Want a casual shoe for your travels this summer that gives you the comfort of a running shoe without forcing you to look like a typical American tourist, complete with fanny pack? Salomon has applied their running shoe technology to a line of casual shoes that will give you the comfort and style you need for anywhere your travels may take you.
The Smoothie Suede casual shoes use Salomon's Energy Return technology that combines underfoot cushioning with a tendon like spring that sends energy back to your body, helping to propel you forward. The non-marking Contragrip outsole delivers great traction on a variety of surfaces.
I wore my black Smoothie Suede shoes all over Europe this summer. These super comfortable casual shoes have gotten my feet through long airport corridors, up and down public transit stairs, miles of city streets and endless trade show hallways. I even wore them for a 4 mile casual hike around a lake in the Bavarian Alps.
What I like most about the Smoothie Suede and Salomon casual shoes in general, is that you get the same level of comfort for your back and feet as a running shoe, but they appear more "dressy". You can wear these shoes all day around town and then out to dinner and drinks at night. The Smoothie Suede are just a little more sporty, lightweight, flexible, and comfortable than a normal casual or dress shoe you might wear, making it perfect for the varied conditions you will encounter when traveling.
For sizing, I would highly recommend you figure out what European size your wear and order accordingly. For some reason, Salomon's correlation between European and US sizes for their casual shoe line seems to be off (although it appears to work for their trail shoes). For example, I wear a women's US 9, which normally correlates to a European 39-40. The Smoothie Suede women's US 9 equivalent is a 41 1/3 however, so arrived way too big for my feet.
Salomon's size conversions
Standard size conversions
Bottom Line: The Salomon Smoothie Suede make a great pair of casual shoes for traveling where you want the comfort of a running shoe for walking all day, but would like to wear something with a little more sophisticated and discrete style.
The Salomon Smoothie Suede comes in three colors (white, brown, black) and retails for $90.