Chicago_Heather

Have you tried looking at Geox shoes? Zappos has a good selection from flats to wedge to mid to high heels. I love the brand and think they are comfortable and most of the new styles are pretty sharp. I've trekked around cities in several styles of Geox without foot damage or pain.

nfldbeothuk

I bought these in July, and they are my new favourites for work (where I'm on my feet a lot). I'd never heard of the brand before, but then I usually shop in rural Canada lol.
The "Deeka" (mine are silver)are really comfy, but for me that means no more than 2" heel.
http://www.whitemt.com/styles.html
I know sexy stilettos will dress up jeans, but there is no way I could walk for miles in them--and walking for miles is usually what I do on holiday.

GiuliaPiraino

Christina:Unfortunately I'm terrible at gauging distance,I would imagine we would walk at least several blocks. We try to use the Metro as little as possible because we love walking in Paris, we're big "vacation walkers" often walking 10-15 miles a day on an easy day, now that I only know because I have a silly little GPS watch that calculates mileage. So I'd like to have the option to walk to the restaurant and not have my feet get wrecked, but you're right, we could just take the Metro.

Do you think with long jeans, and just the tip of my shoe showing that those clogs would look ridiculous with a dressier top and jacket? I just feel like even if they don't show very much I still know that they are big and clompy!LOL

Therese

Here's my take on non-clunky shoes:

Ballerinas are absolutely useless for me, as I need a little bit of a heel, and those that actually look cute have soles that are too thin and offer very little support. By definition ballerinas are supposed to look pretty delicate, and there's just no way to make a really delicate shoe be anything else.

So, having settled on a heel, note that the heel doesn't actually have to be very high. The shoe just needs to look like it's got a high heel, and the way to get this look is to have a tapered toe and a shoe that fits your foot well, hugging your instep.

Lots of shoes like this, unfortunately, have narrow little kitten heels, and these are again pretty much useless, as all of your weight is distributed over a very small area. Ideally you want a chunkier heel, but one that doesn't look chunky. The ideal heel, then is a shaped, louis heel.

So, there are my criteria. Since you're not wearing these with skirts, Giulia, I'd actually choose a bootie or shoe-boot style, as that will provide even more support. If you do go with a shoe, choose one with a strap of some sort, as much of the work of walking in heels comes from the effort involved in keeping them on your feet.

Happy walking!

Therese

Oh, and I routinely walk for a mile or so in shoes like the ones I describe.

GiuliaPiraino

Thanks Therese, I agree, and I think that based on your description, those Josef Seibel mary janes should be fine that I posted earlier. I will see how they feel, I'm going to try to get over there tonight and try them on. Thanks for your help.

MademoiselleFifi

I have an older style of Sofft (from 2 or 3 years ago) that looks similar to the Veronica. They look cute but kill my feet even just getting to and from work, so I would bring them for travel.

Re: "...only taking jeans, dark jeans, so I'd like to dress them up with heels..."

Have you considered the opposite approach-- a dress/skirt with low shoes/boots. Much more comfortable, and lighter to pack.

MademoiselleFifi

left out a word-- meant to say I would NOT bring my Soffts for travel.

MelJ

I agree about the ballerina flats not having much support, but I thought we were comparing them to heels, which usually have thin soles, as well, and you only wanted to walk under 2 miles in them.

I'm sure getting lots of good web sites off of this thread, so thanks, Giulia!

GiuliaPiraino

Well, I don't often wear skirts and the one year I wore a skirt in Europe in october I froze, even though it was a fitted long skirt that practically went down to my ankles! Also, a skirt will show more of the shoe and I'm so not into the look of "comfort shoes", I'm more ok with it if I'm wearing pants. Also, there's another dilema, my husband is emphatic about only traveling with 1 small carryon bag/backpack whether it's a 2 month trip or a 2 week trip, scary I know. So I typically don't pack a variety of clothes. As it stands, if I bring a pair of dress shoes, my running shoes and dress shoes take up half my bag! I'm only bringing 2 pairs of jeans, one that I will travel in and one extra, thankfully we have a washer AND a dryer which is so unusual in Europe. I guess I'm saying that this is a sacrifice to take up little precious space that I have for another pair of shoes, so they have to be amazingly comfortable and worth it.

