Just got back from three weeks in Europe and thought I'd tell you about my search for the Perfect White Sneaker. White sneakers are so great with EVERYTHING but I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot, and just all-over pain in my right foot. I'm on my feet most of the day at work, so my poor tootsies need TLC. I have average width feet and high arches. I ordered probably a dozen pairs of mostly white shoes and they all failed miserably. I tried shoes from Vionic (three different styles), Naturalizer, l'Amour des Pieds, BZees, Skechers and Dansko. I even tried the shoes with my favorite Pedag insoles--which helped--but I'd wear them for an hour or so on a carpeted surface and nothing felt good. The soles of plain white tennies are just too flat. I need a lot more cushion in my shoes and a little height in the heel, but my pride won't let me wear Hokas or Brooks in Europe.
The random winner ended up being the leather "Topspin" style from Cole Haan. They have a great athletic shoe line. I had no idea! I needed a little extra arch support (Pedag "Step" inserts are wonderful for that!) to make my Topspins feel fantastic. We usually walked about 25,000 steps a day in Europe and while my feet were tired by the end of each day, I had ZERO plantar fasciitis pain. No pain of any sort, actually. It's pretty miraculous. I wore smartwool everyday cushion no-show socks with them, and those were wonderful too. Even in the baking summer heat, my feet were fine.
I got back from Europe last week, cleaned up my Topspins with a toothbrush and Krud Kutter and they look good as new.