Badass Sandals, No Band-Aids Required

My Greenwich Village hood can be perilous to those shopping on a budget. Particularly when a stroll down your block puts you directly on West 8th Street between 6th Avenue South and Fifth Avenue, smack dab in the middle of fifteen or so shoe stores. Es problemo.

To be fair, I’d been looking for a new pair of flat sandals at the time I fell victim to one of these stores. That uber fab Payless pair might not look cheap, but where comfort’s concerned, sometimes you get what you pay for. Let’s just say the breaking-in process required no small amount of Band-Aid Thickstrips (the ONLY Band-Aid that effectively counteracts blisters, FYI). I suffered through the pain until they were finally wearable, but still. I *needed* something in a more versatile color that wouldn’t butcher my feet at the get-go.

Enter the Kelsi Dagger Dafne T-Strap Sandal.

These puppies cost $108 i.e. a number I loathe spending on only one item. Alas, when the sales dude asked if I wanted to try them on, instincts trumped common sense and a resounding YES followed. Gladiator Sandals often have the unfortunate effect of shortening my already short-legs, yet these had zero midgetizing effects. I was also nuts about the oversize grommet detail, as badass flats are few and far between.

Still, I searched for reasons to say no, and thought I’d be able to when the size 6 proved too small and the size 7 too big. The strap on the sevens just needs to be tightened – I can poke a few holes in the leather so you can adjust them to fit, said the sales dude. I did a walk up and down the block in an attempt to find something less expensive of the same caliber before I fully committed, but commit I did.

In the week since their purchase, my Kelsi Daggers have been worn daily and required zero Band-Aids (they’re THAT well-made). The sandals have also netted me a slew of unsolicited compliments from total strangers, one of which was from a fellow Jersey girl and as such, particularly memorable. Who knew we could be so nice?!