At first glance, this shoe from UK-based Cushe footwear looks a bit like the rubber water shoes I’ve seen for sale at Wal-Mart. The toe bends up, it’s got a thick strap across the top of the foot to stay on during water sports… but at $75 a pop this isn’t any plastic water shoe. It’s really cool — and it looks so much better on my foot than I think it does in the product shot. There’s no way I’m going to wear it snorkeling in the ocean or kayaking on the river. This shoe is going to take me from plane or car to sightseeing to dinner on my next trip.

This Mia Remy style — part ballet flat, part Mary Jane — comes in five different colors. I have it in Brown/Sky (pictured above). The upper is constructed in soft, full-grain leather and suede; I especially like the metallic-brown material that has a subtle pattern to it (it looks like water droplets).  The light-blue stretch Lycra “collar” ensures a very snug fit, as does the elastic-and-leather brown strap across the top of the foot. What you can’t see in the photo above are the other cute details: the Hawaiian flower pattern on the loop on the back of the shoe, on the inner sole and on the foot-tread outer sole (see below).

This shoe is part of the Cushe (pronounced “cushy”) Footwear women’s “Coastal Supremacy” line. Indeed, the Lycra material that lines the shoe is purposely used for its quick-dry properties; if you are tramping along riverbanks or on the beach too close to the wave break and the shoe gets wet it will dry quickly. But as I said above, I think I’ll sooner wear the shoe around town during my travels — and here at home.

I wore the Mia Remy with brown pants and thin brown socks this spring in Colorado when it wasn’t quite warm enough to go sockless. I’m not sure this is the most fashion-forward method, but the shoe fit a sock comfortably; good to know for plane travel, when I refuse to go barefoot through the airport security line. These shoes are bendable and can squish down for packing in checked luggage as well.

More recently I’ve worn the Mia Remy without socks and with capris. They remain super comfortable for strolls around town; there’s not a ton of arch support, so I’m not sure how an entire day of walking over cobblestones or up many hilly streets would go. But I can endorse the shoe for a day of travel or strolling around town.

Purchase the Mia Remy — and all sorts of other styles of comfortable men’s and women’s shoes — online at the Cushe Footwear website.

Or check prices online at Planet Shoes and REI.

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• Womens’ Teva Hiking Shoes
• Ariat International Clogs
• Switchflops Interchangeable Sandals