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Slippers Are Life, Or, Saturday Morning at Some Point

It’s time for a critical decision.

(hold breath)

I need new slippers.

But seriously, autumn is in the air and in the floors and my old Glerups have given up the ghost. What do you wear on your cold toes? I loved my Glerups when new. My hesitation in getting a new pair comes from the way they stretch out before they wear out. Once the wool felt is stretched, the slippers get too big. I tried a couple of methods to shrink them; I failed.

My primary needs are warmth, softness for cranky feet, breathability, enough durabiltyas to soles that I can walk through my garage to the mailbox, and out the front door, along a cement path to my rose bed for the deadheading so necessary for health. My health. I don’t think the roses care that much.

LL Bean made my father’s slipper icons.

But I’m considering these.

They look so comfortable, so cosy, my toes begin to wiggle in anticipation. I don’t know.

Guidance from this estimable crew? Some other variant I’ve not even thought of? Thank you in advance, and I wish you a warm-footed weekend.

 

 

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67 Responses

  2. “primary needs…enough durabilty as to soles that I can walk through my garage to the mailbox, and out the front door, along a cement path to my rose bed…”

    I love the cross top ones you’re considering, but the “soft-sole” in their description seems to run counter to your primary [durable sole] needs. Give the soles on the “Sophia” model some more scrutiny. But they ARE wonderful.

    1. This is my dilemma! I want to wear these slippers also when I’m lying on the sofa with my feet up on the arm, reading or watching streaming services. Thick crepe/rubber soles make that hard. Know what I mean?

  3. I had those in purple years ago!I liked them but I had to reach down to put them on!
    So NOT IDEAL!Funny today as I have ORANGE UGGS ON!Ankle boots they now have become my slippers!Yes still have to reach down to help slip into but easier than others you are contemplating!
    Hope that HELPS!

  4. I wear Boston clogs (soft footbed) from Birkenstock as my house slippers. Have HORRIBLE feet and these work for me…have replaced twice over the years…each pair lasts prob. 2 -2.5 years as i only wear them in the house or to go out and get the mail. Not the cutest ones but def. the most supportive comfy ones.

    1. Many people are recommending these I see! Do you find you have to grip your toes to keep them on when you walk? That’s my concern with backless slippers.

    1. Sue, what do you wear when you’re in the house, maybe curled up on a sofa? No slippers, just get a blanket? I am kind of a lazy person LOL.

  7. You should also look in Taos Footwear wool slippers. They also have arch support and are very comfy.

  9. I love Ugg Boston clogs with fleece, as I can even throw clothes on with them and wear them to the market! But just like Susan Blakely, short Ugg boots when it’s cold…which now that I think of it, I also wear to run errands in.

    1. Do you mean Birkenstock Boston Clogs? I’m trying to find Uggs Boston Clogs, but not finding them. I usually am barefoot unless forced to be otherwise, but in my Seattle condo winter I’d like a comfy slip-on for the mail, grocery delivery pickup from concierge, and tea or coffee to inside roof deck on 39th floor. Seattle has winter in its winter, or so I hear. :)

        2. Thank you! I’m going to order some based on your recommendation. I appreciate that Lisa asked this question, because my Hanro satin quilted house slippers that I never wear, and my Tod’s driving shoes that I do slip on when I need to go to the lobby and my feet are bare, are not working for a slipper/outside combination shoe. Yesterday, I was out with my niece at a fundraiser at her community garden. I walked over in sweatpants, a cotton t-shirt, athletic shoes, a jean jacket, and a scarf. After I arrived, and was safely under one of their sales’ tents, we had our first day of real rain since I arrived in May. Now I need to get serious about a hooded rain coat. Many people at the event offered suggestions, and I’m now looking for a 3/4 length hooded raincoat with a zip-out down lining (or synthetic variation of down). This clothing and shoe transition happened when I moved from Northern California to Southern California, and again when I moved from Southern California to Chicago. I have some of my Chicago pieces, but they’re for cold and snow more than intermittent rain and some cold. I’ll understand this all better after one cycle of living through it. Wish me luck. x.

    3. Went away for the weekend with my nephew and niece (in-law), She was wearing Birkenstock Boston Clogs with fleece.:)

  12. My Ugg moccasins are the best and I got new insoles (Ugg makes them) when the inside started getting worn and ugly – it made them like new again. The rubber soles make them perfect for walking outside when necessary, like taking out the trash or stepping out to check in the plants in the deck. Cozy on the inside, sturdy on the outside.

    1. Jane, do you know what model you have? I see the Ainsley slippers/moccasins have a very low profile sole, inset, and that might work well for me.

      1. Hi, Lisa! I have the Ansley and it is easy to slip on and off. And, yes, the shearling on the uppers stay fluffier, whereas the insoles need replacement when they get worn after much wear. I wear mine everyday, most of the day in the winter as I am such a homebody.

