Nuevo Culture

These Shoes Are Made for Walking: A Roundup of the Most Comfortable Pairs

Photographed by Dorian Ulises López Macías, Vogue, March 2021.

It’s time for a pair of comfortable walking shoes. Here’s why: pre-pandemic, the beginning and end of each day was marked by leaving the house, keys and reusable coffee mug in hand, and returning home again as the day turned to night. Now, after a year spent at home, many of us are without commutes to mark the start and end of each day. It’s all too easy for the days to bleed into one another, but strapping on a pair of comfortable walking shoes and getting outside for a faux commute in the AM and again at sunset, can bring a semblance of normalcy to the day.

Vogue’s Culture Writer, Emma Specter, explains the rise of aimless and comforting “Silly Little Walks” perfectly in a recent article. “The 2021-era Silly Little Walk is a solo outdoor stroll taken with no real purpose, no direction or tacked-on errand; just a vague desire to be out among the living again after a year of isolation (or, more accurately, an understanding of just how crazy you’ll go if you spend one more second in your apartment).”

As Specter also points out, some of history’s greatest thinkers, from Henry David Thoreau to William Wordsworth, were avid walkers. The phenomenon of taking aimless walks will continue as the weather continues to grow warm. With walks an integral part of the day, there has never been a better time for a pair of comfortable walking shoes. Here, sporty and sleek pairs of comfortable walking shoes that will look as good as they feel all while helping bring some normalcy to your days.