I haven't had time to read and post here lately, but wanted to share a potential shoe recommendation for those who:
*like the Birkenstock footbed; and/or
*wear custom orthotics; and/or
*have wide feet; and/or
*have low volume feet.

Check out the Birkenstock Laramie low and Laramie boot. I wore them for a week without getting blisters, which is a major accomplishment in my books.

Now for qualifier "potential":

The heel shows more wear than it should after one week, certainly more than it should. One SA told me it was because I was heel striking (no comment), but the manager thought it might be a defect. I'm not sure. I do wear heels down extremely quickly, but I've also had boots that have been able to tolerate the stress. I suspect that the Birkenstock heel isn't made of as durable a material as it should be for the price of the footwear, which would be rather unfortunate because they're a great work-addition otherwise. The leather is extremely soft, and I still might end keeping the oxfords for future work engagements.