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Mini rant on shoes

Mander

(website)

Veteran

I haven't been around much the last couple of weeks as I've been devoting a little more time to the job search and I helped a friend with a time-consuming but non-serious crisis. I've been spending pretty much all of my time in patched up jeans and a huge fluffy sweater because it's been so cold and dreary and I haven't had anywhere to go.

But I'm still shopping online! Well, window shopping, anyway. Hence the forthcoming rant:

Why is it so hard to find mid-heel shoes??? Non-dowdy ones, with closed toes?? Appropriate for wearing in a chilly spring/summer?? That are actually suitable to a city-dwelling, public-transportation-taking, lots-of-walking lifestyle??

This rant was prompted by the realization that I have nine pairs of boots, six of which are black and five of which are tall. I have various pairs of "fancy" heels that are pretty much sitting shoes, sandals that are too cold to wear in this rainy weather, "gear" shoes, and one pair of funky pinkish red shoes that are suitable for walking around town in. So of my big rack full of shoes, I really only have one pair that is seasonally appropriate.

What I'd like are some low/mid heel loafers, brogues, or flats that aren't too dowdy or gear-ish, but I've been having a heck of a time finding decent ones. They all seem to be ugly, poorly made, too flat, or too high. Or too expensive. Grr.

The hunt continues... thank you for indulging my rant!!

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16 replies

Latest reply was from Chrizzle

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Oh Mander, this is a huge frustration for me too! What do you define as mid-low heel? I tried on a few pairs of Naturalizer pumps that were quite comfy that were about 2-3" ... Unfortunately, they do not quite fit the shape of my feet ...

1.http://www.naturalizer.ca/Shop.....pg=7004834
2.http://www.naturalizer.ca/Shop.....pg=7004834
3.http://www.naturalizer.ca/Shop.....pg=7003527

I own a pair of #3 in a different colour - wore them for a year; even with a little snow on the ground AND on public transit!

I am also able to wear higher heels in well-made brands. I love Born shoes - have you ever tried them? Usually I'm a 2" heel girl, but I can go up to 4" with them (and a gel pad)!

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Sylvie

Veteran

I hear you! I can't wear 3 inch heels to work. Even if they're comfortable, it just doesn't look "right" to my eye. My perfect everyday "polished" height is about 2.25-2.5 inches. Hard to find in anything but a handful of brands.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Yep! This was my recent search for either low boots and/or clogs or mules that I could just throw on with jeans and go. I have great shoes but, like you, most are just not quite right for everyday run around wear. Boots with tall shafts that need to be tucked into, heels that are a tad too high to run around for hours on your feet, etc. I finally got some 1.25" heel suede ankle boots and hope they fill this hole for me! http://www.amazon.com/Kickers-.....roduct_top Good luck to you. I know it's hard - many of the contenders look frumpy to me too.

biscuitsmom

Veteran

Cute boots! I have this same problem and the selection is often terrible in 'wide width' which I need... good luck and hang in there! I can only suggest make use of the free shipping places as much as you can-

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I do not have an answer, but I echo your lament. This is one reason I didn't own SHOES for years. I truly didn't. I owned sandals, and boots, and nothing in between. Lately I have purchased a few pairs of shoes but I have had to compromise. I have one pair that are flat (not the best for me; luckily these have a small lift so are not completely flat). One pair that are wedges (so even though they are actually high, they don't feel it), and one pair of heels that have a platform and wide heels for stability. Is this perfect? Absolutely not.

I would like the shoes you are looking for, too!

jayne

Veteran

I agree, did I hear that Zappos allows you to search by heel height? I have gone and taken 5 pairs of shoes now to have the heels cut down. I just keep buying the shoes for the look and not the comfort. And If I cannot walk to lunch in them, they are not worth having. I hope to finally wear a pair that I have had over a year unused!

Anyway, I join in the search also! børn is good! naturalizer has too many in non leather that do not stretch to the foot.

