Ask the Editor: Shoes for WFH
Jan 29, 2024
This reader query is one I’ve also struggled with. What shoes do you wear when you work from home? Especially since no one can seen them.
Thank you so very much for talking about how weird it is to be working from home post-COVID. Like you, I am trying to “get dressed” every day and it’s hard when you know that no one will see you. But here’s a question you haven’t answered yet, what are we putting on our feet?
Slippers. These slippers specifically.
I would like to wear different shoes during the day, but I happen to believe that wearing your shoes in the house is gross. So to wear “real” shoes, I would need to buy house-only shoes. And while I might consider buying a comfortable, supportive pair of house-only sneakers, I’m fine with slippers.
Don’t care about wearing shoes in the house?
The Adidas Samba sneaker have been growing in popularity for a while (Farfetch has the best selection of sizes and colors). By summer, they will be the must-have sneaker on the block. I like the low profile and the wide selection of colors. This beige option is awesome for warmer weather. For my wardrobe, the black/night-blue colorway fits best.
If you work from home, leave your thoughts on footwear below. I’m sure we’d all love some group input on this conundrum.
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So I have birdies slipper that I only wear in the house. They look like “real shoes” but feel like a slipper. These are only good for winter time so curious what people do in the summer.
what a great suggestion! thanks for sharing.
I have two different house shoes/slippers that I alternate depending on season. For warmer months, the Birdies Dove pom pom slip on. For colder months, an no-name brand slipper similar to the Ugg one you that you linked. Since I only where these in the house, mainly sitting at my desk, they’ve lasted for years.
I am on my fourth pair of these: https://thesmallhome.co.uk/collections/slippers/Womens+Sheepskin-Slippers
I also don’t wear shoes in the house (my kids are great about it, my husband insists the dress shoes he wears to the office “aren’t dirty” and I can’t seem to win this one), but I live in my LL Bean slippers and, more recently, what I call my “house shoes,” my Teva ReEmber Camp Slippers. They feel more structured, but I don’t wear them out in the world.
I have become a convert to house shoes over the past four years as it helps avoid pain from doing household work in bare feet’s on hard wood/tile. A pair of Sorel slippers for the cold, pristine white sneakers for day to day, and a pair of Birks for summer. They’ve all lasted despite frequent wear, so it’s been worth it for me.
Birkenstock slippers to get the warm fuzz but also the arch support. I keep a pair of less supportive Uggs for non-work slipper time so I still get a transition shoe for later in the day.
I mostly like to go bearfoot (I know – but my feet like to be free!), but when I wear something, it’s usually Ugh Fluff Yeah slippers in the most garish colors available, to counteract my good-for-video-meetings super staid grey, navy, or black tops. https://www.amazon.com/UGG-Womens-Fluff-Checks-Slipper/dp/B099SCHBTR/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=ugg%2Bfluff%2Byeah%2Bslippers&qid=1706564418&sr=8-2&th=1&psc=1
I definitely wear a pair of house shoes. They fit my orthotics so that I get less neck and shoulder pain, make me a little bit taller so my feet reach the ground when I’m sitting at my desk chair, and putting them on and taking them off creates a psychological routine for beginning and ending my workday.
I have house shoes too!
For warmer weather: Reef slides https://www.reef.com/products/womens-slides-reef-one-slide-black
For colder weather: I cannot recommend the LL Bean wicked good clogs enough. They have a real sole and are supportive.
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/23102?page=womens-wicked-good-clogs
I have a pair of sneakers that never leave the house. I can’t go without real shoes for an extended period of time, just a couple days at most.
I have a matching pair that I wear for going outside.
I’ve been wearing Fortress of Inca’s Claudia Slipper for WFH from the early days of the pandemic. The furry lining keeps my feet warm, and the soles are durable enough where they hold up if I must run outside for a second. Highly recommend! https://fortress.shoes/products/claudia-slipper?variant=32086915383411
I WFH full time and wear ugg slippers in the winter and cheap target plasticy Birkenstock dupes for the other three seasons (I’m in northern CA). But I do school pickup every day so for that I put on either my Onitsuka Tiger sneakers, Ugg boots (when it’s cold), or rainbow flipflops. I have been trying to find a cute, comfortable chelsea boot that I can slip on for fall/winter but I have tried probably 10 pairs and have found nothing that works for my petite frame and is not super clunky. I’d like to have some slightly “nicer” shoes to wear outside the house for school pick up/errands but so far no luck.
My work from home set up is now in the basement and I’m late to the brand, but I’ve really taken to wearing wool Allbirds this winter. They give me the feeling of being dressed, but the wool feels nice on my feet like slippers.
My feet are always cold in the winter, so I wear these wool slippers with a rubber sole: https://www.etsy.com/listing/726232690/womens-natural-wool-booties-slippers?epik=dj0yJnU9bnpidk5JTzZVMzU2cTg1TklvVzFtNTNSX2xsMWl4YW8mcD0wJm49OFUta1ljM0VxbzNveFBQcGU2ZjVjQSZ0PUFBQUFBR1c1UkE4. In the summer, I wear a pair of loafers dedicated to indoor use.
I have a pair of house only sneakers. I am barefoot a lot of the time, but it’s nice to have the support as well. One thing I am surprised no one has mentioned is wearing shoes to do better work. When I have to do something that requires focus (mostly writing), having my sneakers on with laces sends a message to my brain that it’s time to work. It’s difficult for my brain to be in work mode wearing slippers.
Can I just say the concept of house shoes is boggling my mind. I’m from Asia so we don’t wear shoes inside ever. And now I live in Hawaii and we basically just don’t wear shoes, in general. If anything, we wear slippahs (flip flops) and “fancy slippahs” for formal occasions. It never occurred to me to do anything else! 😄 I learn something new everyday.