Arcopedicos at Nahas!

In the window: So I’m walking down Charles Street at the bottom of Beacon Hill, and I stop to windowshop at Nahas, when, omg, I spy cute red comfort flats. Are those Arcopedicos!?!

Secret wish: While I wait for the sometimes cantankerous owner to bring out the Arcopedico Nature Vitorias in black/red ($145), I hope that maybe they’ll be perfect and I will buy them and not be tempted to return them and finally end my quest for comfortable flats.

Another disappointment: I hustle out of the small store after a few quick pictures. The owner is like a lion, and if you browse too long, the store begins to feel like a cage. That rounded and rather large toe box is just too goofy looking, and they are too wide for my narrow feet. That red in Croc-embossed patent is killer, though, and I am excited at the direction Arcopedico is going.

Experience of the brand: The only place I’d seen the brand before was Cambridge Clogs (crazyclogs.com), where they had the classic line, a style with a woven nylon upper that looked like a slipper-like sock sewn onto a sole. (See bottom pic) Not stylish, unless maybe you thought of them as a type of espadrille.

Arcopedico facts: The Portuguese company was founded in 1966 by Prof. Elio Parodi when he patented the Classic (bottom pic), a long-running bestseller. He believed that supporting the foot arch was crucial to sustaining the spine at a more convenient angle.

Arcopedico technical jargon: In the production of each shoe, the volumetric density for correct blood circulation and total foot coverage is tested. (volumetric WHAT?) The anatomic insole in boar skin of fibrous toweling is formed to give metatarsal support and a specific stability for the heel. (uh, BOAR skin?) The patented anatomic sole, PVC injected material, has twin supports to maintain the correct angle of foot arch support. The twin supports are adjustable on each foot, trimming with a knife blade. (oh. that's kind of COOL.) In a normal shoe the total weight of the body rests on three points only. This often causes pressure to the arch of the foot, as well as the big toe curvature, causing blisters and calluses. With the "Arcopedico shoes" the foot rests on the whole surface area of the insole. Consequently, there is less tiring of the foot arch and the elimination of blisters and callouses. Furthermore, the "Arcopedico shoes" exercise the foot, strengthen the muscles, assist the circulation of the blood and ensure more comfort in walking. (sounds like CLAIMS lots of other shoes are making these days.)