I wear the popular Everlane Day Gloves at least 3 times a week - here's why I think they're the best flats you can buy
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- Everlane's latest $115 Day Glove is the best flat I've found to date. After months of wear, I've never gotten a single blister despite the miles I've covered in them.
- My white pair (pictured below) has fared remarkably well on the grimy NYC streets for the last few months.
- The Day Glove goes with virtually every outfit and occasion, fits like a glove and molds to the foot, and has side vents for breathability. They come in six beautiful neutrals.
- For $115, they're the best value shoes I've ever gotten.
I live about 20 minutes and a few tumbleweed fields away from the nearest NYC subway station on foot. In the summer, that means my shoe choices are whittled down in a Darwinian contest: only the most comfortable survive. And of the finalists, there has emerged one true winner: Everlane's $115 Day Glove.
We've written on the Day Glove before when the company sent us a few pairs to test before their release, but after months of wearing the Day Glove at least three times a week (reserve the judgement, they go with everything I own), I can honestly say they're the best flats I've ever worn, and they've held up remarkably well.
They're not only the most stylish and comfortable summer shoe I have, but they've also proven themselves to be a fantastic value.
Their main standout feature is comfort. True to their name, the Day Gloves feel like leather gloves for the feet, and I regularly walk miles in them without ever seeing a blister. So, how do the Day Gloves do what millions of stiff flats have failed to do in the annals of history?
The Day Gloves are made out of soft, forgiving leather that molds to your feet for a personalized fit. They have the intelligent design upgrade of two holes poked into the side to act as vents for the feet so they can breathe, a pull-on tab, rubber sole, and a cushioned insole. There isn't much in the way of arch support, so beware, but it hasn't bothered me.
The long upper makes them slightly chicer than the traditional flat silhouette and, incidentally, also makes your feet feel more secure, negating any "am I going to slip out?" moments while you walk.
The company initially launched a memorable social media campaign of Everlane staff biking up and down San Francisco hills in the flats, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, and jumping around on trampolines in them - the subtext being, "hey, these flats are incredibly comfortable." While it was a great marketing ploy at its base, it turns out Everlane wasn't overselling them - I would happily do any of those activities in a pair.
On top of their comfort is their versatility and longevity. At $115, you'd hope to get a lot of use out of a pair of flats, and if my months of repeated wear serve as any indication, these ones are sure to pay you back many times over.
Though some Everlane reviews mention that the shoe has stretched out considerably since purchasing, I ordered a half size larger than my typical (a habit with Everlane shoes that rarely disappoints), and haven't noticed much change despite the frequency (3-4 times wear per week) with which I wear them. However, thanks to that elongated upper, even if the shoes do loosen with repeated wear, you likely won't ever feel like you could slip out of them. Having said that, if you're planning on wearing them for activities like biking to work that require a lot of stretching, you may want to stick to your original size and expect some loosening.
In terms of versatility, I can't think of an outfit my Everlane Day Gloves haven't worked with. They're easy to dress up or down and look good with jean shorts and $300 dresses and everything in between. And given how slender they are, the Day Gloves are one of the more 'packable' pairs that I own. I've taken them abroad as my main shoes and used them both for heavy tourism days as well as evenings out.
The colors themselves are also versatile. You can pick up the Day Glove in 10 great neutrals that have a bit of a sheen in the sunlight, including black, white, rose, light blue, cream, and mocha.
Initially, I wasn't sure opting for a white pair was a good decision given the grime of New York streets and the uphill-both-ways commute, but they've held up remarkably well. Everlane suggests treating them with a protectant and spot cleaning with a cloth, but even without, my white pair look great considering that they've been worn 3-4 times a week for the last few months (pictured below).
Everlane's shoes can be hit or miss for me, but the Day Gloves are my favorite all-around pair that I own. They're comfortable, versatile, and the best use of $115 I've made in a long time. Like Darwin's finches, they happen to be the one pair out of many that have gotten nearly every adaptation for repeated wear totally right.
I wish the Day Gloves had existed years ago, but, alas, stocking up on a couple pairs now will have to do.