$59.95 quietly replaced $247. Summer looked different.
$59.95 quietly replaced $247. Summer looked different.
I have a small pile of sandals I do not wear. A $42 pair from a department store that rubbed my heel raw by 2pm. A $58 boutique pair that fell apart after one season. A $68 catalog pair with straps so stiff they cut in. A $79 pair I bought on impulse and wore exactly twice before I shoved them to the back of the closet.
That is $247 sitting in a pile. I had quietly decided that was just how it goes at my age. Comfy or cute. Pick one. I gave up on finding a sandal that looked like the woman I still feel like on the inside. So I kept reaching for the same three safe pairs and stopped shopping for myself.
I was half asleep scrolling one Tuesday when a friend sent me a link. I clicked. I saw the braided straps and the chunky white sole. I ordered one pair just to see. The first morning I wore them to the office, a coworker asked where I got them. That had not happened in years.
1.I made it through the whole afternoon on my feet.
1.I made it through the whole afternoon on my feet.
Last Saturday at the surprise brunch, I stood in my sister's backyard for almost four hours. Pouring coffee.
Hugging cousins. Walking back and forth to the kitchen island.
My feet still felt fine when I slid them off at home. I actually forgot to check my feet before bed.
2.I stopped feeling the pavement under my heel.
2.I stopped feeling the pavement under my heel.
The cushioned padded insole sits under the heel and arch. On a long afternoon, that soft layer quietly soaks up the little jolt of each step.
It is the difference between thinking about your feet and not thinking about your feet.
3.The straps gave without losing their shape.
3.The straps gave without losing their shape.
The braided elastic straps stretch and breathe at the same time. On a hot July afternoon they do not pinch or trap sweat.
My foot looked dressed up, not squeezed in.
4.I stopped retying my shoes in the middle of the party.
4.I stopped retying my shoes in the middle of the party.
The adjustable hook-and-loop closure lets me set the fit once and forget it. I walked across wet grass and uneven flagstone without one slip or re-tie.
The shoe stayed where I put it.
5.I picked my outfit Friday night without a backup pair.
5.I picked my outfit Friday night without a backup pair.
One summer ritual is back. I open the closet on Friday night and pick something I actually want to wear.
The dress stays the dress. The shoes stop being a problem I have to solve.
The spring sample is being cleared to make room for fall. Once this color run sells out, we cannot promise a restock at this number.
6.Nobody at the party called them orthopedic.
6.Nobody at the party called them orthopedic.
It does not look like a recovery sandal. The flexible non-slip outsole is chunky and white and very on-trend with cropped jeans, a midi dress, or linen on a warm evening.
Strangers at brunch just thought they were cute sandals.
7.I danced at the party in flat sandals.
7.I danced at the party in flat sandals.
By 9pm I was still standing at the dessert table. No propping myself against the counter.
No sliding my shoes off under the table. I drove home and did not think about my feet once in the car.
8.What readers wrote back, unprompted.
8.What readers wrote back, unprompted.
"I wore them to my daughter's backyard rehearsal dinner. I stood for four hours and forgot to check the mirror when I sat down. My husband said I looked like myself again."Janet, 58
"My granddaughter grabbed my foot and said, Grandma, those are pretty. I almost cried in the driveway. I bought a second pair in the cream color the next morning."Penny, 61
"I had stopped drifting away from group photos because I hated what I wore on my feet. This summer I stood in the front row for the first time in years. The sandals were the easy part."Linda, 52
9.A note from the woman who made them.
9.A note from the woman who made them.
I designed Carolann with my own feet in mind. I am a founder who actually walks to the studio in them.
I fought my sample room to keep the braided strap soft, not stiff. I chose the chunky white sole because the trend said slimmer and the customer said comfortable.
I will never chase a trend that punishes a real foot.
10.I stopped reaching for the same three safe pairs.
10.I stopped reaching for the same three safe pairs.
I had spent $247 on four pairs that did not last a summer. Carolann costs $59.95.
There is a 30-day window to send them back if they are not right. Now I reach past my old safe pile and pick something I actually like.
The mirror agrees.
The spring sample is being cleared to make room for fall. Once this color run sells out, we cannot promise a restock at this number.
Joanne K.AND +50,000 HAPPY CUSTOMERS