Give a girl the correct footwear
and she can conquer the world.-Bette Midler
Speaking generally, I don’t do back to school clothes shopping. 12 years of brown plaid uniforms made me cynical about the marketing hype surrounding brand-new wardrobes, dictated by the start of the school year. Why buy new stuff when last year’s duds still do?
I’ll wait until the season changes and we can assess what the kids actually need (and since their choices are sure to be swayed by what the other kids are wearing, we may as well see what’s on the hit list this year).
The exception is the shoes. I don’t think my kids wear closed toe shoes at all over the summer months, and every year as August draws to a close they attempt to stuff their soles into sneaks that have miraculously gone at least two sizes too small.
It’s all that fresh air and sunshine, I guess. And giantess genes.
Good news: this year, the transition from summer to fall doesn’t mean putting away summer comfort, at least for kids. Crocs has released a new line of “school approved” kicks, suitable for the gymnasium and playground. The Crocs Back to School kids’ line is school-approved on the outside (meaning close-toed and close-heeled), but have the same comfort in the inside. And they’re super-cute, with 13 new high-top and low-top styles for kids (boys and girls) from K-8.
I ordered Cass the metallic-purple-on-black argyle version of this one. ARGYLE, people. I love it.
For me, this means:
- no more having to buy rain boots for the kids to slog to the bus stop in, only to have them change shoes as the bus pulls into sight.
- No more having to wash sneakers after playing in the mud, and then going to bed to the thump, thump, thump of shoes in the dryer.
- No more days on end traveling from shoe store to shoe store trying to find something comfortable for all-day, everyday wear for my big-footed children (two with abnormally long, narrow feet; one with square, wide feet).
Confession: I’m a recent Croc convert; I thought they were ugly as sin when they first arrived on the scene. But I truly love their wash-and-wearability so I can allow the kids to play outside and get dirty with abandon. And after purchasing a pair of my own for gardening and latenight dogwalking, I can’t deny the comfort factor. (Mine are the toning Skylar flats.)
AND, here’s where they fit into my eco-sensibility: not only does one pair do the job of three pairs of shoes for younger kids (rain shoes, dress shoes, and mucking-about shoes), but they are easily recyclable. Some Crocs retail stores will take them off your hands directly, or you can send them to Soles4Souls, who will clean them and give them a “second life” by donating to people in need of shoes throughout the world.
Given that just about every kid around has a pair, consider setting up a donation drive at your school or community center!
One more thing.
Not only is Crocs keeping summertime comfort in your shoes all year long, they’re giving away a 4-day, 3-night “summer break” for 4 people to San Diego. The prize includes round-trip airfare, a stay at an oceanside family-friendly hotel, tickets to local attractions, car rental and $200 fun money. You can enter to win on the Crocs Back to School microsite but frankly I’d prefer you just cross your fingers and toes that I win 🙂
Check out the line-up in this video: click on any of the shoes and you’ll be taken to the shoe’s page on the website. There’s a hidden “Easter egg”— find it, click on it and see what happens. Here’s a clue:
Your turn.
How do you handle back to school shopping?
Have you gone to the Croc side?
Thank you to Crocs for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Crocs’ new Back to School line. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.
