Hola, shoe-lovers! One of your bloggers (c’est moi, bien sûr) has been head over well-shod heels in a project that has consumed her life for…oh, too long to count now. The project is more or less out of my hands now, and the anxious wait for a review has commenced.

The point is, I am just now starting to realize how much of a solace shoes have been to me. There is nothing like a good session of shoe-shopping/browsing to restore my faith in joy and beauty after a prolonged session of dreary alliterative drudgery. I am slowly rediscovering — and savoring every minute of it!– what The Manolo has dubbed “the joy that is the shoes.” Let me tell you, he knows what he’s talking about!

I’ve been seeing so much sparkle, color, and wit (yes, wit!) browsing for the shoes of this season that, well, my spirits have been almost restored. Oh, and here’s what I got out of this:

Cynthia Vincent’s Judy silver ballet flat from the good folks at Heels.com (see, they also have flats!). My wardrobe was missing something silver (so hot right now), and what is great about these is that they have the ombre shading, so they’re really a gray-pewter in the back and a shinier silver in front. Very versatile!

I had misgivings about two things with this pair: the elastic back, and the flimsy sole. Both were unfounded–the shoes conformed to my feet and stayed put without a problem, and the sole is generously padded, so they’re really really comfy.

Ah, it’s good to be back in shoe-world. Remember, gals, when you’re in a funk, take comfort in the joy that is the shoes!

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I’ve wanted to try a pair of Natural Comfort shoes ever since seeing this clever poster up around New York City.

Cute ad, cute shoes, and you know we’re all about comfort with our style here at Shoeblog.

So, I finally got my feet into a pair of the Ko boots (in black at Heels.com or in gray at Endless).

Mine are the black ones, and I’m a pleased puppy.  The patent leather and the overall silhouette is dressy enough to go to work, the metal studs are funky enough for cuffing up some jeans and heading out for a night on the town.  And the sole is a padded foam material that’s in all the Natural Comfort shoes.  Hence the comfort, right?

I’ve put my orthotics in these with no problems (just order them a little bigger), and I’m hitting the pavement pain-free.  One word to the potential buyer.  The circumference of the top of the boot is 11.5 inches, which is fairly wide, given that the boot shaft is only 9 inches high.  I’ve got smallish calves, and there’s a decent gap, which doesn’t bother me on this boot, but if you want this to be fitted around your calf, it’s probably better for those with larger calves.

Natural Comfort has some styles that don’t do it for me.  Some are still a bit too clunky or hippy-esque.  But there are also some that I think are gorgeous, chiefly among them the Bazaar wedge, which comes in a couple toned-down colors, but also two fun and flirty combinations involving teal and raspberry.

Oh, and see those fun linings peeking out in the Bazaar?   They’re in the Ko boots, too (and yes, those are little flecks of metallic gold in there).

I’m a sucker for a great lining (in clothes, too).  It’s like knowing you’ve got sexy matching underwear on even if no one but you is going to see it.  Instant mood lifter.  I had a pair of black boots once with a red leather lining.  I was pretty much the only one who knew it was there, but damn if it didn’t make me feel like a vixen every time I wore them.

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ECCO is one of those brands that’s pretty synonymous with comfort footwear. They’re a classic staple of the field, and there’s good reason for that. The Danish-based company have been making good quality, walkable shoes since 1963. And (hear the bells ring out), for the last few years their style has been improving by Superman-size leaps and bounds.

I remember about 5 years ago, I was on a trip to Scandinavia and Iceland.  Every store had those excellent boxer-inspired boots on display, and they hadn’t reached the USA yet.  I was dying for a pair, but my shopping day in Copenhagen was a Sunday, and most stores were closed.  I remember a mad dash through the Copenhagen airport as soon as I saw they had a duty-free ECCO store, the fastest shoe try-on in memory, and a lightning speed payment for a seriously awesome (and comfy, of course) pair of ECCO boxer boots that weren’t being sold in the States.

And things have only gotten better.  I mean, who’d think that these sexy Bonn tall boots would actually be built for comfort?

