{"id":391851,"date":"2026-11-03T07:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T07:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/391851\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T07:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T07:57:09","slug":"we-stopped-57-new-yorkers-to-ask-about-their-fall-shoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/391851\/","title":{"rendered":"We Stopped 57 New Yorkers to Ask About Their Fall Shoes"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n 58 items in this article
\n 16 items on sale!\n <\/p>\n

\n Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Dominique Pariso, Tembe Denton-Hurst, Najwa Jamal\n <\/p>\n

Now that temperatures have dipped in New York, open-toe season has come to a close. Sandals<\/a> have swapped in for boots, loafers, and other cold-weather fare. Curious about what shoes New Yorkers are wearing this season, three Strategist writers canvassed the city, stopping people on street corners in the Flatiron District, Fort Greene, and the Upper East Side. We approached people on their way to the office, while they drank their afternoon coffees, as they were walking their dogs, and right before they hopped into an Uber with their groceries. We asked about comfortability and wearability, nodding knowingly when they gushed about the magic of zippers, blister-free leather, and the enduring appeal of Frye boots.<\/p>\n

Ballet flats abounded in various heel heights, loafers showed up in different shapes and colors, and leathers, suedes, and croc-esque textures were on display. And as was the case when we asked New Yorkers about their work bags<\/a>, plenty of secondhand and vintage finds sourced from eBay and Poshmark were in the mix, too. Below are all the shoes we spotted, shared with the permission \u2014 and thoughts \u2014 of their wearers.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worn these Jeffrey Campbell shoes for the past three months. They\u2019re pretty much broken in; I wear them 24\/7. I have a little bit of a bunion and they don\u2019t bother me at all, or on the back of my ankle. They\u2019re suede and leather and kind of like Tabis, which many of my friends have and need to resole. You can see the bottoms here \u2014 I\u2019ve worn them a lot, and especially against New York City concrete sidewalks, the soles still look really good.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI got these in the Netherlands at the Posa store. I think they\u2019re very cute \u2014 you can combine them with everything; that\u2019s why I love them. And they\u2019re very comfortable. I\u2019ve had them for two months. I wear them to study, and yesterday, I walked 30,000 steps in them without any blisters or anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI love these because they are suede and very comfortable. I bought them about a year ago, actually. Straight out of the box, I wore them without any blisters. I walk a lot and wear these a lot, two to three miles at a time, and they still look pretty great.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shoes are by a former \u201970s Japanese brand called Haruta. I acquired them at Front General Store in Brooklyn. They\u2019re super comfortable. I\u2019ve owned them for about two years, but the wear on them does not reflect that.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI bought these in Park City, Utah. They\u2019ve been interesting. It took me a little while to get used to them, but I like them now that I\u2019ve broken them in. They feel sleek and cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI bought these on the RealReal. They took some breaking in and I had to add a thing in the back to make them more comfortable, but now I wear them all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI wear them everywhere. Whenever I travel, I bring them because you can pair them with a casual fit but you can also dress them up.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw these in an ad and Google reverse-image searched. We were comparing them to Tabis last night. They\u2019re Tabi-shaped but without the indentations.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI usually buy expensive shoes, but I took a chance on these. They\u2019re from Zara, so I don\u2019t know how long they\u2019ll last. I got them in Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had these for three months. They\u2019re super comfortable. No break-in period. Daily 10,000 steps are no problem, and the most I\u2019ve done in them is 25,000. I haven\u2019t put on my Salomon sneakers in a very long time because of that. The cut in the front reminded me of the Loro Piana flat, which I wanted for so long. The rubber on these makes them really great for walking because I feel like they\u2019re absorbing some of it. I love the little V in the front and the square toe. I think it\u2019s, like, a really elegant shape.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had these for two seasons now. I also got them in tan suede. They come in a lot of different colors, and they\u2019re really very comfortable for walking in the city. No blisters or breaking in \u2014 absolutely nothing. I think I may be getting them in burgundy. They\u2019re so comfortable. Just put them on and go.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are suede loafers from G.H.Bass, and I actually bought them recently. I was looking for something that looked nicer than a beat-up sneaker. They\u2019re comfortable and I can slip them on easily when I\u2019m walking my dog, Banchan.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m obsessed with them. It\u2019s this French brand called Soeur. I wore them all summer long. I wear them almost every day. You can hike, you can run, you can dance, you can do anything \u2014 no issues. I want them to last forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI got them from the Korner. I\u2019m from Hong Kong, and they\u2019re a very popular Hong Kong brand. I love how versatile and comfortable they are. I wear them to conferences, work events, and also just on a nice Sunday afternoon. I\u2019m usually in scrubs and Crocs, so it\u2019s nice to wear something more cute.