Comfortable high heels. Is there such a thing?

oldgoose you have my sympathy, hammer toes are painful (I had correction surgery on one toe a few years ago). There are some high heeled shoes on the market with a high toe box and if you look for a pair with a small platform sole it will lessen the angle of heel to ball of foot. You could also carry a pair of little fold up pumps to change into if necessary.

oldgoose it depends what you want to do - if you intend just walking indoors from the car park, standing around for 10 minutes holding a glass of champagne in your hand, having your photo taken then sitting down and later perhaps have one or two dances, then highish heels would be OK for a special occasion.

Otherwise no!
Podiatrist has advised me to wear trainers. They will be OK with trousers but not with a special dress or wedding outfit.

No

All my footwear, from hiking boots to flip-flops are flat and, except for a short blip in my thirties when I tried some low-heeled court shoes, always have been. I dislike high heels, don't think they look good, and I positively hate pointy toed shoes. Give me foot shaped shoes any day. I like my feet.

Van-Dal and Gabor feel nicely balanced to me and they come in a range of width fittings.

As a short arse I wore high heels for work until I retired. Always found them comfortable, in fact used to get cramp in my calf if I wore flats. Nowadays I mainly wear Mary Janes with a 1" or"2 heel for everyday but have kept some of my stilettoes for dressed up occasions, if I am not going to be walking about or dancing much.

I agree with you oldgoose about high heels feeling more stylish.
I haven't tried Hotter shoes but people swear by them.
Some of these aren't too bad
Hotter shoes with heels
You can also get gel-type things to put inside your shoes that make them more comfortable. I think they are primarily intended for young people when they go clubbing, but there's no reason why other people shouldn't benefit.

Don't get them too high oldgoose I've recently started wearing heels again to improve my posture, as I was getting very round-shouldered. I find high heels make me stand better and agree with you that they look good too, especially with a nice outfit. I go for shoes or boots with a 2-inch or so heel. I don't like the 'block' heel that is popular at the moment so look for a shaped heel or low wedge. M&S Footglove range is pretty good.

I have never been able to comfortably wear high heels.

High heels are the work of the devil (or more accurately of generations of men who have dominated women and persuaded them to dress as they wish)- just do not go there! They are bad for your feet, your hips, your back, your posture. Why would you do this?!!