The pointy toe, the laser cut-out cuff, the sleek skinny heel. All normally trappings of high fashion (aka high discomfort) styles. But not so here! ECCO makes shoes to fit your feel, not shoes to force your feet into. And the price on these gorgeous things? A mere $210, which is highly reasonable for a pair of high quality, high fashion, comfortable knee boots.

And the style offerings out now range from the sleekly chic to the rocker fantastic. The Bern ankle boot ($160) might as well be straight off Debbie Harry in her Blondie heyday.

It’ll bring just enough attitude to your wardrobe without leaving the realm of the “work appropriate.”

And speaking of work appropriate, that’s a whole new realm ECCO’s begun to offer over the past few years. No longer are they just walking shoes. Now you can head to the office and the office party in any number of classy ECCO pumps, like the Bristol line, which includes a basic 3″ version and a patent t-strap (both $140).

And keep your eyes open for the upcoming Spring 2008 shoes. We got a sneak peek at some of them at the Las Vegas WSA show last summer, and they are ADORABLE!

Of course, in the name of our Shoeblogging duty, your intrepid bloggers test-ran some of the fall ECCOs, and we’re here to report on our exceedingly impressive findings.

Jitterbugbaby–Bremen boot

I had a bit of a runaround before I finally ended up with the Bremen boots. At first, I was really drawn to the “biker with style” look of the Supreme High boot:

But when I got them, although there were removable insoles that let me fit my orthotics in quite nicely, the circumference of the calf was much too wide. I should have paid closer attention to the website, where the calf circumference is listed as 16″ (I generally look for 14″ and smaller).

Ah well, back to the drawing board. And the drawing board brought me to the Bremen tall boot, which was a smarter option for me, anyway, since I’ve been looking for a good knee-high, classy brown leather boot.

This boot certainly fits that bill well. From the picture I was afraid the heel would be too chunky for me (I prefer thinner heels), but in person that’s not an issue. They’re very nice looking, hitting a good compromise between dress boots and the riding boot style that I quite like. The calf circumference is 14 3/4″, which is better for me, but still would be a bit loose except for the fact that the little buckle up at the top is not just there for decoration. It’s functional and cinched in the top of the boot so it was just right. The brown is a bit lighter in person than this picture (I’d say chocolate rather than espresso), but it’s a very rich brown and soft leather.

So, that’s the review looks-wise. Now, how does it feel? In the main, very good. The soles are flexible and have a good non-slip traction to them. The toe tapers in a bit, but not too much, so my wide feet didn’t feel squeezed at all. And it’s roomier than many brands, so no place on my feet was cramped. I wore them all day at work and then out to dinner and a movie with friends, and the only issue I’d say I had with them was that there’s not enough arch support for me. Of course, this is a subjective statement, and someone with lower arches than mine might be perfectly satisfied. But for me the combination of not enough arch support and a comfortably roomy fit meant that my feet slid forward a little in the shoe, so by the end of my day walking around, I was feeling a bit of discomfort in the balls of my feet.

However, all that said, the day I wore them involved more walking around the pavement than I usually go in for during my normal day, and it was only at the very end of that day that any pain at all cropped up. Overall, I give these boots two thumbs up in both the looks and comfort departments and am very satisfied with my new brown boots.

Shomore– Manila Peek-A-Boo Toe

For me, ECCO has always been a reputable shoe brand known for their comfort but not so much for their sense of style (see post of the ECCO Shade 3 that I purchased for my mom. BTW she loves the shoes.). Fortunately, it looks like they’ve upped the ante on the style quotient. Case in point, don’t ECCO’s Bonn Ankle Boot look like great rocker boots? I couldn’t believe they were made by ECCO.

The Bonn boots were not available at the time, but I did get a chance to try the Manila Peek-A-Boo pump instead. I chose these pumps because they are feminine and classy - perfect for wearing into the office (even ones that discourage showing any toes) but also good to wear under jeans too.

