These three work-wear faves are here to remedy any problems you might face expressing yourself from nine to five.

For flat styles, try on the Bailee shoe, a polished style with menswear-inspired details. On top is a leather kiltie with tiny studs; around the ankle are careful wingtip perforations. Above, we pair it with patterned slacks and a sweater. We took a sporty-inspired approach to this shoe, but Bailee will go great with tailored suiting looks as well.

Now for the heels.

PRIM is a stunning loafer pump that instantly transforms a work outfit. For a modern professional look, we paired it with cropped trousers, a sweater, and a wool blazer. The heel is super wearable—not the kind you need to put under your desk before heading across the street to grab lunch.

PRIM is available in four beautiful leathers. Above, it’s pictured in Siena Suede leather, a rich brown perfect for fall.

And finally…

There’s the AKI pump. Thanks to an antiqued metal ring fastening the leather straps, this pump has a vintage feel. Above, we chose British Tan leather, a hand-burnished brown marked by its dimension. For a dressy look, opt for this British Tan or Black, which feature a leather-covered heel. For a daytime look, try on the Pietra Suede, with a stacked leather heel.

So there you have it. If you’re trying to work it at work, consider a pair of shoes that are uniquely you.

The post Workwear Faves appeared first on Kork-Ease Shoes.

We design shoes that are classic and versatile, so that each pair is a blank canvas. You can wear our boots with your favorite jeans and sweater, but also, with whatever funky combination of colors, materials, and patterns you’re feeling.

Take our Albin bootie. Albin is a timeless style with double gore and a flared heel. It was made with lustrous leather, a laid-on leather welt, and a leather and rubber sole.

It goes great with your favorite black leggings. But Taylr Anne is willing to take it a step further. She wears hers with an outfit defined by its pop of pink which instantly injects life into everything around her. We love her vibe, and asked her three questions in an attempt to define it. See them below.

KE: What’s inspiring you, right at this moment?

Right now, I am deeply inspired by simplicity. Having a uniform wardrobe, buying less— choosing small designers and shopping vintage. I recently started surfing a lot again and I forgot how happy it makes me.

Where will you travel next, and what’s one thing you must do there?

I am doing some road trips up the coast of California, stopping in Big Sur, Ojai and Yosemite. I love getting out in the fresh air and spending time taking in what’s around me.

A new reader has just found taylranne.com! What do you hope she learns from your site?

I hope whoever reads my site is inspired to create a life they love. We are here such a short time and to live fully is a rarity. I hope I can share my knowledge and insight in wellness, beauty and fashion to those who are seeking advice. If I can be an influencer and inspire one person from what I am publishing, I am happy.

Also, a tip from the professionals: Don’t be afraid to pair your booties with an off-beat pair of socks.

We can’t get enough of her unique look. Share your take on our classic silhouettes by using the hashtag #korkease and #originalyou in your post. We’d love to see your style!

Shop the ALBIN here.

Images courtesy of TaylrAnne.com.

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Kork-Ease champions the woman with a one-of-a-kind spirit. So naturally , season after season, we check in on what Jess Ann Kirby is up to.

Jess recently wrote about her journey to becoming an entrepreneur, from the launch of her blog, formerly known as Prosecco & Plaid, to how she quite literally made a name for herself. Today, the blog is called, simply, Jess Ann Kirby.

Of the transition she writes, “I felt like, in the blogging world, I didn’t fit in. I didn’t own designer bags or shoes, I didn’t like going to fashion week, I didn’t drink Starbucks (**gasp). I wanted to do more than outfit posts.”

Jess Ann Kirby is a space for more than just outfit posts. It offers down-to-earth career, lifestyle, and travel advice for real women. She is not an Instagram caricature, but a human being trying to achieve her ideal lifestyle, and sharing what she learns about doing so along the way.

Of her transformation and journey, she writes, “I’m a girl that grew up in New England. I love walking my dogs, going to the beach, hikes, snow days, feeling COMFORTABLE. Sometimes I think that’s a dirty word in fashion, like being in pain or uncomfortable is a badge of honor. You should wear whatever you feel good in, and part of what I want to do in this space is encourage you to do so, whatever that looks like.”

Her journey, though undeniably fashionable, is inspiring. We are proud to make the comfortable pair of boots she reaches for when she wants to feel confident. Read about it in a recent article, “How I Found My Passion and Purpose as an Entrepreneur.”

Shop her GIBA boots here.

