Be My Cobbler (Narrow feet, need arch support)

June 1, 2017 4:55 AM

Yay! I have a new job! Even better - I can walk to work! Yay! But....all my "office wear" shoes suck for walking! Help! (As ever, list of specific needs inside.)

I'm looking for something that would be good for walking to and from home - about a half hours' walk each way - but also look acceptable in a casual office environment; it's a startup in a We Work space, so even though the running shoes would probably be okay, I at least want to try to be a step up. But they don't have to be pumps, fortunately (my feet and my back would rebel at pumps).

I'm also looking for something that has arch support. The arch support is a must - I get cramps in my arches if I go too long without good arch support. It needs to be pretty high.

Also, I need something that runs narrow. I've browsed other posts in here with recommendations for arch support, but they also all run wide. That won't work. I can get away with regular width if the shoes are laceups, but slip-ons would slip off.

A very, very low heel would be okay - less than an inch of height. (Anything higher and then that gives my back trouble, and just no.)

Finally - of course, I'm on a budget (one of the reasons I'm taking this new job is that my current one pays a pittance).

Ideally, I'd like to find a closed-toe shoe - a laceup canvas sneaker like a Converse or Ked-type thing, or a slip-on - and also a sandal, becuase it's getting close to summer. Any steering or recommendation you can offer is appreciated.

posted by EmpressCallipygos to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (17 answers total)

Would it be an option to change your shoes when you arrive at and leave work? I keep a pair of work shoes in my office and do this most days.
posted by heatherlogan at 5:12 AM on June 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

Best answer: I have worn Dansko sandals and Earth pumps, flats, and loafers for this purpose. Narrow size 12 with high arches here.
posted by songs_about_rainbows at 5:39 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I highly recommend the shoe switch -- I have worn Rockports and Clarks with success but the shoes are pricey and start to look worn, even with polishing, sooner, where it seems a lot easier to find running/walking shoes on sale and their appearance isn't an issue. Plus they are built for it.
posted by warriorqueen at 5:47 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'll nth the shoe switch. You'll keep your "nice" officer shoes nicer far longer if you don't subject them to long outdoor walks.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:04 AM on June 1, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'll wear my work shoes outside if they're Sanita/Dansko clogs or sandals, but that's about all. Other work shoes remain in my desk drawer for a change when I get to work.

Usually I'm wearing low-profile black/gray sneakers that don't clash too badly with my work clothes, so I don't feel like a fashion disaster. (Keen Coronado sneakers are pretty good for this, more arch support than Converse Chuck Taylors, but don't look so much like I'm out for a run.)
posted by asperity at 6:21 AM on June 1, 2017

When I commuted by walking I just left shoes at work. This is totally a thing, as stated above. I knew a ton of women who had a desk drawer full of shoes; my officemate and I used to joke about starting a shoe store, we had so many shoes. If you have a regular desk (and maybe you don't, at a cowork space?) just leave a bunch of different styles there, and if you can't, just tuck the day's shoes in your bag.

It's SO much easier to commute by walking and turn it into actual exercise, by walking easily and briskly, if you're wearing shoes that are comfortable to walk in!
posted by john_snow at 7:20 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Today, I had a rare opportunity to go for a long walk in the city during lunch, and both looking at the shops and the people out there having lunch, it seems sneakers are the new pumps! My friend, who is near 60 and quite conventional wore sneaks to a meeting with her bank. There are many, many options out there, also slip-on styles.
I have similar problems to yours and also additional issues after a broken ankle, and I recently splurged and bought a pair of Celine slip-on sneakers for fancy purposes. The sales-person said there is a whole cult of this shoe out there, with (rich) people buying several pairs at once so they never run out. I negotiated a discount.
What I discovered today was that a lot of less expensive brands have great styles for workwear — I came by an ecco store, a Cos, and several stores I didn't know and didn't note because I hadn't read your post yet. Also, Adidas has some shoes with great arch support (not all), and they are good for narrow feet. In my view, several of their styles are fine for work.
posted by mumimor at 7:21 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

If you've got pain already and are looking at an hour of daily walking for your commute, for a long time, and you're having to watch your budget, I really don't think it's worth risking it with officey shoes. Anything that looks even halfway decent is almost guaranteed to be inadequate. (Like you *might* be able to find "comfort" shoes that could almost do the job, depending on how bad your feet are, but they're almost certainly going to be hideous and embarrassing, much more so than a pair of runners. And they'll probably cost you more.)

