wliwl

Have any of you ever bought like 5 pairs of shoes from Zappos and then returned 4 of them? I'm thinking about doing that! Honestly, we have NO place to try on good shoes in my city. It is so bad. Thanks.

hopscotch

Birkenstocks.

kasperdoggie

I have bought many shoes at a time from Zappos and returned most of them - no problem. It's impossible to shop for shoes online otherwise - one might have to try 10 pairs in the store before deciding on the best one, for an online store it means you order a bunch, try them on, and keep the ones that fit.

As for fashionable comfort shoes, the closest I have come are Borns. I take their sandals (3" heels) all over Europe and they work well with casual skirts/dresses. I also bring dressier shoes for evenings. We do a lot of city walking but not hiking.

chocobon

I've tried many different brands and now have found a pair of Keds slip ons in the May Company dept. store, Kaufmann's. They are incredibly comfortable and offer nice support too. Boy, were they cheap compared to all the $ I've spent on Ecco, Prevada, Clark and Andre Assous. Andre Assous' sandals are the most comfy of all sandals but I haven't found any loafer type with that brand.

ucsun

forgot to add, when i go to the getty museum in LA, i always see the tourists in running shoes...for the most part. my preference is the NB 856...run 9 miles a week in them...good enough for walking 9 miles per day then.

huddoshols

I'm agreeing with BTilke and going for the Ara brand. Mine are like slippers. I'm just about to polish them up again for another few weeks. Also Rockport loafers as my back up.

moremiles

Someone asked about Paul Green shoes and I have a couple pairs of them which I love and are very comfortable walking shoes. They are somewhat hard to find but sometimes Nordstrom will have them and also Harry's in NYC.

tripgirl

Here's the ending to my story!

thanks all for a wonderful thread and by your contributions, my story has a happy ending...

I ended up at Harrys, a shoe store in NYC, while visiting there this weekend ( here in DC I have not found a store like this!). My aunt who only buys from Harrys took me there.

What I was planning on doing was to compare prices on the shoes I originally wanted with Zappos. com and see what came out ahead.

But lo and behold, the ones I wanted were actually all wrong for my feet!!!

We had an amazing salesman who really took the time to explain what I needed given the high arches, pain, etc.

I originally thought of buying:

Geox for a loafer
Born Riche for Casual sandal
Naot gentle for walking shoe

What I ended up happily with instead:

SAS casual sandals ( like pillows, clouds... ahhhh!!!)

Munro dressier sandals: just darling and oh so comforatable that will look great with skirts, dressier pants, etc

Finn walking shoe for overall closed walking shoe.

Harrys shipped everything and I saved the $40 tax since I am not a NYC resident ( at least anymore, left NYC 20 yrs ago, but still love it!).

All in all, without you guys telling me all about the brands, I would have been lost, so hats off, I'm happy and so are my feet!!!

Thanks a mil.....

aggiemom

wliwl - You must have read my mind! Last week I ordered five pairs of shoes from Zappos for an upcoming trip. Unfortunately, none of them seemed just right so I ordered three more pairs (about $525 total). I ended up keeping two pair and sent the others back today. It was very easy to return, and free. I'll post again if they give me any problems with returning that much, but I doubt it. I've seen several people have gotten refunds in a week or so.

lowriegirl

Softwalk, Softwalk, Softwalk.

I walked all over Europe in the hot summer two years ago and I never blistered, never cramped, and never thought about my feet. I've been wearing them and other Softwalk styles ever since. I'm going back to Paris next week, updated the Softwalks, and am trying Clark and Born shoes, but it will take a lot to beat the Softwalks. I get them from Zappos.com, the best company I've ever ordered from - two day service, free shipping to you and also for returns, made very easy.

While in Italy on that trip, I bought two pairs of Italian leather shoes, because - hey, it was Italy. But neither come close to feeling as good as the Softwalks.

euroenvy

sangrail...am intriqued by the Taryn Rose... Sierra Trading Post has some for 250$ regularly 400$ or so...How good do they feel ? for that amount they should feel like heaven and be gold plated to boot.....I am thinking of ordering but they do not ship back free as Zappos does..I guess if one can afford them who cares right...they still look like a comfort shoe to me....

SharonG

My Finn Comforts failed me in Rome (they are being punished as I write this) but my Birkinstock clogs came to my rescue.

RuthMc

Tripgirl, you make me want to make a trip to NYC just to go to Harry's and have a salesperson who knows feet and could steer me to the right shoes. I have fairly high arches also and have been wearing only Dansko's for the past six months due to plantar fascitis. I bought a pair of sandals for our trip to Italy next month and am praying that they'll be good to my feet. As you live in the DC area, you know it's been too cold here this spring to try the sandals out yet.

Iregeo

lowriegirl, thanks a lot. I'm exhausted and it's all your fault. I saw your post, and checked out the website zappos.com. I was up till 2am "shoe shopping"!

Really, thanks alot! It's a great site.

wanderlust5

Dansko's rule - they have lots of style for dress up or casual. I also wear a pair of Timberland hiking boots, great for exploring ruins or tramping for hours up and down ancient, european streets. And lastly, I have a pair of MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) shoes. But I have learned about a bunch of new brands from you guys! Thanks for the recommendations and I am going to look at these brands you all recommend.

adamsparks

This has been the most amazing thread. I am going to England and France for 3 weeks and was just dreading looking for the 'comfortable shoe'. But then I saw this thread, copied off websites and shoe names and went shoppin' both online and in-store. How wonderful! I found all the shoes more comfortable then many I had tried previously. Eccos seemed to be my shoe---tho' not all styles. It definitely comes down to what works for your foot and needs (I have arthritis). With this thread I really have a much greater chance of finding a shoe that works for me within various brands. Thanks!

Tripgirl: Eccos has a sandal called Noir which is looks pretty dressy when you put it on. Definitely could be used with skirts.

Question: I don't see much about Birkenstock in this thread--just a couple of references. I had always heard that was a real comfort shoe. Is it not?

parisnow

topping for Marksalot256.

Underhill

Birkenstocks are definitely comfortable--but attractive, mostly not.

kakalena

Without a doubt...

Beautifeel. They are made in Israel but not available at Zappos or most discount places. A bit pricey but worth every penny.

Your feet will actually be so comfortable in them that you won't want to take them off. Like walking in down feather pillows. Very chic styles for walking too.

kwren

I just got the ugliest shoes! SAS "Relaxed" sandals - and they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn - like slippers. (I actually asked the guy if there is such a thing as shoes that are too comfortable - he'll be chuckling about that for a while to come.) They'll do fine until the evenings when I will switch to something a bit more stylish (if I can tear myself away from them!)