Journal

  Color is the fastest way to match a Mary Jane to an occasion, faster than checking the material or the strap style, because most dress codes and most parties tell you the color before they tell y...

A wide foot is not a problem you solve by buying a bigger size. It is a different shape, not a smaller version of the same shape scaled up, and a bigger shoe usually just means more room everywhere...

Back to school means new shoes. It also means a whole new round of small stresses. The shoe has to match the uniform, survive recess, stay on through a full day, and somehow fit right on the first ...

Mary Janes vary in two main ways: by strap style and by material, and once you understand both, matching a type to an occasion becomes almost automatic. Below, the types of Mary Janes worth knowing...

  There is a particular stretch of early childhood packed with firsts: a first birthday party, a first day of daycare, a first pair of shoes that has to survive both. Choosing a Mary Jane for toddl...

What makes a shoe a Mary Jane? A Mary Jane is defined by one thing above everything else: the strap. Here is what to look for. Rounded or slightly square toe: softer than a pointed flat. Flat or...

  Ask any parent what they actually want from a school shoe and the list is short: it has to last the week, it has to be comfortable enough that nobody complains at pickup, and ideally it is a shoe...

  Mary Janes go with almost everything, because the silhouette itself is so clean that it acts as a kind of blank canvas for whatever she is wearing above the ankle. Once you know how to style Mary...

  Kids are hard on shoes, that is just a fact of childhood, and Mary Janes are no exception. The good news is that learning how to take care of Mary Janes for girls does not require much effort, ju...

  New shoes can feel stiff right out of the box, and nobody wants a crying child on the first real day out in a brand new pair. If you are wondering how to break in new Mary Janes without a single ...

Twelve years ago, we went looking for a shoe. The one our mother used to bring us home in her suitcase, back from Spain. The Mary Jane we wore for every birthday and family Sunday, growing up in Ne...