https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 04 Apr 2026 11:06:21 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1261799 Tue, 27 May 2014 03:46:22 +0000 Freckles 1261799@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>As a person who finds it impossible to find shoes that fit&nbsp;I have to go with trying to get cute, modify the colour if possible (mine always come in black only) and then ignore in most instances.<br />It's never as bad as we think it is... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1261538 Mon, 26 May 2014 20:12:52 +0000 Anonymous 1261538@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am reading with interest as I know that ugly shoes are my future. With diabetes progression I've given up all but the smallest heels and am supposed to give up sandals and any open shoe. Eventually it will be diabetic shoes which are terribly ugly and must be perfectly smooth inside for no rubbing. As the millions of us Baby Boomers age, my hope is that the fashion industry will see a goldmine and make good looking practical footwear and clothing for seniors and anyone else needing it.<br /> ETA: shoe dye? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1261447 Mon, 26 May 2014 16:32:14 +0000 E 1261447@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Aww: I'm sorry that you have foot problems and shoe problems. :(</p> <p>I have arthritis, so I have to be very careful about my shoes, especially for when I'm actually doing quite a bit of walking (vs errands via driving). Have you looked at Aurora Shoe Co? I don't know if they'd work for you, but they do have a wide toe box. I mention them, because they're my favourite shoes, and have the duck-like silhouette, but I wear them with skirts and skinnies all the time! :)&nbsp;My biggest challenge is less the shape than the colour: I have lighter hair and I wish I had a lighter pair to help balance outfits more, but they don't make a light coloured pair.&nbsp;Instead of going sporty, I suppose I've gone&nbsp;folksy, as far as integrating hippy-esque shoes to look more deliberate. But the thing is, I'm far more concerned about my shoes than anyone else is (well, other than the forum! hehe). Sure, they're not always the perfect addition to my outfit, but I wouldn't give up the kinds of clothes I love just because of them. Most people I meet are going to be focusing on my face anyway, not my feet. I'm sure the same is true for you too. So I'd go for the accept/ignore option. Lots of other aspects of style to have fun with!</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260938 Sun, 25 May 2014 19:40:59 +0000 Vix 1260938@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hi GradF --</p> <p>I'm sorry about your foot issues. I've had to work around physical limitations when dressing and it was hard to let go of the lack of control.&nbsp;</p> <p>I have a hard time with sporty style in general so would be on the side of those trying to&nbsp;work the shoes into what I *want* to wear, then modifying the clothing if I couldn't deal with the overall look. </p> <p>I'm not much of a shoe person (probably in part due to much less restrictive&nbsp;shoe requirements) and pretty much match the shoe to my pants/tights/leg color.</p> <p>So for me, that would mean your Lems Primal2 in black and the lighter shades (love the grey and pastels), worn with the proportions I'd&nbsp;would wear flats...and I'd pair&nbsp;the dark ones with dark colors, light with light. Told you I'm boring about shoes. ;)&nbsp;I might get more adventurous with my legwear texture since I had less variety with my shoes.&nbsp;</p> <p>[Guess the above&nbsp;would be my strategy for the Birks, too.]</p> <p>Peri does a great job with her very footwear limitations so hopefully you two -- and others with similar issues -- can bounce ideas off each other! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260862 Sun, 25 May 2014 16:46:43 +0000 rachylou 1260862@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What Annagybe said! I like your Lems. Cybil Shepard is the patron saint of necessary footware for the glamorous. And I do believe the whole city of Berkeley, CA, is the mecca of this look. Look out on Cal Performances night! I would do the Lems Primal 2 in black with a pencil skirt and nice drapey silky blouse - any colour, but I think black or white would be striking at the moment. Or a pine green. I wouldn't do purple. That's <i>too</i> Berkeley. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260736 Sun, 25 May 2014 08:34:52 +0000 Caro in Oz 1260736@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I would be frustrated too &amp; don't like the idea of limitations especially physical ones.