I now present the final shoe wardrobe lineup for my upcoming trip to Israel with the JWRP, the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project. As previously mentioned, the special challenge here is that the trip is exclusively for fashion influencers. That’s a lot of wardrobe pressure when everyone tells you to wear the most comfortable shoes you can find because of the heat and constant walking. Tack onto that challenge the fact that I have previously had surgery on both of my feet and usually wear custom orthotics, which one can’t wear with sandals.
As my associate stylist Kyle and I always say, there is DC comfortable and there is NYC comfortable. As much as I hate my new sedentary lifestyle (in DC), my feet really do hurt so much less than they used to, especially during sandal season. Kyle and I always pack multiple pairs of shoes for our epic NYC shopping trips, because we’ve learned you just can’t wear the same ones to shop all day for 3 days in a row. So 8 days of walking and needing to look fashionable? Now that is a good fashion stylist challenge! I’m up to it but have had some great input from Kyle and Ella, our summer intern. Keep reading for all of the shoppable details!
Happy (shoe) shopping!
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Ella, Kyle, and I spent about 30 minutes at Nordstrom debating between the silver, gold and rose gold patent Birkenstocks. We decided that silver would go best with the irrational number of blue dresses in my wardrobe, although unfortunately I am deficient in silver earrings to match. I’ll have to deal with that situation at a later date! Style tip 1: Look for Birkenstocks with the new “soft footbed” (they have a layer of memory foam) for extra comfort. They are a whole lot comfier than the original version. I’ve basically been wearing them every day since I got them. Style tip 2: Wear in your Birkenstocks for about a month before a big trip. The contrast white bottom also adds an element of style!
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Birkenstock “Arizona” Soft Footbed Sandal, $135
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I was awaiting an online order of what I thought would be my dressy black sandals for my trip, when I bumped into this pair by NR Rapisardi at Betsy Fisher. Can you tell I’ve been doing too much shopping there lately? She has awesome shoes! These ones flew out of her store but you can still get your own pair here. They are so comfortable I literally felt my already hurting feet feel better the longer I wore them.
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NR Rapisardi Guia Casual Platform Sandal, $130
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Kyle found this pair of black leather Tevas for me on the Nordstrom website. I knew that Tevas, as well as a pair of black shoes for walking, were what was missing from my trip shoe wardrobe, so this black leather combo of the two needs is perfect. Although I would have loved a pair of black patent Birkenstocks, I know that I will need to be alternating types of shoes to make it through the whole trip with as few blisters and pains as possible. As an extra bonus, the back of the shoes has a thread detail in different shades of purple. Bingo! (P.S. For those of you who don’t know, Tevas are having their fashion moment alongside Birkenstocks. You just have to know which ones are fashionable.)
Teva “Original Universal” Sandal, $90
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Do you remember the post on these new, exciting Birkenstocks made from EVA? I purchased them as a grown-up answer to flip-flops. A year in and I am still in love with them. Kyle and I both have them and wear them in the office as well as at the beach. I’m calling these my Dead Sea shoes. As a bonus, I already owned them! New this year, they come in both the Madrid and Arizona styles. The picture below is from a splash park we took the kids to in Chicago, but I’m wearing them today with a cute dress outfit. That’s versatility!
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Birkenstock Madrid EVA Sandal, $30
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What do you think? Am I missing anything? Please let me know!
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Lani Inlander is a personal stylist, working with clients who want to feel their best and look put-together every day. You can find her in the D.C. and New York metropolitan areas.
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