by Folade Bell

It’s an age-old fashion dilemma, comfort or style?

I’ve scoffed at many women choosing comfort as they catch the bus or run lunch errands in sneakers and a suit, who more than likely switch back to heels when return to the office.

I’ve always reasoned that ruining your whole look with a pair of sneakers is never worth it. I mean, who takes the time to put an entire outfit together just to annihilate it with cross-trainers? Everyone knows that your shoes can make or break your outfit; AND, undeniably, your shoes are the first and/or last thing anyone notices. Translation: they’re the most important part of pulling your look together.

Knowing all of this, I made the risky decision to wear sneakers with a black sundress of mine. It was tough. I went back and forth in my head, recognizing the fact that if I saw myself on the street, I’d shake my head in mild amusement and with little understanding or empathy. Despite my admitted past judgments, I’ve recently grown up a little and have been faced with new experiences, such as:

1. having to walk everywhere, forcing me to reevaluate the sturdiness of my shoes and the prevention of blisters
2. the unfortunate dynamic of the fact that my feet sweat, therefore I have to constantly consider the slipping and sliding factor I might incur
3. and my desperate need for a pedicure (which is always a given, but even more so in NY when sandals are necessary in this heat and your feet are always on display; plus I have BIG feet, so they’re hard to miss)

Taking all of the above into consideration, I solemnly came to the conclusion that for the first time in my short time here on earth, I was going to wear sneakers and a dress. On purpose. And not to arrive somewhere and then change into my “real” shoes, but to wear, all day long!

I’m asking myself why, even though I already know the answer. But for those of you who aren’t privy to the stream of thoughts running around in my head, I was following in Mia’s footsteps and looking for an apartment. I was meeting with a broker who actually recommended I wear sneakers, but what did he know?

Apparently, everything!

From the jump, I was running late and had to cover 20 blocks in 20 minutes! I didn’t cab it or catch the bus or the subway because I’m saving every dime until I get a place. Plus, I’m happy for the forced exercise. Luckily, I’m tall and my stride is long so it wasn’t long before I made it to my broker’s office, but not without breaking a sweat.

From that point on we covered a lot of ground. The blocks were long, the air was moist and the clouds threatened rain. All the while I never once thought about my feet. In fact, I completely forgot I was wearing sneakers; that’s how comfortable my feet were. I can understand the appeal.

Will this become a habit? Probably not. But, I did learn that fashion is about adapting, and the more life experiences I have, the less judgmental I become.

Grow up people! I had too!