I recently had the opportunity to try out a pair of "Joy" Mary Janes by Asgi, a new shoe company that creates comfortable women's shoes designed in Venice, Italy. Asgi boasts a state-of-the-art, patent-pending technology called Soleplex, combined with stylish designs. While these shoes aren't exactly cheap, I figured they'd be worth the hefty $145 pricetag if they could truly deliver on the comfort side.
So here's how they fared: They are comfortable. They are stylish. But are they my style? Gotta say no. A little too grown-up for my liking, if you know what I mean. But that doesn't mean you won't love them, everyone has their own taste, and if I saw these on someone else, I would certainly think she had excellent taste in footwear.
The heel is truly the best characteristic of this shoe, because after weeks of wearing nothing but flat gladiator sandals, my back was starting to kill, and I started to suspect it was because I was living in flats (either that or my incredibly bad posture while I'm on the computer.) The heels take some getting used to (be careful on stairs) but once you get used to them, you will feel lighter on your feet, and walk happily with a pain-free spring in your step!
The velcro straps stay put, they're easy to adjust and keep the shoe securely connected to your foot. I encountered some rubbing on my right foot along the seam of the shoe - my oddly shaped feet could be to blame, who knows. Left foot was fine, right foot was uncomfortable. The solution is to simply wear them in. After a few wears, they feel better already.
If fashionable comfort shoes is something you're interested in, I would definitely check out this brand because they have some very fashion-forward, creative styles for urban hipsters, gals on the go and just about anyone whose on their feet all day and still wants to make a fashion statement. This fall, Asgi will launch an innovative line of women's pumps and boots, something I look forward to seeing.
>> Shop for Asgi shoes at Nordstrom.com
About wearing flats, wear some Scholls insoles...they're the cure to relieve back pain and foot pain while wearing your flats.
At the same time, this style has been appropriated by a number of shoe brands that cater to everyone from cool teens (think Sketchers) to hipsters (think Campers) as well as the 40+ fashion set (think J.Jill). Each version has a subtle, different flavor and vibe.
Whereas I might wear, say, Puma Mary Janes, I wouldn't wear Merrell Mary Janes (unless I was hiking).
Bingkee: Would you consider wearing these Corso Como "Mary Janes"? They might be different enough not to remind you of Catholic school girl uniforms (which can be pretty cute, too!):
http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/36206711/c/8141.html
Anyways, I bought a pair of Naturalizer Mary Janes the other day at TJMaxx and I can't decide if they're too "treehugger" for me...I should post a pic and let you gals weigh in!
Cheers, BB
as for naturalizer, i've found that their shoes are comfortable when you try them on, but they don't withstand the test of time when you have them on all day. their brand used to be good, but unfortunately, once they moved their factories to china, the quality went down the toilet, as with most of the shoe companies, like 9 west, bandolino, enzo angiolini, etc.
I know it's considerably less pronounced/dorky, but I look at those Asgi heels and see Z-Coils. (http://www.zcoil.com/) Not my cuppa tea.
They just got in a really cute pair of Steve Madden mary jane called the "Canndid" they have a little more heel height for a much cuter look. The best part is they are under a $100!
They also carry brands like Jessica Simpson, MIA, BCBGirls and much more. Shop at robynmaries.com and save!
i've had a pair of their slipons for 3 yrs and they're as comfortable as the day i bought them. like butter.