Patagonia Men’s Larry Shoe Review

Well Larry, it has been a great year.  So, we decided to finish 2010 with a post about you, Larry the shoe.  First of all, we must disclose that we are big Patagonia fans.  Not only does Patagonia care about our planet, but they make extraordinary gear and also care about your feet (and apparently a guy named Larry.) Now on to the shoe review.

Larry is internationally inspired. The Patagonia Men’s Larry was inspired along the beautiful Italian Portofino Coast.

Larry is light-weight. No need for a New Years diet here, it’s only 9 ounces.  The shoe is extra light because of the high quality comfort provided by an Italian wool upper.  Larry should  keep you dry.  Remember, wool and feet are a good combo.

Larry is stitched – he won’t come un-glued. Nope, this shoe doesn’t require any sticky solvents or adhesives, because the Larry has an elegantly stitched outsole.

Larry also recycles. The midsole is 20% recycled EVA.  Take comfort both physically and mentally.

Larry’s got mudflaps. With this shoe you can transition from town to trail.  Actually its nubuck leather mudguards provide extra protection for your feet.   Keep on truckin’.

There you have it,  Patagonia really does care about you, your feet, planet earth and Larry.

The Shoes of the Day, The Patagonia Men’s Larry.

Patagonia Men's Larry Shoe

Buy them if: Your name is Larry.  You know, love and trust the Patagonia brand.  You like mudflaps.

Forget about them if: You like heavy, uncomfortable, glue-laden and 100% un-recycled shoes.

Happy New Shoe Year Larry!

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Aetrex Gramercy Shoes Review

A true sign of old age is when you like “slipping on” your shoes rather than tying them.  We received these shoes from our friends at Aetrex a few months ago, and have nearly worn them out.  Of my 15 pairs of dress shoes, only 3 have laces.  Yes, when it comes to dress shoes, I am partial to slip-ons.  Most slip-ons look like- well, they look like slip-ons.  We have enjoyed these shoes so much we have outlined 5 reasons that your next pair of dress shoes should be Aetrex Gramercy G220 Slip-ons.

1. Comfort.  Most dress shoes on the market take a few months to break-in because the leather is stiff. Also, the soles on traditional dress shoes aren’t forgiving.  These are some of the most comfortable dress shoes because of the incredible cushion from the sole.
2. Customization.  No two feet are the same.  Aetrex has created a way to customize your shoes to your feet in a way that no one else on the market does.  It’s called “Mozaic” The innovative insoles have a numbered grid, you can remove the little squares to create a custom fit for your feet.
3. No Laces.  Easy to slide on and simple to take off.
4. Soft genuine leather upper.  The luxurious “Hand Burnished” leather takes the word supple to a whole new level.
5. Dress them up or dress them down. Not a problem if you wear jeans, these shoes look great with denim.  Are you are a slacker; I mean you wear slacks, these shoes work with those too.

Image Courtesy Aetrex Footwear

Pros: Soft supple leather uppers that have instant comfort built-in.
Cons:  The mid-sole has a tough time keeping its fresh polished look.  But the comfort is worth the minor cosmetic scuffing.
Buy them if: care about your feet feeling and looking good.   Also, if you’re seeking a comfortable shoe that is easy to break-in with some customization for your feet.
Forget about them if: you like your hard crispy leather dress shoes that you know you will wear someday, when the blister goes away.
Disclosure: I received these shoes complementary from Aetrex.  If I didn’t like them, I wouldn’t have written about them.

Below are our top 10 best shoe pictures!

Best Trail Running Shoes: This is a picture from one of shoes of the day’s good friends Matt G, runner and outdoor extraordinaire!

Best On-The-Court Shoes: The New Air Jordan 1 Alpha shoes that will release in early 2010. Worn by Dwyane Wade.

Best Business Shoes:  In the Business category, it’s hard to beat Google’s Co-Founder Sergey Brin sporting the Vibram Five Fingers.

Dancing Shoes: John Fluevog best picture of a shoe integrated with a dancing cartoon.  John’s site has some hot shoes, you should probably check it out. (disclaimer: shoes of the day has no affiliation with Mr. Fluevog.  We think he’s got some unique kicks are fun to look at.)

