6 Pairs Of Shoes You Need In Your Damn Life

Tried, tested, and worn by BuzzFeed editors!

1. Doggo-approved Adidas Cloudfoam Advantages that'll feel just as comfy as they sound.

Diana Hendrickson / BuzzFeed

I come to you all today as a conformist in the name of comfort. If you’ve lived anywhere in the US over the last few years, you've likely seen hordes of people gallivanting around town in Adidas sneakers of all types. If you live in NYC, you cannot stand on a crowded street corner without spotting a pair of Stan Smiths or Superstars. Go try it, I dare you.

Now, you (like me) may wonder one simple thing — why? This was my question for eons, until a friend let me try on his Adidas lace-ups. It was like slipping my feet into the arms of angels. I’ve been thinking about those sneakers since, so I finally went out and got my own. I chose the Adidas NEO Cloudfoam Advantage, mainly because the word "cloudfoam" is in the title of the shoe, which promising indeed. These sneakers are a bit heavier than what I'm used to wearing, but it's totally worth it. They feel like I am sinking my feet into lil' foam submarines, protecting me from the terror of subway stairs I must conquer each day. My feet hurt significantly less after my own gallivanting when I wear these, and the white with black stripes choice paid off — they go with everything.

I got a half size down, and they fit perfectly. I also waterproofed them as soon as I bought 'em, and they’ve held up in the rain like champions. —Francine Hendrickson

Get them from Amazon for $49.95+ (available in six colors, sizes 5.5–11).

2. Sam Edelman rain booties as motivation to burn your clunky old wellies in a ceremonial bonfire.

Rebecca O'Connell / BuzzFeed

I hate rain boots. They're clunky, uncomfortable, and just cumbersome monsters that take up too much space in my closet. And as helpful as they're supposed to be, I can never figure out when to wear them. It seems like whenever I put them on, the rain stops an hour later and I'm the one doofus wearing rain boots on a sunny day. As much as I'd like to swear off rain boots forever, I don't really feel like moving to Arizona, and I'm sick of coming home in waterlogged sneakers. That means finding a compromise: waterproof shoes that can be passed off as normal shoes.

My original search brought me to two strong contenders: a fun pair of glittery ankle boots or a more subtle pair of matte Chelsea boots. I ordered both to compare. Unfortunately, the glitter boots were too big and the Chelsea boots were too small (I am the Goldilocks of waterproof footwear, it seems) so I had to return both to the store, in the rain, without rain boots.

Luckily, this story has a happy ending. I finally settled on a pair of Sam Edelman boots I found on Amazon. The matte boots are subtle and can easily pass off as normal shoes. They're comfortable, and most importantly, definitely waterproof. I have flat feet so there's a little extra space between my foot and the top front of the boot, but it doesn't make walking difficult or painful. They have little tabs on the heels, which make it easy to yank the boots on and off. Finally, I can wake up on a rainy day and not have a minor breakdown trying to figure out what shoes to wear. —Rebecca O'Connell

Get them from Amazon for $34.99+ (available in eight colors, sizes 5–13).

3. Rifle Paper Co. Keds to treasure as much as your favorite stationery.

Tom Vellner / BuzzFeed

I value foot comfort above all else, and anyway, I firmly believe that you're only as tall as you feel. So for many years, I was a steadfast flats person: I owned flats of all colors and materials and toe boxes and wore them until I scraped the soles thin. Within the past two years, I've transitioned from flats to cute, non-athletic sneakers. The only problem is finding everyday sneakers that are as stylish as a good flat is.

Which is why when I found out that Keds had partnered with Rifle Paper Co. to create a line of their classic shoes with stunning floral patterns, I wasted no time ordering a pair in this motif.

Look, most sneakers are clustered somewhat close together on the comfort spectrum, but these were such a pleasant surprise. I hadn't worn a pair of Keds since I was, oh, 4 years old, and now I get why the company has been around for a century. It's because wearing their shoes is like stepping on a bed of fresh marshmallows! These have an Ortholite insole for extra squishiness, and oh my god, I want that in all of my shoes from now on. (Read more deets in the full review here.) —Terri Pous

Get them from Keds for $60 (available in sizes 5–11). Check out the full line here.

