I agree with Taryn Rose, though I hear you they are pricey. Another brand is Sofft.
I too immediately thought Mary Janes when I read the post.
I am also a fan of Rieker. Especially their Anti Stress line of shoes. I work retail management of 12 hour days where I am continually walking and standing on ceramic tile. I can wear these all 12 hours and 50 hour weeks, my feet never hurt. I buy them at a local independent shoe shop. Arthurs. I found them because I refused to wear unfashionable ortho shoes too.
Additionally when I found the Reiker’s at this link, the first review is someone with high arches and wide ball. Good Luck!
http://www.zappos.com/rieker-60641-roberta-41-dust?zlfid=191&ref=pd_sims_p_ab_t_1
Another vote for Munros. Nortstrom’s has a good selection, although the current offerings in my store are rather ugly. (it’s that awkward time of year for shoes)
I’ve had 2 surgeries on one foot (1st - bunion/hammertoe & more; 2nd - take out pin from 1st surgery 4 years later). I have a few pairs of Munros and can actually dance in them.
An interesting thing w Munro is if you find a style you love, you can research which ‘last’ or form it was made from and search for others that will have a similar feel.
this is the style that is my workhorse shoe and I walk quite a distance in them:
For spring and summer my go-to shoes for my problem feet are Naot sandals. Here’s a style that I have found incredibly comfortable. I walk and bike in them. The platform gives you some height without putting pressure on the ball of the foot. There are other Naots with the same last that I also like. I’ve found that I can wear this shoe with the Naot insole instead of my custom orthotics.
I have purchased dozens of shoes from Zappos, sometimes buying three different sizes at a time. Their return shipping is free and they are very quick to credit my Visa for returns. Their business model seems to embrace this type of shopping. I’ve been upgraded to VIP one-day shipping even though I’ve returned the vast majority of shoes I’ve purchased. Nordstrom also has free shipping and return shipping but I haven’t found it quite as quick to credit my returns.
Another vote for Munro. The Nordstrom anniversary sale (July) usually features some Munro shoes. I know that won’t help you now, but if you like them you can get more then.
Quick Zappos story. I have been a customer for years mainly because most of my family has hard to fit feet. S1 size 14, D2 11 narrow, me 10 narrow.
4 years ago, DH fell on ice and broke his right wrist. All his shoes at the time had laces and with his cast he was unable to tie anything. I ordered 8, yes eight, pairs of slip on shoes for him. It was winter so I included some slipons that would be good in snow. Being a VIP customer, I had them all the NEXT day! Several brands and styles. He kept two and I returned the other 6 for free.
I also order the same style in different sizes and widths. I have learned about different brands through CC that work for narrow, high arch feet.
When we were trying to find the right shoes for mom, I ordered about 24 shoes in 3 separate shipments. We had try on nights where mom tried on each pair of shoes. She kept 3 pairs and we sent all of the rest back. It worked out much better for us, since she’s very hard to fit and only liked one pair that mostly fit from Nordstrom’s. No other store in town had her size.
There are some munros on sale on 6pm.com now, though sizes are limited. The prices are very good. The disadvantage is that return shipping is not free, so unless you’re sure of the size in a particular shoe it’s a bit risky.
OP, I actually ordered those zebra stripe Munro flats you posted above. I liked them a lot but they didn’t have enough padding beneath the ball of the foot for me.
BarkingDogShoes.com is a great place to research shoes for fussy/problem feet. She reviews quite a few, comments on whether the shoe runs narrow/wide, accomodates orthotics, and all manner of things.
Munro makes amazingly wonderful shoes. Here is the Nordstroms link. They also make a flatter shoe called the traveler. http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/womens-pumps?origin=leftnav#category=b60139935&type=category&defaultsize3=&size=&width=&color=&price=&brand=512&stores=&instoreavailability=false&lastfilter=brand&sizeFinderId=8&resultsmode=&segmentId=0&page=1
@Pizzagirl - the Softt shoes are cute for sure, and look really comfortable for normal feet. I’ll look for some, and see if I can cram my high arch, my wide ball, and my tall orthotics into them.
