Help me choose stylish walking/gear sandal - YouLookFab Forum

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Help me choose stylish walking/gear sandal

harmonica

Veteran

I'm looking for a comfortable and fashionable sandal that can replace my previous Ecco sandals.

#3 is not the exact same sandal I had, but along the style I had. Very geary and not so fashionable

#4 is the terrain I'll be walking in. The activities will be adjusted to the kids and temp is never hot, more like 15-22C (59-71F). I'd like the sandals to be stylish for whenever we visit the nearby village or go to an amusement park. The style here is super casual, though.

Needs:
- "light gear" functionality and super comfort
- light hiking (see pic #4)
- casual wear
- slightly more stylish than gear
- a superlow heel would be great

I was thinking that a metallic colour would be more be more polished
and also leg elongating. Black is always an option for its bookending qualities, but maybe not so polished?

#1 I've been looking at some of the Ecco sandals. The first sandal is one I really, really like, but I can't find it in Europe. I think buying from ebay would be too costy because of shipping and toll/tax regulations.

#2 is a selection of other options from the online shop Brandos. The sandals from Art and El Naturalista are chunkier.

Style wise, I've been aiming at more structured and simpler
outfits with less accessories and trusting that great fit would provide
enough polish, yet still a hint of RATE.

Please help me narrow down the list and choose a pair that works style-wise and for my needs.

Thank you for any comment and input!

ETA: Keen sierra

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Shopping

14 replies

Latest reply was from harmonica

missvee

Veteran

I really like #6 on the second pic. The El Naturalistas.
I think they look stylish without being too dainty or too clunky.
The clarcs oblia are nice too if you want a lighter colour.

MuseumGal

Veteran

I'm a big fan of Keens for light hiking or heavy duty walking. Their sandals are a bit more gearish looking than their shoes - and given that you don't need a sandal for heat, one of their shoes might be just the ticket.

Greyscale

Veteran

I also like the El Naturalistas quite a bit.

These Naots are very popular and comfortable, with a good sole.
http://www.planetshoes.com/ite.....a/1204/rk7

If you are doing serious walking, though, it's important that your feet don't twist or slide in the sandals, to avoid ankle injuries. It's possible that there's no one sandal that's really great for rough terrain and stylish, but right now, chunky sandals are so stylish that you might find the perfect solution.

harmonica

Veteran

Thank you, MG! I found some Keens that I can get here

Greyscale: The black ones look really great! Clean and simple lines. I'm just a bit worried about the velocre closing. But the style is great!

Greyscale

Veteran

Yeah, I dislike velcro straps, but at least on those sandals they are not very obvious. Still, they always get filled with my long hair...

I almost bought those sandals but they were a bit too narrow for my feet (I went with Mephistos instead).

abc

Veteran

If you're in the USA the walking company (stores and online) have some decent options. I got two pair last year that fit your description including a metallic pair. Of those you posted I like the keens at the end best. Good luck.

sinead

I'm glad you posted this- I'm in sandal shopping mode too, and having a hard time narrowing down choices. I have a tendency to want a pair of shoes (or any accessory) to do everything, so I understand your desire to find something that is hike-able and stylish. But I will say, I've gotten into trouble with asking too much of my shoes. Either blisters when I tried long walks with what I thought were comfortable shoes (they were- just not made for miles and miles of walking) or tried to pretend my comfort sandals would work with an evening out. People stared at my shoes, and I got the message (this was pre-YLF).

I vote two pairs- gear for hiking, and a comfortable but stylish pair for days when you're not in the countryside. That El Naturalista is cute for a casual sandal and I see it comes in other colors. My vote is something lighter for summer- like the "Henna" color.

carolbee

Veteran

It depends on whether you are doing serious hiking or major touristing/walking. If hiking I would use my Keen's. However when I go to Europe in June I will take trainers for lite day hikes and I recently bought some Merrell Agave Lavish 2 in Aluminium for touristing/walking. They seem super comfortable and still reasonably dressy for a "gearish" sandal. I'm in Oz and bought mine from,Amazon with delivered price about 20% cheaper than from my local shop - which didn't have the same colour options. Sorry, can't manage to do a link on my tablet.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

None of those look sturdy enough for even light hiking, to be honest - I'd want closed shoes for that. Especially if it's not going to be that hot. But all of them look possibly suitable for walking around town, etc. I kind of agree with Sinead that two pair might be called for; a dressier pair for dinners and such, and a more casual pair for days spent walking around.

