052: Walk A Mile In Their Shoes Pt.II
Anja Tyson, Durga Chew-Bose and Arpana Rayamajhi on their walking essentials, plus my quest for Campers
There was a time when the look of a shoe surpassed any and all practicalities, and I had amassed a fair number of shoes that would make for a pretty picture or would be perfect if I wafted from place to place instead of walked. Cuts, painful blisters, sciatica: I’ve seen and felt it all. These days, while the appearance of a shoe is still a very important consideration (I blame my mother for buying and glueing on ribbons on my shoes which matched my clothes and never buying me roller shoes as a child for this), they must also be comfortable and durable, as walking is my primary mode of transportation. This all, however, seems too much to ask of a shoe, and rarely do style and comfort intersect.
When I took my trusty Mary Janes from The Row to be resoled, the gentleman at the shoe repair shop dramatically held them over his head to inspect the sole, laughed and shook his head at the sliver that separated my foot from New York’s delightful pavements, and told me to return in four days. I could still walk in them for hours, but my back had begun complaining to me about getting some more support over the past few months. I had bought them when Tiina the Store in Amagansett was closing down (which has now been replaced by The Row), and the shoes had been shockingly marked-down. Such luck does not strike twice, so I thought it best to let the shoes and my back rest.
(If we haven’t been previously acquainted, allow me to introduce myself: I love Mary Janes. My love for Mary Janes has garnered me a degree of notoriety, so much that last December, Marie Claire’s fashion features editor let me prattle on about my beloved form of shoe on their site.)
Any kind of Mary Jane won’t do; they must fulfill my wants and my needs. They are now virtually everywhere, yet very few are good. Some are too clunky, others are far too narrow, and most soles give new meaning to becoming one with the earth. But last summer, one particular pair caught my eye: Camper’s Casi Myra Mary Janes. Because I am a very…specific shopper, it took me nearly a full year to buy them. My reservations were that I was not head over heels in love with the microscopic Camper branded tag on the side of the shoe, and how visible the black soles looked against the pairs that weren’t black. I told you, specific.
Over time my apprehension wore off. If necessary, the tag could be cut off – shocker, I haven’t been fussed to do so – and the hardly-visible soles are a testament to adequate and much-needed support. For their first trip, I wore them straight out of the box and walked in them for several hours, and by the end of the day there was nary a pinky toe rubbed ever so slightly raw, nor even the beginning of a blister.
To add to its glowing review, the Mary Janes are made of supple leather that lend it a Martiniano-the-outline-of-your-toes-are-just-barely-visible effect, the toe box is gently squared, and the vamp sits high. They have the tiniest heel and the insoles are OrthoLite. Also worth nothing: the traction is so superb, it’s fair to say New York’s cobblestone streets have finally met their match. I wore them to physical therapy and tested them on cobblestones, and the Mary Janes passed with flying colors. Design-wise, I have to admit, I do love the look of these more than The Row’s Ava Mary Janes.
“Do it!!” is my professional opinion.
With summer hot on our heels, a few honorable mentions that have kept me cool:
Prada leather sandals. I have two identical pairs of the leather buckled sandals which were first designed for Spring/Summer 1996, which I have worn so much over the years that I think my family now know them better than my face. This style has been reissued for Spring/Summer 2025. Another tried and true pair are from Spring/Summer 2020, which were put to the test on the sloping roads of Monte Argentario.
Barely-there sandals from JW Anderson. To be worn anywhere but New York City, but do have excellent traction. We must talk more about traction!
Birkenstock Madrid sandals. These remind me of the little sandals from Prada’s Spring/Summer 1998 collection and my grandmother’s Dr. Scholl’s. They are great for walks on pebble and rock beaches, and I like to wear them with melodramatic dresses on the beach.
FANE’s Bra bag. It currently houses my keys, hand sanitizer, lipstick, phone, wallet, sunglasses, and Jane Austen’s Persuasion. The long and thin straps accommodate the my widest sleeves and heaviest coats, and it fits discreetly under my arm.
Shoes take up a significant chunk of my mental real estate. It’s not enough that I have myself sorted out, I need to also know what well-heeled fellow walking enthusiasts are wearing (and where they’re going). Now that I’ve droned on about my Camper quest for long enough, without further ado:
Anja Tyson is a New York-based consultant and creator of Food Is A Mother, an annual recipe and art zine.
These shoes are made for walkin’. Almost all of my shoes are purchased with the intention of being able to take a stroll. I am lucky enough to live in a walkable city, and so I intentionally plan on the day to day to be mobile whenever it's possible, so that I can enjoy my life and reap some of the benefits of living in this ridiculous town. I cannot think of something dumber than wearing a pair of shoes in my day to day life that don't support me being able to live my life to its fullest, and I have always felt this way, even when I was 20 and I considered Louboutins "walkable".
My two go-tos are: 1) Loeffler Randall ballet flats and Mary Janes. These always have a very flattering toe box, a little longer and more elegant than many alternatives that can leave outfits feeling a little childlike or disheveled. They're well-made and long-lasting, and as a bonus, they consistently make an ACTUAL size 11 (Italian 41, French 42), which so few brands do. I wear these with skirts and trousers in situations where it's not appropriate to bear my toes. 2) More "fashiony" sandals with a functional heel. The two in heaviest rotation for me right now are a pair of caramel brown Prada sandals with the bone buckle across the strap, and a pair of patent leather Miu Miu block heel sandals, and both of them are about 20 years old. They're both very comfortable, and high in sentimental value for me.
