Love Your Feet with Nota Bene Shoes
posted by: jitterbugbaby in Comfort Shoes, Focus on the Shoe Brand, Shoe Contests on February 19th, 2008
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
We love our feet,
And Nota Bene does, too.
Yes, shoe lovers, hot on the heels of our Glory Chen contest (and congrats to our lucky winner), here’s another chance to help yourself into a great new pair of shoes that will let you love your feet the way they deserve. Valentine’s Day may have passed, but there’s no reason not to treat your feet well for the rest of the year, too.
Nota Bene is a company that’s got their priorities in the right place. Here’s a quote from their mission statement:
Whoever she is, when the Nota Bene woman stands in front of her closet in the morning getting ready for work, she wants a beautiful pair of shoes she trusts will take her everywhere she wants to go that day. When she packs her suitcase, she wants versatile shoes. When she shops, she wants to find what she is looking for quickly and reliably. And at the end of the day, she still wants to love her beautiful shoes.
Who can’t get behind that kind of philosophy, I ask you? Shoeblog certainly can.
Nota Bene has worked out how to make shoes that don’t look like “comfort shoes” and still offer all the important features that keep your feet happy and comfortable through the day. Check out this comparison x-ray shot. The shoe on the left is a high end designer shoe, and the one on the right is by Nota Bene.
Look at all the ways the toes on the left are crunched and cramped into that space. They have no room to move, and that stresses the small bones in your toes in a major way. On the other hand (other foot?), the Nota Bene shoes keep the toes nice and straight and well separated, giving them freedom to flex and spread and grip and all those other great things toes do for us.
I took a pair of Nota Bene’s for a test drive (the Anne in bronze leather), and I have to say they did very well.
I’m always a little worried about a shoe like this, because they often end up rubbing in unforeseen places on my feet. But the Anne not only didn’t do that (the only rubbing I had was a bit on the inside of my heels, which is actually because they were a tad big–damn me and my size 8.25 feet–a toe pad will fix that right up), but it also kept my feet nice and comfy on a day when I ended up doing a higher than average amount of walking. I often have trouble with pointy toes, because my feet are very square and fairly wide at the base of my toes, but these left plenty of room for my feet, and only started to taper past the point where they’d have squeezed uncomfortably. Overall, quite enjoyable.
And I must also say that of the other styles Nota Bene sent me to try, a number of them were quite nice as well. Surprisingly, I found their heels to be the most stable, supporting, and comfortable to wear. I can’t rave highly enough about the sexy, chic Rosalind, which was pointy and sleek and toe-cleavage-y in just the right way, and yet managed to feel like a shoe you could actually wear and walk in all day long (although I would recommend going up a half size in that one, since most of the size 8s I tried were the best fit, but the Rosalind in 8.5 was just right).
So, how does this translate to you? Well, the folks at Nota Bene and the folks here at Shoeblog wanted to encourage some not-just-on-Valentine’s-Day love (since, after all, partners may come and go, but your feet are likely to be there for the long haul), so we’re offering you a shot at a $100 gift certificate at Nota Bene’s online shop. Leave a comment here to enter yourself in the contest (by midnight PST on February 26), and we’ll pick a winner at random.
32 Comments
- Click Here to Speak Up
October 14, 2011 at 9:56 am, Hannah Wright said:
As a server/ Bartender I am on my feet all night long. I am also a type one diabetic and have to worry about Diabetic Neuropathy and many other foot problems. I would love to own a pair of cute shoes like these that would support my feet! So cute!
March 25, 2008 at 9:41 am, Spring for some Comfy and Stylish Shoes | ShoeBlog said:
[...] the sleek Anne from Nota Bene that I can tell you from personal experience is incredibly comfortable even at the end of a day of [...]
February 26, 2008 at 1:33 pm, Alina said:
Great contest!
February 26, 2008 at 10:52 am, Elizabeth said:
Hoping to try some comfortable– good looking! shoes
February 26, 2008 at 8:03 am, Charlie said:
Awesome contest, and such gorgeous shoes!
February 26, 2008 at 3:40 am, Jamie said:
hurrah for comfy shoes! we all need them after 4''-er nights
February 26, 2008 at 1:23 am, jen said:
pretty, comfortable and good for your feet! Yah!
February 25, 2008 at 10:48 am, Note Well our Nota Bene Contest | ShoeBlog said:
[...] [...]
February 25, 2008 at 7:24 am, Nikkie said:
You can't have too many shoes, especially if they are comfortable!
February 25, 2008 at 6:38 am, Barbara said:
Comfortable would be great. Anything that cuts down on finger crossing before trying on a pair.
February 25, 2008 at 5:35 am, Kirsten said:
Very pretty shoes!
February 25, 2008 at 5:31 am, Meghan said:
Ooooh. Pick me, pick me!
February 25, 2008 at 4:55 am, trinh said:
Comfort + nice shoe = thanks god for finally someone is listening.
February 25, 2008 at 3:58 am, Danielle said:
I love comfy shoes too!
February 23, 2008 at 8:11 am, Kelly said:
Oh yay! I've recently come to value comfort very highly, especially after I realized that if you look hard enough for good brands/styles you don't have to sacrifice looking good for feeling good (and vice versa).
February 22, 2008 at 3:25 pm, Stacey said:
I was just talking about this the other day! Comfortable shoes shouldn't look homely. There should be no compromise between comfort and fashion.
February 21, 2008 at 3:12 pm, Arlene said:
Nothing like pretty shoes, and comfortable to boot!
February 21, 2008 at 2:21 pm, patricia said:
count me in!
February 21, 2008 at 12:35 am, Bunny said:
Wow! Just reading about nice looking shoes that are comfortable makes my feet quiver! Would totally love a pair.
February 20, 2008 at 5:45 am, Sonia said:
I walk a lot, I should win…plus I love shoes!
February 20, 2008 at 2:06 am, Naomi said:
I love the Alice style and the Anne, too!
February 19, 2008 at 11:50 pm, Amy said:
I'm always looking for beautiful shoes that I can wear around the office! I have a closet full of designer shoes that don't get out much because they aren't comfortable enough! Thanks for letting me know about this wonderful new brand.
February 19, 2008 at 10:58 pm, Susan said:
I love comfy shoes! Pick me!
February 19, 2008 at 8:14 pm, Katie C. said:
As a future teacher, I’m always looking for shoes that will be comfortable all day long yet still be cute. These seem like they could handle that job!
February 19, 2008 at 7:02 pm, Sarah said:
love the shoes, would love the cert!
February 19, 2008 at 1:41 pm, Victoria said:
ooh that looks amazing
February 19, 2008 at 1:35 pm, Tara said:
I would love these beautiful and comfy shoes!
February 19, 2008 at 10:48 am, Alli said:
As a grad student in the sciences, I am on my feet all day long and always looking for a comfy, yet stylish, pair of shoes. These look like they would fit the bill!
February 19, 2008 at 8:34 am, alcie said:
I am off to look at the site, as I am on the mission for the summer shoes!!
February 19, 2008 at 4:34 am, Daisy said:
Very nice! Would love some new shoes and these ones are beautiful! Thanks for the great contest
February 19, 2008 at 3:24 am, kayli said:
oooh they look so pretty and comfy!
February 19, 2008 at 3:18 am, Laura V said:
Ooh. What nice shoes! Hurrah for contests!