Natural comfort shoes--update - YouLookFab Forum

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Natural comfort shoes--update

Maya

Veteran

Wow, these shoes (the black ones) are quite possibly the most comfortable dress shoes I have ever put on my feet. The padding is amazing. The leather is buttery soft. They are as comfortable as my sneakers. I can't say for sure until I wear them out extensively, but they certainly seem like 8 hour shoes to me.

Needless to say I am CRUSHED that they keep falling off my heel! I am hoping and praying that those Dr Scholl's heel inserts will put an end to that, but it doesn't always work. I know if I go down half a size, they will be too tight across my forefoot. Anyway, I don't think anyone is stocking them in a 6 right now. If I could keep my heel in the back of the shoe so the extra space was in the front, they would be perfect, but that doesn't seem possible.

I might have to triplicate these amazing shoes if I could just find a way to make them stay on my foot. I might just glue them on my feet :p

General

22 replies

Latest reply was from Ariadne

Tanya

Veteran

Wow, I am so glad that those shoes are so comfy for you Maya. Please do try the heel inserts. Dr. Scholl's are the squishy gelly, right? Sometime I have better luck with generic drugstore brand because they are thinner and do not push my foot as much forward:

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/cata.....navCount=3

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Happy Dance! Told you they were comfy! We have similar footwear needs Maya, only I don’t need to make room for a bunion. Together and with the help of this forum, we will sort you out.

Okay. We HAVE to make the heel part work. Have you tried padding up the sides with mole skin? Not the sole, but the sides.

Maya

Veteran

They are great. I definitely intend to get the teal ones now. They seem almost identical.

Tanya, I find the drug store brand version doesn't hold my foot in as well for some reason. The Dr Scholl's gel inserts are awful--they gave me painful blisters. The ones I like are more like foam.

I haven't tried using moleskins yet Angie. I certainly will. I'll do anything to make them work!

I'm also thinking of trying these out:

http://www.amazon.com/Tip-Toes.....38;sr=8-10

They might help keep my foot from sliding forward in the shoe. I think it was Joy who gave them a good review. Or perhaps Judy? Someone whose name begins with J and ends with Y...

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Let me know if the side moleskin padding works, or even small layers of quilting (I’m getting creative).

I reviewed foot petals on the blog actually. They do help. I shoved two on top on one another and it worked well enough.

I’m all for triplicating shoes, or quadruplicating them as a matter of fact. Lets see how the black pair go first.

Maya

Veteran

I'll give it a try as soon as I get to the drug store.

I have heard good things about foot petals but I'm just skeptical about whether these help with my specific problem. I'm sure they offer great cushioning for the balls of your feet. I just wonder if they will be enough to keep my heel against the shoe. I'll try the moleskin first and see how it works out.

Becky

Veteran

Did I miss something? Can someone link to the shoe? Are they available in extra-wide? (My ears always perk up when there's a discussion involving Maya and shoes!)

Lena

Oh no, I hope you find a way to make them stay on your heels, Maya. I have the same problem with many flats, including Me Toos, so I'll be watching this thread.

Crossing my fingers and hoping you find something that works.

Maya

Veteran

Becky, I do not wear a 6WW or even bother trying them on anymore. My heels are too narrow and while they feel good at the forefoot, they don't fit anywhere else. Instead I just get medium or wide width shoes and stretch them at the front. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

I have the same problem with Me Too Lena. I think San mentioned having it as well. When I was a kid and my mom took me shoe shopping, she would always poke around at the top of the shoe and make sure there was 1/2" of space between my toe and the shoe. Your foot isn't meant to be squished all the way in the front. Unfortunately, with ballet flats, I find it impossible to achieve that. The 1/2" of space always ends up in the back of the shoe.

Angie, I found some moleskins in my house and tried lining the sides, but it didn't work I have determined that even when my heel is flush with the heel of the shoe, it's just too wide. I'm going to buy the Dr Scholl's inserts tomorrow and try them out. They did not work in my Swanns though so I'm not holding out hope. This is so disappointing!

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Becky, I think she's referring to these shoes in black:

http://www.6pm.com/n/p/p/7374906/c/2385.html

Maya

Veteran

Ana, they're actually these shoes:

http://www.6pm.com/n/p/p/7374637/c/72.html

Pretty much the same idea though.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Hmmm. Don’t quite understand what you mean, Maya :” when my heel is flush with the heel of the shoe, it's just too wide”. I thought that if we build up the sides, we’ll make it flush.

How about multiple heel grips?

Amanda

Maya -- do you have a shoe repair place near by? I've had good luck taking shoes in and asking the cobbler to suggest something to make a shoe fit better. My local place has a wider variety of things that the drugstore but they aren't any more expensive. And he's been able to show me exactly what to do to make a pair of shoes fit.

