Today's Special Value

[Moonchilde]

On 1/3/2015 Trix said:

On 1/2/2015 moonchilde said:

I might add that if one's feet do not pronate and/or you do not have plantar or arch issues, then a shoe specifically advertised as having an orthotic geared towards pronation and plantar fasciitis really isn't your best bet. I don't agree that Vionics should be advertised or promoted as being "healthy" or good for all feet, because then you get people with normal feet who invariable state what's the big deal, didn't do anything for me, etc. IMO if one does not have foot/walking issues one may not "get" Vionics. That doesn't mean they aren't very useful shoes for the true market they should be sold to.

Moonchilde thank you for pointing this out about Vionics. Your explanation gets to the point without going into too much scientific details. If one wants to get those scientific details and data about this issue with Vionic, they can do their own research.

I agree that it's seems a little unethical to market a footbed designed for specific podiatric conditions as one anyone can wear, benefit from, and feel comfortable in.

I understand, of course, why they promote them the way they do - they want as large a market as they can get. And they certainly are shoes that are "good for" many people's feet, to a greater or lesser degree.

But (and this is just my opinion) if a person puts on a pair of Vionics and needs to wear them only 1-2 hrs a day for a week to "get used to" them, or if their arches hurt after wearing them, then they don't "need" Vionics. The people who put them on for the very first time and immediately notice no pain (where they had continual pain before) and greatly increased comfort and walking ability are the people Vionics are made for. They're not Rykas or Easy Spirits or Clarks or Skechers or Tony Little shoes, all of which are "comfort shoes" for people with normal feet, by virtue of cushioning and padding and gel.

[Campion]

I loved the TSV but I already own a grey and chartreuse pair of Vionics, a blue pair of Rykas and how many shoes do you need (do not answer that.) I also bought those short Earth boots on TSV and I returned the blue ones, didn't like the grey but kept them for some reason.

Well, that was a good idea, as I love those grey short boots and wear them all time this winter. They feel great on my feet. Just to experiment, I put on a pair of cheap short boots (no arch support) yesterday and THEY HAD TO COME OFF. They are going straight to Goodwill--boy they are cute (distressed tan leather with ruching) but they make my feet hurt when I stand in them on hard surfaces.

So far, I get the best results from Vionics and Earth. Not so good with Ryka any more; some seem to have thinner soles than in past. I do find Rykas run more narrow than Vionics, which are too wide when you go up in sizes (I'm actually a 10.5 but OF COURSE we can't have half sizes for women with big feet. Same thing when I grew up, I was a 9.5 and that was the one size that was skipped--all the way to 10 and they were too wide in the heel.)

[Moonchilde]

I didn't really "need" the blue pair I bought yesterday, but I'm a firm believer in buying more than one of an item of clothing, etc. if it fits and you like it. I wear my Vionics exclusively, otherwise I can't take a step without considerable pain. I have a fear of Vionics as a brand becoming unavailable some day, so there is a small bit of stockpile mentality there for me. All told I have brown, navy, pale blue, black, denim and gray (light and dark) in my Vionics, so it was a good time to go for the pretty ombre.

[Anonymous2012]

I have several pairs of Ryka shoes but it does not seem to be alleviating my heel pain/ discomfort. I'm hoping that the Vionic TSV will help me because I miss walking for exercise.

[Moonchilde]

LOL, got my "Your order has shipped!" Email today. My guess is it will *actually * ship maybe Wednesday. OTOH, if it ships direct from the Bay Area I might have it on Weds-Thurs. I ordered a pair from the Vionic website on the 26th and they arrived on the 31st!

[islandergirl]

On 1/2/2015 moonchilde said:

I might add that if one's feet do not pronate and/or you do not have plantar or arch issues, then a shoe specifically advertised as having an orthotic geared towards pronation and plantar fasciitis really isn't your best bet. I don't agree that Vionics should be advertised or promoted as being "healthy" or good for all feet, because then you get people with normal feet who invariable state what's the big deal, didn't do anything for me, etc. IMO if one does not have foot/walking issues one may not "get" Vionics. That doesn't mean they aren't very useful shoes for the true market they should be sold to.

Wish I had read this before ordering....I received my Vionics yesterday (ordered 2 pairs), and within 10 minutes of having the shoe on (I was wearing it while doing a walking exercise DVD), I had extreme back and sciatic pain (FYI, I do not have sciatica). I also noticed that they seemed to externally pronate my foot too far out. Also feel like they the arch support is more towards my heel than near my arch. Thought at first that I needed to get used to them, like they kept saying during the presentations, but after reading some of the posts re: this type of shoe and normal feet, I know that a break-in period will not help, since I do have normal feet. These are definitely going back!

[Sunshine]

I don't have any foot problems, but I love the Vionic sandals, slippers and shoes I've bought from QVC. I have high arches and they're still comfortable on me. I don't care for the way Ryka shoes feel on my feet.