Comfortable shoes for women

[kristenk]

I need to get some new shoes and the "comfortable shoes for men" post of a few weeks ago made me think to post this question. I'm looking for some comfy, easy to slip on shoes. I currently alternate between a pair of sandals and some tennis shoes that I have permanently tied so that I can just slip them on. The sandals aren't bad at all, but the tennis shoes are pretty unattractive and definitely make my jeans-and-t-shirts-wardrobe look even less stylish than it is! :) And I need something that will work during the cooler part of the year. Sooo, does anyone have any shoe suggestions? What's your favorite pair of shoes to pull on with jeans or khakis? I just want to look a little more put-together than I currently do! Thanks!

[Bearhut]

BORN shoes. Anything from BORN...they are so comfortable, almost like slippers. Although they are somewhat pricey, Marshall's and TJ Maxx often have them at about half price.

Merrell's are good too, but I prefer BORN.

[Jeanmick]

Check out this website:

http://www.mephisto.com

Under the "City" section for women, there are slip-on shoes that you might want to take a look at. Mephistos shoes and sandals are VERY comfortable. They sell this brand at Nordy's.

Good luck in your search for that "perfect" shoe. :)

[JElaineB]

I only wear Birkenstocks, I think they are the most comfortable shoe out there. They take a week or so to get used to if you've never worn them before, but after that you will never want to take them off. They have many styles from sandals to closed-toe clogs to more dressy styles. Zappos.com sells them but I have never ordered them from there. My favorite sites to order Birkenstocks from are:

http://www.birkenstockexpress.com
http://www.footprints.com
http://www.birkenstockcentral.com

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[jbowman]

All I have to say is: Clarks, Clarks, Clarks! I love them! They are the best--sandals or otherwise!

[MelissaTC]

I tried Dansko sandals this summer and I am hooked! I am going to purchase a pair of Dansko shoes for the fall/winter. I love how comfie they are! I also have a pair of Birkenstock Mary Jane clogs which seem to go great with just about anything. It took a bit to break them in but now that they are, I wear them all the time. I ordered them from zappos.com back in March.
http://www.onlineshoes.com/images/17176.jpg

Good luck finding a shoe!

[deenass]

Merills and Simple clogs ... both available at Nordstroms

[pamela mom of 3]

Oh those are cute!

~Pamela Mom to the Trio Of Trouble http://smilies.jeeptalk.org/otn/angels/newangel.gif


http://www.tickercentral.com/view/36o/1.png[/img][/url]

[ktdid74]

Danskos are SO comfortable- I live in them both at home and work (12 hour shifts on a hospital floor). They don't look like they'd be comfy but they're awesome! Born's are great,too, and I'm hoping to buy a new pair this fall.

[ErinMC]

I've found some great Aerosoles shoes that are really cute but also comfortable. I LIVED in Aerosoles when I was pregnant.

http://www.aerosoles.com

We have an Aerosoles store near us, but I have also seen some at Marshalls and TJ Maxx that are reasonably-priced. DSW Shoe Warehouse also carries a less-expensive Aerosoles line (not sure of the exact name) but I haven't tried those so I can't attest to their comfort level.

Good luck!

[Marisa6826]

Gotta say my Danskos. They're pretty ugly, but they're unbelievably comfortable.

I also used to LOVE my Cole Haans, but my fat Polish feet grew even larger when I had Sophie so most of them don't fit anymore. x( x(

As far as sneaks go, New Balance fits me the best hands down.

I just bought a pair of Blundstones ("Blunnies") which are Australian pull on boots for the winter. I have high hopes for them ;).

-m

[C99]

Another vote for Born shoes. I love mine.

[Momof3Labs]

I have a wide foot so my choices are limited. But if you are on a budget, I really like Lands End mocs - like the handstitched ones. Great shoes for under $30. If you are not on a budget, I also recommend Clarks. Merrells seemed promising but ended up being too narrow for my foot.

[lmariana]

I just bought these to try out, and I love them! The brand is "Keen" and the style is called Seattle.

