Limited comfy shoes for my ultra-feminine personal style - Help! - YouLookFab Forum

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Limited comfy shoes for my ultra-feminine personal style - Help!

MsLuna

Veteran

I have a dilemma: Every so-called comfort shoe I've tried (Clarks, Tsubo, Naturalizer and Naya) have left my feet aching and with blisters. The last two months have been wrought with shoe returns, nursing my feet, and regretting past purchases I've worn once and could never return again. I used to be able to wear heels that are 2.5 inches or higher, but it seems that is not so anymore. Worse, I often have a toe box and ball of foot issue. My feet are often in a world of pain.

I live in a city where walking is the primary means of getting around. I walk virtually everywhere. I have friends who walk in 4 inch heels like it never bothers them. I also have some girlfriends that are sneakers-and-jeans girls - which I am absolutely not. I love my dresses and I love my heels - but the shoes that work on my personal style just puts me through so much pain! I tried switching shoes from commute to work, but even then, my feet just aren't happy.

I bought a pair of Dansko Sissy's recently and I thought they were the best shoes I've ever purchased. I proceeded on to order the Coquettes, hoping to receive them in a few days and trying them out. I really really wish Dansko made more cute heels because their shoes are the only ones that work on my right now.

I would really love to be able to continue to wear my skirts and heels, but I might hae to make adjustments to the shoes I wear. Can anyone suggest really good brands that are kinder to the ball of the foot and are roomier on the toe box yet still have a bit of a heel? Or am I asking for too much?

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23 replies

Latest reply was from MsLuna

catgirl

Veteran

Fluevogs! They are not everyone's style, but they are generally really comfortable and the ones I have are very roomy in the toe box.

Or you can try Mephistos, which are pricey but well worth it according to my friends who have them.

MsLuna

Veteran

@Alaskagirl I love the look of Fluevogs but I've always been afraid of trying them (mainly because of the price and perhaps the lack of comfort). Most Fluevogs certainly work on my style, so I might go to a store nearby and try a pair. I've been so heartbroken with most shoes I've tried on though, so hopefully I won't get burned this time around

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Have you tried these foot pads? http://www.stilettohardware.com/catalog.html

I have not personally tried them, but I wonder if they would be helpful. They are supposed to be much better than the usual kind.

I sympathize with your dilemma. I have real trouble finding shoes, also. I, too, want pretty but also super-comfortable.

patti

(website)

I feel your pain, and the hunt goes on. I love Fluevogs, but I have also had success with much-less-expensive White Mountain shoes. It so depends on the shape. I also add insoles to every pair, and that seems to help. Don't give up! : >

catgirl

Veteran

Oh, goody - try them! I have the Malibrans and they are super-comfy for my square feet. I know Elisabeth has them too.

MsLuna

Veteran

@Suz: I've tried Foot Petals and pretty much every kind of insole/inserts out there and I was still in pain. Debating whether I should see a foot doctor, but certain shoes (like my Dansko Sissy's, my Rockport Roberts Road boots and tall Dr. Martens) do not give me any pain whatsoever.

I will have a look at these insoles though. Thanks for the recommendation!

@Patti - what are White Mountain shoes like?

Diana

Veteran

I like Fluevogs too, although their comfort level is hit or miss on me and their sizing is extremely inconsistent.

For comfort, my favorite brand is, hands down, Naot. A lot of their newer styles are quite cute and funky, although they might be too funky-chunky for some.

Good luck with the shoe hunt! I'm curious also to hear what you think of the Coquettes - I've been eying them myself.

biscuitsmom

Veteran

Beautifeel shoes are great, although pricy. SAS are really, really comfy with great padding, but stylish...not so much. I can really sympathize/empathize with you- I bet Ive tried 30 pairs with similar results. Ive gotten to the point where comfort matters a lot more than great looks, although it STILL matters!

MsLuna

Veteran

@Diana - I will definitely let you know how the Coquettes fare. It took me a month to really decide whether or not to get them - they are just too cute to pass up!

