I went to a podiatrist today because I've been having foot pain for, oh, about a year, and I finally got worried enough that I was doing damage to my feet that I asked for a referral. He said I had very high arches, which in a lot of people, causes them to walk on the outsides of their feet, which I do. So now he's making me inserts for my shoes but I really would like to buy some shoes that are good for feet with high arches that don't look like I'm an 89 year old retiree (which is what I found when googling).
I told him I had such a hard time finding shoes to fit me because my feet are big (size 10US, 42 EU), wide (double wide, really) and tall (meaning the top of my foot is high, I guess due to the high arch) and he pretty much said "yeah, it's hard". LOL Thanks buddy! He was a really funny, nice guy though.
I used to buy tons of shoes all of the time thinking "maybe these won't kill my feet" only to be peeling them off of my tootsies an hour later as I hobble around in pain. I really, really dislike it. I will find so many cute shoes, especially summer sandals that I would just LOVE to wear and when I try to put them on I look like a giant stuffing their feet into a child's shoe. It's ridiculous.
I've also been reading that people with high arches should stay away from heels as much as possible because it just puts more strain on the already strained areas. Fine by me, I can't walk in the suckers anyway, but I do work in the corporate world and I do need to be able to dress professionally with professional shoes! I've been getting away with wearing my trainers at work but it looks so silly and makes me so self conscious.
So to finally get around to what I'm asking. If you have high arches, what kind of dress shoes do you wear and what kind of trainers do you find work best for you.
I get my custom made insoles next week, so it should be interesting to see how it works out!
2 comments:
I have super-high arches too!
For professional shoes, when I was still working in corporate in a managerial position I LOVED my Clarks - similar to these:
http://www.footwearetc.com/Womens/Shoes/_/Clarks-Diamond-Clarity-Womens/?gdftrk=gdfV269_a_7c99_a_7c174_a_7c23_d_829
They have a low heel, maybe 3cm and I could wear them all day - and I can't wear heels usually but these were so comfortable.
Now that I live in the US I often order more expensive shoes from Zappos.com - you can return their shoes for up to a year without problems or explanation so you could just order a bunch of shoes for when you are there in June and then just send back what you don't like. They are fantastic, though a bit more expensive.
I found the perfect sneakers there - they have you analyze your foot and then the sneakers are sorted by foot shape. I ordered three pairs and then did a work out in all of them to find which one fit the best (pssst, don't tell them I did that). I ended up with New Balance WR758 - they are work out and running shoes and they were the only ones that didn't make my feet hurt after the work out. For me, they are a little bit too wide - I have a little bit wide feet but not very wide, so I wear mine with thick workout socks.
Now that I am pregnant, my feet are super-wide and puffy and all through winter I have been wearing a pair of these ankle boots:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039YQ260/ref=asc_df_B0039YQ2601487914?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pg-348-95-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B0039YQ260
in Wide and they have been a lifesaver. They look ok with skirts and dresses because they look a little bit dressy but they are as comfortable as sneakers.
For summer shoes I recommend Teva flip flops. They are a bit wider than most flip flops, the straps are made of cloth, so they are more comfortable and the foot bed is much more stable than with other flip flops - though they do look very casual, so not for work.
But yeah, I recommend just ordering a bunch from Zappos and then returning everything you don't like.
i'm too far removed from my shoe-selling days to help with the arches (though, i believe ecco is a good brand for that particular problem [$$$]) but look for maryjane styles for your high instep. i've been wearing a dansko marcelle for... 7 years? (and i guess that's how far removed i am from my shoe selling days.)they're about to die, but that's a good life span for shoes.
also: DAMN, GIRL!
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