Coffee Break: Hutton Ankle Strap Shoe

37 Comments

1. I really think the elastic on the ankle rather than a buckle belongs on a much, much cheaper shoe.

   1. I’d recommend something from Beautifeel, a laced up low heel, for example. This looks too casual/summery to me. Grain of salt, I’m 61, and retired of 5 years.

      1. Agreed. The area of law I work in skews casual, but there is no way I could wear this to a job interview.

         1. +1. Anything of the flats on the Stuart Weitzman site, except the ballet flats and trainers, would look professional. These don’t: the suede, the shape, the elastic band….

   2. I have a pair of EF sandals and they are the most comfortable things ever. Can’t say how interview-appropriate these are (e.g., if you are wearing suiting pants cut for flats, the back of these shoes may not be on display). But they are probably v comfortable.

   3. I agree, there are much better comfortable options that are interview-appropriate.

   4. I hate strappy flats. I’ve been trying to get on board with them ever since Kat started posting about them a decade ago, but I just will never, ever think that they look professional. How about the Everlane Modern Point or Modern Loafer instead?

2. Ladies, please help me plan a trip Utah this fall. SO and I were originally thinking of flying into Moab, staying around there, and spending time hiking, maybe horseback riding and rafting, in Arches and Canyonland over 6 days or so. I started searching the archives here since I know it’s been mentioned and saw other suggestions for Zion and Bryce. Now I’m thinking maybe we should do a little road trip through lower Utah to hit all the big parks. How many days would we need for this and are there any special considerations we should take into account? We’ll be flying in from the Northeast coast if that matters. Thanks!

   1. It’s about an hours drive from Moab to Canyonland, so definitely factor that into your calculations if you want to do some of the longer hikes. Moab is an easy landing place for Arches though, and there is a ton that you can easily access there. I highly recommend one of the guided tours of the slot canyons in Arches. They’re popular though, so you may need to sign up in advance.

      No specific advice on Zion or Bryce, although they are on my list of places to go.

   2. My family did this trip a few years ago, staying in Moab and hitting Arches and Canyonland over about a week. A surprise to me was a Utah state park nearby called Dead Horse Point State Park, which we also explored and to me rivaled the national parks for spectacular scenery. I recommend checking that out before committing to driving farther distances to reach other national parks. For me, there would be diminishing returns of extending the trip to include more time and more distances. Have fun!

   3. My family just went to Utah two weeks ago! We were going to Salt Lake City for an event, but added on several days and saw Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches and Canyonlands. (For reference, we flew into Vegas and drove up to Zion, spent the next day there, then drove to Bryce and spent a day there. Then to SLC. Drove back down to Moab and spent one day each at Arches and Canyonlands, then back to SLC. It was a very busy week with a lot of driving, but we were all glad that we got to see all four parks.) We only spent a day in each park, but could easily have spent much longer. If you have the time, I recommend seeing all of them. They are all beautiful and each has a distinct look.
      Zion has trails ranging from easy (Riverside) to very challenging (Angels Landing), including several long hikes that we weren’t able to do with just a day, but some of them suffered damage during a recent storm so you might check the status of those. I wish we’d had time to hike the Narrows there. Definitely stop and do the Observation Point hike on the east side of the park – it’s on the far side of the tunnel if you’re driving from Zion toward Bryce. Springdale, the town outside Zion, was lovely and had a lot of options for food and lodging. We really enjoyed MeMe Cafe for breakfast/brunch.
      Bryce Canyon was my favorite park – I found it absolutely gorgeous. There are a number of overlooks and you can easily drive around (or take the shuttle) to see the different areas of the park, then decide where you want to hike. We really enjoyed the Queens Garden/Navajo Loop trail there. And it was a great place to go back in after dark and look at the stars. The park is open 24 hours a day and you can drive in to one of the overlooks, park your car, and see more stars than I ever thought possible! However, the town outside Bryce was not as nice as Springdale. More limited and less appealing options for lodging and food and it felt very touristy.
      Moab is a great base for Arches and Canyonlands. Arches was actually my least favorite park, but I have a feeling we just didn’t see enough of it due to limited time. I would have liked to have done more hiking there. Canyonlands was awe-inspiring. We mostly drove around in Canyonlands and only did very light hiking, but the views out over the canyon were just amazing from every viewpoint we stopped at. This was our last stop and everyone was exhausted at that point, so I didn’t even scope out the trails there.
      I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the driving time as well. The mountains and the huge sky were beautiful and very different from any other part of the country that I’ve seen. My only other suggestions are to make sure you pack water bottles, sunscreen, and a hat. There isn’t a lot of shade in some of the parks. It’s incredibly hot and dry and that plus the elevation meant that we felt thirsty all the time. The parks have stations to refill your water bottles during the day. Have fun!

