(no subject)

[owlectomy]

Modcloth actually has some really adorable dresses in my size now! WOW.

I am not sure if I am a person who wears dresses.

I get hung up on the whole shoe situation.

Somewhere out there, there is a men's shoe that's dressy enough and unisex enough to wear with a dress.

Somewhere out there, there is a women's shoe that comes in my size and has decent arch support, and is the kind of thing you can wear with a dress (i.e. not New Balance running shoes.)

This should be a solvable problem. In theory.

Comments

[pinesandmaples]

The Earlham hipsters (and sometimes me) love a true men's oxford with their dresses in the fall and winter with colored tights or leggings.

Other things I've seen look cute: Tevas, Chacos, Keens, and Birkenstocks (thinking of Arizona and Gizah/Medina here specifically).

[pinesandmaples]

I should probably note that all the sandal suggestions I made were from my Southern brain. My friends in New Orleans/Mississippi would all wear such things, but I can't expect their aesthetic would translate everywhere.

[owlectomy]

Oxfords could definitely work! And I will have a look at Birkenstocks and Keens - it's just that I think they don't make women's shoes in my size, but they may have some men's that will work.

(Well, Keens supposedly goes up to a 12, but I have yet to find one in stock.)

[pinesandmaples]

Birkenstock has recently realized that people with all sorts of feet want to wear some of their styles so they've released some popular styles for smaller sizes in the larger numbers and vice versa. I actually cruised the men's sandals section on BirkenstockUSA before commenting; I didn't want to recommend Gizeh blind. Having a second look, there is another style in that section I think is utterly adorable: Adria. Now I'm coveting a pair!

I don't know if EU size 42 will fit you, but most women's shoes in BirkenstockUSA go up to a 42 which they claim is a US 11-11.5. That opens up the color range, too.

I also found these mary janes that would probably need insoles but are kinda cute. (The site suggests you order in men's sizes.)

[laceblade]

I've given up on matching w/dresses & just wear my black danskos no matter what skirt/dress I have on. It works okay?!

[owlectomy]

I would be okay with that if I had a pair of daily shoes that was just slightly more feminine than men's hiking shoes ;-) I can't remember if I tried Danskos and they just didn't work for me for some reason, because I've heard such good things.

[meaghansketch]

Oxfords are very in right now and work very well with dresses

Sandals work a lot of the time (and can be arch-supporty)

Boots work in the winter, though not in the summer...

What about a supportive athletic/ballet flat type shoe?

You should try on my Shoes of Prey sometime... you might need more arch support but also could maybe get away with adding some kind of an orthotic/insole thing

[sofiaviolet]

Ankle boots seem to be summer-appropriate (I've seen several things online advising how to wear them this summer, at least), and I've been known to wear significantly taller boots year-round. Climate and personal aesthetic seem to be major factors.

There are lots of cute flats made by athletic shoe brands, though I find they skew pretty casual, since they retain a lot of the elements of athletic shoes. But some look more like 'regular' shoes, and just have the athletic-shoe interior features.

[starlady]

+1 on the Oxfords. I've been on the lookout for a decent pair.

I love Modcloth! I am ordering a dress from there today.

[newredshoes]

I've had a lot of luck with Doc Martens, actually! They make really nice dressy shoes, believe it or not, and also sell their own insoles specially fitted to their sizes. I have sky-high arches and desperately need all the support I can get, and their heels have been very good to me.

[littlebutfierce]

Phredd was raving about Superfeet insoles for a long time, & a couple years ago I finally got a pair. They are pretty good! Plus the store I got them from said I could return them (they are expensive) if I didn't find them comfortable after use -- IDK if that was just a policy limited to the store, though.

IDK, I tend to wear a lot of looks-sneakery-but-are-technically-ballet-flats sorts of things w/dresses -- they won't be as comfy as running shoes but maybe w/an insole? (Also I wear Converse w/dresses, but haha well the support in those is virtually nil -- & I don't think mine have the room to put in my one pair of Superfeet, alas.)

But I agree w/other ppl that stuff like Oxfords can work w/a lot of dresses too (maybe not the really floaty pink kind of dresses, but IDK b/c I don't wear those either, haha).

[owlectomy]

I love the look of those sneakery ballet flats but I will have to see if I can find any in my size!

I have been playing around making custom Oxfords on Shoes of Prey, so tempting...

[daedala]

The best thing about modcloth, for me, is the reviewers will often give bra size (instead of bust) and waist and hip measures, which makes it SO much easier to figure out what fits. I've started getting dresses from them, and so far I've been really happy with the quality and fit. I do sometimes need to alter them (sundress had straps too long, that kind of thing) but I knew beforehand whether I would and could decide accordingly.

[antarcticlust.livejournal.com]

I hear you with dresses! As for sizing and arch support, I'd recommend some of Clarks' lines (some of them fit and have great support, others not as much), Danskos, and Born (again, some lines more than others).