Sally30

I just got the Ecco mary janes in black patent. So far so good walking around the city here at home. They have a very small heel and felt more comfortable to me than ballet flats. I have wide toes and a narrow heel so some of the geox flats are too narrow.

jenblase

I am following this thread closely as I need boots as well as dressier shoes to wear with skirts and black tights (but it would be nice to also have the option to wear with jeans in case I just don't feel like wearing the boots). So anyway I just came across these at Nordstrom - yes they aren't the most adorable shoes ever, but they look comfy and like they might provide a bit more cushion for longer distances, yet still provide the height you are looking for. I think I am going to order them myself!

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/v...trap-Maryjanes

Trophywife007

Okay... I'm going out on a limb here which I do not normally do on "fashion" threads. Salvatore Ferragamo makes a number of "ballet" and other styles that do have a small heal. They are ferociously expensive, but you'll never have to buy another pair again because they last forever and they are oh, so classy:

http://tinyurl.com/43dk7a

http://www.berenshoes.com/fa0686-gld...LD_CF/c2p/ppv/

http://www.berenshoes.com/fa0645-blk...LK_KD/c2p/ppv/

When you wear these, you will feel beautiful and every Parisian woman will look down at your feet and nod with approval!

Another idea would be to go shoe shopping in Paris... that would make a wonderful souvenir and be much better than those little Eiffel Towers that you have to keep dusting off.

Best Regards,

tw

marcy_

GiuliaPiraino,
I sympathize completely with your dilemma! I'm always searching for a pair of comfortable heels for travel.

Here are some that I've tried (actually none of these is the exact style I've had, because they change them all the time, but these are close)

I have some Steve Maddens that are very similar to this that I find very comfortable, and under jeans give the impression of a higher heel than they are.
Steve Madden
http://tinyurl.com/549gz5

I LOVE these Cole Haans, and they are better than you'd think for walking, with the Nike Air cushioning, but realistically you can only be so comfortable in a 3" heel.
Cole Haan Nike Air
http://tinyurl.com/ColeHaanHeel

I just bought a pair of this brand, but not exactly this style, and I have high hopes for being able to wear them in the evening in Europe. At least in the store (Nordstrom, btw) they seemed super comfortable.
Fidgi
http://europeandesignshoes.com/item.php?id=37

nytraveler

I have never found any heels that are comfortable for walking that far. If you don;t want real flat then go for a shoe or botoies with a wide 1" wedge. Will give you a little height and let you walk forever. Then wear a pair of real shoes in the evening, when you can walk a little before cabbing back to the hotel.

marcy_

Aaack! I posted too soon!

I meant to add that my sister has great luck with Aerosoles, although they've never worked for me. They might be worth looking at.

Good luck with your search, and have a great trip!

suze

www.tarynrose.com

freberta

I personally like Donald J. Pliner shoes. But I'm leaving my heels home and taking 2 or 3 pairs of ballet flats (red, black and maybe navy) to Pairs. I'm 5'7" so I don't feel short when I wear flats, but there's no greater feeling than wearing a pair of 3" or 4" heels. But let's face it, there's no way you can walk 2 miles in heels like that without having an appointment already made with the podiatrist or orthopedic surgeon when you get home.

slangevar

I've walked two miles in certain Steve Madden shoes. Generally the platform shoes with wider heels are the most comfortable.

Love the Walking Company link, though! I'm definitely eyeing a pair of cute mary jane Clarks... I just wish Zappos had them in my size!

GiuliaPiraino

I think the wedge heel is going to be the best bet, I wish I could do the regular heel or even a stacked heel, but I tried them on and they were comfortable but not comfortable enough to go any reasonable distance. Ballet flats dont make me feel short (i'm also 5'8&quot I just don't feel like they give any support at all, I must have a high arch or something. The things we do to our feet to look pretty, so sad!

I'm thinking about the Caine, although they are not as pretty as I'd like, I think they'll work and they look like they wont take up too much space in the suitcase.

http://clarks.zappos.com/n/es/d/722685833/page/1.html