Tell me what's on your feet? I need suggestions for some GOOD tennis and dress shoes

[dallaschildren]

Price is no object. I need a shoe which will give strong support to these aching feet of mine. TIA!

[bamboogrrrl]

As a fellow tennis player (USTA rated 3.5 - how cool is that?)...New Balance is the only option. You can order 650s through the Tennis Warehouse or Holabird at great prices online. Don't wear them for more than six months, because even thought they look fine on the outside, the insides get blown out and you'll have no support. I can tell when they are about to go - my feet really start to hurt. New Balance also has a great warranty that allows you to return the shoes if they show unusual wear.

For work, I wear Danskos. Very comfortable, but kinda hippie looking. Wouldn't work if you have to look professional in that "tailored" way.

I soooo empathize about thoe sore foot thang - it can get so painful with bad shoes!

[Kanga Mom]

Ecco Shoes- these are pricey, but we found some at a thrift shop. Love them.

Kanga

[havilah]

I used to have sore feet and backaches from working (12 hour shifts) in cheap shoes. I've had success with Dansko, too, though they aren't cushy a bit. Sometimes my feet are sore if I wear them for a long day.

My favorite halfway decent looking shoe is the Born. (There's supposed to be a little slash through the O). They're hardly formal, but less granola than the Danskos, and cheaper, too.

Naot is also a great brand to try, though most of them are very casual.

There is a great catalog called "Footprints" that carries most of these brands. They offer a 6 month guarantee, and will accept returns of fully worn shoes within that 6 month window - no questions asked. Plus, they resell those returned shoes at a tremendous discount. I was lucky once and got a pair of Dansko clogs for $20.

Warning - once you go down the road of expensive comfy shoes you will never be able to return. My feet are so spoiled, and we aren't as wealthy as we once were:.

[3boysmom]

I'm with havilah - love my Borns! I'm wearing a pair of them right now! I have several pair in different styles and they are so comfortable!

[bamboogrrrl]

Woops! I just realized that I may have had a concrete moment in my previous post. When you said "tennis shoes" I took it literally, then remembered that in other locals, "tennis shoes" just means "sneakers." Thought I found another tennis nut...

Back to your regularly scheduled program...

[dallaschildren]

Bamboogrrrl...Thanks for the tip! Don't worry...I thought nothing of it when you mentioned your tennis ranking, except...hey, that's cool!
I am also going to check out Birkenstocks....people say they are nice.
I've got to get something due to my heel spurs (plantar fascitis).
Thank you to all for the suggestions!

[khrisday]

I have planar fascitis, too and the only shoes that I can aomfortably wear are Birk's (and only the original footbed- not the Papillios or other modified footbeds), and Adidas running shoes.
I think the trick to finding athletic shoes is to try on all major brands and figure out which one designs for a foot model that is closest to your foot. I have wide feet, and New Balance really hurt my feet. Nike's tend to run narrow, but all shoes vary by style. Oh- and running shoes (rather then cross training or tennis, etc) have the best arch support. Now that I have found what works for me, I don't have to spend much time shopping anymore. Every 6 months I buy a new pair of men's Adidas trail running shoes, and I am good to go.

[Potty Diva]

I have a pair of sketcher tennis shoes and they are so light and comfy!!! No other tennis shoe I have ever had matches the comfy and durability-ness of these!

For dress I would suggest Easy Spirit, they are like walking on air.

[Rebecca]

I love my birkenstock Footprints... very classy looking shoe that can be dressed up or down. I have a slip on version that is very tailored-looking. They were pricey though... cost me $130, but very comfy and not hippy-ish (like some think birk sandals are, but I have lots of those too). I think they'll last me a really long time!!

[friend of mine]

I started wearing Birks again. I wore them when I was in college because so did everyone else. Now I'm wearing them because nothing else feels as good. I also have Danskos and I love them too. But I couldn't were them all day they way I do with my Birkenstocks.

[rda]

I have heel spurs as well, and I have also found that the most important thing to find is the shoe that fits the shape of the bottom of my foot. Birkenstocks don't, but Naot's are perfect and my heels don't hurt at the end of the day if I wear them. Borns fit me well, too, and they hold up a good long time, even when worn constantly. I also just got a pair of Simple suede sneakers that are very comfy, but don't have quite high enough arch support, so I don't wear them for long days on my feet.

Also - when my spurs were at their worst, I did see a podiatrist and got inserts made. They helped a lot! I'd wear them all the time, but I couldn't find very many shoes that they would fit inside. I almost always wear clogs or sandals, and they wouldn't stay in those, and with my extremely high arch, they didn't fit inside many regular shoes either. But I'd recommend the podiatrist if you haven't seen one yet - it might be helpful.