A Letter From a Reader: The Mary Janes I Can Actually Stand In
The Mary Janes I can actually stand in.
On the shoe I used to love and gave up on, why a small Vermont boutique built theirs differently, and why they are clearing them now.
Me in the Violetta.I have loved Mary Janes since I was a girl. The strap, the round toe, the way they finish an outfit without shouting about it. And for about the last eight years I have not been able to wear a pair for longer than an afternoon.
It is always the same. They look right in the box. Then the strap sits in the wrong place, or the sole is a flat piece of nothing, or the front narrows exactly where my toes are widest. By three o’clock I am walking differently, and by five I am carrying them.
So I had quietly moved on to trainers, and quietly minded.
Then a friend pointed me at Nell, Nora & Nina, a boutique three sisters have run on the same corner in Stowe, Vermont since 1987. They make a Mary Jane called the Violetta, and their letter explains the things they would not compromise on. I am going to let their words carry it, because they put it better than I would.
1 A cushioned insole made for a whole day, not an hour
Most flats give you a thin lining and call it a footbed. Ours is a comfortable, cushioned insole built for daily wear — the sort of support that keeps you going from morning to night rather than counting down to sitting.
Honestly, these are some of the most comfortable shoes I own. The cushioning makes such a difference, even after being on my feet all day.Susan M., Waterbury, VT
2 An adjustable strap that closes over the instep
A Mary Jane lives or dies by its strap. Ours adjusts properly and fastens across the instep, so you set it where your own foot is rather than where a factory assumed it would be. A shoe that is held on does not have to be gripped on by your toes.
The strap sits perfectly without rubbing or feeling tight. They felt comfortable from the very first wear.Linda R., Burlington, VT
3 A round toe, so your toes lie flat
Pointed and tapered toes narrow toward the end, and the end is where the pressure comes from. A round toe keeps its width forward so your toes lie flat instead of being drawn together — and it is the classic Mary Jane shape anyway, which is the shape you wanted in the first place.
I love that they give me enough room without feeling loose. Comfortable even after hours of walking.Carol D., Charleston, SC
4 A lightweight sole with proper grip
Light enough that you are not lifting the shoe with every step, and gripped enough to be sure of yourself on a wet pavement or a polished floor. That confidence is most of what people mean when they say a shoe is comfortable.
They feel surprisingly light, but the sole still gives me plenty of grip. I feel very secure walking in them.Patricia H., Austin, TX
5 Four colours that go with what you already own
Black, brown, green and red. Black and brown go with almost everything already hanging in your wardrobe. The green is the quiet surprise. The red is the one that reads as a decision.
I bought the brown pair first and ended up ordering the black as well. They’re easy to wear and work with nearly everything in my wardrobe.Margaret T., Raleigh, NC
6 Sizes 5 through 12
From a 5 US to a 12 US, in whole sizes with the European size marked beside it, so you are not guessing. Women whose feet sit at either end of that run have been made to hunt for far too long.
I usually struggle with sizing, but these fit exactly as expected. Enough room for my toes without slipping at the heel.Barbara L., Columbus, OH
An ordinary Mary Jane, against this one
You can buy a Mary Jane for sixty-five dollars almost anywhere. I know, because I have bought a great many of them and given nearly all of them away. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
An ordinary Mary Jane
- A thin lining, comfortable for about an hour
- A fixed strap that sits where it sits
- A toe that narrows where your toes are widest
- A stiff or heavy sole with little grip
- One or two safe colours
- A short size run, and good luck at either end
The Violetta
- A cushioned insole built for daily wear
- An adjustable strap closing over the instep
- A round toe that holds its width forward
- A lightweight sole with proper grip
- Black, brown, green and red
- Sizes 5 to 12 US, marked in EU as well
Nell (one of the founders):
We refuse to sell a shoe that asks a woman to choose between standing comfortably and looking like herself. That is the whole reason the Violetta exists.
Why they are clearing them now
The Violetta was $219.95 and sold at that price. But this has been a hard year for a small shop — the making, the shipping and the rent on a corner they have held since 1987 have all gone up, and three sisters have nowhere to absorb a year like that.
So they have taken 70 percent off the whole shop and called it the Revival Sale, for the plain reason of keeping the door with their names on it open for a fortieth year. The Violetta is $64.95. They say openly they are close to cost at that, and that when the sale ends the price goes with it.
The Violetta Orthopedic Mary Jane Shoes
- Cushioned insole made for daily wear
- Adjustable strap with closure over the instep
- Classic round toe with room across the front
- Lightweight sole with good grip
- Black, brown, green and red · sizes 5–12 US
Stack and save: buy 2 save 10% extra, buy more save up to 25% extra.
See if your size is still in stockI do not usually write things like this. But I spent about eight years quietly giving up on a shoe I had loved since I was a girl, and this is the first pair in a long time that gave it back to me.
If that sounds like you, I would find your size before they clear.
— Sharon Cooper, Stowe VT
See the Violetta — $64.95