Wearing smart/comfortable shoes at work/travelling to work

[PrincessMarcheline]

I have just joined a new office. It is very corporate although the women don't wear suits, but skirts and blouses or nice dresses with cardigans or pashminas. I am used to wearing suits (although I hate them) so I have fully embraced the more relaxed dress code.

The thing is, I always wear smart heels in the office. But I always change them in the lift to wear flat shoes (or flip flops in the summer) when I am travelling to and from work. I don't care what I look like walking through the mall, getting public transport, or wandering through the car park.

My colleagues, however, shuffle around the office in flip flops and wear their nice heels travelling to and from work. So they look nice on their commute.

AIBU to think they have got it completely the wrong way around? I appreciate this is extremely trivial but I often get things wrong and don't want to stand out as someone who does strange things (it wouldn't be the first time!).

So… AIBU? And what does everyone else do? Thanks.

I do the same as you. Most people in London seem to. There are lots of trainers and flats on my commute.

I do the same as you too. Heels in the office, comfy shoes for the walk to the train/car park.

How weird. I walk to work so wear trainers and have shoes at work I change into. I couldn't give a fuck what I look like on the commute.

YANBU - your colleagues have either got it the wrong way round or are not out to impress where it counts.

Even on dress-down Friday, flip flops belong on the beach and should never see the inside of an office unless it's at their owner's home - in which case jammies and slipppers are de riguer

I wear trainers for the commute and my smart shoes at work, like you. It's most odd to do it the other way round, surely?!

I wear comfortable shoes wherever I am.

I used to do the same as you especially in winter big uggs on and then swap at work.

Oh, thank goodness for that! I was beginning to think it was just me.

"Even on dress-down Friday, flip flops belong on the beach and should never see the inside of an office"

The dress code where I work has recently been relaxed so it's dress down every day not just Friday, but on the not allowed list is flip flops.

You initial post Princess reminded me of when you see female flight attendants walking through the airport in their smart high heels. They always change into comfy flats when on the plane.

I wear trainers on commute then change into heels at the office.
Couldn't care less what I look like on my way in/out

I do the same as you! Painful heels for work. Comfy trainers for the train!

the flight attendant thing is because of the stupid rules that apply to female cabin crew. They need sensible shoes on the plane in case there is an emergency; the fact that they also need to be comfortable is secondary.

but some corporate suit thinks people like to see them duck-walking round the airport, so they have to put the fugly heels on for that bit.

no man would wear painful shoes for work. You can be respectable AND comfortable.

I wear flip flops at work.

Haven't got them on today, but I regularly wear haviannas.

In my old job I always wore flats as I couldn't be bothered with the faff of changing shoes.

I'd wear the comfy but smart ballet flat shoes on tube and at work, but not plastic flip flops at work, as i think they are frowned upon generally even at 24/7 dress down places. Leather 'posh' flip flop type sandals with beading/bows etc are ok most places i have contracted at: but definitely not those plastic 'beach' ones. I did work at one odd place where showing toes was forbidden in the dress code so no sandals at all come summer which was most odd - along with no strappy tops or off the shoulder tops.

They've definitely got it the wrong way round!

That's so odd. No, most women in my office come in in trainers or pumps and then change into smarter shoes once they are here.

I do both

I wear runners to work. Then, in my office, I have smart "I'm going to a meeting" shoes and a pair of ballet flats for sitting at my desk/going to make coffee/wandering into my colleague's office. But never flip flops. Never. although at 8 months pregnant I did wear Birkenstocks everywhere because they were the only thing my feet would fit into