shoes
 

I am traveling in the fall to Italy and Paris. Looking for a pair of closed toe black shoes, not tennis. I walk alot. It would be great if they could also be worn in the evening with a skirt.
thanks

I'm sorry, I don't have any to spare.

<i>snort</i> ira LOL

Cherry, I think there is a long thread on this somewhere ... if you put shoes in the search box, I think you can find some discussions on this.
I will repeat my favorite shoe for travel name now- Munroe :)
Good luck~

this mail order catalog has some good traveling shoes. i don't think i'd order without being able to them on myself, but might give you some ideas
www.travelsmith.com

I agree with checking for the other thread. A few quick names that I like that you can find in the US are:

Ecco
Josef Seibel
Born

I love my Eccos, but the most comfortable shoes on my trip last month were a pair of pink suede tennis shoes I picked up for 15 EU in Siena! All the Italian women were wearing them, and I see why!

Clark's make some comfortable walking shoes that could go out in the evening. By all means, do save room in your luggage for at least one pair of Italian shoes, purchased there.

Hi Marilyn!
Yes, save room for those shoes and the Italian Leather Handbags!! :)

designer sneakers are all the rage every where in the world including europe. there are some really nice black ones...look at zappos.com as they have a huge selection. btw, running/atheltic shoes are worn quite a bit in italy. the fashion is nearly identical to the states.

All brands are not suited to everyone's feet. Remember, if they pinch in the store, forget them, walk around the store wearing the intended purchase.

take a look at zappos.com, shoes galore

Personally, I wouldn't buy without trying the brand on my actual feet first. Find a brand and model that fits, then order every color.
:)

I have a pair of lace-up black rubber-bottomed Timberlands. They are very comfy and can take me anywhere in New York where walking is essential! They worked in Rome, too.

even though the following thread title is about sandals, there are many shoe suggestions

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34590355

I'm a shoe cheapie with bad feet. That said, I sprang for a pair of Dansko shoes before my most recent trip and swear I'll never travel without them again.

I just kept thinking to myself &quot;I can't believe I ruined so many great vacations by wearing cruddy shoes! I can't believe I ruined so many vacation by wearing cruddy shoes! I can't...&quot;

I'm happy I took the following shoes to Europe last month for day-into-evening wear: a pair of Prada low-heel dressy pumps and a pair of trim Ferragamo flats, both with RUBBER SOLES and both in black patent leather. The first I got at Saks and the second I got online from Arthur Beren's in SF, both this spring. Not cheap, but not a fortune either.
Rubber soles are comfortable on the cobblestones and tolerate a little rain. Patent leather wipes off easily and gives a little style. Fabulous looks and exquisite comfort. Don't forget to wear peds (invisible inside your shoes) or nylons when you don't want to wear socks, ie with skirts.
The workhorses of my trip were a pair of roomy Cole Haan loafers, again in black patent with rubber soles, but I got these several years ago. For daytime (assuming you're wearing slacks) you'll need something like this that you can wear socks with to protect your feet from blisters. I can't estimate the number of young women in sandals I saw stopped on the streets applying bandaids to their poor feet!
You don't have to wear tennis shoes and look like a sloppy American student in order to be comfortable! But consider the source: I'm 50 years old. Maybe you want something funkier.

&lt;I'm a shoe cheapie with bad feet.&gt;

I wonder if there is a correlation there. ;)

Worktowander--I bet your feet are very happy now:) My mother always told me that no matter what, good shoes were a necessity. I do have to agree and am already teaching my daughter that. My pocketbook may regret it, but I won't, lol!

I really wanted to avoid the sneaker look and bought these Merrells in black for our recent trip. Quite seriously I got 3-5 inquiries per day and covetous looks regularly on them. They were IMO the perfect compromise for comfort/style. Of course I also brought a few other prs (not so light packing) but these were the workhorses of our trip!



http://www.merrell.com/catalog/gallery.asp?NavID=WWPAC

I survived nicely with Born black maryjanes (&quot;Jeopardy&quot;)-- www.zappo.com doesn't seem to have any in black anymore, but I've noticed that Ecco now has maryjanes as well. They're reasonably well padded but on cobble-stone days, I added an insole.

IMO Merrells RULE. I own 5 pair (including some mary janes) and find it hard to put anything else on my feet. Sue, which ones did you get? There are 5 on that page when I follow your link.