Manolo the Columnist
Manolo says, here is the Manolo’s latest column for the Express of the Washington Post.
Dear Manolo,I am a graduate student, and I will be on the teaching staff for a short history course taught in Rome this summer. The class will involve walking around to monuments and museums, up to six hours each day. I’ll need extremely comfortable shoes, and cannot look like a hobo. Additionally, the professor leading the course strongly recommends not wearing open-toed sandals. Please help.
Lauren
Manolo says, frankly, the Manolo is somewhat perplexed by the professorial injunction against the sandals of open-toedness. Is the professor perhaps worried about foot comfort while walking? Respectable professional appearance for the teaching? The possibility that young Italian men will importune the assistant because she has exposed her alluring graduate student toes?
Whatever the reason, this restriction seems odd, for after all, did not the Romans themselves wear the sandals? And, as the saying goes, when in Rome, do as if the Romans did, especially if the gladiator sandals are super hot this season.
But, graduate students must generally heed the wishes of their professors, and so the Manolo would recommend these, the Stefany 05 from Geox, the exceedingly comfortable shoe that has the technology that “breathes” the sweat away from the foot.
And if you are going to be walking up to six hours a day in the summer, buy two pairs: one in your regular size, and then one a half-size larger. Keep the latter pair in your bag. After 4 hours on your feet, you will be very, very happy to be able to change into a fresh, slightly larger pair of shoes.
Oh Manolo … Rome is a romantic, headily exciting city that I adore. Rome is also, dare I say it, pretty dirty. And dusty. That’s why you’d want closed-toed shoes. Also, you might want them to be a darker color. I was very happy cavorting about Rome in a pair of black, flat, slightly sporty Mary-Janes all last summer.
Dear Manolo,
I was foolish enough to wear open-toed sandals when I visited the forum in Rome a couple of years ago. Underfoot there is a layer of fine stones and grit on all the dirt paths, and however carefully you try to pick up your feet whilst walking, pieces of grit find their way under your toes and feet – ouch! – and so make it difficult to concentrate on the fine monuments… the professor knows what he/she is talking about in this case!
And — buy them NOW and wear them a LOT before you head out! =) Break those puppies in.
Just to throw my two cents in I just did something similar and bought some cute flats by Privo. Here’s a link to a picture of them. They come in several colors. http://www.shoes.com/Shopping/ProductDetails.aspx?p=EC1078898&pg=5057761
I own the Geox Stefany in four different colors and can attest that it is a very comfortable walking shoe. Good call, Manolo!
Manolo, can we have another Build the Outfit contest soon?
Has Manolo seen the beautiful film “Away from Her”? There’s a scene in which Julie Christie gently challenges her retired husband professor for being seduced by his female students’ toes peeking out of sandals. . .
I lurve that movie, Miss Cavendish!!! Isn’t it horrible that I grew up not looking one bit like Julie Christie! Injustice, they name is bone structure (or in my case, lack thereof).
Is it just me or do other shoe lovers find the side seems unsightly?
Nancy, it is my humble opinion that if the rest of the outfit is sexy — as is the attitude because the feets do not hurt — then the seams are of comparatively minimal consequence.
It is Rome. You are at the Coliseum. One looks up, not down.