I bought the boots everyone hated (pics)

[kirra]

I bought them. I have an alternative to tennis shoes now The ugly parts will be covered up by my jeans anyway. If you look at the left photo, you can see how the ankle brace goes higher than the boot, so they would look uneven if I wore them with anything else. 

I agree that they're kinda hideous, but I can walk in them. 

Here's the link to official pictures: www.clarksusa.com/eng/product/orinocco_sash/26066392

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[lime]

Actually, with the jeans, they look very minimal and sleek.

What's the backstory with the brace?

I'm recovering from a broken toe, so I can wear running shoes (super sexy and professional with a suit at work!), keds or flip flops.

Hope your recovery is speedy!

[kirra]

Oct 2, 2013 19:38:33 GMT -5 lime said:

Actually, with the jeans, they look very minimal and sleek.

What's the backstory with the brace?

I'm recovering from a broken toe, so I can wear running shoes (super sexy and professional with a suit at work!), keds or flip flops.

Hope your recovery is speedy!

Yeah, I kinda like them with the jeans. I just hate them by themselves. 

Backstory for the brace... A car wreck that tore up my right knee and ankle a couple of years ago, then a diagnosis of ehlers danlos syndrome hypermobility type, so repairing the damage isn't an option. I'm hopefully braced forever, lol. If I ever tear the ligaments all the way through I'll have no choice but an ankle reconstruction, but the EDS would make it complicated and problematic, so the plan is to keep it braced indefinitely. 

Shoes with injuries can certainly be problematic at work or just about any other time. I hope you recover quickly and can get back to normal shoes.

[lime]

Oh man, so sorry to hear about your car accident. That's terrible.

I'm glad the brace is a long term solution for you, rather than surgery. 

[snickers]

With the buckles covered, I don't hate them!!

[kirra]

Oct 2, 2013 19:53:24 GMT -5 snickers said:

With the buckles covered, I don't hate them!!

Lol I really did try to find an alternative. This was it. I definitely don't love them, but I was so tired of tennis shoes for everyday. I have cute flats for special occasions, but I can't wear them for long or walk very far in them, so their use is limited. And I've been wearing tennis shoes everyday for the last two and a half years. I'm sick of them. 

[snickers]

Oct 2, 2013 19:57:11 GMT -5 kirra said:

Oct 2, 2013 19:53:24 GMT -5 snickers said:

With the buckles covered, I don't hate them!!

Lol I really did try to find an alternative. This was it. I definitely don't love them, but I was so tired of tennis shoes for everyday. I have cute flats for special occasions, but I can't wear them for long or walk very far in them, so their use is limited. And I've been wearing tennis shoes everyday for the last two and a half years. I'm sick of them. 

I bet!
Hey, if the shoe fits, wear it!

[kirra]

Oct 2, 2013 19:51:12 GMT -5 lime said:

Oh man, so sorry to hear about your car accident. That's terrible.

I'm glad the brace is a long term solution for you, rather than surgery. 

Eh. It is what it is. Bad things happen every day. You just have to deal. But thanks. 

I'm glad the brace is a long term solution too  

[Deleted]

I like them with the jeans!

I finally found two pairs of boots today that I LOVE, and I'm thinking I won't post them on here because I don't want to know if they're hideous. Haha.

[kirra]

Oct 2, 2013 20:55:20 GMT -5 @pixiechinchilla said:

I like them with the jeans!

I finally found two pairs of boots today that I LOVE, and I'm thinking I won't post them on here because I don't want to know if they're hideous. Haha.

Lol I can relate, except that I never loved these. 

They told me I was better off in tennis shoes. 

[Booze Raccoon]

I actually like them.

[kirra]

Oct 2, 2013 20:58:46 GMT -5 Que? said:

Somewhere, right now, @booby is dying a slow death.

I'm sure she is. 

But really, the desperation of two and a half years of nothing but tennis shoes... And shopping, and shopping, and this is the only pair of shoes that I could walk in and that fit over the brace... I caved.

[kirra]

Oct 2, 2013 20:59:38 GMT -5 Booze Raccoon said:

I actually like them.

Lol thanks. You might get flamed for that. 

[kirra]

Oct 2, 2013 21:47:04 GMT -5 @booby said:

Oct 2, 2013 21:00:17 GMT -5 kirra said:

I'm sure she is. 