@Ulumay - Hmm. Nice shoes. I haven’t worn anything sandal-y for many years because my feet literally side off the sole. I’ll have to see how the orthotic looks in open shoes.
@nj2011mom - Thanks for the pump suggestion. Since those come up onto the top of the foot, they might work.
@dentmom4 and @HImom - Confession: I’ve never tried Zappos, or any other mail order shoes. I might have to order 50 pair to find one that fits, and that just sounds overwhelming, free shipping or no free shipping. However, if I can find shoes that work by shopping locally, maybe I’ll take the plunge for replacements and duplicates. (You know how there are some women who when they find a shirt they like, they buy one in every color? I think I might become that woman for shoes!)
@CCsiteObsessed - Thanks for the BarkingDog suggestion, good stuff. I found a cute pair of sandal-ish wedges for high arches that look tempting.
@Kajon - OK I think I see a pattern developing here. I’m going to hunt down some Munros to try on. That link has the kind of professional shoes that would look good with my work clothes. Most of them are too pump-y to stay on my foot, but the “Dana” might very well do the trick since it looks like it encases the foot. Thanks.
LasMa, Zappos returns are easy-peasy, as long as you have a UPS store nearby. I drop my returns off at my local one. Love returning stuff to Nordstrom as well - they take everything back at the brick and mortar stores, and the refunds are almost instantaneous.
I really like barking dog shoes, if you follow her on Facebook she sometimes posts sales which I think are pretty helpful.
I have a couple of local independent shoe stores in my area and have found that they are really good. One of the stores will even order a pair of shoes in my size if they don’t have it.
2 brands that I like that I don’t see mentioned: Taos footwear, I just bought a pair of ankle boots with a slight wedge that I can wear all day, I also have a pair of sandals that are also comfortable. Spring Step is another brand I like. I couldn’t find the ones I have but they have a cork sole and the uppers have fun colors. I have a green and grey pair and a friend bought the same pair in red and yellow. We get tons of compliments on them.
These are not the shoes I have but an example of spring step. http://www.springstepshoes.com/lartiste-by-spring-step-thrill/677900/1388024
You can also return to Zappos through the USPS, just choose that return choice. At my office, the UPS delivery guy or the postman will take the returns.
I agree that being able to find a local shoe seller is ideal. In mom’s case, we ended up with Zappos because the local sellers had such limited inventory in what we were looking for–black walking shoes that fit mom well. It was quite a challenge.
I went shopping today and I scored! First I went to Fleet Feet and got some new Asics which have a little more room than the other ones.
Next I went to a little store recommended by my podiatrist, which I believe is a northern California chain. I picked up these, which are not fabulous but I think they’ll be a good office staple. They are dressier than they look in the photo: http://www.planetshoes.com/item/taos-bungie-jump/10102
Then I went to Nordstrom hunting specifically for Munro. They didn’t have the [url=<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Munro-Womens-Dana/dp/B00FYJ3CO8%5DDana%5B/url”>http://www.amazon.com/Munro-Womens-Dana/dp/B00FYJ3CO8]Dana[/url] which was my starting point, but the very helpful rep said they wouldn’t be a good choice for me anyway because the wedge heel is pretty narrow at the bottom. BUT she did suggest these: http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-munro-petra-black-combo-p_id366894 which I think are super cute! And they’re very comfortable and will work just fine at my office. That piece across the toe is patten leather, which boosts the dressiness quotient.
Speaking of helpful reps, I got great assistance at all three stores. Shoe shopping is usually very frustrating for me, but not today. Good customer service makes all the difference.
LasMa, I’m glad you were able to find multiple pairs that worked. My husband has given up laughing when I tell him I’m going to ask my college confidential “friends” for help.
So glad you had a great shopping trip! We did not do so well shoe wise, but we picked up a few clearance-priced things at the Burberry outlet. The shoe shopping saga will continue tomorrow.
LaMasa - I am so glad you had some success. If you ever get your hands on a pair of Munro Aquarius slides, please try them! The fabric on the slide has some stretch in it, yet holds your foot in place with great comfort. Plus it comes up high enough to keep my foot from falling out. Here is a link, but I suppose there are other stores to try.