How prioritising comfort makes getting dressed easier

Comfort first.

For too long have the concepts of style and comfort been opposed, placed on pedestals at the far ends of a divisive spectrum. Prioritising one has meant sacrificing the other in an eternal battle between sweatpants and stiletto heels. 

Our most comfortable clothes are often a dirty little secret meant only for time spent at home on the couch. We associate comfort with worn-in trackies and a pair of slippers – things many people would hesitate to wear anywhere except their own home or a quick trip to the supermarket. 

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There’s an expectation (whether spoken or unspoken) to put a certain amount of effort in when you leave the house, and ‘dressing up’ has long involved some of the most uncomfortable pieces of clothing ever invented. Corsets and heavily layered petticoats gave way to bras, skin-tight pants and six-inch heels, and we as a society are eternally trapped in fashionable torture devices of our own making. 

Luckily, times are changing, and some sneaky little fashion geniuses have worked their magic influence to bring comfort firmly into the trend cycle. Comfort-focused shoes made a swarm of appearances at Melbourne Fashion Week recently, yoga pants (or flared leggings) came back with such force that they started a generation-on-generation culture war, and athleisure continues to dominate the industry. 

Plenty of brands are doing their part to ensure we don’t slide back into a world where the only way to be fashionable is to be in pain. Footwear label ECCO is one of those brands, pushing the message of ‘stylish comfort’ in every shoe it sends out into the world. Its latest release, the 2nd Cozmo Sandal, might be built for comfort, but it’s also a clean, classic design that nobody would think twice about wearing out of the house.

But, because all those societal rules about effort and appropriateness are so heavily ingrained in our impressionable little minds, getting dressed can often turn into a nightmarish puzzle. Nobody wants to be uncomfortable, but nobody wants to head out for a good day only to spend it feeling judged, either. Whether that judgement is real or imagined, it’s a kind of discomfort all on its own.

 

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So, you might find yourself performing a balancing act each morning. You pick a pair of pants that you know you look good in but do a full yoga routine in your bedroom to make sure you can actually sit down in them. You calculate how much walking or standing an outing involves, and weigh up whether certain shoes can handle the pressure. 

All this juggling and compromise can be exhausting, and there’s still a chance you’ll end up insecure for the rest of the day about whether you made the right choices. There are essentially three ways to avoid this kind of decision fatigue: you choose once and for all not to care about style or presentation and rock your daggiest trackies at every opportunity, you choose not to care about comfort and adopt the age-old ‘beauty is pain’ mantra, or you find a happy middle ground. 

While that middle ground will look different for everyone, its foundation lies in comfortable wardrobe staples. It involves primarily buying classic, versatile styles you look and feel good in, while also knowing they’re comfortable enough to see you through whatever kind of day you’re having. Soft T-shirts that are cut just the way you like them, jeans that don’t constrict your blood flow when you sit down and, most importantly, shoes you can walk in. 

ECCO’s 2nd Cozmo Sandals are, in essence, a reimagined moccasin. Expert craftsmanship is channelled into the most comfortable design features imaginable, making use of the label’s signature Fluidflorm™ seamless construction. Super-soft nubuck straps are fused to a suede-covered, cushioned PU sole for that ‘barefoot but not’ feel while also responding to your movements and redirecting your body’s own energy into all-day comfort.

A rounded front gives them a smooth, easy look, and adjustable straps across their top lets you find the perfect fit, so you don’t have to worry about your feet slipping and sliding. Across men’s and women’s sizes, the brand uses not only innovative construction methods but ensures its materials use as little water and chemicals as possible – giving your conscience and soul a bit of comfort, too. 

Once you’ve got your staples sorted and get a real feel for deceptively comfy style, it’s easy to make getting dressed enjoyable. It all comes down to mixing and matching, knowing that whatever combo you pull together isn’t going to chafe, constrict or cut you. By prioritising comfort at the core of your wardrobe, the days of worrying about constant wedgies and repetitive rearranging for the sake of fashion are eliminated. 

The 2nd Cozmo Sandal, for example, is a relatively casual sandal that is clean and sleek enough to walk you right into brunch or dinner when styled right. The brand’s neutral hues like black, brown and tan are the perfect cover-all shades to pair with everything from denim and sundresses to tailored trousers and button-ups.

Poppy statement shades (ie. the uber-bright blue colourway called Regatta) are ideal for both maximalists and faithful subscribers to the all-black Melbournecore aesthetic, adding a vibrant hit of colour without being too in your face. Here’s to a winning combination – comfort and style.

Discover the collection now.