All of my boots and shoes are all day comfortable except for one pair of heels (the faux Rockstuds) and the accursed Rag & Bone Newburys. I don't wear shoes that hurt. I have pretty unfussy feet though and am not in the "comfort shoe" market (so far - fingers crossed!). For instance, I wear my Topshop booties all day and have no problems at all. And I tend to prefer shoe and boot styles that have lower, chunkier heels and are more likely to be comfortable rather than pretty to observe. If I liked pumps and stilettos, it would be a different story!

Sadly, I have wasted so much money on shoes that I *thought* would be comfortable but then once they were worn outside the house in real conditions (not on carpets), they became less comfortable or worse. Honestly, I feel it's a gamble whether any particular shoe will work. Even within the same brand, I have been disappointed. I don't know the answer.

I have fairly picky feet, I guess, and have tried a number of brands over the years. Travel packing has figured into my selections. I travel quite a bit for work and always try to travel light: carryon only, which means max 3 pair shoes including my running shoes. My shoes (except the running shoes) need to look good with business casual / smart casual and also allow me to walk through airports for miles, on cobblestone streets, through inclement weather, etc.

My favorite shoes for these purposes have settled to:
Born boots with around a 1" heel
Naot (only a couple of styles that I like)
French Sole New York flats
OTBT low moto boots
Rockport at a certain heel height - I think it's between 2 - 3"
Hush Puppies loafers - flat
Riekers - flats
El Naturalista booties - 3" heel but rubber - I'd never otherwise wear a heel that high to walk any distance
there may be a pair of Clarks boots in there too.

My fitness app tells me I walked between 2 and 9 miles per day last business trip, during which I had a pair of Born boots and the El Naturalista booties.

Many years ago, I decided that ill-fitting shoes made me grumpy when I had to stand and teach in them all day. It seemed to me that, given a choice, my students would prefer a prof who smiled and wore comfortable shoes than one who was stylishly shod but looked like she would bite their heads off if they they asked her a question. The sudden, sharp pain in my knees and legs that occurred when I was flying down a set of stairs one afternoon also was a sobering lesson that many of us will rue our youthful infatuation with heels and not-so-comfortable shoes when we hit our late fifties and early sixties. My doctor told me I was smart to have switched to comfortable shoes in my thirties, but even that concession hasn't been enough to keep all the problems away.

I want to keep mobile as long as I can and that means my shoes and boots have to be comfortable enough to wear all-day-- no exceptions. Obviously I'm not going to wear a pair of athletic shoes if I'm going out for dinner, but I can honestly say that, even if I was caught in situation where I had to walk a couple of miles in my dressy shoes, I could do it without problems. I think it is possible to find stylish shoes that are comfortable, but it's definitely not easy. I have shoes and boots from a variety of brands--Pikolinos, Naot, Reiker, John Fluevog, Cole Haan, Ecco, Beautifeel, Chie Mihara, Taryn Rose, Wolky, London Fly, among others--but finding a good brand is just the start. Each shoe fits differently so not every shoe in a brand is wearable. A good shoe fit means that I feel I could walk out of the store and wear the shoe for the rest of the day--no "breaking in", no "adjustments", no limitations.

Our feet are marvels of mechanical engineering with all those ligaments and tiny joints--and we ask a lot of them as we move around on them for hours every day. It just seems in my best interests to treat them with some respect.

I don't have any specific shoes to recommend, but brands that look decent and are all-day comfortable for me recently have been Romika and Earthies. (I have low volume feet with wide forefeet and narrow heels.) I can't wear boots, so I don't have any insight into what boots they might offer.

Fallen arches, severe bunions, and thin heels with a low Achilles. Nothing is comfortable, and I stopped wearing socks because of the compression. The least uncomfortable item? Emu boots, surprisingly, and unfortunately. Warm, extremely wide, and relatively pain free. But...ugly.

I also don't wear shoes I can't wear comfortably day and on some days I walk a lot. I wouldn't say that my shoes hurt my feet after a lot of walking, but some shoes make my feet feel more tired at the end of the day. I decided to take more care with shoe shopping from now on, especially going for wider widths that truly fit my feet.