&nbsp;As I age though, I've had to change&nbsp;my&nbsp;take on this subject.&nbsp;</p> <p>We <b>all </b>have limitations, they can be physical or psychic (as in mental not as in woo woo&nbsp;powers). I think true style comes when we work around these "limitations" &amp; make a look our own.&nbsp;</p> <p>If I was in your situation I would investigate the possibility of hand-made shoes. IMO one or two pairs of fabulous &amp; comfortable shoes would be the beginning of a great wardrobe :)</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260719 Sun, 25 May 2014 07:39:59 +0000 MsLuna 1260719@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Gradfashionista: I FEEL YOUR PAIN. I recently got diagnosed with foot issues (bunions, heel spurs and arthritis). It broke my heart when my doctor mentioned that I need to give up my high heels if I want to avoid foot surgery. My foot problems are relatively minor, and I still can wear some brands though I have discovered that I have a picky heel height issue: only 1-2 inches, that's it. </p> <p>I wish I can give you some advice on this, but even I am still finding my way around. I personally had to compromise style for comfort a lot as well and see how I can build outfits around them. I really like everyone's suggestions so far, particularly MsMary and Kat's. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260684 Sun, 25 May 2014 05:05:43 +0000 Kaelyn 1260684@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>First I'd cry, because I&nbsp;<i>hate&nbsp;</i>having limitations. &nbsp;I like to experiment and I hate the feeling that anything about my outfit isn't quite right. &nbsp;Second, I actually like Mary Janes. &nbsp;They can look good depending on how you wear them. &nbsp;They have a vintage feel, to me, which is right on with the style I'm working toward (a mix of old and new). &nbsp;I'd embrace the MJs and find every possible way to wear them--I'm actually thinking right now about how they'd look in an outfit with my typewriter key bracelet and a cute dress. &nbsp;And there's nothing wrong with sporty, it just isn't how I personally like to dress (unless I'm going to the gym). &nbsp;But if I had to wear sneakers every day, I'd go for the sleekest ones I could find in a solid black (my preferred neutral) and try to blend them in by wearing a lot of black pants. &nbsp;You know the column of color Angie has talked about? &nbsp;I think that could work great for hiding less than ideal shoes, too.</p> <p>I think just about anything can be worked in if it's something you have to live with--you just have to explore your options until you find something that works for you. &nbsp;My mom, in the last several years, has been coming to terms with the fact that she really can't wear heels every Sunday to church anymore. &nbsp;She wears comfy shoes because her feet hurt too much if she doesn't, and she's gotten pretty good at choosing outfits that draw the eye upward so the focus isn't on the feet.&nbsp; Just stay positive and&nbsp;remember that your feel will be thanking you every day you're wearing something comfy! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260664 Sun, 25 May 2014 04:26:49 +0000 Kat 1260664@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I understand both your situation and your feelings. &nbsp;I've been there, and health and body always trump trends. &nbsp;Style is great and can be a wonderful mode of creative self-expression, but a lot of marketing goes into it and unfortunately, can serve to make us feel ashamed of our bodies and our needs.</p> <p>I'm not sure what your aesthetic is -- but you asked what others might do if faced with the same situation. When sartorially constrained, I personally tend to go intentional.&nbsp;I figure out what works for me, and I appropriate it. &nbsp;I've seen women in Germany and Switzerland of all ages and shapes&nbsp;rock comfort shoes in general and the Birkenstock clog in particular. &nbsp;Two examples that I would adopt in that situation (and have adopted variations of!): a Birkenstock clog with a cropped straight jean or utility pant. &nbsp;With it, a structured architectural top&nbsp;in a neutral color&nbsp;and angular hair -- I saw lots of women with short cuts. &nbsp;Minimal jewelry and a great bag -- not designer, but well made and functional. &nbsp;When I did this look, I went for a bob with bangs and black horn-rimmed eyeglasses. &nbsp;That would be my uniform if comfort flats were my only option&nbsp;-- and when I did wear&nbsp;a version of this&nbsp;uniform, it had a very high happiness factor. &nbsp;Another style&nbsp;I saw among German and Swiss women: Birkie clog or comfort flat with structured top and knee-length cargo-pant type short. &nbsp;The finishing touch was a long trench over the whole thing. &nbsp;I loved that look and found it a functional, understated avant-garde that really affected my own aesthetic.