I don't consider pumps as walking shoes, since I walk out of them in most cases. I need a shoe with fuller coverage. What are you looking for in particular if you could dream it up?

DonnaF

Veteran

My SoftWalk Dani shooties were delivered from Nordstrom yesterday. Nordies says the heel is 1.75", but they feel lower due to the lug sole. The look is pretty RATE, so not for everyone. They are as padded and comfortable as a great walking flat. I initially ordered them in my regular size from Zappos, but they felt like the most uncomfortable thing on earth. I ordered a size up from Nordstrom, and wonder of wonders they work for my supremely fussy feet.

FWIW, I just bought Ros Hommerson pumps (that don't cut into my bunions!) so that I would look like a grown-up finally. They are in the vicinity of 2", and are narrow enough in the heel so that my super narrow heels don't slip and I don't walk out of them. The soles are dress shoe thin, however, so I would not want to walk outside for miles in them.

My dream is to have all those beautiful shoes I see with 3" heels or even 2.5" and up made into shoes with 1.75" - 2.25" heels. I'd also like them all to have small platforms.

Meredith1953

Veteran

I don't like going over about a 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 inch heel either! So many shoes that are pretty are just rediculously high heeled!

rachylou

Veteran

Seriously! Can I go picket somewhere?

catgirl

Veteran

This is where a love of un-pretty shoes comes in handy! In my climate, I'm totally fine with chunky, high-vamp, boy-style footwear. I can't imagine what it would be like to adore pretty shoes! You have my sympathy.

My Dansko Ryders completely filled this need, btw. Uber-comfy and nice looking.

http://www.amazon.com/Dansko-R.....B00336FX3W

Mander

(website)

Veteran

I think around 2" is probably the limit for walking around town in. Somewhere between 1 and 2 is ideal unless they have a slight platform. I've tracked my steps using a pedometer and it's not unusual for me to walk 5-7 miles just doing errands and shopping, which isn't that much but adds up when your feet hurt!

Last year I saw loads of cute heeled loafers and ankle boots with lug soles, which I like, but they were all 4" or higher in addition to the big chunky sole. Wearing them made me about 6' tall! If only they had been around 2" they would have been great.

Maybe I should just save up and wait for my next trip to the States. My Mom has a way with sales...

Mac

Veteran

Ugh, I agree with this rant! I don't know what kind of lives women are lived by women who wear the 5" heels, but I like to be able to run for the bus, stride down hallways, clamber flights of stairs... none of which I can do with ease in heels above 2" or so.

I've found a good selection on Amazon and I believe that you can specify in your search to look only for shoes that can be shipped internationally (for those of us not living in the US). Here are some great lower-heeled shoes I just found in a quick search...

http://www.amazon.com/Biviel-W.....038;sr=1-6

http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Ka.....38;sr=1-59

http://www.amazon.com/Franco-S.....8;sr=1-168

http://www.amazon.com/Arche-Wo.....38;sr=1-71

http://www.amazon.com/Tibi-Wom.....38;sr=1-11

JennyAnne

(website)

Veteran

I have to say that I have better luck shoe shopping in a store in person. Trying to browse through hundreds of images of shoes online, no matter how great the deals, just annoys me, and they often don't fit when I get them. Just my personal experience and opinion there. I'd go to a big department store or two and look around. I bet you'll be able to find what you're looking for easier.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Good rant! I'm having the exact same problem right now. Too many 'fancy' shoes (a.k.a. "sitting shoes"), tall boots are out right now (black and chocolate brown), not quite sandal weather on a regular basis yet, and I need new summer sandals anyway.

You know what? I think it's the season, and I just realized that if I can find comfortable, city shoes that allow me to walk pretty much all day long right now, then these will also come in handy during early fall too, when it's not quite time for tall boots, sandals aren't looking quite right because fall's coming etc. Just something to consider - in that it will be worth the effort to find this mystery shoe that works well when it's not winter or summer.

