Shoe recs needed

[blamebrampton]

The world is depressing, I am turning to shopping in a bid to up my girlie cred. But I need help. I was raised by men and lesbians. From a grooming perspective, this is akin to being raised by wolves.

I have manky feet. To begin with, they're duck feet. Little heels and broad chimpanzee-like toes from a childhood of frequent barefootness. And then there's the mangling. After ballet as a young lass my toes are horrid. Which was bad enough in itself, but then I shattered one of my feet in a huge cycling accident, so now my already high instep is even higher on one side thanks to the rebuild.

All of this means that I find it very hard to find comfy shoes that fit. And possibly even look good. I can live with look ordinary if the comfort factor is high enough, as I can distract people from my shoes without too much effort. But I desperately need some more brands to choose from.

Currently my shoe wardrobe is Birkenstocks, Doc Martens, ethical Converse rip-offs, Brooks trainers and riding boots. It is the shoe wardrobe of a sexually unfussy teenager who spends her weekends at Pony Club, Goth Club or anti-apartheid rallies. I was that teenager, but a lot of my flist wasn't born then.

So, you lot shop like fiends. Any recommendations? Size 36 or 37, wide fitting preferred, fit a high instep, can be walked in for long distances by even the gimpiest, some connection to looking like a grown-up woman shoe appreciated. And able to be resoled, because I will walk through them before the uppers go.

Many thanks for any suggestions!

Still avoiding the Olympics, but a dear friend had a very worthwhile rant to me today when the Australian broadcaster cut the last 20 minutes of the women's hockey, a sport in which the Australian team is one of the top three in the world and a game in which they were winning, to show the men's water polo team losing. "Because god forbid women's sport be taken seriously! Unless it's an Aussie swimmer!" she ranted. And the male water polo players weren't even hot.

PS Happy Birthday EEYORE! (I have the memory of an idiot fish)

Comments

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I've swum with octopuses, you've got nothing.

[calanthe-fics.livejournal.com]

I dare not swim with octopii just in case they try to mate with my bum.

O_o

[painless-j.livejournal.com]

My latest find: Trippen. Really funky, REALLY comfy. It's the first ever shoes with 5 cm heels I've been able to wear -- no pain, no discomfort, soft like gloves. And they fit my high instep! Which happens, like, never :)

This site sells some of Trippen shoes.

These are mine. Seriously, I couldn't believe a pair of funky shoes could be so comfy. I spent the layout round-the-clock in them and never noticed I wasn't wearing slippers.

Only IMO, one needs trying shoes on when buying them.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Poor bum! If it is still all bruised and so on, it might resemble the cephalopod mid-camouflage.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Ooh! They ARE lovely!

It's getting to the point where I am prepared to travel with almost empty suitcases and come home with shoes that fit. There is more to life than Birkenstocks!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

They have stockists in Sydney! I am There! (well, in 9 hours when the shops open ...)

[painless-j.livejournal.com]

Birkenstocks don't suit me. I don't feel comfy in them at all 'cos I have long toes, and they are of uneven length. If their sandals fit my instep, they never fit toes, and vice versa.

[painless-j.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope they feel comfy for you. Not every pair of their shoes fit me, but those that did, did marvellously. Poor shop assistant though. I tried on, like, 30 pairs.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

They are a bit toe-squishy. I always end up with them in a size too large for that reason, but they are generally comfy on my feet aside from that. If I was a shoe designer, I would have a range that dealt with Feet as They Are and there would be options for the long-toed and high-instepped, etc.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

HA! But worth it! I doubt there will be that many in the range here, and they will probably be very expensive, but there is also a shop in Florence, so I can just wait until November if it comes to that.

[painless-j.livejournal.com]

I bought mine in Antwerp. The shop was smallish. And no, they weren't cheap. About 170 Euro. But worth it, as for me.

[beatnikspinster.livejournal.com]

Vegan shoes. Some are stylie. They stock many different brands, so if you find something you like you can google it and find a local retailer.
http://www.mooshoes.com/

[maya231.livejournal.com]

I can live with look ordinary if the comfort factor is high enough, as I can distract people from my shoes without too much effort. *nods*

Ecco, Dansko, Earth Shoes, and Naot might have some good options. Some are cuter than others. My most comfortable everyday shoes are Ecco at the moment. (I have a high arch (instep) and widish feet.) Here's a search result showing some shoes from those four brands http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Search/CallSearchEngine.aspx?genders=34&brand=4011,5090,5115,25090 (hey a purple suede loafer in your size even. that is, if you're needing a purple suede loafer...)