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually just got these yesterday from Asos. I work in a corporate office, so I\u2019m trying to be professional but make it a little bit more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThey took a while to break it. I have another pair of Tony Bianco boots that were way more comfortable. These took maybe 15 times wearing them. I also went to town with a hair dryer. But now they are like slippers. Anytime where I used to wear a sneaker, now I wear these.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI was on the hunt for a long time for the perfect loafer. I saw these at a store in Easthampton and I was like, Okay, wait, these actually look exactly like the shoes that I want, because I wanted them to be comfortable and something that I can wear all the time. I\u2019ve had them for a few months now, and they\u2019ve stretched to my foot nicely because I\u2019m walking everywhere. It\u2019s been a perfect, comfortable everyday shoe. People think they\u2019re The Row.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had these for years. They\u2019re cute little pony-hair slingback flats from Schutz. They\u2019re just so easy to slip on when I walk my dog. They look like slippers, right? But they have an elastic slingback. You\u2019re the third person to compliment me on them. The thing is it\u2019s a little bit of a conundrum sometimes because it has to be the exact right temperature. They\u2019re sherpa-lined, so it can\u2019t be too hot, but if it\u2019s a little bit too chilly, like it was this morning, then I need to put socks on.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI was at a Buffalo Exchange in the Bay Area and saw these brown oiled Danskos and knew I had to add them to my Dansko collection. I have three pairs total: classic black, these brown, and a calf-leather kind of furry pair that people really love. I love the arch support. I love that you can kick them on and kick them off super easily. They\u2019re heavy in the rotation. I will say the thing with Danskos is, for people who are not used to them, you have to figure out how to walk in them a little bit because of the platform. You have to be careful, or you will stumble. The city can be a little precarious for a Dansko wearer.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are from a Japanese company called Hender Scheme, and they\u2019re leather craftspeople.\u00a0They normally make very simple, basic leather shoes, and then these were just a crazy mash-up that I thought were so exciting and had never seen before. This was my first purchase from the brand. I had been waiting for the diamond in the rough. They are incredible. Their craft and their quality as a maker in the shoe space really stands out.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are Arc\u2019teryx slide-on shoes. If you\u2019re ever going climbing outside, they\u2019re grippy for the mountain leading up to your climb. They\u2019re also really comfortable and go with everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m wearing these amazing knee-high \u2014 I\u2019d say white \u2014 boots from Frances Valentine. They\u2019re literally so comfortable. They have a little block kitten heel. I have been wearing them for a few hours and could walk all around all day. I feel like the designer really knows what she\u2019s doing. I mean, she knows that women in New York walk. I just got them for fall, like, a week ago. This is also the first time I\u2019m wearing them, so this is the break-in walk, and I\u2019m totally fine. I got them in red too. I\u2019m very happy. They\u2019re a good heel height too \u2014 not too high, not too short. Once it gets colder, I feel like it\u2019ll look cute under pants also, so they\u2019re really versatile.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are my Steve Madden cowboy boots \u2014 but they have a zipper on the side, so they\u2019re very easy to put on, not like a classic cowboy boot. I\u2019ve had this shoe for, like, four years, and this is my second pair because they just wear in the heel a little bit. I loved them so much that I bought them again. They\u2019re extremely comfortable. I walk very fast \u2014 like, I\u2019m booking it getting on the subway \u2014 and I\u2019m tall; I\u2019m 5\u20199. So I feel like I\u2019m naturally faster than people and step harder than people. So these wear well. I have to get another pair soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are my party shoes. I\u2019ve had them for over a year now, and they\u2019re cute. I like that the fabric goes over the boot.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are comfortable and easy to walk in. I also like that they zip on the side, so you don\u2019t have to worry about the shoe strings.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I just got these, they\u2019re Sam Edelman. They\u2019re brown leather and very cute.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are dupe Frye boots \u2014 like, 60 bucks on Amazon. We\u2019ve been beep-bopping all day, no pain. Super comfy, would recommend!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent way too much money on these, but unfortunately, I love them. I wanted to hate them so I could return them and not feel guilty. I\u2019m thankful for Afterpay.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI found these on Farfetch. I bought them on sale and still paid too much for them, but I love them so much. An Everywoman\u2019s witchy October boot.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI bought them at Shoe Market on Bedford at the start of winter. I love the little square toe box, which is kind of fun, and I like that they\u2019re actually quite comfortable. And they\u2019re actually warm. I\u2019m very much a form follows function kind of gal.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese were a Christmas gift I got about three years ago now. A great gift. One of my favorite pairs of shoes. They have a very nice wooden heel and definitely make a bit of a statement whenever I go out. The quality is kind of unmatched. They hold up.