Deeds27

My best friend and I are taking my 15 year old daughter to Paris for a week in August - we're active, hip, and ready to go with our *flowy* skirts...... can we talk shoes??? What are your recommendations?
Thanx!

AnthonyGA

Buy the best walking shoes you can afford. Blisters and foot problems are the number-one reasons for cutting short sightseeing in Paris, as most people have no idea just how much walking is required.

By the way, if she wears flip-flops, she'll be immediately identifiable as American.

OT

Flip-flops are "in" with the European young people this summer, my teenager never leaves home without them.

icithecat

There you go. Fashion changes so quickly, that nobodody over the age of 16 should be allowed to answer as to what is 'in' or not.

All I can suggest is 'comfort and broken in'.

icithecat

Ah. A new word. 'nobodody'

nytraveler

One of the trendy things are the "non-sneaker" sneakers - ie the bike shoes in the Mary Jane style and cute colors. Very comfy and casuale - but not like hideous great white athletic shoes. (And they don;t weigh 5 pounds per foot either.)

suze

There's loads of cute casual comfortable footwear this season. All those Puma type styles in great colors- sneakers style, mary jane style, slip ons w/ elastic. If you're traveling in August I would shop immediately. I don't care how comfortable, I would never take brand new shoes traveling.

And it is *not* only American girls doing the flip flop thing... sheez read a fashion magazine!

vivi

My daughter just spent 6 weeks in Paris. She took her flip flops (she lives in Hawaii) and ended up buying nice walking shoes---she said she was on the receiving end of steely, disapproving stares from the Parisians over her shoes! She spent several weeks in Spain and wore the flip flops every day with no disapproval, LOL.

Gundy

Ahhhh... The Paris Fashion Police must be back from vacation. Damn! What are they going to think about my white Reebok walking shoes? Or my husband's oh so stylish white socks with sandals. Better pack the kryptonite to deflect the steely glares.

To_Paris

I am so glad to see this thread! We are traveling to Paris in August and I do get blisters. Which of the above shoes do you find to be the most comfortable for you?

If you get blisters, what do you do for them while traveling? Better yet, how do you prevent them???

sarahdecor

try www.zappos.com and select comfort shoes from list. they have great brands. I like clarks for comfort, for more style I like Born they are expensive but well worth it

L84SKY

If you are going in August then you should probably start breaking your new shoes in soon. I bought a pair of ECCOs a week or two ago and felt that I could walk miles in them without a break in period. I won't, of course, but they are a very good shoe. Nordstroms is an excellent place to find shoes, with plenty of selection. Eccos fit my feet well but you may have to try on a slew before finding the perfect shoes. Look for a good sole and have the salesperson measure your foot for the perfect fit. It's all part of the service.
Bring plenty of moleskins with you for blisters.
You will find plenty of threads on this board about shoes.

Christina

They sell flip-flops in French stores, so I can't imagine how wearing them would indicate you are American. I almost bought a pair last month in a French store that were real cute (the decorated kind) because they were a little different than any I'd seen at home, but realized they cost about twice as much and I didn't really need them, so didn't.

There has to be more to the story about getting disapproving glances by Parisians for wearing flip-flops, if that is true, it must have been the location or event that made in inappropriate. YOu wouldn't get them for wearing them to Paris plage, for example (or many other places). YOu wouldn't get them for wearing them to lots of places, if they are the nice ones. I've seen French women wearing them on the train, which sort of amazed me as I'd worry about protecting my feet more.

They aren't good for serious walking anyway, though, they are too flimsy. For August, I'd take a good pair of sturdy walking sandals. There are lots of good brands. I really like my black nubuck Ecco ones with a cork sole and can walk a lot in them.

I don't get blisters, no matter how much I walk, so I think the reason for them must be shoes that don't fit.

RufusTFirefly

Lord, Parisians must be about the most shallow, bored people in the world if they spend time looking at other folk's footwear and giving them steely, disapproving glances as a result. Maybe it was something other than the footwear.

moldyhotelsaregross

As shoes go, I swear by my Ecco, Josef Seibel and Borns.

Something that many overlook is quality socks. Now that I've discovered socks at REI, I only buy them there. What I like most is that the socks are not "one size fits all" but typically come in three sizes (for women - unsure for men) that fit my dinky little feet well. I always had one size fits all socks that "bunch" up in the back or by my pinky toe and cause blisters. It is worth the expense to me. Also, the ones that "wick" away moisture are the tops with me!


Oh, and one more random thought about shoes - I didn't care for open toed shoes in Paris due to the number of dusty paths that we walked. My shoes were dirty but luckily not my feet!

wliwl

Wrong about flip flops - everyone was wearing them (especially under the age of, say, 25).

esm

People are wearing them everywhere, even when they visit the White House!

http://www.courant.com/features/life...&track=rss

nytraveler

Christina -

I'm with you. I think the blisters are just because the shoes don;t fit. I had a friend who was forever getting blisters - then I went shoe shopping with her and found out why. She tried them on for 2 seconds and bought what looked cute in "her" size.

This may be fine for shoes you will be mostly wearing sitting down - but if you're going to walk in them you need to check out every aspect of the fit, make sure nothing rubs, that the whole inside finish is perfect (no stray stitches or unevenness etc) and be very critical.

I have resigned myself that I probably try on 20 to 30 pair before finding what's really comfy for me. And I do admit what size I wear - I'm a 9 - and I don;t try to stuff my feet into an 8.

Chele60

I agree that to prevent blisters it comes down to shoe fit. And not just admitting that one may have a larger foot, but also a wider foot. When I finally figured out I had a wide foot, I no longer had to to "break in" shoes. If I can't put on a new pair of shoes and have them feel "old" the minute I put them on my feet, I don't buy them because they don't fit.

To_Paris

I agree - the fit is the most important. But, sometimes it is hard to find a good fit.

Thanks Sarahdecor for zappos web site. Certainly a great place to look at what is available, but I could never buy shoes on line. I need to try them on!

My husband has EEE width and it is almost impossible for him to find comfortable shoes.

I too find it hard to find shoes that are comfortable over time. I'm going to try on Ecco. I saw them but didn't try them on.
Any other brands that you think are really good support for walking?