I'm in the Merrill camp. I've bought three pairs so far. The plain leather clogs work best in terms of style. I can walk all day every day in them.

I saw a cute pair of Softwalks (the Hermosa ones), but the heel is a little thick. Tripgirl, you should check them out and see. They are actually sandals, but I think they could work with skirts.

One more. These are Paul Green Euros that I saw on that Sierra Trading Post site (thanks for the link, by the way. its great!)

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq/...qx/product.htm

Is this a women only thread? If not, My wife bought me some Mephisto sandelss and for the first time my feet were comfortable outside of my boat shoes.

Machin, Apparently this is a woman's only thread as your entry signalled the end of this fascinating discussion.

I am off to Nordstrom South Coast Plaza (generally acknowledged to have the best/largest shoe selection in S. Cal) and have alloted 2 hours (!) to trying on shoes for my upcoming 2.5 week trip to China.

I look forward to trying on all of your suggetions.

Lost track of who posted about Zappos but now I don't know whether to thank you or make a voodoo doll with your name on it. Wonderful. Now have to check out shoebuy and onlineshoes.

Sharon-
I know what you mean about Zappos, onlineshoes, and shoebuy. My husband actually applied for a job at Zappos recently and I have my fingers crossed. I'll be in shoe heaven if I can get an employee discount! Then again, my husband may never see his paycheck... :O

jbee, that sounds like a dream job :D
Good luck!

I have Nordstroms cataloge in front of me with all the spring shoes. sighing.
I want the Munore "girl print" sandals. I know they are the most comfortable shoes in the world, I have them in black, but look at the print!
They are like the Icons but not even close to the price.
I ((L)) shoes

<i>yes, I know I gave catalog a new way of spelling :D</i>

Scarlett-
I think it was the last Nordstrom shoe catalog, but did you see the moon boots on the back? I was thrown back to my childhood - I've never wanted a pair of ugly shoes so badly! The bad news (other than the ugliness) was the price tag - $450 or around there... Eek!

Mephisto

Gawd I've looked at some of those shoes and cannot believe how ugly some are. Am I the only one wearing the Cole Haan Nike Air shoes?

I've had Ecco, Born, Naturalizer, Pliner, and Teva's. The TEVA's lace up/closed toe hiker shoe, is by far the most comfortable/sturdy shoe I have ever worn. trekked 30 days in Italy on them. 2nd-place--Ecco's.

I have been wearing Reebok DMX Walk Ultra walking shoes for 10 years and have been able to work up to a walking habit of 25-30 miles a day with no foot or leg pain or even tiredness. I wear them on the street, in the Sierra and Hawaiian jungles. They have an ingenious MIT developed technology with air which circulates between two huge front and back air compartments via a transmission tube in between. I have tried every walking technology and none compare! I buy them at Reebok Factory Shoe outlets for their standard 3-for-2 offer which at around $49 pair less a 20% AAA discount ends up costing less than $30 a pair for the best shoes ever created. They consistently last 500 miles which for me is 20 days walking - I rotate the 3 most recent pair until I feel the ground which means they are going flat. If there is ever a defect, squeaking - anything at all - they cheerfully replace them no questions asked. They have a 800-number Shoe Locator service available thru the Factory Stores which will ship your order for no charge via UPS. In fact I use that service to keep myself supplied and only go to the stores now to try the latest Walk Ultra and comparable editions. Unfortunately they are entering a phase where the DMX Walk Ultra Plus has a foreshortened front air compartment (probably not noticeable except to a walking pro) so I am now using the even cushier DMX Walk Max which are $5 more.

I love Zappos! They have a good selection of walking shoes, in many sizes and widths, among them ECCO shoes. I also like their return policy. You print off a shipping label, and take it to a UPS drop off or a USPS label and drop it at the Post Office. I recently purchased a pair of Born shoes, and unfortunately, they didn't fit my feet well. I printed up a shipping label, popped them back in the box, and took them to the Post Office -- my account was credited within days. Shipping is free. The first pair of shoes I bought from them was a pair of ECCO, and they're one of my favorite pairs of shoes. I wear them all the time!

Sandy

Rant (well, it IS Friday): a.) Morton's Neuroma (anyone else out there afflicted?) b.) Big feet, so any shoe remotely clunky (as so many comfortable ones are) looks waaay clunkier on me.

Rave: Fodorite shoe enthusiasts!

I'm browsing shoebuy.com at the moment and have made notes on all the other good information here. Would love to find a comfy shoe that could take me from a day of sight-seeing right to a just-a-bit-dressy dinner....the quest goes on.

Dear Tuckerdc,
I love having quests. For awhile, it was for the perfect pair of taupe shoes, then it moved to perfect walking shoes, then to the perfect pink bag. Now, as I get ready for my trip to Italy and France, I have several quests: taupe leather gloves, 18K gold earring with either old coins or old glass in them, the same lipstick that I bought in Paris 5 years ago. Ah, the search continues. &quot;This is my quest...&quot;

I bummed around Eastern Europe for 10 days in my Easy Spirit mary janes, and had no problems. They're widely available; I got mine at the outlet mall for about $40. They work well with both jeans and long, casual skirts.

Tuckerdc, I have a Morton's Neuroma also and my feet are wide in the toes and narrow in the heel! I've done a lot of walking in my Merrill's. I've started inserting a pad to shift my weight a bit on the foot with the neuroma - helps quite a bit. I also like my Franco Sarto loafers with an oblique toe. Neither the Merrill's nor Sarto really look nice with skirts but the Sarto's are OK with slacks and a dressy top - just barely! If you find that perfect shoe, let me know, it might be mine to.

