Cut to the shape of an actual foot and flexible/minimalistic sole. I live in the Midwest, so I’ll compromise some ok sole thickness in the winter. Standing in snow with my kid at the bus stop in minimalistic soles and even thicker socks makes for quick feet.
Shape of your foot? I don’t understand why you would want your toes/foot contorted. I do not understand shoes that have a point in the middle of them. Either you’re smashing your toes together or your making something stick out in front of your foot that will mess up your gate.
Minimalistic sole? This will get you landing more softly on your heel and help you use the balls of your feet more. It’s amazing to me how thick/soft the soles of some shoes are. I suspect they’re necessary to compensate for the way a lot of us walk.
My feet feel fantastic and my motion feels very natural.
Cut to the shape of an actual foot […] I don’t understand why you would want your toes/foot contorted
So much this! This is literally my criteria 1, 2 and 3 when choosing a sneaker, too.
And there is now so little choice! Bullet-shaped sneakers have basically won the war against foot-shaped sneakers. I get the idea of design memes (think: fins on 1950s cars) but personally this one is completely mystifying to me. After all, sneakers code as “masculine”, but what is less masculine than something that looks like a ballet shoe?? I don’t get it!
Come to think of it, maybe that’s the explanation - maybe it’s a corporate plot to make sports shoes unisex?
BTW my two go-to vintage solutions are the New Balance 574 and the Onitsuka Ultimate 81. Coz it seems sneakers weren’t shaped like medieval court shoes back in the early 80s! But get this: as far as I can tell, the Ultimate 81s are no longer produced and Asics has replaced them with a carbon-copy “new look” model which seem identical in every way except one - yes, they are now bullet-shaped! It’s crazymaking!
For the sake of sanity (and budget) I’ve decided to give up and go with the flow. Currently rocking a pair of Under Armour which are un-foot-shaped and ugly as hell but comfortable enough.
There has been a consolidation of the major brands, but there’s a pretty solid niche market around foot shaped shoes.
Vibrams are the extreme. Birkenstock sneakers are pretty well shaped, but their soles are a bit rigid. I don’t mean that in a comfort way, I mean that in a bendable way.
More recent, to me at least, entrants are groundies, xero shoes, Barebarics, belenka, and a ton more.
To clarify, I’m in Europe. None of these brands are available in shops, you’d have to order them.
Just the way you guys are reeling off all these names is so American! Reminds me of the trope of asking advice on the internet. “What should I use to clean my shower?” - Americans will list 10 brand-names, Europeans will say “bleach”. :)
Cut to the shape of an actual foot and flexible/minimalistic sole. I live in the Midwest, so I’ll compromise some ok sole thickness in the winter. Standing in snow with my kid at the bus stop in minimalistic soles and even thicker socks makes for quick feet.
Shape of your foot? I don’t understand why you would want your toes/foot contorted. I do not understand shoes that have a point in the middle of them. Either you’re smashing your toes together or your making something stick out in front of your foot that will mess up your gate.
Minimalistic sole? This will get you landing more softly on your heel and help you use the balls of your feet more. It’s amazing to me how thick/soft the soles of some shoes are. I suspect they’re necessary to compensate for the way a lot of us walk.
My feet feel fantastic and my motion feels very natural.
So much this! This is literally my criteria 1, 2 and 3 when choosing a sneaker, too.
And there is now so little choice! Bullet-shaped sneakers have basically won the war against foot-shaped sneakers. I get the idea of design memes (think: fins on 1950s cars) but personally this one is completely mystifying to me. After all, sneakers code as “masculine”, but what is less masculine than something that looks like a ballet shoe?? I don’t get it!
Come to think of it, maybe that’s the explanation - maybe it’s a corporate plot to make sports shoes unisex?
BTW my two go-to vintage solutions are the New Balance 574 and the Onitsuka Ultimate 81. Coz it seems sneakers weren’t shaped like medieval court shoes back in the early 80s! But get this: as far as I can tell, the Ultimate 81s are no longer produced and Asics has replaced them with a carbon-copy “new look” model which seem identical in every way except one - yes, they are now bullet-shaped! It’s crazymaking!
For the sake of sanity (and budget) I’ve decided to give up and go with the flow. Currently rocking a pair of Under Armour which are un-foot-shaped and ugly as hell but comfortable enough.
There has been a consolidation of the major brands, but there’s a pretty solid niche market around foot shaped shoes.
Vibrams are the extreme. Birkenstock sneakers are pretty well shaped, but their soles are a bit rigid. I don’t mean that in a comfort way, I mean that in a bendable way.
More recent, to me at least, entrants are groundies, xero shoes, Barebarics, belenka, and a ton more.
To clarify, I’m in Europe. None of these brands are available in shops, you’d have to order them.
Just the way you guys are reeling off all these names is so American! Reminds me of the trope of asking advice on the internet. “What should I use to clean my shower?” - Americans will list 10 brand-names, Europeans will say “bleach”. :)