My Search for the Just-Right Pair of Retro Sneakers Has Come to an End
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The style-obsessed always have a sartorial white whale at any given moment: a particular item they're hunting, aggressively or passively, and hunger for with a focus that can verge on madness. It's never just any old thing, either—how could it be? If it was your run-of-the-mill trench or blazer, the jig would be up in an instant.
My own current need-to-find obsession is what led me to Prime Try Before You Buy. I've been after the perfect neutral-colored sneaker to join my collection since spotting a chic woman wearing a pair on a New Jersey sidewalk last month. So inspired, my requirements included, in no specific order: the just-right sandy, caramel-camel beige color; a body shape that's sporty but not too athletic; and a price tag under $200.
Finding the right pair when shopping online isn't as easy as you'd think.
Color can read differently on-screen than it does in real life. A style that's chunky-cool on a model can look chunky-uncool when it's all laced up on my own foot. It's the kind of thing I should really shop in person for, but with a car-averse baby and relatively little free time, c'est definitely not my vie.
Instead, I used the above factors to filter through the Try Before You Buy sneakers and landed on about 10 pages of results to comb through. I popped items into my cart before naturally settling on on the six allotted pairs you can order at any given time (they're shipped to you without triggering a charge on your credit card; you have seven days to try on and consider, then you're charged for whatever you select and utilize their simple free-return platform to send the rest on their merry way).
The styles arrived in three different shipments.
The final pair showed up a few days after the rest, but that wasn't an issue, because my seven-day trial period didn't start until each style was present and accounted for. I unpacked it all in my closet, arranged them side by side, and did a first edit (some were so much chunkier than I'd realized that they didn't even get a try-on). It was obviously nice to try pairs on in person—and without having a big charge sitting on my card—but the thing I wasn't expecting was the value of being able to compare them.
I tried the same style in a half-size difference (the smaller was better, even with the thicker sneaker socks I grabbed from my drawer); I tried the same style in two different colors (and surprised myself by liking the darker green instead of the pale tan). This was also a good way for me to try brands I wouldn't normally. Tretorn, you're not normally for me, but I will give it a go when a particularly pretty tobacco-suede pair lands on my browser.
Once I had my decision, wrapping things up in the app was easy.
It was simple to see all my Try Before You Buy styles in my order history, and the date by which I needed to return or buy was clearly marked. I tap, tap, tapped, noting I'd return all but my surprise find, seen above (Reebok! In olive green corduroy!). As with all other Amazon returns, I brought my shoeboxes, no additional packaging required, to a drop-off location near me, flashed the QR codes I'd received via email, and continued on living my best, sneaker-clad life.
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