But really, the desperation of two and a half years of nothing but tennis shoes... And shopping, and shopping, and this is the only pair of shoes that I could walk in and that fit over the brace... I caved.

i am torn.

on one hhand, they are hideous. onthe other hand, i am sympathetic to your situation. it sucks that you have a painful injury and for such a loong time.

let's leave it at this: i think you could have done better but i am happy you found something comfy that gives you an option besides tennis shoes.

Do you have any suggestions? I'd be happy to hear them. I really would like non hideous shoes

Issues I ran into:
1) Many don't fit around the ankle brace because it's too wide
2) Heels. I can't wear them.
3) They have to be stable. I don't know boot brands, so if you have recommendations for ones that have good support and are stable, I'd love them.
4) For taller boots, they have to fit over the ankle brace and a knee brace that starts two inches above the ankle brace.

And assuming I found a pair of tall boots that worked around braces (as of next week, I'm adding ankle and knee braces on the left leg) I don't know what I would wear with them. Skinny pants are what most people wear, right? My knee braces have hinges that add an inch and a half on a each side of my knee.

[lime]

How high up does the brace go? Just mid-calf?

Maybe if you found a slouchy knee high boot you could just hem your pants/leggings to come above the brace, but below the boot top?

[kirra]

Oct 2, 2013 22:24:17 GMT -5 lime said:

How high up does the brace go? Just mid-calf?

Maybe if you found a slouchy knee high boot you could just hem your pants/leggings to come above the brace, but below the boot top?

You can see the cut off of the right ankle brace in one of the photos, I think. It goes four or five inches above my ankle. The right knee brace goes from about eight inches above my knee to about six or seven inches below it. There is only two and a half or three inches between the two braces. 

Next week I'm getting braces for the left knee and ankle, and they'll be slightly different, but pretty similar. 

[kirra]

Oct 2, 2013 22:20:56 GMT -5 @booby said:

i dont think i can make any recs, it sounds like you just need to try stuff on. look for a slouchy ankle boot, there are a lot out there. and get a stretchier legging or slim pant (instead of skinny). you can do it!

Dumb question. Where do you shop for boots? I've tried on every pair at Belk, Dillard's, DSW, and Shoe Carnival, as well as the Clarks store. I've ordered from Zappos before, so I know that's an option, but it's a lot of returning. I prefer to try on if at all possible. 

I can find stretchier pants that fit over the braces, but they make me feel... Uncomfortable. They highlight the braces. Instead of noticing if you look closely, you notice at the first glance. I hate it. BUT, if I found cute boots, maybe they would distract from that a little?

ETA: one of the problems I ran into with slouchy boots was that they're flexible, unlike the ugly pair. The ugly pair acts somewhat like a second brace on top of my actual brace, so I can get away with a less stable shoe than I would otherwise need. 

[kirra]

Thanks everyone for being nice

The things that are hardest emotionally aren't always the things I would expect to be hard. Things like shoe shopping should be normal, yet it's awful. And clothes shopping isn't much better. By the time I've accommodated for all the issues, I've gotten rid of most of the cute options.

I'd just like to be seen as cute and normal. So I try to cover up the braces, which works a little bit.

[lime]

Hmm... I feel like my suggestions are rather lame and unhelpful, but I think the next thing to try would to be to go to a large dept store like Nordstrom or Macy's that has hundreds of boots and explain the situation to them.

You might end up paying a bit more for a pair, but if it is something that you wear everyday, then it might be worth it.

I really do think the ones you posted will get you through the fall/winter/spring, though.

[kirra]

Oct 2, 2013 22:54:17 GMT -5 lime said:

Hmm... I feel like my suggestions are rather lame and unhelpful, but I think the next thing to try would to be to go to a large dept store like Nordstrom or Macy's that has hundreds of boots and explain the situation to them.

You might end up paying a bit more for a pair, but if it is something that you wear everyday, then it might be worth it.

I really do think the ones you posted will get you through the fall/winter/spring, though.

Paying for shoes I can walk in is cheaper than paying medical bills for falls. 

We don't have a Nordstrom or a Macy's here, but there are some a couple of hours away. I can make the trip at some point. 

Sales people tend to be either incredibly helpful or infuriating, and there isn't much in between. I buy a lot of clothes from specific people at White House Black Market because their customer service is stellar, they remember me when I come in, and they always go the extra mile in figuring out which clothes will work as is and which would work with some tailoring. 

ETA: don't think your suggestions are lame and unhelpful