*This post contains referral links – if you buy a pair of Rothy’s using my links you will get $20 off your first Rothy’s purchase and I will get a code for $20 off a future purchase. The code is only valid for a certain amount of purchases within 30 days, so it may not work when you try it*
I caved! I bought a pair of Rothy’s sneakers a little over a week ago, and here are my initial thoughts.
I sized a half size up from my round-toe flats. My feet are different sizes and in the flats the big toe on my larger foot does feel a bit of pressure. However, a half size up would have been a disaster for my smaller foot in the flats because the shoe would just fall off always, so it’s something I just deal with when wearing flats. This is true in flats from every brand, such is the life of having two different sized feet. However! Sneakers provide way more top of the foot coverage, meaning they won’t just fall off of my small foot. So rather than the 7.5 I kept in the round-toe flat, I ordered a size 8 sneaker. In bright white. Because seriously this is the dream – a fully washable white sneaker.
I ordered the sneakers on a Wednesday evening and they arrived on Saturday. I remain super impressed with the shipping times. They came in a shoe box, slightly bigger than the box used for the flats, but largely the same. They look just like they’re picture online, absolutely no complaints about the look and style.
I initially tried them on without socks. Here is the biggest thing to know: the sneakers have a compression feeling on the top of the foot. The way the material is woven I think gives them this compression property. These are not made from a cotton based canvas or like any similar sneaker you are probably used to, so they aren’t really going to stretch out. This feeling, this pressure on the top of my foot, was super noticeable for the first hour or so. Otherwise I found them to be very comfortable, similar to the flats.
After about an hour of wearing them around the house without socks, I decided to try with socks. I started with no show socks (the kind where the sock only covers the toes) and I found that no show socks didn’t really make a difference in the way the shoe felt on my foot as far as the compression feeling went. I did find that I didn’t love the way the heel of the sock being pressured via the shoe felt on my ankle, but it wasn’t horrible. I then tried a full sock. The full sock did make a big difference in the pressure feeling on my foot. I think having the top of my foot fully covered, so there was no direct contact with the sneaker itself, made it a lot more comfortable. So for the rest of the night I wore the shoes with the full sock. I found them to be super comfortable, I loved the fit even though I went a half size up from my flats size. I think this extra room also allowed for the ease of wearing a full sock, even a cushy one I would normally use for running. The sneakers overall definitely aren’t as cushy as something like a running shoe, but for a slip on sneaker they are more comfortable than my Vans and Keds. I was pretty impressed with the feel.
The next day I wore them around the house while doing chores again without socks. For whatever reason, after several hours the day prior with socks, I suddenly didn’t mind the compression feeling so much. It definitely still existed, I don’t think it will ever go away, but really since that second day it doesn’t bother me. I do notice it, but it doesn’t take up any mental capacity. Perhaps I have a slightly wide foot or tall foot? It’s possible that sizing up a half size would alleviate this compression feeling, but I already sized up a half size from my flats size and did not want to push my luck. I did confirm with a friend that she also feels this compression feeling, but she actually likes it! It does make me feel confident the shoes won’t just slip off. I just tend to wear my shoes a bit big/loose, and that isn’t really an option with the Rothy’s sneaker. So to each their own!
Similar to the flats, these sneakers didn’t feel particularity breathable. When I was wearing them without socks it was a sweaty situation. The socks definitely helped with that. However, the first time I wore the sneakers outside the house I wore them to work and started with Vans socks on. The Vans socks I own are somewhat no show. They cover some part of the top of the foot, unlike the very small no-show socks that just cover the toes, but they don’t come up to the ankle. I found during my walk to the metro that with these particular socks on I did not find the shoes as comfortable. It felt like the heel of the shoe was rubbing against my sock, which was rubbing on the back of my ankle. I ended up taking the socks off at work and went about my day with the sneakers on without socks, and that went splendidly. No hints of rubbing or discomfort with the sneakers, even without socks!
I have not tried washing them yet, but Rothy’s suggests taking the mid-sole out before washing so I wanted to see how that would go. Taking the insoles out is obviously quite simple as they just slip out, and I didn’t have any problems taking out or putting back in the mid-sole. So I do think washing will be a simple process.
I love wearing these Rothy’s sneakers around town, even to work on days when they don’t clash with my outfit. I personally don’t think these will be Disney shoes for me simply due to the fact that I prefer to wear them without socks and they aren’t very breathable. So sweaty feet normally plus the Florida humidity – no thanks! I definitely think they would be comfortable enough to be Disney shoes, just the climate adding the extra humidity is not appealing to me. Perhaps in the dead of the winter they would be good Disney shoes. In general I would travel with these as the shoes I wear on an airplane. They are a bit bulky to pack, but I think would be great for walking around a city and other tourist activities.
Overall I would definitely recommend this Rothy’s sneaker for daily life. They are comfortable, but not very breathable. They do have a compression feel to them so wear them around the house to make sure it doesn’t bother you before making your maiden voyage with your stylish new Rothy’s out in the world.
Tryna Have A Life 