Vix

Veteran

Hi Harmonica --

I wanted much the same from sandals last year and ended up buying the Ecco Bouillon (#5 in your photo #1) in a color they called "Light Gold" but was more of a pewter.

Looks like the global Ecco site has Rose Dust and Black but since it's an older style you many be able to find the metallic off a site you generally use if it appeals -- various US sites have some sizes available.

The Rose Dust was almost my choice and if I wore flats more I might have splurged and bought both -- if the color looks good with your skintone it'd definitely check the "elongating" box.

In general I really hate the look of most gear-y sandals and dislike the way I look in the majority of flats yet am pretty active so it was an annoying hunt, ha. I'd rather just wear my hiking boots and be done with it.

[I wear wedges to tromp miles but even I didn't want to be clambering over rocks/up small hills in them!]

I do think you're on the right track with a metallic or "rich" looking shoe [as you define it]. It comes down to which of the choices you put upthread or that you run into excites you the most, then seeing how they look and feel on.

Good luck!

****

Ecco Bouillon review (I do have pics somewhere, holler if interested)

In terms of performance I was (and hope to be when it warms up) pleased, especially given that our temps are hotter than what you'll be experiencing -- nice traction, super, super-soft leather so no blisters or cutting into my feet when they swelled after walking 6-10 miles in a go. And looks-wise I felt I got a bit of Grecian glamour.

Marmee

Veteran

Pretty hiking! I face a similar issue every summer with beach walking. I agree that two pair would be best, as you might need something partially closed and snug for rocky trails. I think Keens could work, or the Eccos in #3, but they wouldn't be great for non-hiking activities. I like the Naots that Greyscale linked.

I face a similar issue every summer, with beach walking.

Kat

I think it depends on where/how much you want to hike. When I moved to the mountain west, I needed proper sport sandals for warm-weather light hiking, dog walking, and bike commuting. I like Ecco a lot too, and my current sport sandals are yucatan. I also like Keen and I've tried Chacos, though the arch support was too aggressive for me. So I guess I'm saying I wasn't able to double duty my sports sandals with cuter about-town walking sandals! That said, where I live, the height of summer fashion is a sundress, Chacos, and a pretty pedicure.

For more casual and cute about-town wear, I like the Ecco glads (#4 in pic 1) and I love any El Naturalistas. But all the sandal choices you post are great for that.

rabbit

Veteran

I kind of agree given the weather description and the pics of the terrain you are walking on that I wouldn't personally wear sandals on the trails. Especially if you are in an area with lot's of rainfall - many puddles. If it's a dry area I'd still probably do a trail shoe, for dust in toe cracks and stubbing toes on rocks if nothing else, but I know some folks really are comfortable in trail sandals. Trails will tear up your shoes though, so it's hard to go from a trail to wearing it walking around town with a skirt sometimes.

For comfortable walking around and to town, I like the silver #1 Eccos (but hard to get you mentioned), the #6 El Naturalista, and the Keens sandal. The wider straps on the last two seem likely to be more comfortable and look more modern to me.

harmonica

Veteran

Thank you all for the input!

sinead, Laura, rabbit: I agree that one pair of shoes/sandals can't do it all. Since the weather is unpredictable I'm always bringing rubber boots, trainers and gore-tex hiking boots. The sandals are in addition to these. Multiply it with 5 and then you have the total amount of shoe pairs we are bring bringing. All together there are 20 single shoes for a week in the mountains.

Of course I could bring an extra pair, but I'd be so happy if I could come up with a solution where I didn't need that. We won't be dining out. And the walks are not heavy or very long (at least not for an adult). I've been using my gear sandals for years around these areas and they do the job. The trainers, wellingtons and hiking boots come out when the weather requires it.

Noone around would care (or notice) if I wore gear sandals, so it is just to please my own fashion instinct

Vix: Thanks for the reasoning and the review about Ecco Bouillon. Grecian glamour sounds great!

Kat: I definately could do with a nice pedicure, too!!