YOU by Crocs: Get Crocs Comfort in Grown-Up Styles
I know it’s not particularly hip to say so, but I do love my Mary Jane Crocs.They are extremely comfortable, but unless you’re a kid, it’skind of hard to get away with wearing them 24/7 (plus my feet sweat inthem). I was happy to learn of Crocs’ offshoot lines such as Bite, Ocean Minded, and YOU by Crocs. Each has its own totally different concept and look but all incorporate Crocs‘trademark Croslite material, which the company defines as "aproprietary closed cell resin that is neither plastic nor rubber." Thebenefits in their signature line is that has great grippingcapabilities, odor-resistant, and is anti-microbial and won’t leavemarks on the floor. I was somewhat skeptical how these properties wouldtranslate to a shoe that is not primarily made of Croslite.
At $149 to $299 per pair, YOU by Crocsdoes not appear to have much in common with their Crocs line. However,pick up a pair ad look at the underside and you’ll see a piece of theCroslite material embedded into the footbed. Aside from branding, thatpiece helps with traction (as does the rest of the slip-resistantsole). It’s also present in the insole, which is warmed and softenedwith body heat, and molds to your foot. What they also have in commonis smart and ergonomic design. Standard features of all YOU by Crocsstyles is a roomy round toe box (where your toes can wiggle), balancedheels (heights range from flat to 3.5 inches), extra padding in keyfoot pressure points like the ball of the foot and heel, and leatheruppers and lining. Two of the styles in the Fall 2007 line received theErgonomicCertification for Comfort* by United States Ergonomics.
Click Continue Reading to see how well the shoes wore.
From the Spring 2008 line, I tried the Bali style ($120), the most perfect pair of flats I’ve ever worn. I chose red because I thought it would be a nice change from basic black and I’ve been able to wear them with nearly everything. I get tons of compliments on them, plus people always want to know if they’re comfortable because apparently, patent leather isn’t particularly flexible. Unlike wearing other flats without stockings, these did not rub at all. I am seriously going to buy two more pairs in black so I will be able to wear them forever!
Also from the Spring 2008 line, I tried the Mykonos style, $130, a Greek-inspired lace up open sandal, which is available in metallic and patent leather. For a strappy shoe that ties around your leg and ankle and has a toe thong thing, it is extremely comfortable, but it’s comfortable, period. I wore them for four days in a row and nary a blister. My only complaint has more to do with the nature of a tie-around-your-legs style than the comfort- no matter how tight I tie them, the tie loosens and falls down a bit around my ankles. I have to retie them a few times a day but I will take that over a shoe that cuts into my foot and leaves me with a limp!
Because I wanted to make sure that YOU by Crocs’ worked as high heels, I ordered a pair of the Algarve wedge sandals ($130) from the Summer 2008 collection. Now, I am not a heel person but I have to say that these are pretty durn comfy but only when I walked inside on carpeting. After walking a couple of blocks to and from the train, I developed blisters between my toe and ball of my foot despite the extra padding in the ball-of-the-foot area (like all of their styles) that’s supposed to avoid just that. Otherwise, the shoes were comfortable. Leather-lined elastic straps let my foot rotate on my ankle without rubbing or getting stretched out. I’m not sure if the blisters were a result of wearing the shoes all day or walking on pavement.
I have to say that one of my favorite things about YOU by Crocs is showing people the sole of the shoe and exclamining, "they’re Crocs!"
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