With a summer wedding to plan for, I am grateful for the suggestion of strappy sandals that don’t cost a fortune and might even allow me to dance the night away without excruciating foot pain! Thanks Angie!

p.s. upon re-reading I think I should clarify that this is NOT my own wedding (that one happened a while back), but a friend’s …

Thank you for this information. I rarely wear heels but sometimes it can’t be avoided and I hate to spend much on something that will spend most of the time on the top closet shelf.

Love the snakeskin version!

though i’ve never been a fan of strappy shoes, these do look like they’d be pretty comfortable!

i’m not sure about wearing them with jeans, though. maybe i could see the snake-skin style working, but i’ve seen girls at my school wear relatively casual outfits (think jeans and t-shirts) with fancy shoes like these (though they are usually silver and rhinestoned to the nines) and it just looks weird to me. even w/ smart casual outfits, these just seem too formal to me.

I think I have determined that the comfort of strappy shoes depends on a few factors:

1) How close-set the straps are. If they are closer together, somehow it’s more comfortable.

2) How soft the straps are. Self explanatory. I think most straps dig so much because the leather is too stiff.

3) How wide the straps are. Thinner straps will dig more.

Personally, I do not have a big problem with strappy shoes. They tend to hurt/dig in the same spot that all of my shoes hurt and dig, so I can’t really blame the discomfort on being strappy. But I will not go for a shoe that does not meet the above requirements.

Judging from my requirements, these look pretty good (except for the heel height in my case).

Great Angie. Sometimes we do need a strappy shoe for a special occasion. When I needed some for a wedding the sales person brought me a few from the special occasions shoes in Nordstroms. They were pointy heeled and hardly enough straps to stay on the foot. When I said I’ll never be able to walk in these, her answer was, ‘practice’. I like your reasoning better. We have to at least start off with something that will stay on the foot.
I actually think the shoes you have posted are beautiful and dressy.

San, in my experience, if you have to “practice” walking in a pair of shoes, something is wrong with the shoes and not you (look, I rhymed!). I hate it when I complain to people about my foot issues and they tell me I just need to wear painful shoes more and eventually I’ll get used to it. Why should anyone get used to uncomfortable shoes?! Sorry Angie, back to your regularly scheduled programming

Great! The silver ones are beautiful, and they don’t even cost a fortune. What’s even more amazing, they come in sizes under 6. How could I ask for more?

Nice explanation, Maya.

There you go, ladies. Sounds like some of you are sorted already. The affordability of these shoes were a win for my clients too. After spending hundreds of dollars on an outfit, the last thing that they wanted to do was fork out for shoes that get wear a few times a year. The magic of this style is its versatility. This sandal looks good with virtually any style of frock and it’s pretty timeless. It can hibernate in your closet and come out when the occasion arises.

Shell, I’ve seen these shoes worn with jeans and a bit of glitz. Works like a charm. Remember this post:

http://youlookfab.com/2008/12/.....our-jeans/

I REALLY LIKE THOSE ANGIE

These shoes are lovely Angie, especially the snake print ones. Sadly I do not them, since I already have a black satin and metallic evening strappy sandals, which are not comfy at all. I wear them so rare that I can not justify a new pair though.

Would this work for a petite or short legged person? It seems the vamp is rather high.

Regarding costs and not wanting to throw down a lot of $ for a special occasion shoe, I think every woman needs two pairs of special occasion shoes in her closet: 1) a pair of classic black pumps – for winter occasions; 2) a metallic, strappy pair – for warmer weather occasions. If you have these two pairs in classic styles you will wear them for years and years and decades and they WILL justify the cost!

For #2 I have a pair of strappy, 2-inch slides from Target that are very suprisingly comfortable and cost about $20. So don’t rule Target and similar – like Payless – out. For #1, I just bought a pair of Nine West classic black pointy-toed pumps with a 3-1/2 inch heel – I heel height I swore I could never wear or walk in!

With heels, it’s all about the shape of the last for me. If the last is right for my foot, they are comfortable (special occasion comfortable – not city-street walking comfortable) no matter what the height, and yes I can walk in them.

Anne, the space between the straps offsets the high vamp of the T-strap. Hope that makes sense.

Tanya, I’m glad you’re not indulging right now. These will probably be around when you need them.

A good rule of thumb for most, Shiny. Strictly speaking, I don’t have either pair of shoes you’ve suggested. But my red stacked Kate Spade pumps do the trick for 1) and my metallic sling back wedges do the trick for 2). I guess I’m sorted in a lateral way.

Very pretty sandles, and the toe area looks comfortable, but 4 inches is too high for me. I need something for a brown strapless dress. I was thinking of gold or white. I will keep looking.

Good choice, Angie

Glad you like it Karen.

Eva, the heel isn’t four inches actually. The site info is incorrect. It’s three inches high and that shoe would look really pretty on you.

Angie I love that you realize not all of us can wear super high heels and pointy toes! I love high fashion shoes but they aren’t an option for me. Thanks for providing some alternatives to consider that don’t look as if they were purchased from a nursing home supplier!