The fit - Out of the box, the Manila shoes were a half size larger than I expected. No worries, I exchanged and soon had a pair in the right size. Once I exchanged into a half size smaller, the shoes fit me well. In the past, I’ve run into issues with peep toe shoes. One toe would always find a way at peeping out uncomfortably on its own. No toe issues here. Also nice was an ample toe box, good for wiggle room.

The feel- With any pumps over 2 inches, I usually have a few problems. The range of maladies include have my feet slide down the pump, an unstable heel which leave me teetering, and overall discomfort after wearing shoes for more than an hour. I discovered NONE of these issues with the Manila! After wearing these to a charity dinner (I paired them under a black suit), my feet were still as happy as can be. The heel was thick and stable enough without being chunky and I soon discovered that I had confidence to walk around freely in the pumps. Best of all, although I didn’t wear any nylons, I didn’t experience issues with sweaty feet.

The fashion - These ECCO shoes are no Louboutins but that was okay with me. I was happy to sacrifice a bit of style for comfort. The Manila Peek-A-Boo pumps are super cute and feminine. I liked the detailed stitching on the vamp. It added a little bit of flair to the peep-toes.

Overall, I will continue to observe ECCO. ECCO already has the comfort formula down and it is good to see that style is now coming into play too. I used to think ECCO shoes were for my mother’s age group, but find that notion fading away.

Shoesense: Budapest Mini T-strap

I chose a bright, colorful patent shoe-the Budapest Mini T-strap ($120), which is available in three colors: black, olive, and brick. Mine was the brick version below:

Simply put, these shoes are AWESOME. In person, they seem brighter, almost deep-red (I initially expected a darker terracotta, I guess); they are cheerful, well made, and overall, extremely attractive (and yes, they will get noticed!). But the real bombshell was the fit: The Budapest flat is outrageously comfortable, something you don’t really expect from a pointy-toe flat. The toe-box is so well made that your toes have room to wiggle despite the pointy-design, which almost makes me mad at other designers of pointy-toe shoes: how come their shoes torture our feet, whereas ECCO has got it exactly right? Hm? Think about that!

The outsole is rubber, very flexible and cushy, and the design is such that you can wear them barefoot, too, without any fears of rubbing and blisters. In fact, this shoe demonstrates that well-made shoes do NOT need a break-in period: they felt supremely comfortable right out of the box. I wore them with dark jeans and a horizontal-striped black-and-white H&M T-shirt, and they finished the outfit with just the right amount of pizzazz.

The price is right (a little on the higher-end, but definitely not outrageous), the patent is right-on-trend, the cute mini T-strap is just the right amount of detail, and the colors are extremely wearable. Overall, I give this shoe a glowing A, and I look forward to other ECCO offerings!

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Many of you may already know about and/or have tried Insolia, and I’ve been meaning to give them a good testing, but this past weekend was my first real opportunity to do so.

I had a wedding to go to, and the shoes I wanted to wear are 3 inch heels, seen here (although the grass is covering much of the shoe).

Now, just to be clear, since you can’t really see it well in this photo. These shoes are heels. Not wedges. They’re not stilleto, or anything, but it’s a fairly thin stacked wood heel. These have proven fairly comfortable in the past (they’re from Circa Joan+David, and they were my very first ever purchase at a DSW store), but I’ve never worn them to an event for an extended period of time. And I wanted a bit of a help for the comfort of them. So, Insolia, it was finally time for me to try you out.

For those of you who don’t know Insolia, it’s a brand of shoe inserts for heels. They’re little gel inserts that adhere to the insole of your shoes (only heels… these aren’t going to do you any good in flats).

What they do is reduce the pressure on the ball of your feet that usually comes with wearing heels. They have a little ridge just where the shoe starts to slope down into the arch area, so it keeps your foot from sliding all the way forward and adding that pressure to the forefoot area. Here’s the neat little Insolia diagram that shoes the distribution of weight with and without the inserts.

And in case you’re worried that this is just another gimmick, these have been approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association and everything. Plus, you can buy them for about $10 in most chain pharmacies (or online in a pack of 3 for $20).

