Driving Moccasins

I love it when a comfortable shoe morphs into high-fashion footwear. It may not be one of the hottest styles and it’s hardly considered sexy, but one shoe that is all about comfort is also all about fashion: the driving moccasin. I definitely have a deep admiration, okay addiction, for ornate shoes, but comfort usually wins out in the end for me. I would probably own a pair of these shoes even if they only came in basic colors like black or brown, so it’s always a bonus that this shoe shows up each season in very cool styles and colors.

I love the name of this shoe; it gets me to thinking about where it came from and why it’s called a driving moccasin. Are there really folks who have shoes that are just for driving? Or are these shoes so comfortable that walking in them is like driving? Both ideas are actually appealing and probably true. Some of these styles are so cool you might actually want to walk instead of drive.

I imagine once upon a time, this shoe was strictly serious and was only available in traditional-looking styles that came in black or brown, with or without beads. The driving moccasin we are seeing now is far from basic or traditional-looking. You can find traditional-looking moccasins if that’s your style, but now the colors, styles, and embellishments are anything but basic. The colors are right in step with what’s going on in fashion, like brights, animal prints, and interesting color combinations.

Driving moccasins do tend to be more on the casual side and look best with jeans and shorts, but I think they also look nice with some dress and skirt styles. A denim, khaki, or even a cute floral works for me. Driving moccasins are a little bit of a luxury item if you go with some of the big names, but there are lots of options for affordable versions of this shoe.

I have a pair of turquoise snakeskin driving moccasins that are on their last legs, but I will be pulling them out of retirement for this summer. I am a little sad they probably won’t last the season, but I have my eye on a pair of leopard that I am more than happy to let take their place.