\u00a0I\u2019ve never had to take them to get fixed up at all. I take care of them; they take care of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my best friends works for the brand. She initially bought them in red, and I loved them so much, so she purchased them for me in black. I love how shiny they are, and I love the heel \u2014 it\u2019s super chic but really easy to walk in. And I love how the toe is rounded. I\u2019ve had them for about three or four years. They\u2019re incredibly comfortable. I\u2019ve probably walked 5,000 or 6,000 steps in these at a time. They just released an updated version with more of a pointy heel<\/a>, and I did just purchase those as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI was looking for the perfect boot for two years. Knee-high, kitten heel, pointed toe. Took me so long to find them. I used to have a Naturalizer square-toe boot, and they stopped making that style. So I had to replace it, and I just decided to split up my needs: one pair that\u2019s a cunty, pointy boot and one more heavy boot for everyday. So this is the pointy pair. They\u2019re so comfortable. Naturalizer is a brand that\u2019s known among older ladies for being super good on the feet. I wear them to work. I wear them to dinner. Any kind of event where I want to feel a little more fancy. But they are so comfortable that I could wear them dancing. Everyone should know about Naturalizer.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually got them on sale at Nordstrom, and they\u2019re Nine West. They\u2019re extremely comfortable. They\u2019ve held up well while I commute. I easily walk two miles in them every day. They fit true to size on me, but I do have very narrow feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re black patent-leather Chelsea boots from J.Crew. They\u2019re easy to slip on and walk around in. I was just on my way to the farmers\u2019 market this morning, and it\u2019s even easier than slipping on a pair of tennis shoes. The heel is starting to wear away a little bit, but this is after two solid seasons of use wearing them three to five days a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are secondhand Danskos from Poshmark. I got them last week, and I\u2019ve worn them almost every day. I love that they\u2019re monochrome. I feel like it\u2019s hard to find a heel that is also black when you\u2019re looking for black boots. They\u2019re supportive. And they just slip on. I only buy vegan leather usually, but now that I\u2019m buying secondhand, I\u2019m expanding into genuine leather, so now I\u2019m going to get all the Danskos.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI got these two years ago. I saw some girl on TikTok had them, and I thought, I need those shoes, even though they\u2019re more expensive than any shoes I\u2019ve ever bought. They go with everything. They\u2019re super cute. I\u2019m short, so I always wear heels, but they kind of look like flats without being too much of a heel. They\u2019re so comfortable. I walk 10,000 to 15,000 steps around the city. I was going to get them in another color, but I wear a half-size, and they stopped carrying 6.5.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cA bit mainstream, but I thought they were a bit cute with the little heel. I\u2019ve had them for two months, and they\u2019re very comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI love these. Maison Margiela. They\u2019re raffia, so I thought they\u2019d be for the beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI picked them because I really like the color. I feel like it pops. And they\u2019re comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are Golden Goose and I got them on the RealReal. I\u2019ve had them for over a year now, and they\u2019re very comfortable. I wear them a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI have owned these for nine years and worn them across the country. I love them so much; they\u2019re my best friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are some worn-in brown boots from Frye that I stole from my boyfriend. I\u2019ve had them for seven years. They\u2019re leather that\u2019s super worn in and soft. At this point, it\u2019s like a second skin. I think that they\u2019re pretty true to size. I do have a pretty bony foot, so thick socks are always a must for me \u2014 but with a thick sock, they do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI thrifted these. Once it\u2019s fall, I\u2019m always excited to break my boots out. I was kind of rushing over here for work. So I said, What\u2019s going to get me to and from while also maintaining some level of style? These are just always easy to wear.\u00a0It\u2019s nice to know that I can always come back to these. They\u2019re classic.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI got these boots on eBay. I was looking for a new pair because the toe kept splitting on my favorite pair and I kept getting them repaired. So I just figured that I need to get real quality boots. The listing said they were handmade in Mexico. They are magic. I\u2019ve walked 20 miles in Manhattan in them. They literally go with everything. I\u2019m wearing them with a dress right now, but they look really cute with shorts. They also look really good under a pair of jeans, as well, with just the little toe poking out. My feet are a size 11, so every time I\u2019m looking for shoes, especially on websites like eBay, I always just put my size in the search term because I\u2019ll take whatever I can get. My guess is that they\u2019re men\u2019s boots because they are really wide.\u201d<\/p>\n

get the strategist newsletter<\/p>\n

Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts.<\/p>\n

Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms<\/a> and Privacy Notice<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us.<\/p>\n


\n See All<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Strategist<\/a>\u00a0is designed to surface\u00a0useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom\u00a0you can read about\u00a0here<\/a>. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"58 items in this article 16 items on sale! Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Dominique Pariso, Tembe Denton-Hurst, Najwa…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":391852,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,24,55,54,56,92212,17071,2407,3096,141708],"class_list":["post-391851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny","tag-people-watching","tag-shoes","tag-style","tag-the-strategist","tag-unisex-fashion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}