that once heated it conforms to the foot, people all over began to buy Crocs for gardening, walking, and every other use possible. An added bonus to Crocs is the resin which makes the shoe is a closed polymer, rendering it resistant to all forms of fungus or bacteria. The lightweight clogs continue to blast through our culture with a footprint and a style all their own.

Walking On A Carpet

If you like the feeling of your bare feet on the carpet, you'll love Gurkees. The self acclaimed "Jesus Sandals" (a name acquired from customers seeking the simple rope sandal that looked like Jesus would wear) are actually carpet fibers which have been wrapped and melted to create the rope-like substance that makes up the sandal. The process makes the sandal resistant to chlorine and salt water. They are machine washable, dry quickly in the sun, float, and in time form to the feet of the wearer as the fibers mesh together to snugly fit the sole of the foot. One quirk of the Gurkees is they don't sell half sizes. They advise that the shoes will shrink to the proper size of the foot and to buy the next highest size. They look just like they sound, flat bottomed sandals made of twisted rope in a simple style.

Sometimes, particularly after the work week of sensible shoes, there's nothing like a nice comfortable eyesore to sink your feet in.