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/2095868/c/585.html

Most comfort shoes aren't very pretty, but I liked these because they had a mary jane strap, which makes them a little more feminine, in my opinion. :) I also like the big rubber toe area which prevents scuffed shoes and wet toes.

I loved the new Aerosoles! I always thought all their shoes were ugly, but the new styles are very pretty.

Mariana
www.heinzandmariana.com
Mother of Gabriel, 08/14/2003

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030814/1/5/0/-5/.png[/img] ([img)

[deborah_r]

I have been wearing Ecco sandals all summer and absolutely love them. It feels like I'm not even wearing shoes. They were instantly comfortable.

I don't know what they have for the colder months, but I'm going to be looking into it.

[tina-t]

I also vote for Born and Ecco!

[jasmine]

Hi,

Warmer days I live in Born and Clarks sandals. For colder days I've been wearing a pair of black suede Vasque slip on mocs. The bottoms are made from hiking boot material so lots of traction. I love them because they are comfortable, not as casual as tennis shoes, and they slip on quickly.

Similar shoes you can view online are the Lands ends mocs (also available at sears) and the LLbean mocs. Lots of options and colors available.

I've also had eccos and aerosoles that were super comfortable. My favorite place to shop for shoes online is www.sierratradingpost.com . They have a lot of the brands mentioned by previous posters at good prices. They usually have sale codes and free shipping codes listed at www.fatwallet.com (and you can get some money back from ebates.com). The only negative is having to pay for shipping to return the shoes that do not fit, but they are great about returns. I purchased my Born sandals and the Vasque mocs from them.

I also find a lot of great deals on shoes at the nordstroms rack. That is where I got my clark sandals and ecco boots this last year.

Monica

[houseof3boys]

I have some Born's that I love and I really enjoyed my brown slip on clogs from LE last year. They are really comfy, were only $20 and I could wear them with socks or without socks.

I have tons of sneaks in lots of cool colors too (Puma slip on's, Adidas, Nike, Keds, you name it!).

I have been wanting to try Dansko's and just might after seeing that cute Mary Jane style. Zappos does free returns too.

[jk3]

I have a pair of slip-on Merrells that are extremely comfortable. A close second: Puma ripstop sneakers (I think that's what they are called.) They come in lots of colors. I have a pair of Ecco boots - very comfortable too!

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[pixelprincess]

Aerosoles. They used to be quite ugly looking but in the last few years have had some cute designs. I have owned a couple of dressy shoes that are great to slip in and out of. If there is a store near you, they have the widest selection although Macys, etc carry them.

[kristenk]

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions so far! I think that DH, DD and I will head over to Nordstrom this afternoon to check out shoes. It looks like the brands I'll definitely check out are Aerosoles, Born, Clarks, Dansko and Ecco. My sandals that I love are by Born & earlier in the summer I asked a lady about her shoes and she said they were Clarks, but I couldn't remember what she said until I heard the brand again.

Also, thanks for the zappos.com recommendation. I think that I'll probably check that out when I don't have such a time-sensitive shoe purchase! We're going up to visit my ILs soon, so I want to be sure to actually have new shoes in hand (or on foot!) for the trip!

[psophia17]

Danskos - after I got my first pair, not only were they so comfy that I wore them all the time, but the horrible calluses all over my heels and the balls of my feet went away. That was 5 years ago, and since then I've been building up my supply of Danskos.

I really recommend the Professional ones, and after I figured out my size at a real shoestore, I ordered then from www.danskooutlet.com, where they are irregulars (but not enough for me to figure out why), but they are way cheaper than in stores.

Now that I live in Canada, though, I have to find a new source for Danskos, as the discount site doesn't ship here :-(

-Petra

DS - Nathan, 12/29/03

[nupe]

Do you wear your Danskos with socks? If so what kind?

