Circle Back - Vol. 16
Pheet and phones / feet and fones
IC: Foot Fetish
After a string of recent compliments on my footwear, in addition to several friends seeking footwear advice, I’m circling back on the topic.
I’ve sent links to shoes, consulted on shoes, purchased shoes, shined shoes, watched Shoes, and to prove it all, I combed through my messages and aggregated the links, over fifty, to analyze the most commonly fretted about from Q1-3. So, for this letter, consider me your FWGT (friend with good taste) in the shoe aisle.
Loafers, achilles safe
I swear by Camper’s Walden loafer. No notes.
Sneakers, walkable, breathable, “cool”
I’ve converted not one, but four friends (and counting) to Salomon XT-6s. You see them everywhere in New York but I will never not be sporting these for nature and city alike. I’m considering making the winter a little less dreadful by cozying up in these not-so-practical snow clogs.
*Bonus* Jasper by Keen. I don’t climb, yet I would still feel confident in this silhouette.
Sneakers, LOUD
Pink. Kiko Kostadinov. Asics. No notes.
Clogs/slip-ons/ mules1
Clogs have been the moment and will continue to be (see: snow clogs). At least once a year, I put a pair of Subus in my cart. I’ve been told these are an elite-tier house shoe at a good price. Maybe this will be my year? Or yours?
I love my Men's Moc Speed Streak Evo 1TRL X Nicole McLaughlin. It was a spontaneous purchase with a then-new friend who just let me know she bought another pair. Friendship solidified.
The Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 Sabot are widely impractical unless you don’t walk, yet I’ve almost convinced myself they would be a better quick shoe than my Birkenstock A630s. I haven’t recommended these to friends yet, but I saw a chic girl walking her chic dog in Fort Greene Park wearing them…
Heels, wedding
I’ve seen these Louboutins on feet, and they look so good. As a semi-frequent wedding guest these days, I’m intrigued by more fun shoes and loved “discovering” these S/S 2003 Gucci by Tom Ford bamboo sandals on TikTok via Esme Carpenter.
Boots, hiking
The Jag boot by Danner was texted to me in a last-minute effort by my sister to get hiking shoes for our trip to Kauai. I’m partial to the classic full-leather Danner; however, I find the punchy teal accent on these endearingly retro. Unbeknownst to me, my sister ended up going with the Merrill Moab 3 in Bungee Cord (same as me).
Boots, work
The Thelma by Camper (again). While in Rome a few years ago, I was comfortably existing in a no-longer-sold square-toed Camper boot. My ease of church and library going prompted a friend to go to the physical store. She bought the Thelmas. Looks like Camper is my Roman Empire.
How about some socks to wear with all those shoes?
I’m wearing these trouser crews in “Cornflower”––they’re the perfect length, thickness, and 100% mercerized cotton2. I have the candy apple, ultramarine, and ivory in my cart.
SF: Have Apps, Will Travel
I recently returned from a blissfully unplugged vacation (read: honeymoon) and haven’t stopped talking about the best place to drink good wine, lion cubs, and the seven full days without phone service or wifi. I returned to Brooklyn feeling completely rejuvenated and superior in my new phone-free lifestyle… but don’t worry, I’m not naive enough to think I can lead a tech-free life back home..
Ironically,3 some of my favorite phone apps are exclusively made for travel and travel planning. While I love a guidebook, at this point, they’re more an emblem of my travels to be displayed on my bookshelf than an item I’ll stow in my carry-on. Instead, like everyone else, I rely on my phone. Here’s a peek inside my travel folder:
AmiGo: An invite-only4 platform for sharing and saving city favorites and creating pseudo-guides. Everything from restaurants to hotels to parks and museums. I like to use it as a sort of gut check for places I’ve had my eye on. It’s a curated and trustworthy second opinion for Google reviews.
Step: Much like AmiGo, but even chicer and of a higher aesthetic caliber. Their whole thing is having all these “cultural curators” in the cities, so it tends to be elevated in brand and vibes — lots of cool wine bars, haute restaurants, and stores I can’t afford. I use it almost as a “heat map” of the city to help me understand what neighborhoods and areas to spend an afternoon or even stay in.
Flightly: I used Flightly for our recent trip (which included a lot of transfers), and I loved that it tracked everything from delays to gate changes, etc., all in one place. I don’t pay for it, but I think it would be worth the fee if I had a few more trips coming up. For now, the free version is good enough.
Mobile Passport Control: Not glamorous and not new, but since the Global Entry lines have gotten out of control at JFK, I always have MPC ready to go so I can pop into the shortest line.
Faye: This is new for me… but I needed travel insurance for the honeymoon, and it made me think: should I get this all the time?
Been: A REALLY fun way to track all the places you’ve been on the quest for worldwide domination. The concept is simple: once you’ve ~been~ somewhere, you put it in the app. It’s fun to see the globe get filled in. It’s worth paying the one-time low fee ($5 or less) so you can track every city, state, and country you step foot in.
*Bonus* Timeshifter: I haven’t personally used this one yet, but some of my favorite travel influencers and Substacks (like From the Window Seat and Diana Cohen a la Crown Affair) suggest it. It’s the app world’s solution to jetlag… let me know if you try it.
Something SILLY: We've gone too far with wearable tech
Something SERIOUS: Like so many others, we binged Nobody Wants This. We can’t decide how we feel about this take.… what do you think? Should we circle back?
Something SMART: It’s time to buy your 2025 planner (don’t kill us)
Something JUICY: Read receipts are dead (just ask Ilana)
Insert your word for laceless, minimal effort shoes here.
Mercerized cotton is stronger, produces less lint, and is more resistant to mildew
Is that the correct use? or is it the Alanis Morissette definition?
Reply to this message, and I’ll send you a code
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