Finally, A Sandal With Room For My Wide Feet

Two straps that adjust to your own foot, a cushioned footbed that eases the ache, and an ankle strap that keeps you steady — a proper summer sandal again.

I have wide feet, and for years that's meant sandals were more trial than pleasure. The straps cut across the top, my foot spilled over the edge, and by lunchtime I'd have slipped them off under the table. I'd more or less stopped buying them at all.

And the comfortable ones that did fit were thin and flat, leaving my feet aching by evening — or backless things that slid around and had me gripping with my toes to keep them on. Comfortable, fitting and steady never seemed to come in one shoe.

It was my daughter Sarah, up in Boston, who told me to try a pair from a small family boutique here in South Carolina — a sandal she said she set to her own foot and then forgot about. Before I tell you what they did for my feet, I think you should read the Clarke family's letter first.

The Clarke family runs a small boutique here in South Carolina, family-run since 1986 — three generations, mother to daughter. The sandal is called the Susan, and their letter walks through the handful of things they refused to compromise on. I am going to let their words carry it, because they say it better than I could.

1Two adjustable straps that fit wide feet and swelling

We started with the fit, because that is where most sandals fail a woman. The Susan has two straps across the foot, and each one adjusts — so you set the sandal to your foot instead of forcing your foot into the sandal. There is real room across a wider foot, nothing spilling over the edge, and when your feet swell by the afternoon you simply ease the straps out a touch and carry on.

2A cushioned footbed that eases the ache

Underfoot, the footbed is cushioned and contoured, cupping the arch and the heel so your foot is supported the whole way along instead of landing flat on something hard — and the sole beneath is soft and thick. That is the difference you feel by evening: you can be on your feet through the shops and the garden and still want to keep them on.

3A secure ankle strap that keeps you steady

Open sandals so often slide around and flop off your heel, and gripping with your toes to keep them on is exactly how you feel unsteady. The Susan has an adjustable strap around the ankle that holds your foot firmly in place, so the sandal moves with you instead of sliding under you — and the wide, soft sole grips the floor. You feel planted in them.

4Soft from the first wear — nothing to rub or break in

The straps are soft and padded, with no hard edges to bite into your skin, so there is nothing to break in and nothing to rub. You can wear them out of the box for a whole day and come home without a single sore spot — which is not something most of us expect from a new sandal.

5Easy on and off, no bending to a buckle

The straps fasten with a simple hook-and-loop instead of a tiny buckle to fumble with. You set them to your foot once, ease them open and closed however you like, and there is far less bending and fiddling to get them on — which, when your fingers are stiff in the morning, makes all the difference.

6Goes with everything, in every size from a 5 to a 12

It comes in five easy colours — blue, white, tan, black and navy — each one made to go with what you already wear, and it runs from a 5 all the way to a 12. A comfortable sandal in the size that actually fits, not the nearest one on the shelf.

The Susan, against the sandals you've been buying

	Typical sandal	The Susan
The fit	Fixed narrow straps, cut across wide feet	Two adjustable straps — real room, nothing overhanging
Underfoot	Flat and thin, aching by evening	A cushioned, contoured footbed on a soft, thick sole
Steadiness	Slides around, flops off the heel	An ankle strap holds you firm, a grippy sole
First wear	Rubs and blisters until broken in	Soft, padded straps — comfortable from day one
Getting them on	Tiny buckles you bend down to fasten	Simple hook-and-loop — set them and go

Why they're clearing it now

They priced the Susan at $124.95 when it launched, and it sold at that price all season. But for America's 250th, the Clarke family wanted to give something back to the women who have kept their doors open since 1986 — so every pair is going out for well under half of that.

Mine arrived in a box with tissue paper and a little handwritten note on top. I set the straps to my feet that same afternoon, and they've barely come off since.

I don't usually write things like this. But the Susan gave me back a proper summer sandal — one that fits my wide feet, cushions every step, holds me steady, and slips on without a fight. If your feet have been keeping you from the sandals you'd like to wear, these are the ones I'd tell you to try, while the sale is still on.

— Margaret Ellison · Mount Pleasant, SC

See the Susan — $49.95 →

This is a personal account from a Clarke Family customer. Margaret was not paid to write it. · The Clarke Family · Family Fashion · South Carolina, since 1986 · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.