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!

AAWP Members at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine

Sheryl Strich, DPM, and President of AAWP along with the student chapter members of the New York College of Podiatric Medicine.

Aerosoles

This company defines comfort and style for all ages. Visit www.aerosoles.com to see what I mean.

Featured Article: Can I find comfort and style in a shoe?

Erin Glass, columnist for the San Diego Union Tribune recently interviewed Dr. Strich, Dr. Horton, and I on our opinions regarding style, comfort and what we suggest when it comes to wearing heels. She wrote a fantastic article which can be found below: 

Can I find comfort and style in a shoe? -Erin Glass 

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/24/can-i-find-comfort-and-style-in-a-shoe/#comment-47266326

Shoe Components

Shoes have five major components that we will refer to when discussing the many styles of shoes that women wear. This will come in handy when presented with the question of why we own so many shoes.

·       The toe box is the tip of the shoe that provides space for the toes. The shape of the toe box can be round, pointed, or squared which determines the positioning of the toes inside the shoe. Naturally, a wider toe box is more accommodating to the anatomical arrangement of the toes.

·       The vamp is the upper middle part of the shoe that covers the dorsum of the foot. In this area there can be laces, buckles or some other adornment.

·       The sole has two components, an insole and an outsole. The insole is located on the inside of the shoe, and the outsole, obviously is on the outside and exposed to the ground.

·       The heel is the bottom part of the rear of the shoe that provides height. For women, unless you’re Prince or a member of an 80’s rock band, the heel can range from completely flat to several inches high.

·       The counter is the rear of the shoe that provides support for the heel of your foot and the posterior aspect of the ankle joint. Many of us have had to place band-aids on the back of our feet because in a new shoe the upper edge of the counter rubs against our skin and acts as an irritant.

The material that is used to make the shoe makes a huge difference in fit and comfort. Softer materials like calf leather can decrease the amount of pressure applied to areas that may be irritated due to bunions or hammering of the toe. Stiffer materials like ostrich, rubber or plastic can cause painful blisters where they didn’t exist or inflame the pre-existing ones.

Contributed by: Tomika Coleman

tcoleman@americanwomenpodiatrists.com

REVIEW: ALDO Donelan

After strolling around Las Vegas for three nights in these ultra comfy DONELAN peep-toe pumps from Aldo, I felt like a review would be the be the only way I could do these shoes some justice.

The DONELAN pump is an incredibly stable shoe. The generous upper-front coverage with zipper held my foot in safe and securely and it made walking on uneven ground, in a normal stride length and speed quite easy. The last thing I would want is to walk around in an unstable shoe in fear of spraining my ankle with every step I take. Having said that, the four inch, and very thin heel didn’t really concern me. The DONELAN is made of extremely soft, stretchable leather that quickly conformed to my somewhat wide foot.  In addition, the peep-toe offers generous space for the toes and breathability which is something I really like.

However, I would recommend some sort of cushioning insert for this pump, especially at the metatarsal heads because of how high the heel is and the force that the met heads endure with every step taken. By the last night in Las Vegas, the balls of my feet were inevitably sore.

As a normal and frequent heel-wearer, I noticed that I could withstand wearing these hot heels for a longer period of time than I can usually bear wearing heels for. They are great for in between the winter and spring seasons and can be worn with so many different outfits – dressy or casual. So ladies, my final verdict for the Aldo DONELAN peep-toe pumps is that they are podiatrically correct if you’re looking for a comfortable, stylish heel that you predict on wearing for about 3-5 hours at a time.