I initially dismissed the Stan Smith trend for two reasons. First, it had a strong association with a particular person. I never buy items to emulate somebody, but I will opt out of trends if they're spawned by certain individuals or families. And second, I didn't think they'd fit.

That said, in the past few days, I decided to give to them a try because I was getting desperate for a pair of zero-drop sneakers that would stick to the gym floor while I benched. Funny, right? Not the most sartorial of motivations, I admit.

When I went to order them, I learned that they were a D width, ideal for wider feet. Even better, they're flat and can easily accommodate 3/4 dress orthotics on top of the insole. You could easily rip the insole out, too, if you wanted. Now, I hadn't considered the orthotic factor in my shoe hunt in years because I've been wearing a kind of toe retainer (fixed toe spacers). Unfortunately, the combination of that retainer and my Sorel wedges, I believe, has given me a painful corn or spur between my toes, leaving me in search of a pair of shoes that can accommodate orthotics. I didn't think the gym and orthotic solution might lie in this pair of shoes, but that very well might be the case. Plus, they look ok, too.