Have you read this blog by a podiatrist? It may give you some ideas for more shoes to try:
http://podiatryshoereview.blogspot.com

So sorry to hear you are going through this! I completely empathize...actually am a bit impressed you've found ANY heels that work.

My issue is that I have fallen arches, and somewhat wide feet. Yes, whole categories of shoes are now "off-limits" e.g. ballet flats (no support, too narrow), and any sandals that don't secure my heel. It feels like I can't wear 99.99% of the shoes that are out there.

I wear my Naot Sea shoes again and again. I also like Born and Wolky. Also I tried some Beautifeel shoes that seemed very comfortable. Good luck with this and keep us posted as to what works for you!

Here's a sandal that was recommended on the podiatrist's blog I mentioned earlier. It's the Sanita Darcy. (Sanita is the company that made the original Dansko clogs and shoes for Dansko, before The two companies decided to part ways.)

http://www.amazon.com/Sanita-W.....B009F8XTP6

Practically everything on your list of what you have learned applies to me, and I am also dealing with finding shoes that fit my style, or the style I want to be. I have various foot issues and I find that the summer shoes that worked last year aren't working at all well this year.

Lately even most sneakers and walking shoes kill my feet after an hour or two.

So you have my sympathies. Let's hope we feet impaired folks can find some decent solutions.

Thanks for all the suggestions ladies!

@DonnaF: I will try the Fly Londons! They are pretty cute! My only concern would be the height but I guess I won't know unless I try.

@MrsK: I have a pair of Camper booties. They were great at first up until they aggravated my toes. I would not have known this until after wearing them for 8 hours

@Dee: I found Naturalizer and Clarks to be a bit painful. I really wish they weren't so! Birks, I tried but my feet were swimming in them! I guess I'll need to look out for low volume varieties

@danskogirl: yup! I refer to that blog once in a while! As for Sanita Darcy - how are they on low volume (low instep, narrow heel, wider forefoot) feet? I'm concerned the straps may not wrap around well. I've read reviews though and apparently some narrow-footed women can wear them!

@Gardenchick: I hear so many great things about Beautifeel! I'll try one on just to see!

@MsMaven: ouch! Sorry to hear about the sneakers killing your feet! If I find anything, you'll know! Watch out for my WIW's!

I'm afraid I don't know how the Sanita Darcy would work for low volume feet. I've never worn them. Plus, I have high volume feet.

It sounds difficult and painful.
This NZ company specialises in shoes and sandals for people needing orthotics and good support. I suspect they will seem expensive compared to the US (where I think you live).
http://zierashoes.com/Shoes/Sandals

Hi KatieKat --

Sounds like you're exploring tons; so aggravating but necessary IME. Shoes and bras, grrrrr. [I'll find a shoe in one of my few go-to brands with the same heel height as ones that work for me can end up being "off."] Styles with buttery soft leather tend to work best for me as they don't put any pressure on the anything.

My feet are more like Dee's than yours -- narrow heel, wide forefront, super-high arch -- but have found Earthies to be really comfortable.

TBH I only have one style duplicated due to price; the Veria Too, which has a completely rigid sole and was super-comfortable for me despite the (2.5?) heel. Not sure if that's true of all their soles but you may want to explore the brand if you haven't already...beware the arch support I love is apparently one of those love/hate things based on reviews.

Here are a few current lower-heeled ones that I think are pretty sleek and feminine for that part of your style:

http://www.zappos.com/earthies-malina-bone-suede

http://www.zappos.com/earthies.....ed-leather

The higher Veria Too or Veria 3 are around various places at a nice discount: http://www.6pm.com/earthies-veria-3-mauve

Good luck!

I'm so sorry to hear of your foot difficulties Katie. Having some issues in that area myself, I totally sympathize. I have high volume, wide-ish feet with bunions, and high arches requiring good support. Apart from Birks which would brilliantly on my feet, I have found wide width Clarks to work well for me as well as Doc Martens. In fact, Docs are probably my favorite footwear for comfort. They are slightly wide and have a good solid footbed. And there is more variety than just the lace up boots. Have you ever tried Docs?

Hi Katie - Like a whole lot of other women in the forum, I have some pretty nasty foot issues, and, on top of that, a problem with my knee, which made the foot issues worse. I totally sympathize with you, and I'm sorry you're having to deal with foot problems, too. I have had to change my style a bit because my foot is most comfortable in regular walking sneakers with custom orthotics. BUT my style is fairly casual with elements of RATE, so I've also decided to embrace sneaker chic, which works for me, especially in the summer.

Some of my "sneaker chic" choices: Reeboks Classics, Cons-look alikes made by Simple (no longer available), but there are other choices like Josef Seibel, etc. Other brands I've been finding comfortable are some Clarks (like Shannon noted, I get them in wide, which means sometimes I have to add pads in the other foot to stop them from slipping). Also, Alegria, Cobb Hill (made by Reebok), Munro (there actually some cute ones), Sofft, and Softwalk. Zappos is my friend. I've ordered countless pairs of shoes to try on and wear at home, and I've sent countless pairs back. Nordstrom, also, but they tend not to have anything but standard widths in their stores.

Here a few specific choices that are working for me, but I don't do heavy duty walking in them.

Oxfords - these are actually really comfortable, and I can walk for longer in these than any of the others.
http://vip.zappos.com/cobb-hill-ivanka-mist

Sandals
http://vip.zappos.com/sofft-be.....-foil-goat
http://vip.zappos.com/softwalk.....ed-leather
http://vip.zappos.com/munro-am.....ack-nubuck

Good luck, and I hope you'll start to find some shoes that will be comfortable, and that you won't have to change your style or your style descriptors.