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>This may not match your own style at all, of course. &nbsp;But for me,&nbsp;I thought the women I saw while traveling were much more stylish than if they wore&nbsp;pointy toed pumps. In my eyes, movement is deeply beautiful and footwear is the base of how one moves. And FWIW, I think the Lems are pretty funky! &nbsp;Sending you good thoughts on all this. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260569 Sun, 25 May 2014 02:45:10 +0000 Anonymous 1260569@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great advice here. If you truly like a sporty style, then go for it, if not, I wouldn't feel confined to "match" the tone of your sporty shoes with the rest of your outfit. After all, it's very much on trend to juxtapose different outfit elements. Thank goodness for the fashion sneaker trend. Yours will blend right in as long as you stand tall and wear them with attitude. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260561 Sun, 25 May 2014 02:40:38 +0000 Echo 1260561@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Honestly, I don;t find the mary-jane styles in the brand you linked to to be ugly, nor do I find most Birkenstocks to be ugly. I used to wear Arizonas with wool socks well into the fall and winter (by choice and not necessity!).&nbsp;Indeed, in a nearby city of commuters and walkers, I see shoes like that all the time on young and older women alike - with dresses, business attire or casual. We all do the best with what we have, and I think you need to embrace the shoes and not always seek to hide them. Wear the clothes you want to wear and soon you will be used to the look of the shoes with your outfits. Life is too short to wear shoes AND clothes you dislike! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260543 Sun, 25 May 2014 02:12:53 +0000 MsMary 1260543@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That sounds like a good idea, Rabbit!&nbsp; Gradfashionista, perhaps you could get a wardrobe of those shoes in every color, so that your footwear would say "I have foot issues and these are the only shoes I can wear, but I'm definitely not colorblind!" </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260509 Sun, 25 May 2014 01:19:10 +0000 rabbit 1260509@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'd probably be more likely to consider color and texture/detail rather than shape&nbsp;with comfortable shoes and I probably would try to tie them into my outfits, like brightly colored sneakers with dresses. &nbsp; For myself, I think that I'd like a little&nbsp;visual harmony, regardless of the proportions I was working with, rather than doing something completely different with my top and bottom halves -- which in my experience tends to make the shoes the focal point. &nbsp;I wouldn't worry about trends or toe shape, but about happiness factor. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260497 Sun, 25 May 2014 00:57:35 +0000 Adelfa 1260497@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Peri, I think that quote from Allison is brilliant.</p> <p>A colleague broke her ankle and had to wear running shoes for almost 2 years. Her style was bling, pink, ruffles, and 4" heels. She got a pair of purple and magenta running shoes and wore them with all of her normal clothes.</p> <p>I have always wanted a pair of Birkenstock clogs! Love the gray flannel ones! Also, I think the Lems Womens Primal 2 is adorable! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260495 Sun, 25 May 2014 00:56:24 +0000 annagybe 1260495@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Um, actually I most likely going to order the white Boston Birkenstock clogs. Contrast them HIGHLY with fashion forward items.<br />Also have you looked at the Barking Dog blog. She addresses a myriad of foot issues.</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260487 Sun, 25 May 2014 00:40:34 +0000 Peri 1260487@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh I so feel your pain. As I've posted so many times people are likely sick of me, foot pain trumps everything. Some will post about "fussy feet" but I am (we are) way past that. I have a deformity too, also since childhood (from an accident), but it has worsened with age, as things tend to. And arthritis and tendonitis, a bunionette,&nbsp;etc.