How to Buy Magnificent Shoes That Are Comfortable
Well-fitting, comfortable and magnificent shoes are something we all want and deserve. Age doesn’t matter. I discovered a couple of shoe-shopping tips the other day that I am sharing with you here. One of them is for those of you who wear a wide-width rather than medium size. The other is how to avoid getting stuck with shoes that hurt your feet and never break in.
In my last blog post, I featured an interview with my rock ‘n’ roll friend Sinderella. You can read “How to Get the Rock Chic Look” here. Sin has done all sorts of work while playing in rock bands and doing rock ‘n’ roll hair. I was surprised to learn that one of those things was shoe sales at a shoe store. I’ve known her for decades, but this little fact never came to my attention…until the day after I posted her interview on my blog.
On that day, we were getting together belatedly to celebrate our birthdays, which happen to fall on the same day! We met for a matinee and went to splurge on higher-calorie coffees than we normally would. While drinking our coffee on a leather sofa, we opened our gifts. I am so lucky to have this glam rock girlfriend! She gave me a velvet leopard-print swing jacket, an asymmetrical block print skirt, and black leg warmers with faux fur cuffs at the top.
Then we went shopping in the mall. At first we were window shopping.
Sin led the way into a men’s shop called Executive Man that is filled with sequined shoes, jackets, bow ties, etc. There were jackets of velvet, brocade, paisley, floral, you name it! There were shoes in all those fabrics and prints and spikes, etc. The proprietor told us that The Four Tops and the Contours were just two of the Motown bands that shop there regularly. Their autographed photos are on the wall behind the counter.
When Sin saw this long burgundy jacket, she said, “Oh, if I saw a man wearing that, I’d marry him!”
As we were browsing in the mall, I stopped to look at some boots. I told her I was looking for tan ankle boots with a heel because the ones I had just wore out. She immediately got busy looking for the perfect pair of boots for me. After looking in a few stores, we took a peek in Manic Shoes. She pointed out a tan pair of ankle boots with a stacked heel and studs going down the side.
I wear a 7 1/2 shoe, but usually get an 8 so that it is roomy enough for me. I started getting a size 8 shoe when I realized my feet were wide but the majority of shoes on the market are a medium width. I was telling Sin that I have so many pairs of shoes that have hardly been worn because they hurt, so I’ll be giving them to charity.
I tried on a size 8 but it was a bit tight. Sin advised me to try an 8 1/2. I was shocked: “You really think I should go a whole size up?! Won’t it make my feet look big?” She assured me that it could work. That was when she told me she used to work in a shoe shop.
Sin said, “When your feet are wider, you need to go longer in the shoe size.”
Sin didn’t want me to buy a pair of shoes that weren’t perfectly comfortable…no breaking them in! So I tried a whole size up. They fit comfortably and looked good.
As I was checking out, paying for my new booties, Sin looked at me very seriously and said:
“You should let your readers know that when they try on shoes in a store, THEY SHOULD NOT BUY THEM UNLESS THEY ARE PERFECTLY COMFORTABLE!”
So I’m passing on this advice to you, my dear readers.
Wishing you happy and healthy feet,
Angie
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Like this post? You might also like to read:
- “How to Get the Rock Chic Look”
- “How to Absolutely Rock a Short Skirt at Any Age”
- “Watch What Happens When You Use These 7 Style Tips”
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This post is linked up with #SaturdayShareLinkUp at Not Dressed As Lamb, and Sharing Our Journeys where you can find even more style tips.
I too have learned that as my feet flatten (and widen) it helps with some footwear to go up an entire size. Keep the good tips coming in your helpful blogs, Angie!
Thanks so much for your feedback!
It’s really great that the tip worked for you. I have tried it, as my feet also run wide, but then the shoes slip off my heel. Sigh. I’ll keep trying, though! It’s kind of funny that your friend’s name is “Sin.”
Everyone has different sizes and shapes of feet, it seems, yet most shoes come in a medium! I think there’s room for some inventive new shoemakers to start up businesses!