I generally try to have only shoes that can handle at typical day of walking for me (which is usually about 3 to 5 miles spread out through the day) at minimum, and I'd say I mostly succeed. I'm probably lucky here because I don't have especially problematic feet and also, in a weird way, because my feet are on the narrow side, so regular-width shoes have enough room to accommodate a little swelling at the end of the day.

My need for comfort does affect what shoes I pick. I try to stick to flats or moderate, chunkier heels, look for soft leather and non-flimsy soles, and avoid things like straps that look like they'd rub funny. At the same time, I don't expect all my shoes to be able to handle days with more walking than usual with the same ease. I choose shoes based on what I think I'll be doing, like some people have mentioned, and also don't mind if my feet are sometimes a little sore at the end of the day.

I also like to always have a few pairs (one pair of sandals and one of boots, at a minimum) that can handle a few days in a row of all-day city sightseeing. I've had good luck with Clarks sandals and Frye boots for those.

On the other end of the comfort scale, I'm okay with dressy heels being less comfortable than the rest. But, even there, I try for ones than can walk a few blocks and can stand for a while during a cocktail hour. So stilettos are never happening for me.

Came back this morning to find so many great replies and suggestions - thank you all so much! I think I may try a few more of these before giving up altogether. And today I'm just *wishing* I had that perfect bootie to wear to lunch with staff. At least I don't have to walk much for this outing so I will take liberty to wear whatever looks good even if it's not a 10 on comfort.

I definitely think there is some lifestyle issues with comfortable shoes. I would consider all of my shoes comfortable but not all of them would work for an entire day on my feet. Like Thistle, I work in an office where I walk from the parking lot to my desk, to the copy machine, etc. I'm not on my feet much during the week. On weekends when I run errands, go shopping, etc, I wear different shoes from my office shoes - mostly flat boots in the winter and flat sandals in the summer. But all my shoes are comfortable if I wear them for the appropriate situations.

I think you're right and a lot of women are wearing shoes that are tolerable but not necessarily comfortable. And as we age, that distinction becomes more pronounced. I think it's starting to catch up with me, and I guess I'm lucky that I've made it to nearly 50 before conceding to lower heels. I started a thread about my lowering heel tolerance recently too.

For me, I'm starting to feel the difference more in one foot than the other (my larger, seemingly more vulnerable left foot). I even googled hammertoe recently in fear that I might be showing early stages of it. So I'm taking more care lately, and I'm not buying any more high heels now -- in fact, I'm selling some of my higher heeled footwear to make room for the lower, more comfortable options.

I agree with lisap about the art-ification of the comfort lines of shoes. Not my thing either, even though a few years ago it was. And most comfort lines suit a wide foot better than a narrow foot, with the exception of Pikolinos. So for now I don't pay much attention to comfort lines, but try to find stylish, modern styles that work for my low-volume feet. The blue Modern Vice booties for example -- pulling them out of the box, I feared they would be stiff and too narrow, but they suit my feet beautifully and were thoroughly comfortable for a full day of wear, including city walking, stairs, etc.

So I guess I'm not offering much in the way of suggestions or advice, so much as commiseration. I had such totally unfussy feet for so long, it's a little disconcerting that I now have to think about this more carefully! But it's also making me shop for shoes more thoughtfully.

Texstyle, this is why I like Fluevogs so much. They are stylish and also, with only one exception, very comfortable. I've got 13 or 14 pairs, and the one pair that is not super comfortable (merely 'acceptably' comfortable) is a pair of high-heeled plain pumps -- the kind of shoes I don't wear during the daytime anyway. They are fine for most evening activities where you sit down a lot.

So yes, comfort is of great importance to me. But there's a difference between 'high-heel' comfort and 'running shoe' comfort. I don't expect my dressy heels to feel like bedroom slippers, but they should be comfortable enough that I can be on my feet for several hours with no foot pain, and I need to be able to sprint in them.

Other brands I've had success with, in terms of the shoes being both stylish and comfortable, include Tsubo, Fly London and, recently, Centre Commercial. Oh, and also Converse, of course, but I understand that these are too flat-soled for many women. I must not have super-sensitive feet. I also don't spend my entire day walking around, like Angie does when she's out with clients. I might have slightly different shoe needs if that were the case.