One of my other favorite brands for my shoe size is Aeyde. I have a few of their sandals, mary janes and low heels, and they’re always well-constructed and chic. I am always complimented when I wear their shoes.
I don't really have a different set of shoes for when I am spending time with my daughter, as my whole motherhood journey has run in parallel to a busy career and personal life, and a true belief that I can retain my style and the joie de vivre of getting dressed alongside raising a human. I should also note that my daughter is a pre-teen now, and she values strolls and mobility as highly as I do, so we regularly walk miles and miles together around town, enjoying life.
Favorite bags (or lack thereof). So actually, I have a whole thing about this. When I was in my teens and twenties, I carried so much stuff around every day. It was a combination of reasons: one was I didn’t always live right next to work and I might need to freshen up before dinner or a night out, but another was because at that age, like so many people, I really defined myself by my personal possessions, and the other thing is that I was already 23 by the time the iPhone was invented, so I was regularly carrying around a cell phone, an iPod, a date/address book, a big billfold, and all the other stuff that was consolidated by iPhone adoption.
When I grew up, my biggest dream was that I would be able to walk out of the house without a bag. I absolutely LOVE days when I can just throw my phone and my keys in my pocket and go, and not lug around a huge sack of my personal possessions. I think I literally wrote in my diary about it when I was 18 or 19. Now it’s a happy in-between. I want a medium-sized bag that fits an appropriate amount of stuff, but doesn’t tempt me to jam everything I own in it. I try to remember to carry a collapsible carry bag in case I have the chance to stop by the farmer’s market or pick up a package, but other than that it’s just wallet, keys, phone and lip gloss.
My current favorites are a stamped snakeskin Miu Miu bag that I lusted after for two decades and then finally found this winter on eBay in Japan, and now that it’s nice out again, my small assortment of Marni market bags that I’ve collected over time, which are very durable, colorful, and capacious.
The best route. When I have a free stretch of time on a nice day, I love to hop across the water to meander through Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens. Brooklyn is truly where my heart is, and because I live in such a tourist-jammed neighborhood in downtown Manhattan, I frequently need to get someone more peaceful and down to earth to fall back in love with the city. I am thrilled at the chance to walk on streets where every single building doesn’t have a commercial storefront with a line outside, and where there are few enough tourists that you don’t notice when they are walking four abreast at the pace of molasses down the sidewalk. I can easily log a few miles anywhere in Brooklyn, but just in terms of peace and scenery, that’s one of my favorite ways to flaneur.
Durga Chew-Bose is a writer and director, and resides in Montreal.
Shoes for simple strolls and long talks. I'm not the smartest when it comes to the shoes I wear for long walks! You never know when a simple stroll to the market can turn into a one hour phone call! If I know I'm going for a long walk, intentionally, I'll usually wear my Kiko Asics or Nike Zoom Vomero sneakers in all black. On a recent trip to New York, where I invariably walk a lot, I was wearing these black Wales Bonner Mary Jane sneakers. I was very comfortable. I'm not sure I should be going on long walks in my Clarks Wallabees but I do.
A banana bag for an apple. I've actually been trying to walk without a bag, but that's very hard to do! Keys! Chapstick! Phone! Hand cream! An apple! Sometimes I carry The Row's banana leather bag. Mine is so worn and floppy now—it's been to beaches, dinners and day trips, playgrounds, you name it. I learned early on you can even fit a diaper in there. My trusted everything bag is my very sturdy all black Pacific Tote Company tote.The most durable canvas. I'm not even sure they make or sell the all black version. My friend Chris Chang gave it to me.
Waterside walks. We live near a canal. That's an ideal walk, to be accompanied by water. I do like walking...somewhere, though. Even if it's to buy fruit or fill a prescription or come summer, find some ice cream. It's nice to arrive somewhere.
Arpana Rayamajhi is a multidisciplinary artist living in New York.
Faithful to her moto boots. I’ve been almost exclusively wearing Christian Louboutin Horse Moto Biker boots. They’re super comfortable and I love the way they look. I have skinny ankles and legs – good boots that fit well don’t come by so easily.
Keep it simple (or spikey). I should probably get into handbags more but right now, I just have my mesh bag by Mango and sometimes I also use this old vintage leather bag. For an accessories person, I'm not big into purses – I haven't seen many that are amazing or worth the price (to people that love and invest in luxury handbags I probably sound nuts but yes, I mean it when I say I haven’t seen a lot of amazing handbags). I loved the Gucci (Tifosa) spikey ball purse.
Take a walk on the westside. I walk a lot in the city. I go to the westside by the water quite a bit. On average I walk around 10 to 11 thousand steps a day especially when it’s warm. My ideal route is Union Square to the West Village where it’s quiet and pretty, and then to the water, in the sun.
In Walk A Mile In Their Shoes Pt.1, I spoke to Naomi Accardi, Jalil Johnson, and Aydha Mehnaz.
Enjoyed reading this! Also, Camper is underrated! I have these sandals and I can easily walk 10k steps in them haha: https://en.zalando.de/camper-oruga-sandals-blue-greybeige-ca311a09k-k11.html