@biscuitsmom - Yes, I've tried on a pair of Beautifeels and they're amazing! The price point is pretty high. SAS is nice too and super comfy. But yes.. I'm almost 75% in favour in comfort over style these days. the "cute shoes" have always been a signature for me, but it's come to the point where I'll have to give that up

I'm thinking of working the entire outfit around the shoe - as opposed to working the shoe around the outfit.

Queen Mum

Veteran

have you tried sofft? or ecco? they both make more feminine comfy shoes.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ecco shoes work well for me, by and large. I even have a pair of high heels made by them with pointy toes and those are reasonably comfortable for the short amount of time I tend to wear them. Mind you, when I say "high" I am talking about 3 inches, LOL.

MsLuna

Veteran

@Queen Mum The one pair of Sofft I once owned killed my feet (too narrow) and the Eccos I haven't completely given a try. Should I order a wide on the Sofft's to accommodate the wide forefoot?

@Suz "high heels" is 3 inches for me now too! How were toe boxes on the eccos?

Suz

(website)

Veteran

The Ecco "heels" I have are a couple of years old, with rather pointy toes (much more pointed than I would usually wear, and much more pointed than they typically make). Yet by and large they work for me. Mind you, these are not shoes that I would wear every day. I wear them for an evening special occasion. What I love about the shoes is the incredibly flexible soles, and the fact that they STAY ON, which for me (narrow heels, wider front of the foot) is a near miracle in a pump style. I think if I wore them for long periods I would probably get blisters on my little toes. But I would not wear that style for long periods.

I also have several other pairs of Eccos - a slide (seen in photos earlier - very old shoes but I will not surrender them because of their comfort); a pair of red uber-casual sandals, strictly for wearing with shorts or jeans that are, if anything, slightly too wide for me (I got them on sale because I was so fond of Eccos generally and I love red shoes), and a pair of walking shoes (gear). And I've had three pairs of slightly dressier casual sandals from them in past years and wore them all out with wearing them so much.

They have some nice styles this year that should soon be on sale if they are not already, and I am going to go over to their store to try them on.

Good luck; I hope they work for you! As with any shoes, I suspect some styles will be better than others.

Dashrashi

Veteran

Totally order the wide in a Sofft if available. This also is totally true for Naturalizer in my experience. I have wide-ish feet--I can often wear a M without a problem, but I am wide through the forefoot/toebox and am often much more comfortable in a W size when it's offered (unfortunately, I have a very low instep so often times if there is top-of-the-foot detailing, the W size goes too high. It's trial and error, but probably worth it). I haven't found that it makes the heel too wide, but worst case scenario on that, I'd probably order a half size up in length and use a heel grip.

Jonesy

Veteran

Have you looked at barkingdogshoes.com? They review all kinds of stylish, comfy shoes. Good luck!

Fruitful

Veteran

I second Naots (just check details as certain lines, like their Essence, are a bit narrower).

I don't own Fluevogs (yet) but the ones I've tried had wonderful toebox room (in my foot's opinion - YMMV!).

So glad Danskos work for you! I love them and have 3 pairs but on my heel they are a bit loose. I'm undeterred as their comfort:gorgeousness ratio is unbeatable!

There really are loads of comfort brands other than those mentioned (Rieker, Josef Seibel; here in the Southern Hemisphere are Kumfs; also, Jambu; etc). Barking Dog Shoes is a great blog for that. Can you get to any specialist comfort shoe shops? I always find less known brands at mine; you might find something instore that hasn't been reviewed online.

MsLuna

Veteran

So here's an update. I had to return my beautiful Naya shoes (all 3 pairs that were greatly reduced!) due to a whole lot of foot pain on one of them. I tried a size 7M and that didn't work out. They had wide widths, apparently, so I need to check them out while they aren't on sale (boo!). So I'm not totally giving up on Naya/Naturalizer - I guess I just need to try the next size up on a wider width.

@Suz Like you, I have a narrow heel and wide forefoot so I know how much of a challenge it is to find shoes! Glad to see the Eccos work for you. I will definitely check out the styles that will go on sale soon.