*Image Courtesy Fluevog Shoes

Tribute Shoes: Michael Jackson’s Moonwalking shoes Selling for $33,343 Here

Graduation Shoes: Chuck Taylor’s all lined up. Here

Best Shoe Lighting Display: Lights on the Chucks!  See them Here.

Greenest Background shoes: Feeling Green?  Me too! Here

Best Wedding Shoes: Time to tie the knot?  Here

Enjoy Every Minute Shoes: They “Grow Up Too Fast.” Here

Submit your shoes or shoe photos by contacting us at: reviews |at| shoesoftheday |dot| com

Love the new optimized work space at Zappos!

*Image Courtesy blogs.zappos.com

Work space is at a premium these days – so bunk up!

Happy Presidents Day!  Each Monday, we go back to work and address our own individual business challenges – your shoes shouldn’t be one of those challenges.   So, each Monday we are going to review shoes that will make your feet look and feel great on the first day of the week.  However, today I was thinking about the oval office and what shoes I would want on my feet if I were the President.  If I were the President for one day, I would want a pair of shoes that would offer a few fantastic features:

• Lighten my load.  I would want shoes that would help lighten the load and evenly distribute the weight which would be on the shoulders of a president.

• Look cool walking around.  I would welcome the increased style in my posture and gait.  Besides, isn’t there plenty of sitting that goes on in Washington already.  A pair of shoes where I could get up, walk around, and look good doing it.

• Built-in wake up calls.  The promised activation of neglected muscles – now that’s a stimulus package that I could believe in!

• Help with the numbers. Increased rear-end( buttock) muscle activity – as I am sure it (the rear-end) gets its share of lactic acid build up and a fair share of kicking.

• Help! my back!  I would love shoes that would strengthen my spine subconsciously.  Consciously, don’t we need more strong spines in Washington?  Well, more spines in Washington would be great, period!  Don’t you agree?

• Consensus – something my whole body could agree on.  A shoe that would activate my whole body while in use.  Let’s get everyone in the House and Senate some of these shoes!

Well President, on this special day that is dedicated to you, we looked long and hard and found a pair of shoes that will do all of the above and more for you!  We recommend the new “business on top, party on the bottom” Karani shoes by MBT.  The MBT Karani’s have a rocking chair style bottom which will keep you rocking all day long.  President Barack Obama already has a pretty district strut – imagine what these MBT’s would do to add to it!  Here is a word of caution, there is required break-in time with these shoes – MBT recommends that you work up to wearing them all day,  take a few hours the first week and get your body used to the unique sole.

Do you want to look Presidential in all that you do, buy a suit and tie and a pair of MBT shoes and you are on your way.   Don’t forget to mention this helpful shoe recommendation from your friends at shoes of the day when you run in 2012.

Take a closer look by clicking on the MBT shoe below:

In the city, a black custom “caf” is something you find at Starbucks. “Yeah, I’ll take a grande, triple-caf-half-decaf-double-shot-mocha-mocha.”

In the country, a black custom “calf” is something you find standing next to a cow, although it isn’t rare to see a heifer with a calf at Starbucks. However, I’ve heard that the best custom black calves on the ranch are pure-bred Texas Longhorns, right Mike?

At Allen-Edmonds, Black Custom Calfs are something made exclusively for executive feet. Curl you pinky, grab your tall cold glass of whatever and your cigar, it’s Mr. Steven Stevenson’s mission to completely maintain emerging sources in order to assertively disseminate mission-critical catalysts for change — you can’t say that and get away with it wearing anything less than Allen-Edmonds shoes on your feet, hey Sayges?

Clean sleek lines give this strikingly handsome slip-on dress shoe a very professional look. Subtly catch people’s attention with the rounded toebox with center seam detail, stitching apron style front overlay and matching collar overlay. The smooth leather lining has a cushioned leather-topped insole. The traction patterned dress style outsole is complete with a one-inch capped dress heel. (Glad we had our anatomy lesson yesterday). The sans-lace, metal-less, 100% pure animal calfhide, make this smooth burnished slip style shoe extremely airport-friendly for the executive traveler. This shoe falls into the high-end category, and has everything you would expect from a shoe in the triple-digit price range.

The Shoes of the Day: Allen-Edmonds Men’s Steen Black Custom Calf.

Just be very careful when you “caf“– I’ve heard that can be crazy, especially in Canada!