Autumn/winter challenge time: The impossible dream (fashionable shoes to walk in but wear with a dress for wide feet)

[WilfSell]

Nope, you'll never manage it. Shoes or kneelength boots They need to be:

• grippy and substantial enough to stay on foot and deal with rain
• not actual walking shoes - I don't want to look like a hiker at work also...
• not 'old lady' shoes and ideally 'current' (no Van Dals pls)
• in wide fit (E or above)
• not too high but up to mid heel would do; ballet pumps no good unless with extra support, slight heel
• suitable to wear with knee length dresses (ie no ankle boots) and sometimes suitable for formal work occasions as well as school run...

I throw down the gauntlet...

Have you tried looking at Duo? www.duoboots.com/ They do shoes and boots in 3 width fitting (plus calf sizes for boots). They don't use C/D/E for width but measurements instead - wide fitting is 22.5cm-23.5 cm.

Check out www.theshoetailor.com, I too have wide feet and they have the widest selection I've seen anywhere

Sorry that link should be www.shoetailor.com

Thanks. I have looked at Duo but they're all a bit 'delicate' looking for my needs. I kind of want some Fly wedges, but in wide sizes (since they are made for people with teeny tiny feet)

Does such a thing exist?

brogues with heel?

That would work actually, good idea... but I do worry I will look a bit 'mutton'

Starter for 10

There's a few shoes I would wear from Shoetailor actually, although I go into panic attack mode every time I see any website with the words 'Hotter', 'Padders' or 'Van Dal' in.

I have loads of wide fit shoes from M&S, Next etc but they are all so very DULL.

There must be some kooky european styles that aren't very common in the UK perhaps?

Those are LUFFLY BIWI. I'd wear those for formal work things but could deffo NOT manage the school run with that heel. But 10/10 for hitting the mark.

I've seen these recommended a couple of times recently

loafers?

Evans shoes and boots are wide fit and there are some nice ones wedges

biker

bit fly-like?

wedges?

boots

See, I KNEW I could get you fash-hounds to do my work for me. Excellent selection so far women.

I'm gonna go hunt out weirdy European brands... back soon.

some weirdy German shoes here with the odd wearable pair

Good grief some of those, er, foot-shaped ones on stilts would make me look like a cross-channel ferry for sure.

loving these!

oldqueenie, you're obv living up to your camp name there

I've just discovered Merrell in the US sell these mary janes which look right up my street in terms of robustness for my school run and girly enough to wear with dresses to work, but no idea if a. I can get them here, or b. if they are wide enough. They certainly don't advertise a wider range. Ho hum.

Nothing to contribute with as I have the exact same problem so I'm staying put.

I found shoe.com will send you your Merrell Mary Janes, but you better want them quite a bit for the shipping costs.

25 quid shipping for shoes I don't know will fit. Hmmm, why don't Merrell just sell them in shops here?! I often buy shoes online but only if I'm absolutely sure about them...

these?

Thank you for your sterling efforts, golddragon but I just can't look at buy Hotter shoes. I just.. ..can't. I will not go gently into death old age. But I can no longer walk in most high street shoes and I have a fair bit of bad weather school-run-work walking to do.

The "Alpine Clover" ones on the Clarks website with ALL THE SHOES are really comfortable; I got a black pair in the Bicester Village outlet store lsat year and are the pair I keep under my desk for slipping on with anything.

Try here: www.josefseibelandfriends.co.uk/womens.aspx?type=Boots

I have some really comfy shoes from them. Not cutting edge styling, but good quality and not too granny-like.