NEW YORK (AP) -- You can leave those blinding white sneakers out of your summer vacation suitcase: Comfortable walking shoes are a fashion dilemma no more.
Not only is it possible to find shoes that are both stylish and wearable, it's probable. Shoe designers, manufacturers and retailers are paying a lot of attention to the burgeoning category of "ath-leisure" -- the industry code word for what most people would call weekend shoes. They're definitely not sneakers, says Catherine Beaudoin, of Gap Inc.'s online shoe store Piperlime, but they incorporate a lot of what sneakers have to offer, including arch support, soft materials and rubber outsoles. What's different are the styles. Shoes from the likes of Privo, Crocs and Aerosoles started off as "comfort shoes" but have moved toward fashion. On the flip side, upscale brands Cole Haan and Stuart Weitzman have paid more attention to making their fashionable shoes comfortable. Taryn Rose, sold at high-end department stores, was founded by an orthopedic surgeon determined to marry form and function.
"Everyone is moving to the center," says Beaudoin, who personally favors Privo's Hop shoe, a breathable, lightweight mesh ballet slipper. Another staple of her suitcase is the foldable leopard-print Brad shoe by Bernardo because it's great to match all the neutral clothes that she likes to pack.
"I've been in the business 15 years, and in the '90s, 'comfort shoes' was a euphemism for matronly orthopedic shoes. No one under 80 would be caught dead wearing them," says John Kuehl, women's product merchandizer for Shoemall.com, "but the sneaker generation wants to look nice and feel comfortable.
"You have to marry athletic shoes with other stylish shoes to attract this discerning audience."
Naturalizer has added multiple layers of cushioning and padding at the ball of the foot -- the part that bears weight, Kuehl says, while H.H. Brown launched a brand called Sofft.