I have narrow feet and due to arthritis in my neck need good support. The best shoes I have found are Naots. They are made in Israel. Cost about $90 and up. I am a teacher and also do lots of walking on travels and I wear these year round. Very stylish and lots of choices.

Andrea,<BR>I, too, have read very good things about Naots. There was an article in the LA TIMES (I think) about shoes that look good and feel good and Naots got the nod.<BR><BR>Gaye, do you know who carries them in the States?<BR><BR>M.

For Naots , Web site: www.leathersandals.com. They have a good selection on the web and you can receive a free catalog.

I have Seibels, Eccos, Naots, Danskos, Clarks, and the shoes that beat them all are Wolkys. I have sandals with velcro straps, so they adjust to my bunions and narrow ankles/high instep. They also make closed shoes with zippers, buckles, etc--fairly stylish.

I found a great shoe store with all kinds of funky comfortable European shoes in New York. It's called OPT and their addresses are 38 E. 57th St., 413 West Broadway (Soho) and 137 Fifth Avenue. They were having a great sale over New Year's weekend, not sure how reasonable regular prices are, although I believe it's a discount store. Lots of comfortable shoes with style. I'm also an Arche lover. Expensive when not on sale, though.

I did the Avon breast cancer 3-day walk this summer (60 miles in 3 days, mostly on pavement) and the people on the walk who were were Merrill shoes suffered the least amount of blisters. Believe me, I'm sold on Merrills now. The walkers were wearing their sports shoes but they also make stylish clogs, etc.<BR><BR>On our trip to Europe this summer I only brought a pair of Eccos and was very pleased with them. I highly recommend finding the one right pair of shoes and bringing only them. I hate trudging bags of shoes around!

Flats by Sam & Libby, Born (the o has a / through it -- I think that they are Danish), Easy Spirit, and Clarks. For clogs, I love either White Mountain or Dansko.

I love Birkenstocks, but they aren't that stylish.<BR><BR>I bought Josef Seidels today for my next trip to London. I wore them out of the store (Nordstrom) because they were so comfortable I didn't want to take them off. Their slogan is, "The European comfort shoe." They come in several styles, and average pair costs $100. <BR><BR>Mephistos are great, but cost closer to $200.

Love my Merrills...

I've had good luck with Aerosoles--I manage a retail jewelry store, so I'm frequently on my feet for the better part of 9-12 hour days. Depending on style, they cost $40-$60/pair. Black is my color of choice, as it looks good with the (mostly) black skirts and pants that form my basic travel wardrobe. Barb

Michele, I live in cambridge Ma. and "The Tannery here carries Naots, I have also purchased them at J. Jill's on sale in Boston, very comfortable and some dressier styles to go with my linen or silk dresses.

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Couple comments:<BR>1. For those with narrow feet as I have, most European brands are too wide. Birkenstocks come in widths so they work. Josef Siebel run narrow so they work. Naot sometimes work. Believe me I have been to the stores and tried on all the European brands and this is what I have come up with. 2. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Rockports or Naturalizers--they do make decent and rather appealing looking shoes. And, a big plus for me is that they come in narrows. 3. Sierratradingpost.com frequently has closeouts on many of the European brands that have been discussed above. 4. Rick Steves branch also has a shoe discussion. 5. The past few trips to Europe that I have taken I have worn my Siebels, Rockports, and a great pair of Naturalizer sandals. I didn't look to bad, and my feet survived at least 10 miles a day of walking. By the way, my husband swears by Clarks.

Just a note about Steve Madden shoes -- they are considered sooooo bad for your feet. <BR><BR>There is a doctor at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC that is naming his beach house in the Hamptons Madden House. He's made so much money operating on women's ankles due to the problems caused by Steve Madden shoes that he was able to buy a mansion on the water. <BR><BR>No lie.

OMG, that's amazing!! Thanks for the info!

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Hi, Andrea -<BR> After years of punishing my feet in cheap shoes, and in a job where I do a lot of walking around the hospital in civvies, I've begun exploring the world of "good" shoes. Here's what I've noticed up here - ther are "dressy" styles available by Clark, Ecco, Aersoles, Josef Siebel, and even Rockport makes a modest "pump" style - I was looking at a pair yesterday! Also, Easy Spirit makes some very stylish shoes. Good Luck!<BR>ja

I have read so many comments about the Dansko clogs, that I just ordered two styles -- the Professional and Ingrid. The first is a closed back clog, and the second is an open back clog with an adjustable strap that can either be worn in the back or flipped over to the front. I should receive them in about a week and will give you my opinion. I understand that both of these styles look nice with slacks and skirts.<BR><BR>I ordered the clogs from Earthly Goods in Oregon -- nice web site, but I ordered them on the telephone. Spoke with a very friendly and knowledgeable sales clerk that besides selling the clogs, wears them. She said that this clog is lightweight and has a wonderful footbed (similar cup like Birkenstocks and Clarks have). We also discussed Merrells, White Mountain, Clarks (all of which I wear) and Naot (which I will eventually try). <BR><BR>By the way, after spending 2 hours surfing the net, it seems that Earthly Goods has the best prices, no sales tax, and free shipping.<BR><BR>But, this new purchase has presented a problem for me. If these clogs are wonderful, then I'm going to be loaded down with 4 pairs of shoes going to Budapest, as I am still bringing my Born flats and Sam & Libby flats. I suppose its a small price to pay for comfort. Luckily, I am only staying in one hotel.

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