I have always been a fan of heeled shoes. I’m short, and I have big feet, and flats make me look like I’m wearing clown shoes. I like having a bit of a lift and also prefer wedges for the way they make my legs look longer. In the summer, I’m usually in wedge sandals. In the winter, a heeled boot.
However, I don’t have the greatest feet, and at the ripe old age of 40 I’ve found that I need a lot of support in my shoes. As I’ve gotten older it’s been more difficult to find heeled shoes that don’t hurt if I wear them all day. My feet are tired . . . and cheap shoes don’t cut it anymore. If you can walk into Target or Payless and grab a cheap pair of shoes for $30, more power to you. Unfortunately I’ve had to reconcile the fact that most comfortable shoes, at least for me, are going to be a bit of an investment.
Gone are the days when I could just grab a pair of trendy, cheap shoes to wear to a night out or a wedding. While good, supportive shoes are more expensive, I’ve found that investing in a few pair saves money (and back pain) in the long run. But good, orthopedically supportive shoes are not always the cutest.
A couple years ago I discovered the brand Söfft Shoes. All of their shoes offer great, all-day support, and they have a variety of styles, from ankle boots to pumps. Their designers have paid attention to form AND function, using quality materials with wearable heel lengths and comfortable beds. Their shoes are accessible and stylish. I bought a few of their heeled pumps and wore them very frequently while teaching. To be able to stand comfortably in heels during a four-hour lecture is no small achievement, and these shoes did the trick.
I recently ordered two more pairs of Söfft Shoes and put these to an even bigger test: could they perform all day right out of the box? I got a cute pair of heels to wear to my friend Kelly’s wedding, and a pair of ankle boots to wear to Beer and Hymns.
I love the Miranda shoes because they are in a great tan that’s just a shade above my skin tone, so they go with anything and elongate the legs.
At first try, they were comfortable, but would they last through several hours of standing, milling around, and then dancing?
I’m happy to report that yes, they did stay comfortable. All day.
So comfortable that I even wore them on the plane home the next day.
And then the West ankle boots. LOVE this style and color.
These were in for a busy day right out of the box. I went to my office in the morning, had lunch with some friends, had to pick up the kids from school and shuttle them to a football game, and then had to lead worship with our Beer and Hymns band for a conference at night.
This was a long day, but the shoes were amazing. And I got several compliments on them.
In the past, I’ve always been nervous to wear shoes right out of the box, so I was impressed. And I really appreciate that I didn’t have to sacrifice style to be comfortable all day.
