Take the Faithful to the Reader

My goal with one fashion publication is to provide real life style advice to other older women. We want quality, we want comfort, we want style, and we want honest reviews to help us be informed shoppers who don’t waste our time or money. I know many of us suffer from rough feet and want comfortable shoes with style. When given the opportunity, I wanted to share with you the Keds BlissMove honest review of this line of affordable shoes designed for plantar fasciitis, wide feet, and foot issues.

Before You Read: Why This Update Exists

When Keds gave me a pair of their BlissMove Marled Knit Slip-Ons, I decided to pass them on to a reader rather than review them myself. I hung up the phoneFacebook Oxygen Clothing communitychose Kim O’Neill, and paid her to review them and share her honest thoughts.

If you read mineQuince jeans reviewor mineNuFace Mini Reviewyou already know that I share my thoughts (and my community), even when the review isn’t glowing. I know such feedback would be incredibly helpful. We are all different women with different bodies, lives, needs, and feet. What may be wrong for one may be the perfect choice for another and with such details, it is easy to decide that. I hope you find Kim’s review as helpful as I did!

Keds BlissMove Marled Knit Slip-On Sneaker Review

The following is Kim’s review, in her own words.

Reviewer

Like many fans of Alison and one fashion publication, I’m an older woman, over 50, and I want to wear things that are comfortable, stylish, and fun for my age and lifestyle. Maybe this is you too? And maybe you also struggle sometimes to find shoes that look good, feel good, and are not only forgiving but perhaps helpful for any of the foot problems that seem to come with middle age and old age? And maybe (hopefully!) not bad?

I’ve always been very busy, but when I started kicking health a few years ago, I started walking 10,000 steps a day and found it life-changing. I have to tell you that I live in California, so the weather is usually cooperative, although we do get a little rain in the winter. But the combination of spending more time outdoors and making my physical activity a gentle if fully committed 60-90 minutes a day improved my health in many ways.

In general, my shoe of choice for all these walks has beenThe Hokas(which I know Alison likes, too), and although I find them comfortable, I have trouble wearing them and pairing them with anything but my gym clothes.

I also travel around Europe quite a bit, and while I know I can never fool the locals into thinking I’m one of them, I like to feel like I’m well-dressed, not like a tourist with only one interest in being comfortable, although that’s a very important thing!

Foot Condition: Hallux Rigidus

My biggest foot health challenge is thishallux rigidusin my right big toe, which is a bone formation that limits movement and can be painful (also known as “frozen toe”).

My cousin, a physical therapist and patient, made some great suggestions for me about shoes (“The Hokas!”) and shoe lacing techniques, such as focusing on reducing pressure over the big toe joint by skipping the lowest eyebrows or using “window” lacing to create a pressure-free area, all of which work well for me, but again, Hokas—even fancily laced—are not as low-profile and stylish as I would like.

First Impressions: Style and features

Enter theKeds BlissMove Marled Knit Slip Onwhich I volunteered to review when Alison put out a call on Facebook for reader review. Keds calls their BlissMove collection “enhanced support for everyday activity”. I’m generally not a fan of slip-on sneakers without laces (like the loafer style), mainly because I don’t feel that style goes with everything I wear.

For reference, the three words that inspire the style I live by (and wear, and buy clothes for) are “simple”, “polished”, and “artistic lady”. In other words, sturdy athletic sneakers are not something that blends seamlessly into my wardrobe, however exceptions are made for my daily 10k steps. The best athletic sneakers are a different story!

ButBlissMove styleit has what I’ll call “faux” laces that do the job of making the shoe look like a classic, if low-profile, athletic shoe, while being a super-easy, hands-free slip-on. The feet hold, and, without being too firm, with a strong midsole (as I understand it) it helps if you are dealing with plantar fasciitis.

According to Keds, the BlissMove is an “ergonomic design informed by more than 25 million foot scans, and includes a new removable, shock-absorbing insole”. Keds seems to be really happy about the shoe wash, which is fine with me. I, like Alison, always park in our garden (even though we don’t have a scary doll!), and being able to wash them in the machine is so easy.

How to dress yourself

My first impression when I put it ona shoeon top of that it was comfortable and lightweight, something I really appreciated about my usual overbuilt sneakers. If this shoe can be supportive and comfortable on my daily 10k, what a blessing it would be to walk with something so light!

The molded fabric adds to this light and airy feel. I was looking forward to crossing the street with ease, instead of what some might call closing my normal shoes. Stylistically it is low profile and unobtrusive. Although Kedsbills this as a “comfort” shoeit has more in common with any athletic shoe that stands out than an orthopedic item.

I put on my shoes and started walking around the house between typing on my computer (I work part time from home). I really enjoyed how easy and comfortable they were, and how they looked completely unobtrusive. Texture ofwoven fabricit adds a bit of interest, and the top (I chose black) contrasts well with the larger (but not over-the-top) white one.

I can tell by the picture of me wearing itthesenot just my go-to clothes (athleisure-ish), but even favorite outfits like wide-leg jeans paired with a graphic t-shirt and a women’s jacket, or striped jogging pants, a sweatshirt, and my prized winter purchase, a leopard motor coat.

Wearing Keds BlissMoves for Walking

Time to pick up my new oneBlissMovesto get around the area! After about 5,000 steps and more time at the computer, I had to admit that while I liked the BlissMove and its overall comfort, my hallux rigidus did not.

Unfortunately the shoe felt tight over that bone spur, and since the laces aren’t real laces, there was no way to tie them in one of my cousin’s fancy ways to hopefully put less pressure on my sore spot. Although the mesh fabric is very flexible and forgiving, I really needed ita shoea little relief from that sore spot.

Summary

In conclusion, I thinkthese shoesit’s worth a try—unless you have hallux rigidus. They seem to be great for plantar fasciitis, they’re nice and easy to walk in, their style is simple and versatile, and you can’t beat the mechanical shock and removable insole.

Photo by Alison

Kim’s experience is a good reminder that foot health is personal, and no one shoe works for everyone.Keds BlissMoveit has great features: light weight construction, machine washability, a low profile look that plays well outside the context of the gym, and the APMA Accreditation Mark that I noted when I put mine on.a vacation capsule wardrobe.

If you have plantar fasciitis, a wide forefoot, or are tired of sneakers that look like you’re training for something when you’re doing certain activities,theseit’s worth a try. If you have hallux rigidus or any condition that requires correction of tension in a specific part of your foot, skip this.

Kim O’Neill

Kim O’Neill is a freelance writer living in Berkeley, CA with her husband Erik and cat Nico. In her spare time she enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, and is working on a novel about a menopausal woman who changes everything to create a dramatic third act.