You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, as the saying goes. Well, I walked nearly nine miles in these shoes, which was more than enough for me to understand the Rothy’s hype (and more specifically, the buzz around the just-launched Rothy’s Point II).
If you’ve ever been to New York City, you know that calling it a walking city is an understatement. Yes, you have the subway, and taxis and Ubers are plentiful, but you can always count on a significant portion of the population traveling by foot. As a former Manhattanite, I’m no stranger to this my-feet-are-my-car experience. The last time I visited for the weekend I racked up nearly 60,000 steps—approximately 30 miles—over three days, as the rest of my family lagged behind me complaining of sore feet with me lecturing them on the importance of proper footwear in this city.
All that to say, I knew if I really wanted to know whether the Rothy’s Point II could pass the comfort test, New York was the city to try them in. You know what they say: If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Here’s what happened when I wore the shoes around the city for the weekend.
Rothy’s Point II — $155.00
- Machine washable
- Sustainably knit out of yarn made from plastic bottles
- Cushioned insole allows for all-day comfort
- Sculpted outsoles provide additional support
- Spacious toe box makes shoes run true to size
- Integrated elastic hugs feet and eliminates a break-in period
- Doesn’t come in as many colors as The Point (yet!)
What’s new with the Point II?
The original Rothy’s Point ($149) has already been heralded by nearly 30,000 reviewers as a go-to choice for style and comfort, so why mess with perfection? Well, the new Point II ($155) comes with three key design updates.
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First and foremost, the toebox of the Point II is a bit more spacious than that of The Point, giving your toes more (literal) wiggle room. As a result, the Point II runs true to size, unless you have a wide foot or like a roomier fit, whereas some reviewers reported that they preferred to size up by a half to a whole size in The Point.
Additionally, the Point II now comes with elastic woven into the fabric, allowing the shoe to gently expand and contract with your foot throughout the day for maximum comfort (and no rubbing), while the upgraded outsoles provide even more support than the originals.
Style-wise, it comes in four chic colors: moody boysenberry, neutral ecru, rich dark emerald, and classic black, which was my choice. And I got plenty of out-loud compliments to accompany the internal hype-up monologue playing in my head as I wore them (my best friend’s first words to me when I arrived at her apartment were “Wow, your outfit is so cool.”)
Is the Rothy’s Point II comfortable?
The short answer to the million dollar question is yes. The long answer is that even after 14 hours and 18,000 steps, my feet weren’t barking at me like they normally would if I walked that much in anything but my most cushioned sneakers.
I kicked off my marathon day at 8 a.m. by trekking a little over a mile to an early haircut appointment, and was off to the races from there. My return trips to New York are always jam-packed with trying to see as many friends as possible, so the rest of the day was filled with coffee and lunch meetups, strolls along the East River in Long Island City, and cocktails on the Lower East Side. By the time I returned to my friend’s apartment at around 10 p.m., I was beat, but also pleasantly surprised at how well the shoes supported my feet after such a long day.
Between the cushioned insole and the sculpted outsole, it doesn’t feel like you’re walking on the ground like some other flats do—and thanks to slightly stretchy fabric, there was virtually no break-in time. (They really were comfy from the first time I wore them, though I will say they did get even better with time.)
Traditionally, I’ve sacrificed style in favor of comfort on days like this one. Sure, my ole reliable white sneakers can get the job done, but it’s New York—one of the most fashionable cities in the world—and sometimes your beat-up tennies just aren’t the vibe. Instead, I was traipsing down avenues in my sophisticated flats, feeling particularly smug about walking in step with stylish people in shoes I just knew weren’t as comfortable as mine. Next time I travel to New York (or any other walking-heavy destination), you can trust the Rothy’s Point II will be the first thing I pack.
