I was welcomed into the Bryant Park Hotel on May 6 with wine, a delicious spread of healthy, green rolls from Beyond Sushi…and a display of Vionic shoes of course.
Though the event’s purpose was to preview the Vionic Fall/Winter 2015 collection (which consists of a variety of wedges, boots and flats), I have to say I was much more excited about the athletic shoes on display. The cheetah prints and bold colors scream DIVA, yes?
Vionic is an Orthaheel Technology shoe brand founded by world-renowned podiatrist Phillip Vasyli. Vasyli discovered that 80 percent of people’s feet overpronate (meaning they lean in), said Amy Cunha, of Big Picture PR. The technology that Vasyli created helps to correct that by neutralizing the foot bed to support the lower limbs and body alignment. The shoes are also good for the lower back and shoulders, she added.
“Think about it as the base of your health,” Cunha said. “Healthy lifestyle from the ground up.”
According to the Vionic Orthaheel brochure, the shoes help aching legs, back pain, pain at the back of the heels or foot, bunions, flat feet, knee pain and shin pain.
Juliet Kaska, Vionic’s spokeswoman, has been with the company for three years. She also happens to have her own Pilates studio and is a celebrity fitness trainer (to Hollywood stars such as Karlie Kloss, Pink and Kerry Washington)!
One of Kaska’s first draws to Vionic was her idol, Dr. Andrew Weil, an internationally-recognized pioneer of integrative medicine. Dr. Weil donates all of his after-tax proceeds from the Orthaheel Technology products to the Weil Foundation.
Kaska stands behind the Vionic product and she wears her purple athletic shoes every day.
“I teach back to back clients,” she said, adding that as a teacher she stands all day and hasn’t experienced any back problems.
The above shoes were given to me at the event to take home. I’ll admit, the first time I tried them on they felt a little odd – mainly because I’m not used to having so much support in the arch of my foot. I first wore them for a short walk to the grocery store. I then tried them out while commuting on the train and going to the beach.
It took some getting used to for the first two wears, but after that my feet felt totally comfortable with the extra arch support (the same way you have to break in a regular pair of shoes). I actually love the way these feel. They’re definitely a quality pair of flip flops, and it’s a bonus that they happen to be good for your feet. And who doesn’t love a little bedazzle?
Given how comfortable the flip flops were, I have high hopes for what the Orthaheel Technology can do for my feet in the gym. I’ll be giving the athletic line a try!
– Michelle
This post is not sponsored. All thoughts are unbiased and my own. Product was provided for review.