Padraig

I note that there is no thread for those women who rate style as being more important than comfort. Yet we all know that such people exist.

Have at it, ladies.

LM3682

I bought the Privo Comice for my trip to Scandinavia. I just got back from my trip and found them to be a great shoe...very comfy, good on cobblestones and mildly cute. They looked good with jeans or khakis, passable with shorts. I ordered them through Zappos.com for $78

kfusto

Acually, I consider them both important and see no need to choose one over the other.

My choices are Cole Hahn, Clarks (Artisan and Privo series in particular), Ecco and Mephisto.

I don't wear shorts except when at the beach and these look great with my skirts and trousers.

For evenings, I bring a pair of mid heeled sandals for summer and mid heeled boots for winter.

Lawchick

Thank you Padraig. I don't really believe in comfort when it comes to shoes. Though recently I have developed a wedge fetish - which is as far as I go towards comfort. Now that I am mother earth, I can't really be totterring in the stillettos.

Take a look at my latest monsters
http://tinyurl.com/2sy289

Bearing in mind I'm already 5 11. I think they are comfy.

Greatsights

Thanks for the chuckle Lawchick. With those wedges I would BE 5'11"!!!

MaddieAstrid

I love footwear, and there is little doubt I choose form over function in every instance except my flip-flops (usually) and running shoes (always). Visiting an extraordinary shoe shop is as profound to me as visiting an extraordinary museum. I rarely wear torturous shoes, although I have a few pairs worth the pain. However, I always have a pair of flip-flops in my bag in case of emergencies. BTW, if you are wearing Clarks, I would argue that you have made a choice.

Lawchick

I went to a ball last weekend in a pair of outrageously high gold and diamante shoes. But I had the gold ballerinas secreted in hubbies pocket of his tux.

Padraig

Lawchick, I infer that you have shapely calves and malformed feet.

And you're not 5-11: where you are, you are 177.5.

sg_cin

OK, is this thread related to stylish vs comfy shoes for travelling?

It's hard to imagine anyone tottering around in Gucci wedges on any given day while touring!

Lawchick

I strode around Heidelberg last weekend in them. No tottering I assure you.

Padraig

Tall woman in tall shoes striding around? This is beginning to sound scary.

Lawchick

I looked lovely Padraig.

Actually, I was a bit scary, but my husband and his friends are giants, so with them I almost looked petite.

I'm surprised there is so little interest in a stylish shoe thread - aone about sturdy orthopaedic gardening shoes seems to get all the votes.

Anyway, I'm off home to put on another pair of killers for tonight. I'm going out for dinner, but I'm driving (no walking), so the gloves are off.

ellencraig

Shoes are pretty important to me and I tend to invest in nice ones. My friends know me as a shoe fiend.
That said, when I go to Europe I have to deviate from my regular shoe wearing because my feet always swell up for a few reasons:
1) salt in the water/food
2) extensive walking, often in the heat
3) general travel stress
The result is that when I bring gorgeoous shoes, I can't fit in to them comfortably the way I can at home.
I have found that Dansksos (the only shoes recognized by the American Podiatric Society) help with comfort and also have a little lift in the heel (up to 2.5 inches or so.)
I also recently bought a pair of Lacoste wedges which are comfortable and sporty.
Never wear new shoes while traveling. As we all know, even the best brands take some breaking in, and we all walk a lot more when travelling.
Have a great trip,
Ellen Craig

Leely

Chie Mihara and/or Repettos. Also Fiorentini and Baker. All stylish (my style, that is) and walk-inable. I did have one incident of "Rome foot," though. Rest of that trip I wore flip flops all day and real shoes for dining only. I had to; my dogs were barking. Arf arf.

amsdon

wow Lawchick that is impressive!
And a mom no less?

Unfortunately with the passing of time I have had to trade in super high heels ("JAWS") to a moderate heel for work. But I too suffer from the swelling of the feet when I travel.
So I bought walking shoes at least 1 size too large for my last trip. They were just right. I cannot wear these shoes now on a daily basis & will save them just for travel.

Incidentally, all the tips to avoid swollen feet just did not make a difference. I noticed the main swelling
started at the airport way before take off..can't figure that one out!

StCirq

Aerosole has put out some really stylish but comfortable shoes in the past year or so, but the absolute best sexy, stylish shoes for me are made by Unisa. I walked 90+ blocks in NYC a coupla weekends ago in a pair of Unisa slingback heels with no problems at all!

Tulips

Great shoes Lawchick! Wonder wether they will be on sale at the Antwerp shop in July; I love wedges; they make me look tall, and they don't get stuck in the cobblestones here. I actually do the same; take my ballerinas as an extra pair in my bag (the Fratelli Rosetti Flexa ones are extremely comfortable). I still have some very comfortable Armando Pollini platforms, but they don't seem to make those anymore. Those were the most comfortable high shoes ever.

ellencraig

My husband says the swelling happens simply because of the stress of traveling - even if you are having a great time, your body is constantly experiencing new and different-from-your-daily-routine types of stimuli. He says its an instinctive reaction/protection by the body.
Anyway, two more brands that work for me are Fornarina and Cole Haan. Fornarina are reasonably priced and very comfortable. Cole Haan, while certainly pricier, now has Nike foot beds in many (all) of their shoes - I could run a mile in these things.
I echo the comments on how wedges can satisfy love of height and wariness of cobblestones.
My stylish Italian cousins tend to wear flats unless they are going out to dinner or a wedding or something. Colorful, slender "sporty" shoes (like tennis shoes but streamlined and fitted) are often their casual day wear.
I couldn't pull that off, but they look great.
Ellen Craig

kfusto

I also like Cole Hahn with the Nike Air technology. They are good looking and comfy for many miles of stairs and cobblestones.

At night, I will pack mid heeled boots in winter and mid heeled sandals in summer to wear with skirts and dresses.