My Doc's Stoneflys

At my last physical, I was struck to the point of distraction by my doctor’s shoes, possibly because they resembled the Mephistos I’d coveted (see 6/6/08 post). After discussing my issues (all minor, thank you), I took a few seconds to talk shoes.

Exhausted after a weekend on call and wanting to lift her spirits, she had dressed in a nice suit with a tulip-shaped skirt and new Stonefly’s Sonjas, a slip-on wedge in Nero (black) patent leather (also in chestnut brown patent, black fabric, and black leather). Considering how much standing she did, she realized it was worth it to spend money on comfortable shoes, even though she thought they were expensive!

Not the perspective I expected from a general practitioner at Mass General. But the definition of expensive is relative, right? (I think what I pay for healthcare is expensive, but that has nothing to do with her.) Zappos has my doc's Stoneflys for $130 (down from $144), although Shoebuy.com sold them for $290, which definitely qualifies as expensive. I’m deciding now to define shoes as expensive if they are over $150. Or over $200. Definitely if they are over $250.

I've tried on Stoneflys and wasn’t impressed. Because of the name, I thought they were an American brand pretending to be a European comfort shoe. They looked like what you’d be afraid a comfort shoe would look like: clunky, practical, mannish. In fact, a few years ago when my husband drove me to the Cambridge clog store, Vintage Etc (crazyclogs.com), one of the shoe stores I try to check out regularly, he ended up buying a pair (the Elegant 20 model with Gore-Tex).

But like a lot of comfort brands, it seems Stonefly's added some zip to their styles. At least, judging by my doc’s Sonjas. And it turns out Stoneflys are a “premiere Italian shoe manufacturer,” started in 1993. In something called a Comfort Lab, they’ve conducted research, drawing inspiration from the sporting footwear sector, and arrived at unique technologies like Shock Air and Blu Soft gel cushioning. While these “technologies” sound a bit gimmicky, I’m willing to reconsider.