4. Clarks booties for when you need some height minus the pain.

AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed

I’m a flat-shoes girl mostly out of comfort, but I’ve slowly been warming up to heeled boots. They’re sturdier, cozier, and overall much more appealing than normal heels supported by flimsy sticks (though useful, perhaps, for sudden combat). I long associated Clarks with practical, boring shoes, mainly because I’ve only been in their stores with my parents (sorry, Mom and Dad). So last winter when my roommate got a pair of cute heeled booties, I did a double take when she told them they were from Clarks! Then I bought the same pair because I figured she wasn’t the type to hate me for copying her.

These babies have soft cushioning inside them, so my feet feel loved and supported. I assume cushioning is common for Clarks, but not as far as my shoes go. Remember when I told you I almost only wear flats? Yeah, zero support. I also like that the heels are ever-so-slightly slanted; on the other end of the stick-to-block spectrum, I'm also not a fan of chunky, rectangular-shaped heels. I want my heels to be chic but sturdy, which these definitely are. Also, this is the only pair of pointed-toe shoes I have ever owned that I liked (rounded toes are usually my jam), but the pointedness works better here and makes a sophisticated statement. The laces add a nice touch, and I haven't had any problems with them coming undone.

I usually wear them with tights, à la in my review photo, and they're stupidly comfortable to wear all day. I have yet to find socks that are thin enough, don't show, and also don't slide off my feet, but that clearly hasn't stopped me from wearing them all the time. I love these booties to pieces. And at 5'5", wearing heels that I don't want to fling off after 30 minutes makes me feel like I can take on the whole damn world. (PS: I got my regular size, a 6.5, and they fit perfectly!) —Sarah Han

Get them from Amazon for $17.99–$104.97 (available in black and gray suede, sizes 5–11).

5. Statement block booties at a price that won't make you trip.

AnaMaria Glavan / BuzzFeed, Express

The idea of “statement booties” is great and all, but the idea of spending a lot of money on shoes I’ll wear maybe once a month (at most) makes my blood boil. So right at the beginning of bootie season, I decided I'd try finding a pair of plain-ish black booties that still had something ~interesting~ about ‘em — but something I could still pair with almost everything in my closet. I was at Express when my best friend picked these pearl-heeled booties and screamed, “They’re on sale!”

I knew I was in love.

These booties are the perfect height: low enough that I can wear ‘em to work, and high enough that I can wear them out and still feel semi-dressed up. The quality is also great: The heel of this shoe is covered in pearls that, after countless wears, I’m happy to report have not fallen off. Plus, it only too a two-wear break-in period before they were super comfortable! I would really like to extend a large thank-you to the person who invented the concept of block heels. Bless you. —AnaMaria Glavan

Get them from Express for $69.90 (available in sizes 6–8).

6. Breathable slip-ons you can go sock-less in with abandon.

Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed, Suavs

I don't wanna brag, but I frequently fly with a carry-on only because I am very rich and powerful. Jk. It's because I'm cheap about paying for checked luggage! As a result, I've become an expert at packing very little, which means being very careful about shoe choices. These Suavs Baron slip-ons that I've had for about a year have become my flying go-tos because they're easy to slip off for security and are the next-comfiest thing to actual bedroom slippers.

They're made to be worn without socks, but I like to wear no-show socks while flying, because airport-floor filth. Once I'm strolling around my destination, I wear them without socks like the good lord intended. The breathable mesh uppers and grippy rubber sole make all kinds of exciting tasks easier, like climbing into a sandstone Oregon Trail wagon-wheel rut in Wyoming for a photo op, strolling from my Airbnb to consume all the bagels in Montreal, and trekking home solo carrying 30 pounds of Halloween party food from my local grocery store. Plus, I can't deny their aesthetic appeal. I call them my Star Trek shoes because they're sleek and space-agey, which makes for a very nice juxtaposition with dirty city sidewalks.

But perhaps the *best* part about these shoes is that they don't smell like feet. Your old dogs can actually breathe in them, which is rarely the case for most flats. I've tried and failed to go sock-less in many sneakers and slip-ons before, only to regret it. Granted, you should probably let them air out every few days (as you should honestly do every other day with all shoes), but I often get away with wearing them on back-to-back days during trips with lots of walking. —Elizabeth Lilly

Get them from Suavs for $40 (available in six colors, sizes 5–11).

Suavs sent me these shoes to try free of charge, but I wasn't obligated to positively review them.

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Allison Krausman / BuzzFeed