Characteristics of a Comfort Dress Shoe

1. Roomy, realistically shaped forefoot and toe box area. The shape of the shoe should conform to the shape of your foot. We cannot say this too many times. Disregard this advice and you may wind up with bunions and other foot deformities that take years to show up. It’s a little like the relationship between sun exposure and wrinkles. When you are 26 and beautifully tanned, you don’t know what that tanning will do to your face by the time you’re 56. Ditto for pointy, high-heeled shoes. Their effects may not show up until you’re 50. Additionally, there should be a half-inch of room beyond the longest toe when standing, because your foot flexes and toes spread out during gait. Don’t forget that you also need proper vertical depth or you’ll develop blisters on the top of your toes.

2. Stable Heel. The tapering down to the size of a dime high heel makes your ankles wobble when you walk and could lead to an ankle sprain. Look for wider, thicker, more stabilizing heels which are not excessively high. Increased height increases the amount of pressure on the forefoot rather than keeping the body pressure balanced evenly across the entire foot. Thus, height can also affect your overall stability. Keep the heels of your shoes no higher than two inches. With the right kind of heels you’ll look and feel much more confident walking into any room.

3. Shock-absorbing soles and insoles. Cushioning in the insole pampers your feet with softness and shock-absorbing outsoles make the pavement, sidewalks, and floors in your life less stressing to your legs and back. Some of the most expensive dress shoes in the world have nothing but a thin layer of leather between you and the sidewalk. That’s punishment you don’t need to bear.

4. Flexibility. The forefoot should flex. Test it out. Your foot is a thing in motion. You can’t walk gracefully in a shoe that can’t move with you. A high-heeled shoe however, must have a stable mid part, or shank, so the arch does not bend. Again, a heel higher than two inches is not recommended.

5. Walkability. Check your gait in a pair of shoes before you buy them. Remember, you are not a model on a runway who can prance up and down for three minutes and then kick off unforgiving shoes when out of sight. In real life you have to wear the shoes for a period of time that can stretch into several hours. To check out the suitability of a pair of shoes, you must do more than stand and look in a mirror. Pretend you are a video camera and “watch” yourself as you walk. Are you moving gracefully, effortlessly, and youthfully? Or is there a pained, halting nature to your gait? It’s painful to watch women lurch about ballrooms and fancy restaurants, clearly uncomfortable with their shoes. With the right shoe gear, you can find any occasion enjoyable for both you and those who watch you.

   The following brands meet the requirements of a comfortable dress shoe:

   Arche Baer Beautifeel Birkenstock Clarks Dansko Easy Spirit Easy Spirit Spa Ecco Joseph Seibel

   Mephisto Peter Kaiser Portania Rieker Rockport Romika Rott Selby Soft Sports Sudini

   You may contact a major department store for information on any of these brands of shoes. Quality dress shoes, however, can be found in almost any shoe store, if you are careful to watch for those characteristics which have been previously listed.