Meanwhile, I'm bookmarking this thread, there are some good ideas in here!

Oh, and I just came up with a new acronym for myself - SYF. Shop Your Feet. This is a tall order, because most of the comfort shoes are a bit too clunky for my taste.

Do they have Fidji shoes where you are? I'm pretty sure Angie has said that these are both fab *and* very comfortable. I haven't tried them yet, but they are on my 'list'.

Good luck, and let us know if/when you find something that fits the bill.

Kari

Veteran

Mander, to be honest, this dilemma is why I opted to start buying *fewer* shoes that maybe were more expensive, but were worth it in terms of quality and comfort. (My feet are happiest in a slight heel, around 1 - 2.5, though I can go up to 3.5" if needed.) I've found Fidji shoes (a Portuguese brand) a lifesaver, and have also found good options through Clarks' Indigo and Artisan lines.

While not all featured shoes will necessarily be available in the UK, I'd highly recommend browsing through the blog Barking Dog Shoes. I don't have incredibly picky feet, but I still find the recommendations on this blog incredibly helpful. She features a variety of shoe brands, many of which I had never heard of before.

http://www.barkingdogshoes.com/

Here's a link to posts tagged "Comfortable Dress Shoes": http://www.barkingdogshoes.com.....ble_pumps/

Chrizzle

I love the Barking Dog blog, and subscribe to it, though I think few of the shoes posted there would get many points on YLF for style.

I am so with you, Mander. I am hugely irritated that it seems only sky-high heels or pancake flat soles are considered stylish/sexy by the cognoscenti these days. Taylor Swift got widely mocked for her red low-wedge sandals, even though they looked charming with her dress. People disagreed about the attractiveness of the dress and how it was accessorized, which is fine. But commenters on several blogs called her red shoes ugly, "grandma shoes", and worse, mostly because of the low heels. Apparently, fashionable girls her age should only wear vertiginous bunion-makers or flimsily flat arch-torturers. (And she carried a bag the same color as her shoes - horrors! What could she have been thinking? Style-blog snark makes me hate humans sometimes, but that's a different rant.)

http://icydk.com/2012/04/24/ta.....r-hate-it/

I'm glad there are now shoe companies that make high-heeled shoes engineered with all kinds of technology to make them significantly more comfortable than high heels of yore. But even when my feet are happy in such shoes, my bad ankle can't handle anything that raises my heels more than about 2" off the ground. Why can't they make those same beautiful, well-engineered shoes an inch or 2 lower? I mostly do wear "chunky, high-vamp, boy-style" shoes (to quote alaskagirl) because they feel best on my feet and don't aggravate my knee or ankle pain, but I don't feel I have the legs or the edgy look to carry them off as fashionably as I could in my younger slimmer days. They don't do much for my appearance anymore.

Lately I've bought a few pairs of somewhat cute shoes: a pair of fuchsia ballet flats, a pair of booties, and two pairs of peeptoe ankle-strap heels. All but the ballet flats were heavily researched and were chosen because of softness, cushioning, support, stability, a platform, and moderate 2 1/2 - 3 1/4 inch heels. I can tell they'd be very comfortable for most women, but all my new shoes are somewhat painful for me and I knew they would be. They just don't hurt *as much* as other shoes I like do. My podiatrist will not approve of them for me, but I was sick of the way my everyday, sensible, orthotic-accepting shoes instantly frumpified whatever I wore! But I won't continue to buy shoes that hurt "only a little" from the moment I put them on until I gratefully remove them. My new more stylish shoes are just about manageable for when I don't have to walk or stand much, but I have not a single pair of non-gear, non-clog shoes that I could wear for a typical workday, or for a day of shopping or exploring my city.

Sorry about the length of this rant - I actually cut out a couple of paragraphs! No question that this is a pet peeve of mine.