I'd go to a running store with a good return policy - usually you can try things out indoors for a while (I returned shoes six times this year, really worth it ) and invest in properly supportive shoes. It will run you minimum $100, probably closer to $200, but it is worth saving your feet, you just get the one pair :/ Check out https://runrepeat.com/ for running shoe reviews, also zappos.com, which will tell you info about the fit (reviewers there with narrow feet might also recommend particular brands in their reviews. Offhand, I know Nikes run narrow.) The shoes might not be *perfect*, either, but if you can get the sole and fit right (viz a viz cushioning, axis of footbed, heel-toe drop), you can add an orthotic insole. An off-the-shelf insert might even work (but get the shoe a half size or size up, depending on the insole).
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:41 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

(And this is how people are wearing them - it doesn't look bad, honestly, you just have to change your perspective a little.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:47 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'd just go with fancy running shoes and embrace the trend everyone in the thread is talking about. I work in a similarly casual place and have slowly moved from wearing ballet flats in the spring to weird velrco nikes or crazy printed running shoes with pretty much everything.
posted by snaw at 8:08 AM on June 1, 2017

Response by poster: I considered the leave-shoes-at-office approach, but it's an open-plan shared-workspace place, and one of the questions they asked me at the interview was "how do you feel about not necessarily having a set desk that you would be working at every day", so I don't think that's a viable option...
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:14 AM on June 1, 2017

Do you get a locker/drawer/cabinet of some kind - if so problem solved. If not take a separate bag, shoe bags exist, but anything will do, and put your lightweight office shoes with you, in your normal bag. If you have nowhere to store things in this space you will need to come up with a bag/solution that allows you to carry everything you need for the workday anyway.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:12 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Danskos are great, but their sister brand (and, iirc, the former maker of a bunch of Dansko lines) is even better. Sanita is popular with nurses and other medical professionals for a reason. Keep an eye on sale Sanitas at Sierra Trading Post.
posted by MonkeyToes at 10:41 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Dansko and Sanitas are good for lots of standing but not so much for prolonged walking - they're usually heavy, can be unstable (because of the height of the sole, if anyone has wobbly ankles and is walking outside, with cracks in pavement etc), could have a better sole shape for forward propulsion... (Sorry to comment so much but I know what it's like to not have a huge budget available for footwear but need it to work so things don't hurt :/ May be projecting my own issues & sorry if that's tye case. Just sucks to drop a few hundred on shoes that hurt.) Really, a running or walking shoe is good for walking.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:13 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Ideally you would be able to leave shoes at the office, but even if not, just bring nice office shoes with you on your daily commute. It will be wayyy easier to find lightweight casual-office-appropriate shoes and maybe a stylish backpack to carry your stuff, than to find comfortable office shoes that can withstand 1 hour of walking every day while not getting too scuffed up. I can think of some options for the latter--e.g. Munro, which has good arch support and narrow widths--but the price range is $200 and they'll still wear out much faster than the shoe-switch option.

For arch support in closed-toe dress shoes, find a pair of Superfeet insoles that work for your feet and bring them shoe shopping with you. This won't work in sandals, obviously. Check out the Barking Dog Shoes blog for specific sandal recommendations for problem feet, though the styles selected tend to skew heavily "comfort."
posted by serelliya at 11:23 AM on June 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

Birkenstocks makes real shoes now. They're not cheap but you can get them much cheaper on eBay if you know your fit.
posted by Salamandrous at 11:58 AM on June 1, 2017

Response by poster: Welp, I'm marking this resolved because the office kind of took the decision out of my hands - we are moving back to Manhattan after only a couple more weeks here in Brooklyn, so I'll be back to the subway again. :-( (Nah, it makes sense - there's one poor person who's been commuting to Brooklyn from Rego Park, and we are smushed as it is with five people here and are hiring two more, so we'll be getting a much bigger space in Midtown.)

Have been meaning to check out Birkenstocks anyway so maybe this is the incentive for my civilian life. Thanks!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:19 AM on June 22, 2017