We go downtown quite often for dinner/drinks with friends, and it usually involves a decent amount of walking. My feet must be getting tender in my old (ha!) age, because I just cannot seem to be able to manage in heels the whole night! And then I feel like a huge doob because all the tall/skinny/cute girls are out running around in their high heels - makes me feel short and frumpy . Seems like every pair of shoes I own either give me blisters or make the balls of my feet feel permanently bruised by the end of the night. And I think I finally killed my Dansko clogs, because they've been making my feet cramp badly if I walk in them much at all.
What do you girls wear when you want to be cute, comfy, and warm?
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To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment ~ {Ralph Waldo Emerson}
Just wanted to say I have been wondering the SAME thing!! So I'm curious to hear what others are wearing. I'm thinking about getting these boots to tuck my jeans into and channel my inner Elle MacPherson (HA!) because I tend to wear blazers and jeans when I go out. Unfortunately, I'm just not an Uggs person.
Well...I hate to say it, but I think there are tons of cute AND comfy heels out their. I have several pairs of shoes that I can wear standing and walking all night long. I just carefully pick my shoes based on what we are going to be doing.
For comfort, I find Coach and J.Crew heels will keep me going all night long.
This is a personal thing, some girls can wear heels and some can't. I am with you as I can wear them for about 2 hours and then I am done. I now have a beautiful collection of pointy toe flats now. I wear those daily with jeans or pants. Now if you are trying to wear 3+ inches then maybe try 2inches, you can always get heels shortened too. HTH!
I really don't want to wear flats - I actually find a lot of flats give me blisters, and most just don't have enough cushion. Then my feet end up hurting just as much as if I'd worn heels in the first place! So cushioning is really the issue, and most heels just don't have it. I've been wearing these:
Which are pretty unobtrusive with jeans, and I still get about 1.5 inches of help in the height dept. They've been making my feet cramp badly lately, so walking in these anymore is out of the question.
I've been totally unable to find anything to replace my clogs that are reasonably cushioned with a low-ish heel but still polished. I don't think they exist .
-- Edited by Elle at 18:35, 2005-12-15
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To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment ~ {Ralph Waldo Emerson}
How about a wedge? I got these about a month ago and they're insanely comfortable and they're really easy to walk in (except that they're about a half size too big, so I need to fix that). But I highly recommend them.
The heel is about 4" and the cushioning at the ball of the foot is really good. There's a lot of arch support too, so I notice that there's not a lot of pressure on the ball of my foot. They're actually some of the most comfy shoes I own. I just wish I had sized down half a size.
I hate heels, I can't walk in them and they're uncomfortable. Plus I'm already 5'9". And I think flats make my legs look weird. I've started wearing tennis shoes with dressy pants. Like this... (but my shoes are lavender)
Or I'll wear my Fryes with everything. I have some shoes that are along these lines that I'll wear sometimes, but I don't even really like them...
i hate to say it, but i think that in a lot of cases there is a correlation b/t the amount of money you spend on a shoe and it's comfort factor. this is something i did not believe until i actually found myself in the position to buy pricier shoes and i'm literally amazed by the difference in comfort. my kors shoes are really comfy, and i have a pair of hollywould sandals that are amazing, and they have 4 inch heels. while it's not always true, it's enough of a difference to make me start investing in better quality shoes.
some things to look out for are the proportion of the heel to the rest of the shoe. thicker heels tend to be more comfy (for my feet) than super skinny ones. i've had good luck with enzo shoes, which aren't necessarily cheap, but aren't outrageous either. plus you can usually snag them for a good price at dept store sales.
sorry that i don't have a magic solution, but that's what worked for me, and i walk a ton.
I would vote for pretty ballet flats with comfy gel insoles. London Sole has an amazing variety in all sorts of pretty colors. Or, maybe some more moderate heels? I don't know how tall the shoes are that you wear now, but sometimes all you need is an inch and a half or two inches. I have found Cole Haan makes very comfy shoes. Also, my Kate Spade shoes, even the four inch ones are quite comfy. A lot of it has to do with the cushioning under the ball of your foot. Good luck. I also like knee high boots, tights and a skirt for going out...pretty warm with the right coat.
Collette and kay kay--Those wedges are by Seychelles and they have them at Nordstrom. They come in brown, black, and a pretty green suede. I have them in the brown leather, but I'm going to Nordies today to exchange them for a smaller size. I'm not sure if they consistently run big or what, but my heel keeps fallign out of them, so I'd recommend ordering a half size smaller. Other than that, they're insanely comfortable and they look really cute with patterned trouser socks.
Hmmm, my feet must just be reaaaaally super sensitive. For you ladies who find wearing heels perfectly comfortable, what size shoe do you wear? I only wear a 6, meaning my feet are only about 8 inches long to begin with - that makes a 3 or 4 inch heel feel very high in comparison! I'm wondering how much the angle changes going from a size 6 up to a 10 or so?
And I agree that more expensive shoes are usually more comfortable - I'm sure they'd be far less likely to give me blisters. But honestly I don't think an expensive pair of heels would help -it's the impact on the ball of my foot that is my main beef. Even with my gel inserts in, I can walk maybe 8 blocks without my feet hurting if I'm in (low/moderate) heels or wedges. I even have a pair of sneakers (Diesel, so not to much cushioning for sneakers) that make my feet hurt if I walk in them for more than an hour or so!
Ah, well. Now I'm just being a baby. If I ever find something that works, I'll make sure to let y'all know !
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To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment ~ {Ralph Waldo Emerson}
When I'm going to be doing a lot of walking I wear these shoes. They're L.E.I brand and just happen to be the most comfortable shoes I've ever walked in. By the way, I promise they're way cuter in real life and look really cute with jeans.
Here are some like them except with laces. I love the color too.
-- Edited by needsfashionadvice at 10:38, 2005-12-16