</p> <p>It does really limit styles I can wear...part but not all of my ban on skinny and cropped pants, and the reason as you have also said that I don't wear dresses often. Full length and wide or flare are my requirements, as I feel like they do a little to hide my ugly shoes. And hallelujah, they are trending again, so I'm finding some to buy.&nbsp;Of course, the better dressed say such pants must be worn with heels or at least pointy toes...oh well.</p> <p>Anyway, here are two things that help me. Almost a year ago Allison from Wardrobe Oxygen addressed this exact question from a reader. She said that health matters more than anything and to wear the shoes you have to wear with the clothes you want to wear. Then the world will see a stylish woman from the ankles up, rather than a woman who has given up. I don't know if that is completely true, but I bless her every day.</p> <p>The second thing is that a year ago a different&nbsp;blogger ranted against women wearing athletic shoes and how tacky that was and then a few weeks ago posted pictures of all the super chic Parisian women going out beautifully dressed and wearing (gasp) "trainers". Fashion is fickle. Every time someone says something is horrible, later it will be deemed okay.</p> <p>And even if it isn't, no one is perfect. So I wear the shoes I can walk in and if I'm not all the way fab,&nbsp;at least I'm mobile and living my life...and attempting to be&nbsp;stylish from the ankles up.&nbsp;</p> <p>Hope that helps (and doesn't sound too soap-box). </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/working-around-ugly-shoes#post-1260452 Sun, 25 May 2014 00:01:44 +0000 gradfashionista 1260452@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>"<span>"If you wish to prevent or cure a bunion or hammertoe deformity naturally, you must be willing to view your footwear as health equipment, rather than as fashion statements. Even our walking and running shoes have tapering toeboxes, heel elevation and toespring, which encourage bunion and hammertoe formation, yet the market shows us that fashion and style rule most people’s agenda when it comes to buying footwear." - Dr. Ray McClanahan"</p> <p>Since early childhood, I've had foot deformities that have always severely limited my footware--even brands like Naot, Born, Dankso, Alegria&nbsp;are off limits. Because I&nbsp;wear a brace between my toes (</span><a rel="nofollow" href="https://nwfootankle.com/correct-toes">https://nwfootankle.com/correct-toes</a>) and have severe bunions, my footwear is pretty limited to the following these sneakers&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.lemsshoes.com/women_c_32.html">http://www.lemsshoes.com/women_c_32.html</a>&nbsp;and Birkenstock's clogs. I've seen all the footwear blogs, and god knows how many ugly Mary Jane and orthopedic models to make me weep, and have exhausted all options. Ugh. For dressy occasions, I'll wear flats or my Fluevogs, but if I wore them everyday, my feet would worsen, and my only surgical option requires breaking bones in my both of my&nbsp;feet and reconstructing the entire foot.</p> <p>For me, fashion begins with the feet; shoes always make or break outfits.&nbsp;My&nbsp;sense of never having anything to where, despite liking the clothes that I own,&nbsp;is because&nbsp;my outfits often clash&nbsp;with the shoes. 'Functional' shoes like sneakers and oxfords that work with skirts only work because they don't look chunky, and have tapered toe boxes. My shoes, in contrast, must have broad boxes, giving the foot a duck or Birkenstock like silhouette.&nbsp;While I prefer tailored items--jeans and pencil&nbsp;skirts--these tend to look awkward with my size 9-11&nbsp;footwear, short and broad&nbsp;calves&nbsp;and 5'5" height.</p> <p>In that situation, would you view your shoes as instruments, and outliers to the rest of your outfit? Recognize it as something beyond your control, and try to&nbsp;ignore it?<br />Or would you adopt a permanently sporty look? &nbsp;<br />More broadly, how do you cope when you feel you are constantly restricted from expressing your sartorial sensibilities?&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><div><div><div><div> WebRep</div></div><div></div><div>currentVote</div><div></div><div></div><div>noRating</div><div>noWeight</div><div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div></div></div></div> </p>