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Break out your coolest statement jacket, your best pumpkin recipes (is obsessing over pumpkin things passé yet?), and your favorite flannel blankets. Fall 2018 just dropped on KorkEase.com.

To instantly update your wardrobe for fall, you need only one thing: an amazing pair of boots you can wear with your favorite jeans, tights, or skirts. We happen to have plenty of boots that just hit the site, which means your new everyday babies are here.

Our Fall ’18 collection offers a range of boots and boots crafted from high-quality Italian leather, with durable constructions and comfortable insoles. For knee-length boots, check out RUE, which features a mix of full-grain and suede leather; for a quintessential bootie with an everyday silhouette, check out our classic RYDER; for an everyday bootie with a wearable heel, there’s MINDO; for a cutout bootie you can wear now and later, see BERIT.

Your next fall boot awaits. Shop the collection here.

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Introducing the Kork-Ease Spring 2018 collection.

Here’s the situation: You’re have this spectacular vacation planned for the summer. In order to make room for all of the outfits you want to pack (options are a must), you decide to only bring one pair of sandals. After you rightfully wonder how on earth you’ll narrow down your shoe closet, you check out our collection. Here you find an endless offering of cork wedges, leather sandals, and cushioned footbeds, that look just as good during the day walking around town as they will at night.

What we’re getting at is this: Our Spring 2018 collection is our most versatile yet.

We use two kinds of footbeds: cork or leather. Cork is a natural, moisture-wicking material. Our cork footbeds, available on a range of flat sandals and wedges, are great for sunny days when you plan to walk around in the summer heat. Leather footbeds are breathable, and just as comfortable as cork, but have a different vibe to them. If cork feels more casual, then leather is a little more refined. We usually save leather footbeds for our dressier sandals, the kind you wear at night, for a cozy seaside dinner.

This spring, we introduce a few of our favorite silhouettes, but with a twist. NARA is one of our classic flat sandals that’s been in our line for ages. It’s now available with a braided front strap. This update offers the same comfort as the original, but with a more artsy feel. The same goes for AUSTIN, one of our classic wedges. Check out the AUSTIN BRAID to see what we’ve done to it.

Apart from updating longtime favorites, we offer fresh new sandals that have been designed with your vacations in mind. Packing is a stressful process of elimination. That doesn’t have to be true of your footwear. This collection offers sandals that go with everything from daydresses, to summer jeans, to rompers. Whichever you slip into, we guarantee it’ll be the one and only sandal you’ll wear all summer long.

Shop the new collection here.

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Meet our NISEDA and BELLOTA, two of our best transitional shoes. We love their versatility: both can be worn with or without tights. True to the rest of our line, these shoes are crafted from fine Italian leathers, with high-quality hardware, and a laid-on leather welt that adds durability and value.

BELLOTA, pictured above in pietra grey, is our beautiful version of the Mary-Jane flat. It’s available in four fall shades: mostro (burgundy), pietra (grey), rum, and black. We love it with cutoff jeans, and later in the season with tights and a shift dress.

This season, we brought back the NISEDA in new leather combinations. For this fall, we’ve mixed suede and full-grain leather in an artful way. Shop three of our favorite combinations: burgundy, rum or black.

Browse our full selection here.

The post Our Top Two Transitional Shoes appeared first on Kork-Ease Shoes.

Our team crafts shoes from high-quality Italian leathers. But just as importantly, our  team has an artful eye for design. Every shoe in our collection is finished with a subtle, artistic detail. We pride ourselves on the originality of our details: they set our shoes apart from what else is out there.

Look at our RYDER boot. At first glance, RYDER is a classic ankle bootie with a refined leather sole and everyday heel. Upon a closer look, you’ll notice the leather’s beautiful, curved cuts. Wear it with skinny denim, leggings or tights. It’s comfortable, and it’s versatile. It’s a quintessential fall bootie without looking like the other fall booties out there.

RYDER is available in five beautiful suedes: marmotta tan, black, siena brown, fustagno forest green, and pietra grey.

Shop the RYDER here.

The post The New Bootie appeared first on Kork-Ease Shoes.

We want you to get the most out of your Kork-Ease. After all, high-quality leather shoes are an investment. We use full-grain leathers, a lot of which have raw edges that can sometimes feel rough against the foot. We like leathers with a raw edge. It means we don’t fold the leather over or stitch it at the edges; we cut it and leave it as is. We believe in keeping our leather as close to its natural state as possible. Once these leathers soften up, they fit like a glove.

