MEN'S MOBILITY · FOOTWEAR
5 reasons men over 50 are trading lace-ups for shoes they can step straight into
Getting out the door should not begin with finding a chair and wrestling with your shoes.
No bending, pulling or balancing against the wall.
You are dressed and holding your keys. Then you have to stop, sit down and work your foot into a shoe that refuses to open.
You loosen the laces, pull the tongue forward and reach behind your heel. That little routine gets old when your back feels stiff or balancing on one foot has become awkward.
Many easy-on shoes solve the entry problem with a bulky shape. Men who still care how they look have had a poor choice: put up with the bending or wear a shoe that announces why they bought it.
A newer kind of step-in loafer handles the entry at the heel and keeps the rest of the shoe familiar. These are the five details worth checking.
You can put them on while standing normally
A stiff shoe opening makes you bend forward and balance while you pull at the heel. Laces add another step, and a shoe horn is rarely beside you when you need it.
On a proper step-in shoe, the heel gives under your weight. Your foot slides into place and the collar comes back around it. Your hands never need to touch the shoe.
The shoe stays on the floor. You step in and leave.
They still look like shoes you chose for yourself
Extra padding and support often make a comfort shoe wider and busier. It may do the job, yet the reason for wearing it is obvious from across the room.
A clean loafer upper works with the clothes most men already own. The cushioning stays underfoot, and the visible part looks right with jeans or chinos.
The sole matters more than a soft insole
Pressing an insole with your thumb tells you very little. A shoe has to move once your full weight is on it.
Look for a sole that bends with the foot, cushioning from heel to toe and a rounded base that rolls forward as you walk. Perforations help heat escape. A broad, rounded toe leaves room for your foot instead of squeezing it into a point.
A flexible outsole can move with the foot instead of forcing the foot to fight the shoe.
The heel comes back up after you step in
A backless mule is easy to enter, though it can lift and slide while you walk. Soren keeps a collar behind your heel. It flexes under your foot on the way in and returns around the foot once you are wearing it.
You get the easy entry of a slipper with the enclosed fit of a loafer.
Soren worn with dark trousers and a quarter-zip at home.
You have 30 days to wear them through a real day
Thirty seconds on a showroom carpet cannot tell you how a shoe feels after an airport walk, an afternoon of errands or several hours on a hard floor.
Soren's cushioned rocker sole is made for those hours. The perforated upper helps on warm days, and the loafer shape suits places where trainers feel too casual. Try them during your normal routine. If the fit or feel is wrong for you, Hudson Republic's 30-day return policy covers the pair.
THE SHORT VERSION
What you are getting with Soren
- Hands-free collar means no bending or pulling
- Rocker-shaped Pod-Grip sole cushions each step
- Perforated upper helps heat escape
- Clean loafer profile avoids the orthopedic look
- 30-day risk-free returns
The entry photo shows the collar flexing beneath the heel. The close-up shows the podded sole bending under pressure. The product photography shows perforations across the upper and the rounded toe shape.
HUDSON REPUBLIC READER OFFER
Soren is now 50% off while current stock lasts.
If getting your shoes on has become the most irritating part of leaving home, Soren removes the bending, pulling and shoe horn.
30-day risk-free returns · Fast insured shipping