Maya

Veteran

AJ, I do have a shoe repair place nearby. I haven't been there before but I think it's high time to give them a chance. I had no idea you could take shoes in! That is incredible. I have to go anyway to repair my Boden boots so I may as well at least ask. I just never seem to have time. By the time I leave work, everything is closed.

Angie, I am a dope. I thought you meant pad up the sides near the toe area to help keep my foot from slipping forward. I am going to buy some heel grips today. I tried building layers of moleskins/heel grips in my Swanns, but it didn't work. I hope I don't end up with a big gap in the back of the shoe. I might have to go a half size down, though I wont get it for $26. Sad. I'll try the cobbler first. I just hope he doesn't say "it's the wrong size."

Becky

Veteran

Thanks for the info, Maya. I guess these aren't for me, then. I just don't have luck with M and W shoes anymore, even when I stretch them. I tried the Converse on Angie's suggestion but they were *way* too narrow in the forefoot (though the heel was fine). What a conundrum!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Did you try the wide Converse, Becky?

Maya, I’ll show you what I mean when I see you.

Maya

Veteran

Angie, I think I understand what you mean. The good news is that the heel grips seem to work in the left shoe. The bad news, predictably, is that they aren't as successful in the right shoe. My right foot is slightly shorter after the surgery. I bought some foam moleskins (they're called molefoams, which sounds funny), so I am going to try and add a layer later after I have my tea

The problem with heel grips is that they push my feet up to the edge of the shoe, which makes them not as comfy as they were initially.

shiny

Veteran

Maya, I'm just wondering... the Me-Too's I have are 1/2 size larger than what I normally wear - I've found that going up helps a lot for me with ballet flats. Yes, they do slip off the back of my heel. But only initially: my feet eventually swell, and they stay on, no problem.

My feet swell not just because it's warm out - they also swell because there's no arch support in a ballet flat, so my foot spreads out as the day goes on. It doesn't take very long either - about an hour of standing and walking. For that reason, I definetly prefer my flats to be a little too large when I first put them on. If they fit perfectly out of the box, they are going to cause me pain after a few hours.

Maya

Veteran

Shiny, I think the 6.5's are just too big. If I put my foot all the way to the front of the shoe, I can fit a finger easily in the space that forms in the back. This is at the end of the day, after my feet have been walking around. Even if it just happened in the beginning, it is a problem because I'm a commuter and in the time it takes to get from the train station to work, I can easily get blisters, cuts, bruises, and any other number of problems. I told you about that interview I went to, where I wore some shoes that left my feet with all three of the above injuries. That interview was for my current job, which is literally two blocks from the train station...not a lot of walking at all.

However, the 6.5's feel MUCH better in width, and therein lies the problem. My "true" width at the forefoot is probably closer to a 7 or even a 7.5. If I got a size 6, there is no way I could stretch it a whole size or more in width. I'm going to bring the NC shoes for Angie to take a look at and see if she has any suggestions. I might even go this weekend to see the cobbler and see if he has any input.

shiny

Veteran

It's too bad they don't make custom shoes! That would be a dream for you, I bet?

Maya

Veteran

I have actually looked into that Shiny. It's actually quite common in some countries. I know it can be done in Italy, and my mom says they do it in India as well, but I imagine India wouldn't work out as well as far as style goes (though you could probably get some sweet sandals made).

Unfortunately America is not one of those countries. I am sure there is a place that exists somewhere, but I have not yet found it. The irony is that if it does exist, it probably exists in New York.

tarzy

Veteran

It exists for men. For $800!
http://www.vogelshoes.com/shoes.asp

My husband has an extremely high instep (top of the foot) and has a terrible time finding any shoes. He basically has one pair of sneakers that fit him. (He has about five pairs of the exact same sneaker!)

I finally made him buy a pair of dress shoes, however. We found one brand that was recommended by The Walking Company (a store that sells ugly shoes that are "good" for you) and then we took them to the cobbler and he was able to stretch out the top without making the shoes wider. It's amazing. For the first time my husband can wear dress shoes like a grown-up!

Check out the cobbler Maya - a real old school cobber, not some place that just sells shoelaces.

Ariadne

Veteran

I really feel for you, Maya. I have a horrible time finding shoes for a couple of reasons (wide-ish, sensitive feet that are a true 7.5--why do so fel companies make half sizes?--with these weird bumps on my heels that stick out and cause awful blisters, and really delicate skin). I hate trying to find shoes that fit and are comfortable for lots of walking, and I hate breaking them in because I almost always get horrible blisters at first. Did you consider those Doc ballet flats that someone posted earlier, or did you hate them? My Doc boots are so incredibly comfy.