A lot of you have looked at oxfords I've tried out and given me advice, here on the forum. The hunt continues! Mulling it over with you here has given me a little more clarity on what will work for me, I think.

Some of my inability to find the right oxfords may stem from the fact that I really don't know what I want, specifically. A positive way to look at this situation is that I'm open to different possibilities. The characteristics I want are
1) comfort, as in an all-day shoe for wearing to work, where I'm on my feet all day. For me, comfort will ideally involve decent arch support and probably at
least a little bit of a heel or at least not a negative heel like the
one arty pair I had a crush on and then returned.

2) style that will play well with my wardrobe and that I find appealing (this is the hard part, since my style is generally "elegant eclectic"). I'm drawn to the menswear styles that continue to be popular now. I brought home the black Stuart Weitzman wingtip from NAS but had to return it because it was too narrow. But I wonder if the menswear look is really me? I seem to crave it in shoes, oddly, and I do like boyfriend jeans, but otherwise, I'm pretty much a less structured dresser. One rubric that resonates with me is Moody Arty Draped Glam (MAD Glam). Does "Oxford" even fit with that part of my style?

3) a color other than cognac. I have a pair of oxfords in caramel, and I don't need another pair in that color family. I had in mind black, to replace my black Josef Seibels, until you all made me realize I could actually replace those with another color option, like metallic. A gray/taupe is always a good option for me, too, with my hair. Or a cool olive would work. Or espresso brown or perhaps wine?? Not navy--I wouldn't wear them enough.

My latest attempts are finds 1 and 2 below: pewter brogues (Earthies, Treviso) and black brogues (Paul Green, Addly). I am returning this pair of Earthies for sure, because if I did keep them, I'd need another size. But I'm also not in love with them, though I SO love the Idea of them (comfort, menswear but a little different, and pewter!). I think they're an odd shape; am I being too critical?

The Paul Greens I do love. They are a beautiful rendition of ladylike menswear wingtip, with a slight heel (1 1/2") that still gives the look of a basically flat shoe while elevating the heel just enough to flatter the leg. After I ordered them, they showed up in what looks like a dark taupe ("truffle," it's called--find 3 below), which I think I would prefer to black. What do you think? Will they play with a wardrobe that is often a little drapy and arty?

Or should I go for something really different, like the Clarks (find 4 below)? The burgundy looks a touch lighter in real life. I tried them on and they are super cool looking. I really like the idea of a platform; to me, they look like they could be a much more expensive designer shoe. Sometimes Clarks comes out with a really inspired shoe, and this strikes me as one of them. I will say that if this shoe came in a subtle metallic version, I'd be all over it.

Here are some photos of the shoes on my feet. (Did not photograph the Clarks, which I tried on in a store.)
1-5: Paul Green Addly and my current Josef Seibel comparisons. (one on each foot, in all photos)
6: Earthies Treviso
7-9: Earthies Treviso and Paul Green Addly comparisons (one on each foot, in each photo).

What are your thoughts? Would the Paul Greens work for me, style-wise, and if not, why am I so drawn to this look? Are the Clarks more me? Are they too trendy for my style? There's an oxford by Think! on Nordstrom's website, and my Think! shoes are probably my most comfortable ever. But the oxfords just really don't appeal to me much, unless the photography is just very deceiving.

Thanks in advance for your ideas on this perplexing search.