Chic ways to wear Birkenstocks

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#1,576
Maybe you all birk lovers can help me.

I like my Birkenstocks but I can only wear the shearling footbed ones because the cork footbed gives me a blister right under the ball of my foot. No amount of breaking them in fixes it. If I tighten the straps, I get blisters on the top of my feet.

I tried the EVA and I hate them because my feet sweat and then it makes a squishing noise.

Do I just not have Birkenstock feet? They are so comfortable as long as I can reduce the friction on the bottoms of my feet.
 
#1,577
pasdedeux1 said:
Maybe you all birk lovers can help me.

I like my Birkenstocks but I can only wear the shearling footbed ones because the cork footbed gives me a blister right under the ball of my foot. No amount of breaking them in fixes it. If I tighten the straps, I get blisters on the top of my feet.

I tried the EVA and I hate them because my feet sweat and then it makes a squishing noise.

Do I just not have Birkenstock feet? They are so comfortable as long as I can reduce the friction on the bottoms of my feet.
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My DH gets a ball of the foot blister from Birkenstocks bc he has relatively flat feet. He switched to another brand. He can wear H chypres, but only for short walks. His sandal of choice is a Manolo mens with back strap around the back of his heel.

If the shearling ones work for you, perhaps the soft footbed ones might be worth a try? I’ve also read somewhere that ball of foot blisters may be caused by a shoe that is too loose. Perhaps the shearling ones fill up the volume of the foot. . .
i also have shearling arizonas, and I don’t feel the metatarsal bump as strongly. Just a guess unfortunately :hugs:

ETA: I just realized that the leather thong Birkenstocks gave me a ball of the foot blister and led to my current preference for arizonas. Not sure if that makes any difference to your situation though.

i also forgot to mention, my foot doctor does not want me to wear Birkenstocks. Hes an excellent doctor; works on professional ballet dancers; and, diagnosed my ankle which led to my ankle cartilage replacement surgery (why for the most part, I no longer wear heels). He did a custom orthodic for me that gives me more support in the toe area and less of a heel cup. But, somehow the custom insole is not as comfy, so I just don’t tell him that I still wear Bs. I just include this info to demonstrate that Bs are not for every foot.
 
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#1,578
pasdedeux1 said:
Maybe you all birk lovers can help me.

I like my Birkenstocks but I can only wear the shearling footbed ones because the cork footbed gives me a blister right under the ball of my foot. No amount of breaking them in fixes it. If I tighten the straps, I get blisters on the top of my feet.

I tried the EVA and I hate them because my feet sweat and then it makes a squishing noise.

Do I just not have Birkenstock feet? They are so comfortable as long as I can reduce the friction on the bottoms of my feet.
Click to expand...
Try the Mayari style. Make sure you get the right size and adjust straps as required and you should be fine. Mayari colour choice isn’t great but they’re the most comfortable and neat fitting Birks and my blister prone problem feet love them.

Gizehs are definitely not OK (they aggravate a foot problem I have) and sadly Arizonas aren’t for me either due to rubbing and blisters, although shearling Arizonas are better.

Fortunately my foot doctor also recommends Mayaris for me.
 
#1,586
I’m thinking about getting the Buckley shearling for fall. Think these would look great with sweats and jeans, and great for walking in transition seasons.

So far I’ve only worn EVA open-toe Birk styles. For those of you who have clogs and/or shearling, would you say sizing is the same? Also, do we see the clog trend going on long enough to be worth getting these? My go-to is usually just sneakers.

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#1,588
foxgal said:
I’m thinking about getting the Buckley shearling for fall. Think these would look great with sweats and jeans, and great for walking in transition seasons.

So far I’ve only worn EVA open-toe Birk styles. For those of you who have clogs and/or shearling, would you say sizing is the same? Also, do we see the clog trend going on long enough to be worth getting these? My go-to is usually just sneakers.

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I bought three pair of these when they were in the Nordstrom Anniversary sale a couple of years ago. For me, they fit a little more snugly at first due to the shearling lining. I stayed with my normal size, though and the shearling condensed slightly after a few wears. They now fit as comfortably as my Arizona sandals. I wear mine around the house all winter rather than out in public so I'm not worried about them being in or out of fashion but I have noticed plenty of designer clogs for FW2022. I have a pair of Prada clogs that I purchased last fall and Prada is selling them again this year so they are still on trend. I plan I wearing mine for the foreseeable future.
 
#1,589
jennlt said:
I bought three pair of these when they were in the Nordstrom Anniversary sale a couple of years ago. For me, they fit a little more snugly at first due to the shearling lining. I stayed with my normal size, though and the shearling condensed slightly after a few wears. They now fit as comfortably as my Arizona sandals. I wear mine around the house all winter rather than out in public so I'm not worried about them being in or out of fashion but I have noticed plenty of designer clogs for FW2022. I have a pair of Prada clogs that I purchased last fall and Prada is selling them again this year so they are still on trend. I plan I wearing mine for the foreseeable future.
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Thank you! I’ve read about many people using them as slippers but I just bought a pair of Glerups so got that base covered! Basically need something for dog-walking around the hood so really I shouldn’t care about “trends”… But even if I’m in sweats I need to feel “put together” lol

I saw some reviews saying the shearling broke down really fast, that it had worn through after one season (though if they were being used as slippers worn daily all day…). What was your experience?
 
#1,590
foxgal said:
Thank you! I’ve read about many people using them as slippers but I just bought a pair of Glerups so got that base covered! Basically need something for dog-walking around the hood so really I shouldn’t care about “trends”… But even if I’m in sweats I need to feel “put together” lol

I saw some reviews saying the shearling broke down really fast, that it had worn through after one season (though if they were being used as slippers worn daily all day…). What was your experience?
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With Covid, I've spent most of my time at home so I've worn them a ton but each pair has made it through six months of almost constant winter wear. I actually use my most worn pair as my dog walking shoes but they still look fine on the outside; it's just the inside that looks a little rough from missing patches of shearling. If you're only wearing yours for an hour or so a day, they should last much longer but ymmv. I have one new pair left that I will be using this winter and then I plan to buy more so I would say I highly recommend them :smile:
 
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