The only uncomfortable part about Worishofers is pronouncing their name.
Well, that, and dealing with the fact that you're voluntarily wearing orthopedic shoes.
The Worishofer (that's pronounced wer-sher-fer) is meant to ease the pain of bunions (you know, those less-than-sexy bones that jut out the sides of your feet after years of tootsie abuse), while a shock-absorbing sole lessens the impact of walking.
But even with the promise of a comfortable stroll, it's still shocking that the less-than-chic footwear have found their way onto the famous feet of cool kids from Maggie Gyllenhaal to M.I.A. - not to mention NYC hipsters, who this summer are snapping them up in droves.
Handcrafted in Germany, the cork-soled slip-ons were designed by a podiatrist and have been manufactured since the 1940s.
Think of them as the Crocs and Birkenstocks of summers past: Their popularity among the twentysomething set can be explained only by the hipsters' sense of irony.
In a 2007 "Today" show segment, podiatrist Suzanne Levine gave the shoes an "A+" for foot care, while a style expert acknowledged they "are made for old grandmas."
In 2010, that's exactly the draw. Though the tragically hip cry comfort as their excuse for sporting the un-sexy shoes, the real allure is the so-uncool-it's-cool cred they offer.
Slate magazine associate editor Jessica Grose wrote a story this month praising her pair (purchased years ago at a Boca Raton, Fla.-based Web site), while lamenting that this summer, others have discovered them, too. (She cites a years-ago appearance in Lucky magazine as the origin of their slow-growing popularity.)
"They're the most comfortable shoes on the planet," says Grose, 28, from Brooklyn. "And because they have a little bit of a heel, you don't feel frumpy in them."
Sellers of the shoes report a tripling of sales since last year.
Julia Merriman Wray, who owns the shopping site shopolivine.com, says she stocked up on the brand last year after trying on her first pair.
"They look like old-lady shoes, but I'm addicted!" she laughs. "When you slip them on, it's like your feet might as well be inside lambskin gloves."
Wray sells Worishofers in green, red, white and black and two styles (slide, $58, and slingback, $68).
"New York is a walking city," she says. "Trekking downtown in uncomfortable shoes isn't always pretty."
Danny Wasserman, who owns Tip Top Shoes on W. 72nd St., has carried Worishofers in his store for the last 20 years.
"All of the sudden, I have to restock every week, sometimes twice a week," he says of the past two summers. "We sell 30 to 34 pairs every six days."
Wasserman says young women who are loving the comfy kicks can thank Worishofer's original champions: the over-50 crowd.
"It used to only be older women who bought them," he says. "But now all the young girls have to have them. They're very trendy."
Looks like Grandma was onto something.
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