Tex I understand. I have wasted so much money on shoes that feel comfortable enough in the store, but then spending four to 8 hours in a pair seems like a whole other beast. And once you find that amazing pair that didn't hurt or pinch over an all day mall trip say, weeks or months may have passed and you realize that style is no longer available.

I want cute shoes darnit! I use all sorts of tricks and pads and tapes in my shoes to get the cute ones to fell ok enough. To me, it's worth the pain to have up to date shoes. They make such a statement and the comfort brands like Naot and Rockport do NOT go with my style of clothing, so they are basically out. I hate big rounded or squared toe boxes, even though I know that is what my bunioned feet need.

I would rather hobble than wear shoes I feel ugly in.

Seconding KaryMK. I love shoes and they are a key element of my look. I can't wear bulbous 'funky' shoes just for comfort purposes. But I don't have fussy feet. I am more fussy about things like pinchy waistbands.

But, having said that, I do insist on high quality shoes that are made of good materials, with good insoles and proper sewing.

I feel shoes are a really important part of a more minimal style and I simply wont tolerate uncomfortable shoes. I can honestly tell you I don't own any uncomfortable shoes. I have some shoes that due to the heel height I wouldn't choose to wear if I am going to be on my feel running around all day, however those heels would be fine for a full day in the office:)

I thought my D'orsay Flats were a fail after the first wear, but another couple of wears and they are now great.

I am not sure what to suggest. I have slowly worked out what works for and tend to stick to that when buying new footwear. For example, I prefer a wedge heel as I find it provides better support and works well for all surfaces. I have a wide foot, so anything to super pointy will crush my toes. Block heels are also a favourite, again better support. My new Emelia Block Heels did rub the top of my toes on the first wear but a band aid and another couple of wears and the shoes are now fine.

I guess for me it's been recognising what suits my feet?

I'm going to try the Pikolinas that kellygirl has and see how they feel. I did wear my black Hush Puppie booties yesterday all day - and they are not in the true "comfort look" category so they are "okay" style wise, and they did feel pretty comfortable with 2 pair of socks (it was cold and they are slightly roomy on me) and a day with some walking involved both outside and grocery shopping. I don't see the style I have any longer, but they are similar to this one in my Finds.

Now to see if those Pikolinas fille my HEWI for light toned booties that are comfortable enough for a full day. I'm a bit worried that they might be narrow - I don't have a wide or a narrow foot, it's really right in between.

Because my activity capsules are pretty distinct I don't worry that a shoe doesn't cross over as much in terms of all day comfort. For example my main capsules are doing heavy work standing (comfortable shoes no one but me ever sees), running errands by car (shoes only have to be comfy for 1-4 hours), and outdoor exploration (gear or sneakers), date night (walking from the car and sitting shoe). Part of it is that I'm based out of the home so there are many opportunities to change as I return there several times during the day. As long as a shoe works for comfort appropriate to its capsule, I'm good.

For city walking holidays or something, I have a few shoes that meet both the 'urban' and 'comfortable' categories -- generally flat lace up booties and fashion sneakers. I've also gotten in trouble in cases like a wedding where I had to wear a dressy pump as a bridesmaid but also walk for hours on grass

I can't tolerate anything I have to fuss with. Whether it's a bra that doesn't fit right or a shirt that won't stay tucked or shoes that kill my feet, I'm miserable. Right now, my shoe brand of choice is Cobb Hill. Dansko is another good one for me. While some of my shoes are more comfortable than others, there's not one that I'd say would be too uncomfortable if worn all day. That has to do with heel height more than anything else. Both Cobb Hill and Dansko have supportive insoles that my fussy feet appreciate.

Maybe it's age, maybe I'm getting smarter, but I no longer allow myself to wear any shoe that gives me the least bit of discomfort. If it pinches, rubs, causes a blister or my feet hurt it goes in the giveaway pile immediately. I don't care how much I paid for the shoes. I am finding that the more expensive shoes seem to be more comfortable. I do wear heels, but from brands that construct them well. Anyi Lu, Beautifeel, Aquatalia, Born, chie Mihare, Munro, Steve Weitzman. I will say that my shoe collection has grown, but my feet are happier!

