Here it is, the most popular blog of the year! New and exciting this year, we have alphabetized the list because we found so many options and we are all a little overwhelmed right now, aren’t we? However, we do need comfortable shoes for our daily quarantine walks. I’m also going to bet that after dressing comfortably for so long, no one is going to want to put on uncomfortable shoes when we finally get out of quarantine. The spring comfort shoe blog is laid out by brand because women with shoe fit problems tend to know which brands fit them.
These are not comfortable shoes from designer brands, but designer looking shoes from comfort brands, all in alphabetical order. I’ve tried to include a range in each brand; a sneaker, a flat, a loafer, some heels, and of course, a lot of sandals. Every brand has its own specialty of course but we’ve pulled out the most on trend styles, even if they are not what you would normally expect from the brand.
We usually like to post the more interesting colors, but if you like a shoe, click through to the website to see all available colors. Just because we posted it in leopard print doesn’t mean it doesn’t come in black! Trust me, it probably comes in black or we wouldn’t have included it. Also, sometimes different colors are listed separately, so if you like a style, search it on the brand’s site to make sure you are seeing all of the available colors and patterns.
Happy Shopping!
P.S. Prices are as marked when this blog was written! However, I did not change the price when a brand was having a blanket sale across the site, because I felt that was too subject to change. Please click through for the most up-to-date prices.
AGL
AGL has long had a devoted following of women who swear by the comfort of their shoes and are willing to pay for it. especially their signature ballet flats. The brand has made a push in the last few years to be known as more of a fashion brand than a comfort one. Luckily for you, the shoes are still comfortable, just edgier but in a classic, Italian way. If they work for your feet, you can’t go wrong investing in a pair of AGL shoes.
AGL Studded Venetian Loafer, $375 $141.68
AGL Stud Cap Toe Pump, $380 $170.9
AGL Studded Slide Sandal, $398 $179.10
ALLY Shoes
ALLY is new to the list this year! I met Samantha Dong, the owner and CEO of this innovative shoe company, at a trunk show in DC and immediately scheduled a meeting with her during my next trip to New York. (Check out my Zoom chat with her, A Working Mom’s Survival Guide to Covid-19 Quarantine when you need a lifeline!) Have you ever heard of wearing high heels described as “pillows under your feet”? That quote is from Vanity Fair magazine. These heels have arch support and padding. Each style comes in a myriad of colors, including glitter! ALLY offers three different widths, narrow, medium and wide. I had completely given up on high heels and now I can wear them again. Thank you, Sam! As a thank you to my readers for their support, she has given me a discount code for you. Use code LANI10 for a 10% discount off your first pair of ALLY shoes.
ALLY Shoes Classic Pump, Available in Multiple Colors & Finishes $285-295
ALLY Shoes Mary-Jane, Available in Multiple Colors & Finishes $295
Anne Klein
Anne Klein is a working woman’s standard comfort shoe, but doesn’t have to look like it. We have long had clients who swear by Anne Klein for comfortable, reasonably priced work shoes. We love the comfort but encourage our clients to shop the more fashionable side of the line, such as the styles we have highlighted for you below.
Anne Klein Sport Oalise, $70 $49.99
Anne Klein Nadella, $80 $55.99
Birkenstock
Longtime readers know how much we love Birkenstocks at Real Life Style. Kyle loves the big-buckle styles and has both of those styles featured below as well as an EVA pair. I can only wear the soft-footbed and EVA Essentials styles. The original hard cork footbed has never worked for me. I have the metallic Arizona style featured below in silver, as well as a pair of EVA Essentials in black. If you like the lightweight, waterproof functionality of the EVA Essentials styles as much as I do, check out the whole line on the Birkenstock brand website.
