I am so very lucky to have friends who really know my taste and what I like. And I am extremely grateful for one friend who not only paid attention to what I like but also read through a bunch of my shoe posts to figure out my shoe size and nailed it (thanks Samm!). Seriously how lucky am I? And best of all, she got me Rothy's the sustainable shoe made from recycled water bottles.
At first I was skeptical of Rothys because of its heavy marketing on Facebook and other social media. But much like Away, this is one of the brands that I found that are worth the hype despite the heavy advertising. Who knew wearing recycled water bottles could be so comfortable?
So first a note on sizing: I'm usually a 7.5-8 in shoes (and an 8 in Everlane). And with Rothy's I am an 8 as well (so as most people commented below go a half size up from your regular shoe size). The shoe does look extremely narrow out of the box but the knitted plastic fibers quickly expand and form around your feet for the perfect fit. Everlane may say they have the "Day Glove", but for me, these are the true Day Gloves (as in the form around your foot and you can wear them all day). I had zero problems with fit or chaffing, and no blisters since day 1. The knitted fibers are soft and flexible. In fact the whole shoe is quite flexible.
I also love that these shoes have a good rubber sole to prevent any slipping and how lightweight these shoes are (true you can't resole them, but they will last you a long time and you can recycle them--more on that below). But best of all, these shoes dry very quickly if they get wet. I wore these during my Spring 10x10 (all looks here), and one of those days required a rainy-day site visit to some Airstreams sitting in the middle of some wet grass. My Rothy's got soaked, but since I didn't have a change of shoe I just kept wearing them. By the end of dinner though my Rothy's were pretty much dry. I was amazed. When I look at their About page, I see why my Rothy's were able to dry so quickly: they are purposely made that way so they can be machine washable. I haven't washed these yet, but I'll update this post when I do. But this means these flats are the perfect summer flat since I can easily wash them when they start to smell.
Above are some pics from my Spring 10x10, and as you can see these look good as an office flat or a casual flat. I love their pointed toe design which helps to elongate the leg. Also unlike a lot of other pointed flats, the point on these are quite durable and so even if you stub the point into things, they look untouched (this is definitely not true of pointed leather shoes).
The only con to this shoe is that the inner sole is not glued to the shoe so at times the sole might come off with your foot if it's sticking to it. Nothing major, but sometimes annoying when trying to get your shoes off in a rush. Also even though this shoe doesn't come with arch supports I've found that I don't have any problems (despite having high arches). So maybe something in the design helps with that.
I really really love this shoe and am tempted to get another pair. But seeing as how I'm trying to be more mindful of what I buy, I really don't need multiples of the same shoe (especially since these heather gray ones are perfect with pretty much everything in my closet). Instead I'll wait until these are super beat up, then I'll recycle them (yep Rothy's has found a way to semi-close the loop on their products--they don't recycle them into other shoes but at least they use it to make other goods), and then purchase another pair. If you're interested in a pair, here's a referral link for $20 off your first Rothy's purchase (thanks for your support!). Who knew recycled water bottle shoes could be so pricey. But quality usually comes with a matching price tag, and guys, these shoes are worth it!
P.S. If you're in the SF Bay Area, they just opened a new store on Fillmore in SF. I'll have to check it out the next time I'm in the city!