Because we want you to love your shoes right out of the box, we have a simple solution for breaking them in. 

Wear them with your wildest socks.

While you’re kicking around at home, slip into a thick pair of wool socks, then step into your shoes. Sandals, boots, it doesn’t matter. If you don’t have wool, double up on socks. Have some fun with it. Mix patterns and colors that you’d never leave the house in. Walk up ad down the stairs, marathon Big Little Lies, try on some outfits, make guacamole. Do what you need to do. Just make sure the socks are thick enough so that the shoes kind of feel uncomfortable. Every now and then, try them on without the thick socks to see how they feel.

The shoes won’t stretch out to the point of being ill-fitted, but the leather will start to give where your foot requires it. We found this to be especially true with our sandals. And once the shoes break in, they are yours to love every single step of the way.

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Fall is the season of three things: plaid, pumpkin-flavored everything, and boots.

Because we don’t make flannels or spiced beverages, we’re here to talk boots. As soon as summer ends, boots are everything. That isn’t an overstatement. When those cool mornings hit, we start wearing boots just about every single day. Flat boots, heeled boots, cutout booties. Because boots are something you wear so often, you should invest in a pair that feels good on your foot and looks good with everything in your closet, from your fashion risks (you WILL wear that skirt one day) to your everyday uniform.

We don’t take boots lightly. We know you have to spend a lot on them, and we know you expect them to last for years. That’s why we work with our wonderful Italian tanneries for months, picking out the right leathers, from rich full-grains to supple suedes. Leather makes the boot.

America’s vast, stunning landscapes inspire our color palette every season. For Fall 2017, we carefully considered our greys, browns, and blues. Our smoky grey leathers pay homage to the moody clouds that envelop pacific northwest skies, and the gentle grey fog that crawls across the morning landscape. Our rich range of browns evoke Utah and Nevada’s expansive deserts, where in a single glance you can see endless dusty hues that seem to stretch into infinity. Our blues are directly inspired by the deep Atlantic ocean, pushed and pulled by the moon and wind, as observed from our New England headquarters.

If our leathers appear to be vintage, it’s because we burnish them by hand to have a time-worn appearance. We want them to look like you’ve loved them for years. To us, that’s a mark of a high quality, well-built shoe. The fall palette isn’t typically bright and punchy, but that doesn’t mean it has to be drab. Our leathers are  finished by hand to have high and low dimensions to them, depending on how they catch the light. See our hand-finishing process at work on NATALYA in bourbon, VELMA in port, and BELLOTA in rum.

Embrace the full scope of our leather’s beauty in our Fall 2017 Collection.

The post Fall 2017: A Leather Story appeared first on Kork-Ease Shoes.

You guys. Count us among it-girl Rocky Barnes’ faithful following.

Take one look at her travel-centric lifestyle blog and Instagram feed. You’ll instantly see why this California-cool model has amassed so many fans. One day she’s wearing a tomboy-inspired denim on denim look. The next she stuns in a gorgeous gown. The confidence and ease is the same in both looks. And we can’t help but find that confidence contagious.

Rocky’s style is original. She imbues her personal touch and eye for accessorizing into every outfit. When we step out this fall, we will channel Rocky’s insurmountable confidence and penchant to dress originally.

Rocky handpicked a few of our favorite boots from our Fall 2017 Collection: MERCIA and MESA.

First is MERCIA, a mid-calf boot Rocky wore in burgundy suede. She styled it with an asymmetric patchwork skirt that shows off the boot’s beautiful leather. Over the skirt, she wore an oversize sweater tied together by two belts. The mismatched belts put an original and surprising spin on this look.

That creative impulse to mix and match belts is what catches the eye and defines an outfit. About her unique eye for accessorizing, Rocky told us, “Accessories make an outfit. I love adding statement jewelry or a cool bag to finish off a look. I love collecting accessories from my travels, they are always memories of places I have been and have a great story behind how it was discovered.”

Rocky also wore MESA, pictured below. She styled the ankle bootie with a vintage-inspired pair of two-tone crop jeans. When we asked her about some of her closet staples, she said among her favorite pieces are, “good denim, vintage convert shirts, and kimonos.” Check, check, and check.

These three staples come together in a cool, nostalgic get-up. Of course, nothing goes better with a great pair of denim jeans than a great pair of ankle boots. Rocky picked MESA in fumo grey. It’s available in four other leathers here.

This fall, take a cue from Rocky and transform your outfits into something originally yours.

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