@Dashrashi Yup. I just tried sizing up on the Nayas/Naturalizers today and it turns out that I probably do need a wide. I may have to try on the Sofft's in person first though, as I am unsure whether I am a size 6.5 or 7. I'm the opposite of you - I definitely have a high instep as I often feel I have to squeeze my feet into the shoes. It gets quite annoying :\

@Jonesy Definitely. I go there ALL THE TIME to see what shoes she recommends. It seems like most roomy toe box shoes are too casual for my style though, but she seems to speak highly of the Danskos, which is why I nabbed myself a pair of the Sissy's. I wouldn't know what I'd do if that blog didn't exist!

@Fruitful I'll certainly check out those brands. I've checked out the Jambus and they are SUPER CUTE! I just keep hearing aobut Jambus not being so generous on the toe boxes though :\ But I'll keep reading reviews and see otherwise.

I'd love to go see a specialist shoe shop, but I don't know where they are in my area. What I thought was a specialist shoe shop didn't help at all the last time I went there.

Vix

Veteran

I'm not sure what's causing your pain, but don't underestimate the relief getting the toe box area stretched can bring (you can get it stretched side-to-side or bottom-up.

I use the inserts too, but their added height can make it even more uncomfortable for my toe/instep zone unless I get things stretched.

You can buy home stretchers, but generally I bring it to my shoe repair place, describe where I'm feeling pain, and let them work their magic.

Signed, another wide forefront/narrow heel + high instepper

yellowgirl

I'm an Aerosols fan. Big time. I have tried so many of the other comfort brands (Clark, Born, Sofft, springstep, etc...) and the only thing that feels good to me are Aerosols. They have some super-cute styles, too.

fathenry

Veteran

My most comfortable shoes are Kenneth Coles with a rubber sole. Sandals and boots alike. I also like the inexpensive White mountains.

I'm trying out a pair of Born's now so the jury is still out on those.

MsLuna

Veteran

@Vix I should probably try getting my shoes stretched by a professional. I have a shoe-stretcher at home and I can't seem to stretch it to the point where it's comfortable (I wonder if I'm doing it wrong?). Shame I returned the Naya shoes I had, but I'll try taking my existing shoes to a professional.

@Yellowgirl I liked Aerosoles too! But do you know if they come in wider widths?

@fathenry I found that Born boots work on me, but it depends on how high the heels is. Lately I can't seem to wear anything higher than 2.5 inches!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Good point about the Aerosoles...on my foot (which isn't super wide, just wide in relation to the heel) they are JUST barely okay, and really, almost not okay, if you know what I mean...I am getting away with it in a sandal.

Also, word of warning about the Eccos...I tried some yesterday, but one lovely pair of sandals was WAY too wide for my heel...you might find similar....

MsLuna

Veteran

Ok wow, finally I had time to respond to this! I apologize if I'm resurrecting this thread after three months! Anyway...

@Suz: Thanks for the warning. To this date, I still have yet to try Eccos. I tried on a pair of boots back in the outlet store when I was in Texas, and found it to be just comfortable. A bit tight though. Do these shoes normally need breaking in?

As for the rest of the shoes.

I finally own 2 pairs of Fluevogs, both of which left me in a lot of pain! I have these:
http://www.gravitypope.com/sho.....acles-cana
http://www.fluevog.com/code/?w.....ourID=3001

The first one: I LOOOOVED the look. It was very much my style, however, I had to do a lot of walking in downtown Toronto and my feet were just not up for it. Too fussy, I guess. I still kept them as "decor" shoes at my home.

The second one: They were comfortable, up until the point that it rubbed my heel RAW! The problem was, though, that the pair was a bit too wide and a bit too loose on the heel. I think I have to pad the heck out of it with Foot Petals. It worked very well for my Dansko Rachel's (now they're super comfy!).

@Diana and @Fruitful: I'm a NAOT convert now. I got my first pair about a month ago and my feet are in heaven! I have a pair of these:

http://www.naot.com/cgi-bin/sh.....#038;cat=6

I was able to walk in them for 5 hours straight - and then some. Next time, Naot will be my absolute go-to brand.

I also now own a pair of these in red leather:
http://www.naot.com/cgi-bin/sh.....038;cat=47

LOVE LOVE LOVE! I can walk in Naots forever.

Anyway, that's my shoe update! I hope people found my shoe reviews useful!