3. Reposting since my question got lost in mod on the morning thread. If I splurge on a Staud Bissett bag, will it go out of style tomorrow?

   1. It’s a pretty trendy bag – but it’s unusual enough that it may last the test of time. Looks a bit small to be all that useful though (just my opinion)

4. Someone in this morning’s thread about dating mentioned that there’s a FB dating group that some ‘rettes created. Where can one find such a thing? I’m in my 30s and in the trenches, and would love to join.

   1. +1,000

      1. https://www.facebook.com/groups/358635250819989/

   2. I got off Facebook, so I don’t know how active it is anymore, but search Dipping Toes in the Dating Pool. It may not come up because I believe it’s private, so if it doesn’t, hopefully a current member will see this and you guys can correspond offline about how to join. Sorry that wasn’t more helpful!

      1. I guess it’s private, because it didn’t come up – and when I searched “dating pool” all I got were baby due date pool groups, ugh, salt in the wound. Hopefully someone that’s a current member is around. Thanks though!

         1. Hit me up – januarynotjones@gmail.com. It’s not very active any more, but there were some updates yesterday. Might be able to revive it with a fresh crew. I won’t be able to look at this until later tonight, though.

            1. Emailed, thanks!

      2. I would like to Join this Facebook Group also! What is the name of it! I think if there is a decent guy, maybe it will be on Facebook. They say that Jeff Bezos is the most rich person in modern history, but he is bald! Would the hive hold this against a guy if he is hairless?

5. Could us virtual hugs. Lost a big oral argument today. The worse part is, the judge’s decision seems to indicate he didn’t listen to a single word I said. It’ll be appealed, my boss isn’t mad, but man I feel crummy.

   1. That stinks! I’m glad your boss has your back, at least. But yuck, it’s a crummy feeling and I’m sorry.

      1. Thanks! Yes I’m counting my blessings that I work for him.

   2. If you ask around you will probably find out others have had the same experience with him, so it wasn’t you. If you are still feeling down, check his reversal rate on appeal.

      1. Thanks! This judge is widely disliked and clearly just trying to clear his calendar so he denied it on an (improper) procedural basis. But man I could have used a win!

         1. Oh, man. I always said the worst thing is losing when you should have won. Hugs and sending appellate good vibes!

            1. Thanks! I need the good vibes!

   3. Sorry, friend. It bites. But you’re out there doing it – standing up, making an argument…and that is something special.

      As they say in Bull Durham – sometimes you win, sometimes you lose…sometimes, it rains.

      1. Thanks friend! That’s the attitude I need!

         This is the business we chose..,

6. I think these are far too casual for interview shoes.

   Also, flats with no support make terrible commuting shoes! These look quite flat inside. I had plantar fasciitis a few years ago precisely from wearing flat shoes with no arch support. Now, I can only wear flat shoes with insoles, which do not accomodate a cutout like this.

   1. Yeah, just looking at these shoes I can tell they’d hurt my feet. (Too bad, because I think they’re totally cute for everyday wear.)

   2. I agree they don’t look comfortable or interview-appropriate so it’s the worst of all worlds. Ecco has a ballerina flat that’s actually a wedge with arch support that could work.

7. If I saw someone wear these at an interview and happened to notice them I would probably assume the person had a foot/orthopedic issue. So why not just wear a rubber sole shoe? At least then anyone taking note would be assured there is a health reason right?

   Generally, I think we focus too much on each element of the outfit rather than the overall look. If you’re otherwise appropriately dressed you’re never going to look unprofessional for wearing shoes that are medically necessary.

   I get that the reader is seeking confidence, but at a high level, isn’t that about one’s credentials and abilities? I’m a heel wearing gal all day but I’d switch to lipstick if it was causeing medical issues.

   Rant over and good luck to the reader no matter what shoes she wears!

   1. I agree. We are focusing on the shoes right now but would I ever knock someone for wearing these to an interview? Not at all, especially because it’s unlikely I’d even notice them (why would an interviewer look down at interviewee’s shoes enough to form an opinion other than “yep not sneakers or sandals”) and especially if the interviewee were tall – trying to find dressed up lower heels is hard.

8. This is hideous and not professional.

   1. It would look better without the elastic part.

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