Whether you’re preparing for an interview, dressing up for an event, or simply walking to class, shoes elevate your outfit. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes; the possibilities are endless. This week, Andover students and faculty described their daily footwear and how they tie into their personal style.
Jenna Liang ’27
“I have the New Balance 625s in red and silver… They’re very comfortable. The streaks of red reflect the dominance in my personality. I love to power through campus in these shoes, because they make me feel confident about myself, and confidence is key… They’re very worn. I wear them every day because they are so comfortable. The silver on my shoes remind me that even though these shoes have been through so many hardships, and they’ve touched so much dirt, the silver still shines through.”
Paige Roberts. (Director of Archives and Special Collections)
“Here I have these shoes that are made by a company called Naot, which I believe is an Israeli company. Usually, when I’m not at work, I wear a lot of hiking clothes, like sneakers and such. So, after the pandemic I felt like my standards had dropped a bit, so I just thought, ‘Oh, I have to find some shoes that look somewhat professional.’ I’m trying not to buy new clothing, because of the carbon footprint, it’s just unnecessary, so I happened to go to this really great used clothing store, and I was shocked that I saw these shoes. And they actually fit! I got them at around 25 percent of the price, so I was very happy with them.”
Bodhi Beroukhim ’25
“Keegan [Markgraf ’25] told me about the Puma Palermo’s last fall, and I found the blue version online. They fit well with the rest of my style. The only problem is when I wear them with blue jeans they are a slightly different blue, and it looks weird. I like the top view the best because I like the look of a skinny shoe and how the white laces look against the blue shoe. You can’t wear them with too baggy jeans because they fall on the floor and get dirty, so I wear them with skinnier gray jeans and nicer clothes.”
Amanda Wastlund ’25
“[These are] a pair of black ballet shoes that I bought in Sweden last year. I really like to wear them with skirts… I saw a lot of ballerina shoes on the internet, and I got really inspired. I like to implement both very feminine and very masculine things into my outfits, and kind of mix that, so I think this is a way to implement something very feminine in my outfits.”
Angelina Zhang ’27
“I’m wearing Crocs that I brought all the way from China… My mom spent an hour picking these out for me as a gift for going to Andover, so I feel close to home wearing them… The reason I picked the shoes is because of the trinkets on the top, I find them really silly, and [they] really connect to my character… I came from a U.S. boarding school, and wearing Crocs was very common. People got all the fancy trinkets to make them really pretty, so then I got really interested in them. I just tried them out last spring, and discovered how comfortable they were, so I decided to join this crowd.”
Evie Lagrandeur ’26
“I got these shoes at a mall in Japan this summer. It was the first time I had ever been outside of the country, so I was excited to bring back souvenirs to remember it by. They haven’t been worn a lot yet, but the design of the shoe is forgiving to wear and tear. They’re a neutral color, so I can wear them with a lot of outfits, but I also like that they’re not super plain. Shoes are expensive, so I figured I should get ones I can wear a lot.”