Birkenstock Arizona Big Buckle Slide Sandal, $149.95
Birkenstock Madrid Big Buckle Slide Sandal, $129.95
Birkenstock Arizona Soft Footbed Sandal in Rose Gold, $109.95–$134.95
Birkenstock Arizona Slide Sandal Essentials, $39.95-44.95
Birkenstock Samira Papillio Slingback Wedge Sandal, $169.95
Clarks
Clarks has long been one of our secret weapons for women who really need comfortable shoes for work and casual, but don’t want to sacrifice style. Kyle and I like to joke that you should only shop the front of the store because that is where they showcase the more stylish options. Since you don’t have that option right now, we’ve chosen our favorite styles for you to shop online. P.S. Clarks was advertising 30% off the entire site as of this posting!
Clarks Un Maui Lace Sneaker, $130
Cole Haan
Cole Haan has long been a go-to for more comfortable styles. The brand has gone through multiple iterations of their comfort lines, starting with their original Nike collaboration and settling now with their Grand collections. Cole Haan has really gotten their styling and fit right lately. After not shopping the brand extensively for a few years, we have been finding many stylish options for both our male and female clients this past year.
Cole Haan Grand Ambition Flatform Slide Sandal, $160 $112
Cole Haan Avani City Sandal, $150 $105
Cole Haan Grand Ambition Pump, $180 $126
Cole Haan Lesli Pump, $150 $105
Cole Haan Grand Pro Rally Court Sneaker, $130 $91
Cole Haan Vesta Skimmer Flat, $170 $99.95
Dansko
Dansko is one of those lines that can be very cool or decidedly not. And if the fit works for you, it really works. I am a big fan of the wooden block heeled sandals, which are very Danish girl chic. Every summer I try to get a pair, but by the time I get around to shopping for myself, the ones I want are sold out. Yes, the most stylish options sell out fast so get them while you can! I do have a pair of their classic clogs, which are perfect under seventies style, flared J. Brand jeans. When you put a pair of the clogs on, you can hear your feet exclaiming, “Aaahhhh….”, as they relax.
Everlane
Everlane shoes are the unique “fashion shoe” that was created comfortable. From day one, Everlane has prioritized comfort without sacrificing style. A lot of people swear by their original Day Glove style. I bought them myself as walking shoes for New York. However, for me, they are comfortable but more like 5,000 step shoes, not 10,000 step shoes. I really need support in my shoes. Other people find them so comfortable they can walk anywhere in them and own them in 5 colors. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to some other styles from Everlane, a lot of which have even more support than the Day Glove, although I did include an exciting new version of the Day Glove for you!
Everlane The 40 Hour Flat, $118
Everlane The Day Glove in Reknit, $98
Everlane The Glove Knit Mule in Reknit
Everlane The Court Sneaker, $98
Fit Flop
I just had a fashion heart attack on the Fit Flop website. I mean, what the heck happened to Fit Flop? I’ve always had a soft spot for the brand because it was started by Marcia Kilgore, the genius behind Bliss Spas and products. I was a client of her’s in New York before the spa was even called Bliss. However, I could never get past how, let’s say, “pedestrian” the shoes looked. Fit-Flop just didn’t pass the New York fashion test. I couldn’t let my clients buy them under my watch. Just. Too. Ugly. There, I said it. But now? They have clogs that look like they could be $800 designer sandals from Chloe. Even the sneakers look amazing. There were too many stylish options to count and way to many to show them all to you. Please go to the Fit Flop site to see all the new, stylish options yourself!
Fit Flop Siren Metallic Leather Espadrilles, $110
Fit Flop Eloise Espadrille Suede Wedge Slides, $150
Fit Flop Lulu Leather Cross Slides, $90
Fit Flop Freya Suede Sneakers, $130 $65
The Flexx
The Flexx brand shoes have a distinctive sole, which I happen to think looks really modern and almost avant-garde. They have a variety of styles, from sandals to boots, all made with super soft leather and a flexible rubber sole. The Flexx shoes are so comfortable we have trouble getting clients to give them up when they are worn out! We had difficulty finding many styles for a few season but now that Nordstrom carries them online, there are a tremendous number of stylish options from which to choose.
