PRIVO SHOES

Posted by Dr. Sheryl

I loved my last season Privo flats. They were unbelievably comfortable...arch supported, cushioned, enough wiggle room for my toes, lightweight and flexible. Casual, low heeled and stable - just perfect for walking all over the place. My feet never hurt or felt tired in them. I could walk for miles. They were pretty popular with all my Pilates friends. Definite daytime shoes. This picture of them is after a whole season of wear. You can see that they held up pretty well.

So last week I went to the Nordstrom's sale and bought another pair of Privo's. Same brand, different style. The shoes in the color that I wanted needed to be shipped from a different location. Unfortunately, there may be a problem with quality control. Although the shoes in the store fit fine, these had issues. One shoe was quite comfortable, but the other shoe had some type of stiff material that actually hurt the top of my foot.

I like Privo's and hope that they fix this problem.

Evaluation Criteria - The Parameters

1. Is the shoe heavy or lightweight?
2. Is the shoe made of a material that is soft and flexible?
3. Does the shoe have an arch that is supportive for the foot?
4. Does the shoe have a comfortable and cushioning insole?
5. Does the shoe have a stable heel height / heel width?
6. Does the shoe have adequate space for the toes?
7. Does the shoe keep the foot stable and balanced?
8. How long can you wear the shoe before feeling your feet ache?
9. Is the shoe fashionable and trendy?
10. Would you recommend this shoe for the daytime, evening, or both?

Blogger Contribution: Mariola Rivera AAWP-NYCPM

Melissa Plastic Shoes easily 
mold to your feet ...

by Mariola Rivera, New York College of Podiatric Medicine

Do you care about your feet? Do you like to wear comfortable fashionable shoes? Melissa shoes is ideal for your feet and you can wear them all day long.

From a student-podiatrist point of view we evaluate the new fantastic Brazilian plastic shoes from the company called Melissa. This Brazilian footwear factory is creating very stylish shoes with collaborations from famous designers and architects such as Vivienne Westwood, Zaha Hadid, Jean Paul Gautier, and Gaetano Pesce.  These jelly dream shoe styles come in flats, wedges, boots and low heels --ideal for girls and women. Recently, they also created Melissa Mini, a jelly shoe collection for babies. In the new 2010 collection by Gaetano Pesce for Melissa, Pesce created plastic ankle boots that with a pair of scissors, you can easily  transform into a pair of jelly flats or sandals. They come in every color starting from classics like black and white and finishing with funky colors such as yellow or pink. In addition to being fashionable, what is surprising us is how comfortable these shoes really are. What makes Melissa shoes unique is that they are made of a patented thermoplastic material called Melflex, composed of a flexible Polyvinyl Chloride material used to compose the jelly-like soles. This is ideal for the ball of your foot and molds specifically to every individual's foot. They recycle plastic material and process it into a very smooth and manageable jelly material that molds to your feet comfortably. In conclusion, not only are these shoes environmentally friendly, but I highly recommend them to women who are fashion forward and looking for comfort while staying green at the same time!