Even the sanest women can be shoe crazy – sometimes disturbingly vain about what they put on their feet to look good.  Dr. Still recommends what makes a good looking women’s shoe safe and supportive.

First of all sizes are not standardized, a 7 ½ from one designer may be an 8 from another. Shoes made in Europe, which are generally of better quality for men’s and women’s dress shoes are also generally narrower in the front.  Anytime one buys shoes it is wise to shop at the end of the day when are feet have swelled slightly and will assure a more accurate fit.

Measure your feet annually, our feet change with age, weight gain or loss, pregnancy, injuries, deformities such as bunions and hammertoes.

Some basic tips for women when purchasing dress shoes.

• Heavy shoes are just too much work to walk in, the lighter the better in most cases. 
  
• The materials should be flexible with soft high quality leather or suede is ideal.  
• Watch out for top stitching which can reduce the leathers elasticity and make the shoe narrower at the front end.  
• Cushioning is vital!  Feet are low in fat on the soles so padding often makes feet happy.  If necessary women can buy gel products for the ball of the foot to put into a high heel shoe to make more comfortable.  These can be found at most shoes stores or pharmacies. 
  
• Three inches should be the limit for heels to not put too much stress on the ankle.  Women love to wear high heels because it does make their legs look nicer but higher than three inches makes a woman prone to ankle sprains.  
• Also purchase heels with a substantial sole, ultrathin soles are just setting up your feet for torture with a night of dancing or out on the town. 
  
• Shoes with sexy “toe cleavage” tend to rub against the foot at the widest point where bunions form (learn more about ‘bunions’ here).  A more covered casing toe casing is safer. 
  
• Deep-dipping sides (or no sides) allow feet to slop over the edges instead of remaining properly aligned.  
• Adjustability is another plus, look for laces, straps, or ties that can be loosened when the foot swells.

Don’t buy shoes that hurt- period! I f you purchase a shoe and it hurts in the store but you love the shoe you will likely hate it later on because it hurts and it will sit in your closet, looking nice but not on your feet.  Shoes do stretch but nit enough to make a painful one in the store comfortable later on.  If you wear flats a half inch heel is actually good and can give some support to the foot.  Long pointy toes are not good for the foot; they can cause pain to bunions and hammertoes.

For some recommendations on brands Dr. Still follows the recommendations of Dr. Jaleh Hoorfar, a podiatrist that has helped out Oprah Winfrey in her search for a comfortable high heel.  HAPPY SHOE HUNTING!

High heels -  Designer/Brands

• Kate Spade – best performance by a high heel
• Bruno Magli
• Giuseppe Zanotti Design
• Bongo (affordable)
• Dior by John Galliano

Wedges     

• Salvatore Ferragamo
• Dolce & Gabbana
• Jimmy Choo
• Chanel
• Capezio
• Donald J Pliner
• Taryn Rose
• Claudia Ciuti
• Same Edelman
• Kork-Ease
• Naturalizer  (affordable)

Low-heels

• Loeffler Randall
• Valentino
• Terre Peck
• Butter
• Talbots (affordable)
• Ecco (affordable)
  

Platforms

• Kors by Michael Kors
• Jeanne Jarvaise
• Moschino
• Ann Taylor
• Via Spiga
• Boden (affordable)
• Rokport (affordable)