Do You Choose Style or Comfort?

I’ve just put three pairs of Mary Jane type shoes in the latest charity bag. I retired five years ago and decided I would never wear them again. I have a selection of Clark’s ballet pumps which I love. I may need to investigate heels for my daughter’s wedding when it comes along next year, though.

Comfort for every day, but definitely style when (if ever I can!) on a social occasion.

Love my heels for outings but they have to be comfortable. Can't imagine why this cannot be the case. No comfort, no purchase. Currently only in flats - and scruffy ones at that - because my life consists of either gardening or interior decorating. When I take my riverside walk I smarten up (of course!) but still in flats. Wouldn't feel dressy without my heels but fully appreciate this might have to change with circumstances. So far so good. Margsus, that pair you photograph are lovely. Thanks for sharing.

paperbackwriter- I looked at the Tracey Neuls website. Very expensive but lovely shoes. If I was near one of the shops I might investigate but they're too pricey to risk ordering online. I need to try shoes on first.
I don't mind paying a reasonable amount for shoes. They have a hard life transporting me about!

Initially comfort, but if I was going to Ascot or a wedding I would wear heals to match outfit then flats for the evening. My Dr told me continually wearing flats is bad for your back posture and creates hard skin on your feet. He recommended to always have a small heal or a wedge.

My doctor always said that wearing higher heels led to contracting the tendons of the lower limbs which makes perfect sense. We were designed to go barefoot!!

I have always put comfort first where my feet are concerned. Never wore high heels, even in my teens - couldn't walk quickly or chase a bus in heels - so always flats or no higher that 1 inch. I too like the Mary Jane style and Reikers are usually my favoured brand. But I just bought a pair of Pavers (MJs) and they are SO comfortable and very well made, also bought two pairs of their stretchy sandals - like walking on clouds - and as my feet swell through the day they stretch with them. I'm not a huge fan of trainers I prefer leather slip-ons or moccasin styles. Can't wear toepost sandals either they usually hurt the joint between my toes. My shoes have to be wide fitting and always leather. They are my one extravagance and in the past I had shoes made to measure. Half sizes are getting harder to find these days, usually I can wear a 4 but sometimes the extra half size would help. I generally only have 2 pairs of closed shoes and two pairs of sandals, I don't buy dressy shoes or keep shoes for best.

I walk barefoot or in socks whenever possible.
Comfort always. Lowish heels as I’m tall.

I have always had difficulty obtaining comfortable yet stylish shoes as I have extremely broad feet. Now in my 60's I have the added problem that I'm developing a bunion in my left foot which, on a person with normal or narrow width feet is probably not yet bad enough to cause a major problem but on my foot is making it impossible to get on anything other than real orthopedic "granny" shoes!
I did find a website called "Sole Bliss" (sorry I find doing links on my phone difficult but they're easily googled) and they do have one or two nice styles which look hopeful but, oh my! The prices!

When I was younger and tottering about in my stilettos (wore them every day for work as well as at weekends), I always wondered why old ladies (to me then, that meant anyone over 50?) wore such awful flat shoes with velcro straps and thick soles - and now I know! I can't say I've got to the velcro straps stage yet, but can now only wear flats or a 2in heel if I'm going on a night out. I can't seem to walk properly in heels any more, and agree that Dick Emery's Mandy comes to mind when I have them on ? I am so pleased that FitFlops have been invented, in summer I live in them, they have an arch support and a 'bouncy' sole; the most comfortable toeposts ever.

My mother wore 3 inch high heels ALL her life from her teens to her late 80s, she never wore anything else even on the beach! She favoured shoes with pointed toes, she thought her feet looked smaller, she was a size 3! Her feet became fused into the shape of her shoes. When she took them off she could not flatten her feet nor her toes on the floor they were permanently turned up. I think it was the sight of her feet that made me choose well fitting comfortable shoes.

Comfort! High heels and short skirts when I was at work. Osteoarthritis and a hip replacement - boots in winter, Sketchers trainers and sandals in summer. All with corrective heel inserts. No one will notice the shop assistant said. Enter super observant granddaughter. "What's that in your sandal Grandma?" Vanity doesn't work with grandchildren!

I saw an article where Camilla (Duchess of Cornwall) now wears shoes from a company called sole bliss. I’m going to try some! They are on FB.

Comfort every time!! Think I damaged my feet in my teens when I crammed them into my sister's shoes (she was 1/2 size smaller) and had. Then as soon as I could afford it bought a pair of winklepickers! Then a fewyears later, I acquired a pair of really high heels and got an injury while wearing them and had to wear them for two weeks until the injury was better! Really messed up my feet.

I wear both heels and flats, but in actual fact I rarely need to wear heels. Just for weddings, special occasions, or on cruises in the evening. I wear Sketchers a lot, boots in the winter (I do have a pair of boots with heels, but rarely wear them) sandals or ballet type flats in summer. So mostly, I wear flats.

Love the shoes , but couldn’t wear them for long as I have three prolapsed discs in lower back! Maybe just to attend a wedding ...but then I’d take ‘flats’ for the reception.

....but I will never have Velcro fastenings....I intend to stay supple enough to either bend, to do my sketchers up , or get my feet on my knees to do same. When I can’t do either, it’s time to stay home!

Mainly for comfort but having had two hip replacements feel more secure wearing lower heels.

Saggi I don't know why anyone who wears sandals with velcro fastenings should have to stay home!

I can still touch my toes btw, to do up the velcro

Comfort all the way Puzzler61. I have always loved clothes and a pushover for shoes with enough pairs to start a shop. Many never worn and not likely to be at eighty-two – my daughter’s inheritance. I never wear black or brown shoes – so depressing. But have a rainbow of colours to match every outfit - and patent navy my favourite classic winter colour. More to the point, I now have a much-admired rainbow of lovely comfortable Marks and Spencer, very reasonably priced, leather pumps – flexible dress smart/trouser casual low heel and a joy to wear.

Definitely comfort!! Having said that, there are some very pretty flat sandals out there.

Comfort all day long.

Those Sole Bliss shoes mentioned earlier look lovely. I bet they're really comfortable. Shame I don't need any.

We always need shoes, Jane10

I used to have very narrow feet just like my mother - we both were a AAA width and could only buy shoes from a shop called Elliott’s in Westbourne Grove in London. My father used to drive us there and wait outside whilst we spent eye watering amounts on beautiful and comfortable smart shoes.
Then my mother developed a bunion which complicated things somewhat. Once I was married I started trying to find other alternatives - none were ever as good a fit as Elliott’s.
Now I’m in the same situation as she was - I have a bunion (yes they run in the family) but my ankles are both very narrow and my feet are shallow. Nowadays there are no specialist shops for people with narrow feet and in any case I can’t fit the bunion into anything even slightly narrow.

However as my daughters pointed out to me - modern fashions have played into my hands (or rather - feet!). I have started to build up a collection of Fit Flops which have incredibly comfortable soles and come in such an amazing selection of colours. I buy online and play the waiting game so I buy them at the best price I can find. I’ve now got them in both gold and silver as well as black, white and blue. Yes, they’re trainers but actually they look great with both trousers and dresses - my 15 and 17 year old granddaughters think I’m very trendy!

Gone are the days of teetering on heels - not that I ever did wear stilettos - although my mother had some and said they actually balanced the foot very well and didn’t squash the toes as they had such a long point.