I bought a pair of Dankso Mary Jane's from Zappos for our upcoming trip and they are really comfortable except for the strap across the top. I'm hoping I can break them in and stretch the strap out a bit before I go since they are really cute and will look good with pants and/or skirts.

I also bought a pair of Tsubo shoes at Zappos and they are super comfy! They come in all different colors and are a bit more dressy/stylish than regular trainers but will look cute with jeans.

Has anybody seen the Mephisto Allrounders 'Nero'? I just tried on a pair and they were REALLY comfortable. Pretty casual for Europe though (especially on a 48 year old)...But the red ones are really cute!

Check these super cute sport shoes out!!! I just bought a black pair for a 2wk backpacking trip to Italy next month! Very comfortable and stylish:)

http://www.softmoc.com/us/systemshow-item_I21548%20LPPK

&gt;Has anybody seen the Mephisto Allrounders 'Nero'? I just tried on a pair and they were REALLY comfortable.&lt;

The most recent pair of Mephistos I've purchased is the Allrounders 'Nevada'. I'm taking my daughter for a few days to Disneyland this year, so I wanted a pair of comfortable shoes that will stand up to 3 full days at the parks.

They're incredibly light and the soles are much thinner than another pair of Mephistos that I took to Europe last spring. I hope the soles have enough cushion so my feet aren't dying of pain.

airynfaerie:
Those are VERY cute!

What do you think about these:

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/4198723/c/16671.html

i love born too. have you looked at keen? they are a little dorky but i love my mary jane's! i can wear these w/o socks. just bought the newport h20s to hike this summer too...

http://www.zappos.com/n/es/d/7220632.../1/page/1.html

Those keens are a lot cheaper! I sure wish I had someplace around here to try them on.

wliwi-

i've seen keens at nordstrom and rei if you have those stores nearby.

I love my Dansko's!!!

I have the Professionals, Aubrey, Mikala, and I just bought a pair of Erika's today and wore them all over for 4-5 hours of walking.

Love them!!!

Will take them to Paris next month!!!

Latest pair purchased: Keen, Seattle model, in red. Great for when I'm on my feet all day conducting training, but not really a summer shoe.

In the past, I've had success with Zeeta, Clarks, Josef Seibel, Born, and Dansko.

My gripe about my Danskos (and I have 3 pairs) is that if my feet sweat underneath the leather due to heat or friction from long walking days, it irritates my skin. But that's what a second pair is for!

Currently looking for a good looking pair of black sandals for Sicily in May. Thanks for all the suggestions!

Well I don't know if it's an accomplishment but I eliminated some brands today...Ecco too wide in the toe box altho the heel was ok..ditto the Joseph Seibel you are all talking about...that was way to wide in the heel.

I think I am back to New Balance for my 7 1/2AA shoes. Of course they didn't have Dansko so I couldn't eliminate that.. On a better note, hubby bought ECCO so he is set.

Please if anyone knows of a shoe that has narrow widths would appreciate it.

I have &quot;STONEFLY&quot;s, I liked them so much I bought 2 pairs in different colors. They have pretty fashionable ones for skirts also.

Also, &quot;Clarks&quot; are pretty comfy too but not as stylish as stoneflys. But they do have something more stylish under another name. I can't recall at the moment...but it will still have the little clarks under the name.

Hope this helps.

The zappos.com website has a helpful feature. If you click on &quot;narrow widths&quot; on the right sidebar, you can put in the exact size you're looking for and the general style (dress, casual, athletic) and the site will generate a list for you. That may give you some ideas as to brands that haven't been mentioned yet.

Thanks so much. Will get on Zappos...! it's really a problem. The department stores never have narrow widths and I salivate over the shoes I see. Only Nordstroms has some narrow widths.

I remembered now. Indigo by Clarks, they came out with some more stylish sandles last summer.

I also wear a 7 1/2 and have very narrow feet - and the only pair of shoes I have ever found that were incredibly comfortable for long periods of time were my Naot leather clogs.

april, that's funny, because I have wide feet, and my Naots fit me better than most brands. Their new Essence line seems to be too narrow for me, though.

While looking for a pair of sandals that would be good for both city walking and hiking, I came across the Chaco brand. They look like they would serve both purposes quite well. Has anyone here worn Chacos on their travels, and if so - what model (lug soled? toe loop?) and how did they work out?

I found a pair of fantastic walking shoes in of all places, Loehmanns. They are Diego Della Valle brand, made in Italy. I looked him up on the Internet and apparently he is a designer for Tods. They are great with pants, have a rubber soles and are terrific on cobble stone streets. They don't carry them at Zappos, but I have not checked all the other shoe sites.

I tried several different brands of shoes recommended in this thread, in advance of our trip to Italy this May/June, but none of them worked for me. Finally I stumbled on the Ariat brand at Zappos and love them! They are made of wonderfully soft leather on a well cushioned, yet sturdy sole, and fit great right out of the box. They also have excellent arch support if that feature is important to you.

everyone has mentioned the best comfort shoes... the Goexs mentioned on zappos no where mention comfort! the question was comfort/walking shoes that are &quot;fashionable&quot; (to europeans not nurses) .All these shoes look ridiculous with dresses etc...
I will not take my good outfits and wear dorky shoes..Id rather take them off under the table and switch out for sandals to walk back to my hotel. Naots are best walking shoe beside mephistos and eccos and they have fashioable casual shoes. Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blanick dont make walking shoes..and if they do let me know..cheak out the site http://www.israelishoes.com/html/naot_mission.html