Also Camper looks cute & comfy, but I haven't actually worn any.

[jessikast]

There is a New Zealand brand called Minx that I recommend. (And their website says they have stockists in Australia, yay!)

Their heels can be kind of crazy, but in their galleries list, look for the shoes that are called "No Nonsense. Colourful, fun with a hint of ballerina these pumps are great for everyday."

They have this kind of design philosophy where they make awesome cute shoes designed for a woman who, like, walks to work every day. I wore a pair of their Mary Jane style for about a year when I was working part-time in Dymocks, and they were fine. Their boots are made in Europe and tend to be smaller than the shoes, which are really good fits and actually go up to my size, which I adore.

[azurelunatic]

I adore http://sasshoes.com/ -- although they have the Birkenstock problem.

[alex-s9.livejournal.com]

Campers! They produce magnificent shoes.

[jadzialove.livejournal.com]

I can offer nothing helpful -- I have the opposite problem, as my feet are nearly flat, and being of the lesbian persuasion, my footwear tends to reflect that in its comfort-over-cuteness factor. (I do love my Dansko clogs -- size 37, actually -- and think they are cute) I can relate to the manky feet business, though: I'm missing a bone in both feet (the same bone), so my toes look bizarre. Symmetrical, but bizarre.

Despite that, I applaud your efforts in fighting the negativity of the world with shoes. Wouldn't it be wonderful if governments did it that way too?

World peace through wedge heels...

[jiapa.livejournal.com]

I'm very picky about my shoes' comfort. Aesthetics are a nice bonus, but comfort is first priority.

Try Ecco shoes. I have some sandals by SAS which are mega comfortable.

For dress shoes, I've found Munroe and Arche shoes hurt less than most. *wry grin*

Good luck in your shoe hunt!

[pingrid.livejournal.com]

I don't have any good recs, unfortunately, since my usual trick is to buy cool, uncomfortable shoes in a size too large and put orthopaedic insoles in them. I assume you've tried the same?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Um ... no. RAISED BY WOLVES, I tell you! That had never occurred to me. I went to one of the shops that allegedly stocked one of the above European brands today, that was a fib, but I only escaped without buying a $900 silk coat by telling myself that was a week's hotel bill. It was SO NICE. Alistair Trung designs, OMG! Can;t find a website, but this photographer has a gallery of AT designs: http://www.gd-designgroup.com.au/gallery/alistair_trung/alistair-trung_15.htm

[pingrid.livejournal.com]

You seem to have lucked out with some very eloquent wolves then! :D I can heartily reccommend the insole trick. It does work best with slightly clunky shoes, but there are half-soles and pieces for particular parts of the foot to be had as well, which can work really well with daintier shoes. It all depends of your level of cripple-ness, of course, if it's really bad then this might not work. I'd give it a go just to check!

Very cool designs! Very far from my style and not in any way imaginable fat-girl-compatible, though, so I'm safe. *phew* But - might you not need that coat to keep you warm in Florence when you're not in the hotel ...?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

In fact, I did consider this point, but I have a bolt of green merino/cashmere wool that I think needs to me sewn into a coat that is the right length for me (they all seem to put their waists at my hips, which is never comfy or flattering).

I am thinking that it might need some red silk detailing. Maybe deep red silk ... But I have to say that after looking at this coat today I am now leaning away from a classic princess line towards something far more deconstructed and with a hood-able collar.

I'll buy some insoles and take them shoe-shopping with me, brilliant idea! The poor woman who was helping me in the good shop today had four styles I liked, none of them in a 37, let alone a wide. Sigh.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Alas! They were lying about stocking them in Sydney. Though I discovered a new designer I can't afford: Alistair Trung, lovely clothes!

[beatnikspinster.livejournal.com]

Following up with (possibly) unethical recs:


Fluevog (http://www.fluevog.com/code/?w[]=attribute:Womens&w[]=order:fresh) has a good fit and good quality. They last and last. And they have tons of funky looks to choose from. Some styles are better for wide feet then others.

And for deals with the devil, completely unwearable shoes (http://demandshoes.com/detail.aspx?ID=772) that are a joy to look at. Luichiny: a drag queen's best friend. Or the were in the 90s. Now they seem more staid. I have many pairs of Luichinys from the 90s, when they were crazy and I had good knees. *sigh*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

WOW! There are some REALLY cute shoes on there! And my favourites come from Australia, so I can hunt them down here to try them on.

I have to confess that I am fine with leather, cows get eaten anyway, so I think the leather should at least not be wasted, but the ethical use of labour is big for me, so these are perfect!