The Flexx Shore Thing Slide Sandal, $124.95 $74.93
The Flexx Free Spirit Sandal, $149.95 $74.93
The Flexx Sneaky Cat Sneaker, $149.95
Naturalizer
Naturalizer is a classic comfort brand. Traditionally, each season they have a few on trend styles that you “can’t tell” are Naturalizer. However, in the last year or two they have made a major push to modernize most of the line. I had a hard time narrowing down the modern and on trend styles for you this season, there were so many to choose from.
Naturalizer Anna Pump, $110 $79.99
Naturalizer Vera Block-Heeled Sandal, $110 $99
Naturalizer Banks Slingback, $99 $59
Naturalizer Gabby Sandal, $140 $99.99
Paul Green
Paul Green is on the higher end of the comfort brand spectrum. However, the shoes last so long, you are more than getting your money’s worth. Somehow Paul Green shoes manage to be both classic and in-style at the same time. Combine those traits with their high-quality construction and Paul Green shoes are a worthy investment.
Paul Green Cody Slide Sandal, $289
Paul Green Cayanne Leather Peep Toe Sandal, $355
Paul Green Adelle Loafer, $319
Paul Green Carla Lace-Up Sneaker, $349
Teva
Teva sandals have been “in style” for a number of seasons now. In the beginning of the trend, you could only buy the basic colors, albeit in leather, in addition to the original nylon. Well, you could buy patterns but they were not stylish enough for us fashion folk. My how things have changed. Now there are flatforms, platforms, crazy amazing patterns, and fringe! Yes, fringe on your Tevas. Scroll through and prepare for some fun. Better yet, buy a pair! Can you guess which pair are my favorite? No? Me either! I can’t decide, I love so many of the styles. I “only” have a plain black leather FYI.
Teva Ceres Flatform Sandal, $99.95
Teva Flatform Universal Sandal Olive, $74.95
Teva Hurricane Drift Water Sandal, $39.95
Teva Hurricane XLT2 Sandal, $69.95
Teva Midform Universal Sandal, $59.95
Trotters
Trotters is the brand we pull out of our hat when someone has a really tough size and comfort issues. The brand has widths from narrow to double wide, and sizes up to 12. Trust me, if you can’t find anything to fit or find your size, Trotters is your brand. Like a lot of the other comfort brands, some of the styles are more stylish than others. The Harlowe and the Liz styles below are modern staples we recommend to our clients all the time.
Trotters Harlowe, $99.95 $74.96
Trotters Winnie, $119.95 $89.96
Trotters Majesty, $99.95 $69.99
Vaneli
You might remember my favorite Vaneli sandals from last summer? The brand sent me their beige metallic linen flat sandal to review for the 2019 version of this blog, and I loved them so much that I bought them for myself in black! Vaneli has a great range of sizes and the shoes are truly comfortable for so many women. During normal times you can try most of their styles on at the shoe store Marmi. Marmi and Zappos are the best place to buy the shoes online.
Vionic
Vionic is a lifesaver of a brand for a lot of people with back pain and other stability issues. Not only do the shoes have arch support and cushioning, but you can even sort on the website for styles good for plantar fasciitis. I’m not a huge fan of their original flip-flop style, but they have since expanded into wedges, flats, boots, and heels. You will be shocked how comfortable and stylish Vionic shoes can be.
Vionic Rosie Heeled Sandal, $139.95
Vionic Brook Wedge Sandal, 149.95
Vionic Evelyn Derby, $149.95 $89.95
Vionic Avery Pro Camo Sneaker, $129.95 $90.99
Vionic Maya Sneaker, $109.99 $76.99
Real Life Style is a style consulting firm that teaches busy women to wear their power so they can live their lives fully and confidently. Lani Inlander and Kyle Dunphy are based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and serve clients across the country. We offer personal styling services, an on-demand e-course, corporate services, and training to become a personal stylist.
Once in a while, you can find Lani Inlander and Real Life Style on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Mostly, they are happily busy serving their fabulous clients, not hanging out online!