  13. I’ve had Ugg slippers for years, but was sad every time the shearling matted down, or rubbed away. Seemed to happen all too quickly.
    I was out shopping today, and bought a pair of LL Bean Squam Lake slippers. They are shearling, with a rubber sole. They are cut a bit low on the heel, so you can just step in without having to pull them on. They also seem to have cushion and arch support.
    Wirecutter reviews call LL Bean their top pick for slippers. We’ll see!

    1. Ugh makes replacement shearling insoles. Remove the old worn down insoles, put in replacements « et voilà ! » The inside is like new again.

  14. I love cozy shearling lined slippers but they soon compress and the heel folds over. The first 4-6 months are great. All summer I wear flip flops but will need a warm winter alternative.

  15. I love my Birkenstock Zermott slippers. I have a pair that look worse for wear, so I asked for a pair of Ugg slippers for Christmas. So pretty pink and lined with shearling. But not nearly as comfortable as my Birkies. They are languishing in the closet. I’m still wearing my worse for wear Birkies almost every day.

  16. Uggs definitely. Here it is already cold. I have a pair of Uggs boots I bought at least ten years ago and they are still going strong. Like others, I just replace the insole periodically. Highly recommend.

    1. For all sandals and slides I have to ask: do you have to grip your toes when you walk? I am trying to retrain myself to stop gripping, given my arches which are so high a doctor wrote them in my chart as a birth defect. I mean, really Dr.?

  18. Ugg shearling lined, lug sole, slip on or comparable Ugg style. I bought them for the sole when I lived in the snow and needed something non-slip for inside/outside. They never wear out, I’ve replaced shearling footbed 3 times. Highly recommend.

    1. Yes, I can imagine if you live in the snow you absolutely need a lug sole. I’m thinking I’d do better with a very thin rubber sole/leather sole that can take a little wear and tear.

  19. Was needle-felting one of the shrinking methods? It would be tedious, or alternately meditative, however, and would need to be carefully done or the inside of the slipper would get… for lack of a better word, sort of warty?

    (I have no slipper recommendations, only wool ones. :-) )

    1. I don’t know how to needle felt. Fundamentally, the craftiest I think I’m ever going to get is spackling over the paint in the corners of my house where the rain got in two winters ago;).

      1. Fair enough! At its basis, needle-felting is stabbing some wool a few hundred/thousand times with a rough-tipped pointy thing, which grabs individual fibers and tangles them up into the thing you’re stabbing. But not everyone finds repetitive motion meditative or tolerable, and crafts are just not everyone’s jam, and that is 100% fine; just means that’s not a viable route of wool slipper tightening unless you could find someone local who wanted the experiment (I am pretty sure that shipping a pair of too-loose slippers halfway across the country would not be financially sound, or I’d offer to take a whack at the next pair that needs help in only the wool part)(but! if you *do* ever happen to want some needle-felting repair to a woolen object, done by someone who appreciates your blog [but is not an Artist; do not expect the wool equivalent of kintsugi] for the joy of being able to return some work for all the work you’ve put into your blog, let me know by email, whenever; I assume my email is visible to you).

  20. Thank you for asking this question. There is a wealth of information here I didn’t even realize how much I needed. I hope you find a pair that works for you.

  21. Bearpaw Shorties maybe? As much as I adore my Birks, the sole is too hard and stiff for couch lounging. These are lighter and squishy-er. I sleep in them when we’re camping. LL Bean’s Wicked Good are great too, but the less expensive Bearpaw works well in my world due to our canine wrecking crew. xox.

  22. Not pertinent right now but for summer my go-to house shoes are Birkenstock EVA flip-flops. I got them originally for running out on wet grass to change sprinklers, and discovered they are far more comfortable than regular Birkenstock sandals or any other brand’s flip-flops. I leave them on all day in the summer unless I’m going somewhere. And I do have very fussy feet.

  23. The soles of my comfortable slippers were flat like the ones you are considering, Lisa. The refrigerator ice maker leaked, leaving a small puddle I didn’t see, and it was like hitting ice: feet high in the air, head whipped sideways, taking out half the wood slats in the stack w&d closet door. Uh, I recommend slippers with sole traction.

  24. I am also in the slip on camp! For me they have to have a hard sole with cushion insole since I need a soft surface for my footsies but also durability to walk to the mailbox or yard etc.

  25. My Gieswein wool felt slippers are heaven to my troublesome feet, with good arch support and ample toe room. Yes, the wool felt stretched out over time; I just wear thin socks with them. If they stretch out more I’ll wear thicker socks.

    Uggs are painful and I can’t wear slip-ons since toe surgery: my toes no longer will grip.

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