Comfortable Womens Work Shoes: The 5 Shoes You Need To Have in Your Closet
We know all too well—comfort and style don’t always go hand in hand. When it comes to footwear, it seems that the most fabulous shoes require us to sacrifice comfort for style. This fashion axiom holds true for our going-out shoes and our everyday work shoes. But you don’t have to wear schlumpy shoes when you’re going to work. Omiru has what you should be looking for in comfortable womens work shoes so that you don’t have to sacrifice your feet’s happiness for style:
Flats
Arturo Chiang Amalie Loafers | $85 at Piperlime
When you’re on your feet, running from meeting to meeting, flats are going to get you where you’re going with the least pain possible. With flats, you have a variety of work-appropriate options, from loafers and driving mocs to ballet flats. Flats are hands-down our favorite type of womens work shoes from a comfort perspective, but we understand that they’re not for every woman—or every work environment.
Kitten Heels
Layland Slingback Pump | $39.99 at Nine West
If you’re tall, you can get away with flats. But if you’re not blessed with height, kitten heels are going to be a great alternative. These low heels give you an inch or two of height, and they’re nearly as comfortable as flats if you get the right pair
Wedge Heels
BP Uptown Wedge Pump | $69.95 at Nordstrom
If you’re looking for a little more height than a kitten heel will afford you, we’d recommend looking for wedge heels. Wedge heels are exactly what they sound like – instead of a pointy heel, you get to distribute your weight over a wedge shaped heel. As such, they’re much more comfortable to wear than their traditional pointy-heel counterparts.
Cushioning
Cole Haan Carma OT Air Pump | $301.95 at Zappos
What else should you be looking for in comfortable work shoes? Cushioning for your feet. Regardless of heel height, a little bit of cushioning goes a long way in making your work shoes comfortable. When you’re shopping for shoes, look for rubberized heels on the outside of the shoe and padding and support on the inside too. Cole Haan makes shoes with Nike Air technology. While they’re not quite as comfortable as a pair of Nike sneakers, their pumps are as comfy as heels can be.
Spacious Toe Boxes
Gentle Souls It’s So Fun | $195 at Kenneth Cole
Narrow or pointed toe boxes make your toes sad. They crunch your toes, and your feet will be calling out to you by the end (if not middle) of the day. Instead of crunching your toes into narrow toe boxes, give them room to breathe with rounded or square toe boxes. We’re a big fan of round toe shoes – they’re reminiscent of Mary Janes and they add a bit of femininity to any outfit.
Last thoughts? Comfortable womens work shoes can be found almost everywhere, now that there are a number of brands that specialize in comfort shoes. You may want to take a look at the following brands: Cole Haan Nike Air Technology, Gentle Souls by Kenneth Cole, Naturalizer, Taryn Rose, Walking Cradles, Sofft, Soft Spots, Hush Puppies, Dansko, Merrel, Clarks, and Easy Spirit.
What are your favorite comfortable work shoes? Share your style with us in the comments!
13 comments June 22nd, 2009