Great dress shoes for troublesome feet

Improvolone

My feet are a constant source of discomfort. I have a high and tight arch (which is I think some cause of my heel pain) and they sweat. A lot.

I need nice dressy shoes for work and play since my wonderful sandals aren't fit for every location. I would go barefoot everywhere if I could, I find that very comfortable. I'm fine with paying over $100 for a pair of shoes, actually, I rather expect to, and while I don't mind buying on-line there needs to be a very good return policy because if it hasn't become clear, buying shoes makes me seem picky. Can you make any suggestions for on-line vendors/brands?

RUNN1NGMAN

Have you considered getting some orthotic insoles? Might be easier than finding dress shoes that won't kill your feet. In my experience, dress shoes tend to not have great arch support regardless of how much they cost.

Pheezer

Rockports, man. Best fucking shoes I've ever worn. Really good arch support, though if you still find that lacking, you're gonna want to talk to a foot doc about what kind of insoles to get. Or if that's infeasible, just start experimenting with different types until you find some that work.

Improvolone

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

Have you considered getting some orthotic insoles? Might be easier than finding dress shoes that won't kill your feet. In my experience, dress shoes tend to not have great arch support regardless of how much they cost.

I went to a well known running store in the area and one of the staff helped me find an insole. The insoles I bought help, but only so much. As the staff guy said though, "getting an insole for a dress shoe is hard because the insole is attached to the rest of the shoe, so the fit will always be weird." I forget the kind I have, but their colors are yellow and green.

I don't think I'd need arch support with a high and tight arch... right? It's not like I have flat feet.

underdonk

Only brand of dress shoe I've ever found comfortable is Bostonian (http://bostonian.zappos.com/). Current pair are still kicking (pun intended) after about 8 years. I suggest taking a look.

powerss

What you want is TWO pairs of very, very high quality shoes. We're talking $250+/ea. And you need cedar shoe trees/inserts.

You want leather. Get a pair of brown and a pair of black. Something made in italy, with fine leather, and a leather sole (not rubber, or rubber/leather composite) - get a leather sole, because you can have a shoesmith replace the sole, and fix anything they want. The shoes will last 10 years, even longer.

Why two pairs? Your feet sweat a lot. Moisture ruins leather. So what you need to do is wear a pair, put the shoe trees in, and the next day wear the other pair, and keep alternating. You're going to quadruple the life of your shoes this way.

MutePrez

I'm going to second the rockports, most comfortable dress shoes I've ever had.

mts

well alot of the pain could be that your arches are just not getting the support. you want your arches to be resting on the insole, its when there is a gap that they can fall/hurt like hell.

i doubt a running a store would be what you need. any of teh insoles they sell there will be to replace the shoes insole.. i would look into some custom orthotics from a foot doctor or maybe look into the arch support type where its essentially just a boost for your instep. that goes around your arches. or i know i know superfeet sells half soles which go on top of the shoes normal insole. you can stick any of those superfeet type in any shoe without removng the original, it just won't work that well on low volume shoes.

or you can try a shoe repair guy

BobCesca

orthosoles, while pricy, are meant to be very good for providing support.

I've used cheaper kinds to give support for my very high arch is the past, but was recommended the orthosoles.

illig

make a visit to a podiatrist... he/she should be able to solve your heel pain, and let you know if you need special shoes, or if you can get away with off the shelf shoes... don't cheap out, and try to solve this by yourself... comfortable footwear is important

a podiatrist recommended Rockport and Cole-Haan to me as off the shelf shoes

Improvolone

My health insurance kicks in in about two months, so I can wait for that.

Orestus

It'll break the bank but I have a pair of Bruno Magli's that I wear for important work stuff (meetings w/ outside parties, etc) that are about the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. Got them at Nordstroms I think.

Improvolone

Bruno Magli, eh? Hmm, looks like they've got a pair on-sale for $220 from $400.
holy fuck
I know expensive shoes are out there, and I'm sure they are amazing, but I really don't think I can spend that much on shoes right now.
wow.

scrivenerjones

Improvolone wrote: »

Bruno Magli, eh? Hmm, looks like they've got a pair on-sale for $220 from $400.
holy fuck
I know expensive shoes are out there, and I'm sure they are amazing, but I really don't think I can spend that much on shoes right now.
wow.

joke post? good shoes cost money because they are good. I guess you could skimp but you are wearing them on your feet every (other) day and if they aren't good you will be in a world of pain the entire time.

Kivutar

Are you honestly implying that one needs to spend $400 on a pair of shoes simply to avoid being in constant pain?

At that point, I'd say you're paying as much for the name as you are the quality of product, and one could certainly find a pair of comfortable dress shoes for far less than that.

Improvolone

No, not a joke post. I knew that there were shoes that cost that much and are worth that much, but it was still a shock to actually see. It hurt even more to know those seem to be what I really want.
Look, I was prepared to spend about $250-300 on two pairs of shoes, but to find out that I have to double that? Guess I'll need to learn how to polish shoes too...

Improvolone

Kivutar wrote: »

Are you honestly implying that one needs to spend $400 on a pair of shoes simply to avoid being in constant pain?

At that point, I'd say you're paying as much for the name as you are the quality of product, and one could certainly find a pair of comfortable dress shoes for far less than that.

I'm going to give the Rockports a shot, maybe also pick up an orthosole. Worse case scenario, the Rockports suck, I ship them back, and the orthosole will be nice in any shoe. There is definitely some truth in getting a hand made pair of all leather shoes, I'm sure. I'm 23 though, I kind of just started my professional career.

scrivenerjones

Kivutar wrote: »

Are you honestly implying that one needs to spend $400 on a pair of shoes simply to avoid being in constant pain?

Nah, but you need to spend money if you want your shoes to be comfortable and well-made (by 'well-made' I mean not fall apart/look like shit after being worn for a year). You can get away with these things for under $400 for sure, but the figure in the OP was $100 which is not reasonable.

Improvolone

My dad has reccomended Mephisto's. Any one have experience with these? I'm leaning towards giving them a shot based on a)how goddamned long he had to wear dress shoes and b) that he too has foot problems, though it's a flat foot issue.

mts

well if the shoe is relatively flat you can can probably stick an orthotic insole in there much easier

Kivutar

Improvolone wrote: »

I'm going to give the Rockports a shot, maybe also pick up an orthosole. Worse case scenario, the Rockports suck, I ship them back, and the orthosole will be nice in any shoe. There is definitely some truth in getting a hand made pair of all leather shoes, I'm sure. I'm 23 though, I kind of just started my professional career.

I wouldn't really classify Rockports as well-made (the pair I own have some... interesting stitching, if you look closely, among other things), but they're certainly comfortable, and they're still in decent condition after almost a year of fairly regular wear. They also seem to fit within your budget.

scrivenerjones wrote: »

Kivutar wrote: »

Are you honestly implying that one needs to spend $400 on a pair of shoes simply to avoid being in constant pain?

Nah, but you need to spend money if you want your shoes to be comfortable and well-made (by 'well-made' I mean not fall apart/look like shit after being worn for a year). You can get away with these things for under $400 for sure, but the figure in the OP was $100 which is not reasonable.

Fair enough, I just didn't want anyone buying into what appeared to me to be a false dichotomy :P