Thanks,

[egoldber]

I also have a wide foot, but I always find Merrells to work for me (not all styles, but most styles). They are pretty much the only shoe I buy anymore. This summer I lived in a pair of slip-on Merrell sandals and also a pair of Merrell water sandals. For fall I have a pair of Merrell slip-ons. For winter I will be buying a pair of Merrell mocs to replace the ones I have that are falling apart after three years of constant wear. They are SOOOO comfy! Love my Merrells!

Here are my summer shoes:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/13699.jpg http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/13700.jpg

Fall shoes:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/13702.jpg

Winter shoes:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/13701.jpg

[LD92599]

Another vote for Lands End...specifically these:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/13703.jpg

Laura
mom to William
3.5.2003

http://homepage.mac.com/ld14m

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030305/0/7/0/-5/.png[/url]

[gour0]

I like Lizflex by Liz Claiborne. I just got a pair at TJ Maxx and they're very comfortable but stylish looking.

[psophia17]

Any sock that's on the thin side will work well. I wouldn't wear them with stockings, but I have worn them with tights, anything from tights-thickness to below athletic socks thickness should be okay. I prefer wearing cotton dress-type socks, though, and I tend to go for darker socks since the bed of the clog tends to bleed a little (the bed is leather, and either black or an orangy-brown color, which doesn't come out of light socks easily).

For the most part I wear fun socks with my Danskos, my current ones have "windows to my socks" in them (kind of like the "Talia" ones, but not quite), and I like fun socks in general, so that's what I go for.

-Petra

DS - Nathan, 12/29/03

[shishamo]

Thank you for posting this info! I have been living in my Dansko professionals for the past 4 years and building up my supplies as well. They are fantastic!

[Mom2Miri]

Love my Josef Seibels -- just tried on some Geox for the first time today. They seemed really nice (but will have to wait for the sale).

Helen & Mirielle 2/25/03

[alkagift]

In the winter I live in LE clogs...


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/13722.jpg


I hate tying shoes!

Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, 5/19/03

[miki]

Mariana!

I was just looking at those. How do the straps work? I couldn't figure it out from the picture and that was keeping me from ordering them. Do you think they run true to size?

[jamierush]

I live in my Dansko Black clogs with jeans.

I also love my Clarks and Merrils.

[sidmand]

This is just a vote for zappos.com in general. I love them. And they come very fast if you need something fast--don't not go online because you think it will take too long. The free shipping option always says it takes a few days, but they always e-mail to say they've upgraded your shipping and it will come the next day!

And they have a 365 day free shipping return policy as long as you haven't worn the shoes outside.

Did I mention again how much I love Zappos!

I have a hard shoe size to find (size 11, not particularly narrow) so it's tough. I've looked for comfortable shoes as well. Born always is too narrow. But Clarks, particularly their Indigo line, are cute and comfortable. I know some people have great luck with Mephistos, but again, those don't really work for me. I love my Naots, but those are more of a sandal. But Stegmanns, Clarks, and Danskos have been great.

Good luck. And definitely check out Zappos when you can. They also once mistakenly shipped me the wrong size (happens all the time) and called AND e-mailed me to apologize and also gave me 30% off my next order. Now that's customer service!

Debbie

[lizamann]

I love many of the somewhat crunchy/comfy brands mentioned already, like Clarks, Born, Simple, Dansko. But when I was working and needed something a little more polished, I LOVED Franko Sarto shoes. They are not at all in the comfort shoe category like those above, but I found them to be super comfy and super stylish. I literally lived in one black pair and one brown pair of these:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/13734.jpg

[kristenk]

DH, DD and I went shoe shopping for me on Sunday! It came down to deciding between some Merrells and a pair by Josef Seibel. I almost went with the Merrells, but I thought that the Josef Seibel shoes would last longer. Thanks for all of your suggestions. I'm really interested in Danskos b/c of what everyone here has said, but Nordstrom didn't have a very good selection. So, here are my new shoes!

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/13790.jpg

[houseof3boys]

Those are the same ones I loved last year. I wore the chocolate brown ones to death! I need a new pair this year so red might be the new choice. I like that they have them at Sears now too.