9 Ugly Shoes We Really Love
And somehow they make us look … better.
by The Candidly Team
Whenever we write about shoes, we always start by saying the same two things:
1) We will no longer wear (or speak about) shoes that are not blissfully comfortable.
2) That does not mean we’ll wear ugly shoes.
Welp, here we are breaking our own rule. (We know. It’s not the first time.)
But we’re only breaking the second part. The “ugly” part.
And, when we say ugly, we mean good ugly. The kind that makes our clothes a bit more daring. Or more balanced. Or just deeply, deeply comfortable.
There are currently 9 pairs of shoes we wear ALL the time that aren’t slinky or sexy. But they are incredible. Every. single. one.
And here’s why:
1. Dr. Scholl's Original Too Slide Sandal
There is some deep nostalgia hammered into into the wooden soles of this Dr. Scholl’s shoe. Some of you might remember it being marketed as an “exercise sandal” in the 70s and 80s, which basically just meant it was a vehicle for showing off your toned, 20-something legs.
Dr. Scholl’s came back onto our radar recently after they launched THIS perfect, little white sneak and it blew up on TikTok, as the kids say. (Uch, how much are we aging ourselves by describing this shoe?) But their sandal remains one of our favorites. It’s kind of like the pug of footwear- not exactly a beaut but we’ll never stop finding it irresistibly cute and sweet with just the right amount of clunkiness. And because it’s not just a slight little nothing flip flop, it remains one of the best (non-heel) shoes to balance your curves and yup, show off your legs. Just saying.
Price: $130
2. Quince Italian Leather Lug Sole Loafer
We fell in love with a creamy, lug-sole shoe after watching THIS show. Go look at the whole wardrobe. It’s hypnotic. Some of you might be reluctant to dip a toe into a chunky loafer, but you’d be missing out on the magical things it does to give you excellent proportions and keep you from looking top heavy. Especially with all your drapey, wide-leg pants. Also, choosing white over black is a non-intimidating way to dress a wee bit bolder while still remaining classic.
Price: $90
3. Dansko Baylor
To be fair, some of you are not clog people, but we definitely are. And that’s mainly because they do incredible things to balance our outfits, to add a bit of impact, a touch of height to our overall look. We wear these with jeans, and we swear we never get asked as often where we got our shoes. Go figure.
Price: $140
4. UGG Classic Ultra Mini Platform
Just your average classic, cozy UGG you want to live in every cold day of the year. But with height, so we can wear it with long pants and skirts. Just look how cute they are peeking out from under a maxi…
Price: $160
5. Everlane The Day Glove
Nine times out of 10, we’ll choose a shoe we can lazily slip on on our way out the door. For us, this ballet flat is that shoe. They’re not trendy. But they come in every color you could desire, the comfort is endless, and they don’t slip off your feet every 8 seconds like so many flimsy flats.
Price: $97 - $138
6. HOKA® Clifton 9
Sneakers are allowed to be ugly. We wear them for comfort and support and the joy of waking up in the morning feeling inspired to move because our bodies are now clouds. And these sneakers are the most comfortable of. them. all.
Price: $145
7. Birkenstock Boston Soft Footbed
Every single time we throw on a cozy set, we accompany it with this shoe. It’s a little gift we give ourselves. They’re luxe and suede and divinely easy to slip on with big wool socks and zero regrets.
Price: $160
8. Rothy’s The Classic Boot
Ok, we admit it, they aren’t actually ugly. But they are unusual, stretchy, sleek, and unbelievably comfy. These boots feel like nothing in the best way possible. Yet, they’re extremely chic.
Price: $269
9. Baza Shearling Slide Sandal
Do we not all deserve a highly unnecessary luxurious leather and shearling slide that brings us unbridled amounts of joy? We think so.
Price: $280
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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