Katie, my fussy feet swear by the Alfani Voyage wedge sandal that was one of Angie's finds a few years back. Macy's brings them back every summer in an assortment of colors. They are super comfortable with a 1 1/2 in heel and fabric uppers. I have narrow heels and the elastic ankle strap holds them securely on my feet. Best of all - they are $38.98! I have them in a variety of colors - black, pewter, taupe, and snake - and replenish them every season. My sis and DD wear them, too. The comfort level is high.

Good luck with your search.

http://www1.macys.com/shop/pro.....?ID=987840

I have arthritis in my big toes. When I finally went to the podiatrist I was at the point where I could barely walk without pain, even in T-shoes. He made me an orthotic which helped a lot and I purchased a pair of Danskos and Birks. I really wore nothing else for about a year. But after a period of times my feet must have healed some because now I can wear cuter shoes, as long as I'm very picky about their comfort. But I can't wear them every day. I try to wear the Birks whenever I'm home as house shoes and I still wear Dankos on occasion. I second looking at the blog barkingdogs (or something like that). There are a lot of resources out there and life is way too short to live with foot pain!!

Danskogirl, thank you so much for the podiatrist blog. It has wonderful information and I am saving it for later use.

Glad you find the blog useful, deb!

Hi Katie, I am sorry to hear how difficult it is for you. We really take our feet for granted.

I have heard great things about Vionic with Orhaheels. I have no personal experience with it, but just throwing it out there.

http://www.6pm.com/vionic-with.....a-mule-plu

I'm sorry KatieKat: that really sucks. I have RA, so am prone to pain in both my feet joints and my ankles, and a few months ago I suddenly had terrible pain along my outer foot, right at the base of the toe, that turned out to be a corn due to me putting most of my weight along the outside of my foot instead of evenly distributed. So now I sometimes wear Birkenstocks indoors (used to always go barefoot) to 'train' my feet. If I wear them on walks, though, the footbed is too hard for me. They're errand running shoes vs walk 3+ mile shoes.

My feet are narrow at the heels, widening out until they're fairly broad at the toes, with a high arch. They prefer a sole that flexes a bit (vs one that holds the foot rigid). My most walkable shoes are my Timberland hiking boots (they don't make my model anymore, I got them off ebay), which are all-leather, so have a bit of a sturdy Victorian lace-up feel, my other boots (Reiker knee highs, although I wouldn't mind a bit more space at the top of my foot in these, so they might work well for a low volume foot and Frye Carson ankle lace ups) and my flats from the Aurora Shoe Co. I can't say enough good things about the support/comfort/ethics of the latter (I bring them up whenever anyone asks, so I might've already told you about them), but the aesthetics aren't going to appeal to everyone. I also have a pair of Dansko sandals, a pair of Born oxfords, and a pair of Naot heels: all of these are comfy enough for lots of errand running/walks of maybe a mile or two, or I imagine a day at the office (I don't have an office job) but for more than, if it's not boot weather, that I'm going to choose my Auroras every time.

Since I don't work in a business environment, I just don't worry too much about my shoes. I don't mind the clunkier/rustic looking styles: my bigger issue is that with lighter hair, it's almost impossible to find shoes in a bookending colour, particularly ones that aren't suede. Add ethical/environmental concerns, and I've pretty much resigned myself to overly dark footwear. Now I'm trying to add something dark at top to bookend that way and make the outfits look less unbalanced. It's frustrating, but at least my clothes are still fun!

I forgot to add that at home, I wear classic Croc knock-offs handed down by my mom. The soles are nice and soft, they have arch support, and they are so loose that they never pinch any where. Slippers and going barefoot are painful for me, so these ugly things work and give my feet a break from even Danskos. (BTW, the cutest Danskos don't work for me as their heel is too high and my one foot can't bend that much, so be careful.)

If Birkies have become stylish, clogs can't be far behind, right?

I have similar issues now and had to quit my beloved edgy, high heeled favorites. Still anguished 5 years later but slowly adapting and gathering shoes as I come across them.

This style covers a lot of situations for me. Look for Vivanz 'combat sandal' types. http://www.zappos.com/vivanz-san-miguel

Dr Scholl's Dance clogs are lightweight and I can walk miles in them. They're more funky than edgy but you'll gather compliments.

Rocker soles for walking long distances work well. MBT and Mephisto make them in sneaker and sandal styles. Keep colors to black and red.

I haven't tried Eileen Fisher boots and sandals but the styles have possibility.

Fluevogs are favorites, Docs too although quite heavy for travel and airports. Good luck and good hunting

So sorry about your feet. I also have problem feet without much in the way of fat pads and suffer ball of feet pain. Do you have any good comfort type shoe stores near you? Sometimes I find it is best to try on a bunch of styles to get a better idea of what works for your feet. I've figured out a lot of my foot quirks that way which helps now if I want to order online.

I also recommend the blog http://www.barkingdogshoes.com/ -- I don' think I saw anyone else recommend it. ETA: The blogger also has arthritis in her feet.

I forgot to mention one of the biggest "no-no's" for arthritic toes. Avoid any shoe where your toes have to grip to keep the shoe on. So for me, mule type shoes are for sure out. I can wear heels at times as long as they are not too high and they fit securely on my foot. Also be careful with sandals and many styles are made with only a band over the front of the foot and your toes may have to work too hard to keep them on.

I don't have fussy feet but I'm on them a lot as a teacher. I love the footbed of Keens.

http://www.keenfootwear.com/ca/en/wall/Shoes/women

I'm not sure if they'd work for your troubles or your style.