DKNY shoes have started incorporating Insolia into their insoles already, which means they should hopefully be a bit less uncomfortable for all day shoes.

So, how did these stack up? Well, I must say that while my feet still weren’t all that happy with me after dancing and standing for several hours at the reception, the pressure did indeed seem even between my heel and forefoot. I was pretty pleased with how the Insolia inserts made a difference in my shoes, and I’d certainly consider getting more for other heels (they’re not interchangeable, so when you put a pair in your shoes, they’re in there for that one pair of shoes). If you’re trying to sort through all the options for inserts, I’d give these a thumbs up, since they actually deal with the cause of the pain from heels, not just cushioning and treating the symptoms of the problem. Plus, since they’re clear and very low-profile, you can put them in any kind of heels you want (as seen in the picture above), not just closed shoes. Wedges, sandals, pumps, or this fall’s trendy oxford heels and booties. Insolia can help them all!

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What’s the pet issue of Shoeblog? Finding shoes that are comfortable AND fashionable. Shoes that you can wear all day that will not only keep your feet from falling off in pain, but will also get admiring and covetous glances from passersby.

So, when a company like Oh! Shoes came along a few years ago, it was clearly time to sit up and take notice. Oh! Shoes is a rare thing: a company that focuses not just on making shoes fashionable and comfortable, but making them HEALTHY for your feet. Soft padding makes things comfy, sure, but it won’t help with arch support, for example. These go beyond the comfort into actually being good for you. And they primarily do it with heels. A rare thing, indeed.

Oh! started with the idea that women shouldn’t have to suffer to wear dressy shoes with some lift to them. If you stop to think about how ridiculous some of the statistics out there are (about 72% of women have some sort of foot deformity, mainly from high heels, and women have many times the number of foot problems as men–also from wearing heels), it seems like it’s about time someone tried to fix this. Enter Dr. Carol Frey, a California orthopedic surgeon, and the engineering team at Oh! Shoes.

They worked together to create a selection of stylish shoes (and there have consistently been more and more stylish options available from them every season) that are also technologically advanced enough to keep women from killing themselves in heels. Of course, you’re not going to find heels from Oh! that are above 3”, because there’s just NO way that a shoe can be healthy for your feet at that height. It throws all your joints completely out of alignment, and that’s not correctable. But with Oh!, there are several elements incorporated in each shoe (still without making them look like clunky orthopedic shoes) that provide arch support, shock absorption, traction, and flexibility, so the shoe moves with you instead of your foot disfiguring itself to fit the shoe.

Check out this breakdown of the layers that go into every pair of Oh! Shoes and you can see what they’ve done to make these shoes very wearable.

Oh! Shoes was kind enough to send us some sample pairs to try out (and I must say, they were a pleasure to deal with both via email and in person at the WSA Show where we met with them… high marks for customer service), so we could report back to you with first hand knowledge. So, without further ado, here are our individual reviews.

Shoesense: I tried the Jessie Quartzo–a reptile print with metallic accents. All the comfort features are listed here: multi-contour support system with extra cushioning, shock-absorbing heel system, narrow heel for a snug fit, rubber sole.

I wore these on two errands that involved two and a half miles of walking for the first, about one mile for the second. First, let me just say they look great, and feel fabulous when you put them on. Although I cannot walk in high heels for more than a block or two, these were no problems to walk in (plus, the heel is not THAT high–2 3/4 inches, which would still give me problems in other styles.) So! height not a problem! However, the fit was not as comfortable as expected, especially after the first mile. It seemed that every conceivable strap and band rubbed into my foot–the peep-toe, especially, but also the ankle strap (I guess that snug heel fit wasn’t for me after all). The first walk ended up in blisters, sadly.

The second trip–I was careful to make it no more than one mile total, just running errands around the neighborhood. Much more wearable! And I’m guessing, a little breaking-in had already taken place there so the blister-making process was much delayed. I’m not going to lie to you–there were still a couple of small blisters, but nowhere near as calamitous as the first trip. This is encouraging to me as I believe the third time would probably approach perfection.

