Comfortable Walking Shoes

Here's an interesting question I just received from a reader:

Q: I just returned from Baltimore where I visited my son. He walks everywhere so I put a lot of miles on my relatively new Clarks and suffered many blisters. Now I have information from another who also suffered extensive foot blistering in Baltimore. So maybe it is a Baltimore "thing"? In any event, do you have any recommendations to avoid blisters ? After all, it is Baltimore! Thank you in advance for your advice.

A: I would have to say it's your shoes. I like clarks and I have several pairs. In general, they are comfy shoes but if you're going to be doing "lots" of walking, they can rub in spots, so I don't recommend them for all day walking.

Mephisto, although rather pricey, makes some of the best shoes for walking and comfort. Rockports, Teva and New Balance are also great shoes for walking as well. Propet is another really good one that specializes in walking shoes. The moral of the story is: If you're doing all day walking be sure to get shoes that are meant just for that. Anything else, you may compromise your comfort and risk a few blisters.

All of the above shoes can be found at these stores:

Zappos
Shoebuy
Shoes.com
Teva as well.

Make Your Feet Look Smaller!

You may not be plagued with big feet but there are
plenty of us who are, and I'm one of them.

I've worn a size 9 shoe since high school, but the
worst part was being surrounded by friends wearing
size 3 & 4. I hated it.

Today, I'm more comfortable with my big feet.
First of all, in life, there are certainly bigger
things to fret about, and second, the problem is
remedied simply by buying shoes that make your
feet 'look' smaller.

Ladies, you'll be happy to know that high heels do
give the appearance of having smaller feet. The high
heel tapers the toes and arches the foot giving the
appearance of being small and delicate. Chunky heels
such as wedges do it even better than stilettos, and
of course, they're a bit easier on your feet.
Pointy toes can make your feel look longer.

If your foot is already long, perhaps this is not the
look you're going for, however, if having a wide foot
is what concerns you, then choosing a close fitting
pointy toe may be the answer.

Making a recent comeback in popularity is the
rounded toe shoe. This type of shoe can make the
foot shorter in appearance.
Steer clear of strappy sandals that expose most of
your foot, they can make your foot look larger. The
smaller the opening around your toes, the smaller
your foot will appear. Hence, the larger the
opening, the bigger your foot will appear.

Showing a little less of your toes with a nice
sling back is certainly fine. The more material
you have on top of your foot, as with closed toe
shoes such as with clogs, the longer your foot
will appear.

Just as with clothing, dark colors can make
your feet look smaller, however before stocking
up on all styles of black, step out with some
deeper tones of brown, grey and green or maybe
some of the yummy earth tones that have become
so popular. Shoe accents for women such as
buckles, bows or detailing will also make
your foot look smaller.

Gentleman who want a smaller look should find
a shoe with a tassel or straps that cross the
shoe near the toe.

Stuart Weitzman has become very popular among
women with hard-to-fit feet by offering a wide
range of sizes from 3 1/2 to 12, AAAA to W

Donald J. Pliner carries great styles and plus sized from 11 to 12m and some NPlus sizes: 11 and 12 M, some N
DesignerShoes.com carries plus sizes 10 1/2 to 15, AAAA to WW with such brands as Via Spiga, Stuart Weitzman, Anne Klein, Pancaldi, Claudia Ciuti, Donald J. Pliner, Steve Madden, custom Eleve line