Last summer, I was headed to Sardinia for vacation but missed a connecting layover flight and wound up spending an afternoon in Milan. Sure, I’d lost a few hours on the island, but I gained something just as valuable: seven hours in a city known for saffron risotto and excellent shoe shopping. It was during this unexpected stopover that I discovered my perfect everyday flat: Arcopedico’s Sec V.
I found them at Calzature Gallon, a shoe store just beyond the Navigli on Piazza Sant’Eustorgio that an Italian fashion journalist had tipped me off to years earlier. She had recommended the store for its velvet friulanes — gondolier-style slippers — which sell for around the same price as the vegetarian burrito I’d had the night before at JFK. When I arrived at Gallon, its friulanes were sold out, but I wasn’t disappointed for very long. A minimalist wire rack in the corner of the shop caught my eye.
Among an array of €40 knit orthopedic flats by Portugese orthopedic brand Arcopedico were the Sec V. Their sleek knit top combined with bulbous soles made for an interesting and elegant combination that reminded me of shoes from luxury brands I’d seen with much higher price points. I chose a socklike style in a good navy and debated buying a pair of black open-back clogs and Band-Aid-tone slippers.
After checking out, I texted my friend, the illustrator Joana Avillez, to tell her about my new find. Joana, who is Portuguese American, said that Arcopedico shoes were very familiar to her — they are especially popular among elderly women in Lisbon. Hearing this made me feel like I was in good company. And, it turns out, the Arcopedico shoes were already percolating among stylish writers, with mentions in newsletters including Blackbird Spyplane and Laura Reilly’s Magasin, and a piece on the brand’s “surprisingly sexy” orthopedic sandals here on The Strategist by Liza Corsillo, who saw them in the window of an unassuming Park Slope shoe store.
For the next few months, I wore my Arcopedicos everywhere: to my birthday party at Russian Samovar, paired with an ivory silk-linen-blend vintage Armani suit; to the farmers’ market with an eBay-sourced Charvet button-down and striped percale boxers from Quercioli & Lucherini; and to fitness classes, important meetings, and grocery runs. On a recent walk in Los Angeles’s Highland Park neighborhood, I was stopped no less than five times by people asking where I got my shoes.
All the while, the flats’ knit material didn’t stretch out, and their soles didn’t erode when faced with scorching-hot asphalt. Plus, they’re made with a material that prevents bacteria from stinking up the shoes and they can be machine-washed.
Six months after I bought my Arcopedicos in Milan, I visited my friend Laura in Barcelona. Fate has it that she lives just a quick walk from a standalone Arcopedico store — and so, of course, we went. The boutique is reminiscent of early Jamiroquai music-video sets, with a late-’90s-esque futuristic bunker feel. Blue-tinged fluorescent bulbs illuminate long stretches of white shelving, all of it built to house shoes for the podiatrically challenged.
It was in the Barcelona store that I realized Arcopedico’s full product assortment has much more to offer than just its knit flats. There were leather boots that have the sleek curvatures of F1 racing shoes and the “Lolita” flats in saturated colors, which are apparently popular among cool girls in Spain, including Gimagaus co-founder Claudia Durany, who has been spotted in the style.
Laura chose a pair of top-stitched leather sneakers that are the comfort shoe equivalent of vintage Diesel, and I opted for a nude-tone knit glove shoe that ties with a little bow. Both styles are sadly available only in Europe. But fear not: For those looking for Stateside options, Zappos has many styles — including my original pair.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
