My feet are constantly humbling me. I have always struggled with foot pain — I blame all the Steve Madden flats I wore in college — but the problem has worsened since I turned 30 in 2020. I still cringe remembering the April wedding in 2022, when I wore the J.Crew velvet platforms that had been my go-to walkable heels for years. After the ceremony, my ankle gave out en route to the reception, causing more than a dozen wedding guests to crowd around to see if I was okay. Even the bride stopped in her tracks. After that embarrassment, I knew I needed to find a better evening shoe. And with seven weddings and three bachelorette parties to power through within ten months, the pressure was on to do so quickly.
I wanted a pair that could keep up with me on the dance floor yet look at home at a black-tie affair. I wanted these shoes to feel fancy and functional so I wouldn’t be tempted to take them off halfway through the night. (My goal was to feel chic, which meant I was not going to carry around a tote bag stuffed with flats.)
I looked at Madewell and J.Crew, where I’ve bought shoes in the past that could get me through a wedding reception, though not without feeling intensely tempted to take them off on the dance floor. But I quickly came to terms with the fact that comfort was my No. 1 priority. I lowered my style expectations and headed to the Aerosoles website to browse its selection.
That’s when I saw them — the Cosmos.
The silhouette was classic, with a crossover strap at the front, a sturdy block heel, and an ankle strap with an elegant silver clasp. The product description said the heel was three inches high — tall enough to feel formal, but low enough that I wouldn’t have to worry about my ankle rolling as I walked. I ordered a glittery silver pair thinking they’d add some playful texture to formal looks I had planned.
The minute I put them on, I knew these were the ones. They felt so supportive and cushioned that after my try-on at home, I kept them on — walking around my apartment all night with ease. The ultimate test came at the first wedding of the year: an outdoor black-tie wedding at a sprawling location, with lots of walking between the ceremony and reception spaces, and dancing for upwards of four hours. I was in my heels for about ten hours total, and when the night was over, my feet were tired but not screaming in pain (which I had experienced with nearly every other pair of heels). I considered it a win.
After Miami, the Cosmos graced my feet at every fancy event on my calendar. On the cobblestoned streets outside a château wedding in Provence, they held their own. Soon after, I wore them to a bachelorette party in New York, where they garnered many compliments; I even convinced my friend to order her own pair the same night. The next nuptials I attended was a summer wedding in Chicago. I planned to wear a bright Mara Hoffman dress to the welcome party and ordered the Cosmos in black to perfectly complement it. Having a neutral version in my closet ensured that I was really ready to wear these to everything. After Chicago, I took the same black pair to an indoor wedding in San Diego, where they worked as a perfect neutral with a busy floral dress.
Wedding No. 5 was in October in upstate New York — a gorgeous event saddled with rain (and therefore mud) in the tented outdoor happy hour. My black pair got a bit muddy, but with a quick wipe-down, they recovered beautifully. Wedding No. 6 was my brother’s, and I wore a red floor-length gown. The sparkly pair didn’t match the outdoorsy, California aesthetic, and the black with the red didn’t quite gel. So I bought the Cosmos in beige, bringing my count up to three pairs.
For the final wedding of the year, a casual, cowboy-themed soirée in a dive bar, the sparkles made their triumphant return.
The quality of the Cosmos is high and consistent across all colorways — they show a little wear and tear but, overall, hold up beautifully — and I ultimately don’t feel like I sacrificed style too much. I love having a pair to match most any color I would ever wear. Now I have my eye on a new version called the Cleveland, which is like a trendier Cosmos dressed up in silver jewelry with a western buckle.
My friends have become Cosmos converts, too. This past Halloween, a friend of mine broke her shoe, and so I stopped home to lend her one of my pairs. She couldn’t believe how comfortable they were. Her exact words: “These are like walking on clouds!”
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