Shoe Question, ladies!

[Grace]

I was a nurse, so wore the most comfortable shoes I could find. Heel? None to speak off.

Now I'm retired and wear Birkenstocks or ECCO most of the time. Again, no heel to speak of. I think if I tried one of those stiletto spikes, I'd no doubt fall and break something

[Roxyluvsme13]

I don't have a specific career yet; however, I am very, very clumsy, so it's usually flip flops or converse for me.

I do have 3-5 or so pairs of heels though. One pair of wedges are 5 inches, and I'd guess the others are 3 inches or less. They don't get worn too often though, unless I'm going out or going to a formal occasion. I fall easily, so they mostly stay in the closet

[Marigold2]

I work in a Doc's office so it's New Balance for me during the day but if I go out it is heels. I love shoes and I might not wear the stilottes as much as I used to at 52 ( they hurt my ankle if I walk a lot) but heels are a must and if you pay a comfy price you will get a comfy high heel that is centered nice and won't pinch. Cheap heels will kill anyone's feet.
That is just one thing you have to spend a few more bucks on to be comfortable in.

[pomtzu]

I'm retired now, but for the majority of my working years, I worked in an office setting. I wore heals - in the early years started out with the "spikes" like 3", but as the years progressed, the heels got lower, and even down to flats at times. When I retired in 2006, I got rid of all my dress shoes with the exception of a couple of pair - basic black and a 1 1/2" heel, and I might have worn them once or twice in the past 5 years. I now live in Birkenstock sandals for as long as the weather permits, and when it's too cold for them, then it's sneakers or ankle boots.

[Miss Z]

I hear you on this one, Karen!

I think the knock-on effect of celebrity woman and television characters living their lives in heels is the products on the high street. Every shoe shop I go into is just full of 5,6,7 inch platforms that look more like weaponry than footwear!

What frustrates me is that if you don't want to hobble around on these stilt shoes, then you must go right down to the other end of the scale and buy flat shoes. Whilst I like the little ballet pump style shoes and have a few pairs that I wear in my daily life, I do like wearing a little heel in the daytime too. I like the little lift it gives to your legs and posture (perhaps the latter in a more metaphorical sense!)

But can I find kitten heels anywhere? It takes a damn good hunt to find them, I'll tell you. And, like Karen, my feet aren't a particularly average shape - I have really narrow feet with not a lot of arch to them. When I do find a fitting pair of kitten heels, it's like the gods have smiled on me.

I have some larger heels but 3 inches is pretty much my limit, since they make me 6'3" and I think that's about as far as I want to venture into the clouds. And when I do wear them, I keep a pair of flats in my handbag for when my feet can't take it any more!

[Queen of Poop]

To and from work, as I have quite a walk, will be in either boots (winter), sneakers or sandals (not often). Once I get to work, as I work in a downtown office environment, I put on 3" heels and run around in them all day. Anything else and I just feel sloppy. I've got a few kitten heel shoes and wear them occasionally, with specific outfits.

[Barbara]

I used to wear heels when I was younger- but I suppose 3 inch may have been the highest. There simply have not been shoes higher than 4 in then. Today I wear 1-1,5 in at the max and most of the days I am wearing flat ballerinas in the office and if we ever should see summer again ( we have weeks of predominant rain now) I'll be wearing leather flipflops in my time off.
I own 2 pair of sneakers- red leather Adidas that are about 10 years old and black suede pumas that are about 5 years old

[cassiesmom]

A lot of the nurses wear Dansko clogs and swear by them. I can't imagine how that would be comfortable for 12 hour shifts, but I've never worn them. When I worked shifts I always sought out cross training shoes. I have flat feet and I walk on the outsides of my feet so shoes are always a problem. I wear flat shoes every day.

[catnapper]

I work on a salesfloor all day and found flats are uncomfortable! I need a 1 1/2 heel and a VERY roomy toe box (at least thats what the podiatrist calls it) because I have a bad bunion that adds a good half inch width to my right foot and hurts if pinched in narrow shoes.

I basically live in Easy Spirt shoes. They have these new "zero gravity" soles that are like big marshmallows. Ugly, but oh-so-cushy.