…..well, comfortable to some extent, because our ongoing quest to find heels comfortable enough to walk in for hours, has led to one conclusion; there are no entirely comfortable heels that will give that walking-on-air feeling for several hours at a stretch.

The best option is to try and identify features that can make wearing heels less painful.

Features to look for:

1. Shoes that are light. Heavy shoes lead to painful calves very fast.

2. Shoes made in leather, both inside and out. Yes, we all know this and yet we end up spending too much money on patent, plastic or fabric shoes, that are inflexible. Leather gets softer with time and proper care.

In high quality shoes, the insole lining is made of leather too, that is not only at the bottom but the sides as well. Leather also absorbs moisture and allows your feet to breathe.

3. Cushioning on the inside. Press the inside of a shoe, where the ball of your foot is supposed to sit, it should have some cushioning. If there is no cushioning, use gel inserts.

4. Chunkier heels rather than stilettos. Heels with wider contact area with the floor offer more support definitely. Also do look where the heel sits, it should be centered under the heel of your foot for better weight distribution.

5. Sole should not be too thin and smooth, that it gives you a walking on concrete feeling. For shoes with thin soles, your shoe repair guy can put a rubber sole on the base, not only does it make the shoe less slippery but the rubber sole acts as a shock absorber too.

6. The right size. We all do look for the right size but we also talk ourselves into the idea of ‘breaking in’ the shoe. If it does not feel comfortable, its not the size for you and sizes vary from brand to brand. So do try 1/2 size or 1 size up. Never ever settle for tight shoes and hope for them to expand.

7.Top stitching on leather shoes. Avoid them. Shoes that have obvious stitches running all around on the top part of the leather shoe makes the leather lose its ability to stretch.

8.Low vamp shoes rub on the widest part of the foot and can cause bunions. Ouch! (Bunions are misaligned big-toe joints at the base of the toe) Therefore, avoid the shoes that give you toe-cleavage and go for styles where the toe box covers your entire toes.

Quality shoes will have all these features. So, spending more on shoes that give comfort and last you a long time is definitely a good investment.

Shop smart always and if you would like to know which shoe styles will make those pins grab attention, watch this space.

Thanks for reading