I don't own any shoes that are full-on uncomfortable. At some point after the age of 30 I decided that I didn't want to suffer that way anymore. I've got a few pairs of comfortable heels (<2.5") that I used to wear more often, but nowadays are mainly used for special occasions, more for reasons that the level of formality isn't needed in my life than any practical concerns. All of my (near-)flats and boots are great for an ordinary day, and pretty decent for an unexpectedly on-my-feet day. I'm like rabbit that I work at home and so if something really crazy comes up I can change shoes a lot of the time.

When I worked in an archives and was on my feet all day, I definitely wore shoes that were more about comfort than dressiness, and I think that's totally appropriate if you have serious foot issues or a lifestyle/job that calls for it. It requires more searching and often more cost, and sometimes can affect your outfits, but I think in this case your health is more important than fashion.

I'm not on my soapbox about much in fashion but I do think that reasonably comfortable shoes are something that women should be able to wear without worrying that they don't give the right impression at their job or whatever. It is something that's pretty gendered - men's shoes are comfortable and flat no matter what - and so I do think an expectation that women should wear heels or other impractical shoes to look suitable creeps uncomfortably close to misogyny.

I was just on the phone with my DD, who is buying boots, to tell her to buy the more expensive pair she's looking at. She said the cheap ones are uncomfortable, and I explained that she's going to have to fork out some $$ to get a good pair... but that it will be worth it. Good thing she calls me whenever she's making a shoe purchase!

Now that my foot injury from a few years back is mostly gone, I don't worry too much about support or padding. Some heel heights / last shapes put pressure on my knees in a way that I just can't deal with, though. I can't always tell which shoes will do that, but the end result is that I almost never wear anything with a heel. My Frye boots are about as heeled as I can do for normal wear - but actually, I've had other, crappy boots with lower heels that pitched my foot at a very uncomfortable angle, so it's not just the height.

The thing I really need to work on, though, is space for my toes. I have very squared-off feet and very short toes. Pointed shoes can work ok (because my toes are short). But my Fluevog oxfords, for instance, are too narrow, and much as I love them I might have to trade for something wider. Same with my beloved AllSaints pointed boots - I should see if I can get them stretched.

I tried on Danskos for the first time recently and omg they are so comfortable. I could wiggle all my toes. I am debating if I can make them work for my style. Maybe if I get the simple oiled leather version? But the plastic sole just isn't my favorite look - I like the wood-sole clogs like No. 6 but the upper just isn't designed to be as comfortable.

I only wear comfortable shoes, and they must also be able to walk for some distance!
I do not like the aesthetic of athletic shoes with work attire for going to work- it is possible to find attractive shoes that are walk-friendly

I'm blessed to have really healthy flexible feet. Guess all the years I spent lollygagging around colleges and SAHMing saved the feets. My 'solution' to preserve foot health is low to no heels, plenty of room in the toe box, a variety of insert and sock strategies as needed and a very broad rotation. In fact, I try not to repeat shoes in any given work week. I take a brisk two mile walk each day with my current special ed kids in lieu of PE, go out with them on walking field trips most weeks and don't feel the need to change into sneakers. I wear Fryes, cowboy boots, ankle booties, flats, oxfords, etc. I own a few pairs of heels but I have to say I find them more & more barbaric as I age. The difference between older men's and women's foot health shocks me. Years of high heel wearing is akin to foot binding. Adding insult to injury, it's a form of misogyny we pay a premium to participate in. What's wrong with us?!? Gah!

Texstyle - I won't wear anything uncomfortable on my feet. I injured my left knee two years ago and I don't wear any heel over 2" on a daily basis and most of mine are 1.5". Since I only wear boots/booties, I have less problems with fit and there are some divinely cool boots with low heels (I know they are all in my closet!!). Uggs (not the traditional - like the cortonas, belclous and show boots adirondaks), aquatalia, La Canadienne, stuart weitzman, ariat, charles David all make great boots and booties. I shop sales/zappos/6pm/amazon to minimize pocketbook damage but happy feet rule. My dress shoes are the rockstuds - low heel, pretty comfy but narrow heel is slightly more challenges but they are a special event shoe! That's the only time I suck it up for style, but then they are special!!