Forget Tying Laces: Why Slip-Ons Are My Sole Mate
Whenever I walk into my condo, I always take off my shoes and put on house slippers. I don’t like the idea of walking around the house in the shoes that I’ve worn outside. It’s not sanitary and the floor gets dirty more quickly.
My shoes are on a two-tier shoe rack near my front door that stores and organizes my most worn outdoor and indoor shoes.
Oceanstar 2-Tier Bamboo Shoe Rack 15.5H x 10.7D x 27W, Brown, SR1309 $27.41
I purchased these two pairs of indoor house slippers from Macy’s which I change daily. I find it beneficial to not wear the same shoes every day. The sizing on these slippers is a bit odd. I wear a size 8. The sizing guide says that a size 8-9 is a medium which is what I purchased for both pairs. However, if you are the size in the lower range like a size 8, you should buy a size down, so a small would be best. Unfortunately, these slippers are about a size too big on my feet, but because I wear them only around the house it doesn’t matter. The back of the shoes don’t stay on my feet when I walk, but I still find them comfortable and have no problem walking in them. I like them enough that I bought another pair in a small size that I have in the box, unopened in my closet for when I’m done with one of these pairs.
Club Room Men's Faux-Suede Moccasin Slippers with Faux-Fur Lining, Created for Macy's: $30 plus taxes and shipping. I bought these on sale for $15.
Club Room Men's Plaid Moccasin Slippers, Created for Macy's, Last Act Final Sale: $11.93 original price is $30.
I take my shoes off a lot. I walk the dog every few hours and I go on short errands to the grocery store, do laundry, and take out the garbage. Also, I drive to work and when I get there, I change my shoes in the parking lot into my non, slip work shoes and when I’m done with work, I change back. Even though I have the most comfortable work shoes I’ve ever had, I still anticipate taking them off at the end of a shift and I find it hard to drive in them. The best fit for my lifestyle is slip-ons.
For a good number of years, the only slip-ons that I purchased were DC Villains shoes. However, I noticed on my last purchase they changed the material of the soles, which felt less durable than before. Also, the side stitching is a weak point on the shoe and is one of the first signs they are wearing out. Furthermore, the shoe looks more casual and resembles house slippers making them a little less desirable to wear outdoors. I’m trying to camouflage how comfortable and casual I actually feel.
DC Men's Villain Slip-On Shoes- Black $55 plus taxes and shipping
So I began my search for a new slip-on shoe brand. However, my search ended fairly quickly. I found on Amazon and have been very happy with the shoes from the brand HEY DUDE. I like to have two pairs simultaneously so that I can switch between them every day. Currently, I have a brown plaid pair and a gray pair. This is my second gray pair. I wore down the sole on the last one. The price of these shoes is constantly fluctuating, so my decision on what color to buy has been based on what’s on sale.
HEY DUDE Wally Brown Plaid - Currently $65 for the men’s size 8 that I wear. However, supply and demand determine the price, which varies depending on what size you wear. I bought these on sale on Oct. 2, 2024 for $30.52 plus taxes and shipping.
Hey Dude Wally Sport Knit Men's Slip On Shoes Size 8 Men 10 Women- $48.74
These shoes are super comfortable and lightweight. They fit true to size. They look great with all my pants. It even works to wear them with a sports coat and my “fancy joggers” to make a great, stylish, and comfortable outfit. Also, they are very easy to clean. Mine get dusty from walking the dog in the back area of my building where there is a sandy path and bushes, flowers, and trees. I’ve washed them by hand and they come out looking great. Also, I prefer non-white soles, the darker the better. They hide the dirt better and look nicer.
I had to return a pair of these that I had mistakenly bought with a ventilated sole with holes, the Hey Dude Men’s Wally H20. I don’t know what purpose those serve, but they’re not functional for me. Just be sure to check the photos to see the soles of the shoe so that you know what you’re buying. Of course, it’s an Amazon purchase, so returning them was very easy.
I love slip-ons so much that I’ve even attempted to convert my lace-up shoes into slip-ons with shoelace anchors from Amazon. They work better on some shoes than others. I use them successfully on my wheat-colored DC shoes, but they don’t work so well on my low-top Allbirds lace-ups. I don’t want to cut the laces, so I have to figure out where to hide the extra material and that makes it a little uncomfortable because my Allbirds low tops fit snug already. Also, they didn’t work on all of my shoe laces because the hole in the anchor wasn’t big enough to slide over the plastic at the end of the laces. They didn’t work on the blue shoes’ laces.
These are the same anchors that I bought except they come with stretchy laces that you can cut, so you can keep the original laces that the shoes came with in case you decide to go back to using those or in case they don’t fit over the plastic ends like I mentioned before.
If I know that I’m going to be outside of the house for many hours, I will usually wear a more substantial pair of shoes with laces, but otherwise, I’m most comfortable in my HEY DUDE slip-ons.