In conclusion: a good looking shoe which is surprisingly comfortable for its height, breathable, and goes well with a variety of outfits (I wore it with a dress once and with trousers the second time). However, it may either need some time breaking in, or you need to wear it with socks and tights, at least at the beginning.

You can buy the Oh! Shoes Jessie in quartzo (pictured) or mahogany at Zappos for $179.

Shomore: Oh! Shoes Jessie Review Part 2

Quite randomly, like Shoesense, I also opted for the Jessie wedge, except in mahogany color. I was pleased to find that the Jessie wedge follows my foot arch quite nicely. The footbed lives up to its reputation - I felt that my weight was properly distributed throughout the entire length of my foot and that I had full arch support. Even with a 2 3/4 wedge heel, my foot weren’t sliding down when walking. Huzzah!

Physically, these shoes are also multi-functional. They have gone well on casual outings like a trip to the grocery store, dinner, etc. And though it’s not apparent from the snapshot, but there’s a hint of gold sparkle on these shoes that glam up the wedge. Hence, I’ve also worn these out for dress-casual occasions as well.

Alas, these shoes were not perfect though. My one complaint was also a rather large one. Right when I slipped in these shoes, I found that my toes were quite crammed. My big toe and pinky toe have complained to me that they are way too close to their neighbors and are slightly battered. I am keeping my fingers crossed that, with more wear, there will be more give in the toe area. In all honesty though, I do believe this may be limited to the model I was trying on. At the World Shoe Association (WSA) show, I had tried on a pair of wedges of similar styling to the Jessie and didn’t have any issues with my toes.

For me, Oh! Shoes are definitely a brand to watch out for. First, this brand is marketed based on being comfortable so I’m set in that department. And if you’ve only been mildly interested in the styles, I have some great news for you. With the Spring 2008 line, Oh! Shoes are a few surprises up their sleeves. They’ve taken the style quotient up a few notches so you’ll find comfy and stylish shoes at the same time.

Jitterbugbaby:

I went for the Dalia, and I’m a pleased puppy. It’s very delicate looking in person, and you’d never associate it with a ” comfort shoe” aesthetic. The little wooden circles on the T-strap are funky and fun, but this is still a dressy sandal.

Like my fellow reviewers have said, the arch support in this shoe was immediately apparent and very comfortable. The buckle made the strap nicely adjustable, and since I have thin ankles, this can sometimes be a problem for me. But not so here. I got a nice steadying fit, and didn’t end up twisting my admittedly weak ankles at all while wearing these. I was very pleased with the style and fit.

I’ve worn them twice now to work and running errands, and I’ve also encountered a bit of rubbing with the strap across my toes. I will say for the record that this is something I encounter fairly regularly since my feet are particularly wide at the toe box area. I didn’t end up with blisters from these, even after running errands after work, but I also didn’t wear them walking around for hours and hours.

However, the leather is quite soft and the second time I wore them, although they still rubbed in the same places, it was a much less noticeable effect. It didn’t hurt as much as the first wear, and I’m convinced that after just a few outings, these will be quite comfortable.

The other thing I noticed with pleasure is that after wearing them all day, my calves (which tighten up a lot just based on the way I walk, and do so even more when I’m wearing any kind of heel) remained nice and loose. This, combined with the fact that there was none of that pain in the ball of my feet that sometimes comes from wearing heels, really proves that their technological elements do their job and keep your weight evenly distributed throughout the shoe.

Overall, I’m very pleased with this shoe. Yes, it may take some breaking in, but not much, and its comfort and style… and HEALTHINESS have been amply proven.

And if you like the Dalia, it’s now on sale at Endless in several colors for only $90!

So, in parting, check out this insert that comes with every new pair of Oh! Shoes. It gives a nice overview of what the company is about and how they do it. And definitely keep your eyes open for even more stylish options going into Spring 2008. Like Shomore said, there are some ADORABLE shoes coming out next year.

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