No category of shoe more proudly bears the crown of comfort than clogs. I should know: I’m Dutch. But in my experience, clogs aren’t always the most comfortable option. (You should’ve seen the blisters I got from wearing wooden clogs during tulip festivals.) Most of the time, I’ve found that a clog can feel great in a stationary position, but the second I add subway stairs or chasing after an Uber into the equation, I’m brought right back to the pain of Dutch dancing on cobblestones.
That hasn’t stopped me from looking for the perfect pair. I started with Danskos, which added some unwanted inches of height. Maybe it was the burgundy color or the fact I paired them with tiny jean shorts, but the overall effect, to put it lightly, was disjointed. I upgraded to an open-back pair of Troentorps for my first year of my MFA program. The look was closer to what I wanted, a little more Scandi than med student, but my walking was slowed to a snail’s pace. Next, a pair of Birkenstock Super-Birkis that made me feel like a hot chef but gave me blisters within a half-block of my apartment because of their ill-fitting edges.
I was ready to give up on clogs altogether, but somewhere in the depths of my TikTok algorithm, a chic Upper West Side mom waved a pair of UGG Tasman X in front of the camera. There was something unapologetic about these clogs. They weren’t trying to be edgy or ironic or even fashionable. Comfort, it seemed, was priority No. 1. The link lived on my laptop for weeks. Caught between the timeless conundrum — is it cool or just ugly? — I wavered violently. My husband offered little help other than, “Looks like something you’d wear.” I ordered them, ignoring countless videos that suggested sizing up, and after they arrived, I sort of forgot about them — until I went to a friends-and-family dinner at Margot.
After taking our order, I noticed that our server, Helen, was wearing a pair of UGG Tasman X. “It’s a sign,” I whispered to my husband, right after she dropped off bread with butter. “I’m always down to try a cute and comfy shoe, especially if I know I can wear them at work,” Helen told me. Now a bartender at Margot, she has pairs in both black and olive: “They always look good, and I feel comfortable wearing them out after work because they never look dirty.” And as a fellow clog skeptic, I was thrilled to hear that these UGGs beat out her other clogs, which felt good while she was wearing them but left her aching after the end of a shift. “I can honestly say none have been able to give me all-day support and comfort,” she adds.
I tried the UGGs in my normal size, but was disappointed by the chafing I felt on their inaugural walk. I ended up pulling out the sock inserts by the time I got out of the elevator. But one size up fit perfectly. My favorite part of these clogs, other than the washable inserts, is the subtle cut below the ankle. I’ve worn them on after-work walks and to Friday-night movies with friends. I keep waiting for a pain point, but instead, these clogs have taken up permanent residence next to my front door.
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