Is it possible to look stylish/groomed and be comfortable?

[Figure17a]

I have some lovely clothes and shoes but unless they're comfy they don't get worn.

This means that eg on a casual night out, I look at my lovely heeled boots to go with skinnies and wear the flat ones instead.

For work I have some good pencil skirts etc but they look far better with proper heels than the mid height shoes I wear.

For a summer day out I could wear dainty flat sandals and a floaty dress but will opt for shorts and trainers if I'm going to be walking far

I'm not prepared to suffer for my looks and I'm not prepared to wear clothes/shoes that restrict what I'm actually able to do, but I would like to be more stylish

Is there an answer?

[acornsandnuts]

I'm around lots of Japanese ladies at the minute and they seem to get it. Although I do think their mostly slim frame makes anything look stylish. Somethings I just can't wear with my huge norks.

[allegretto]

For me it all starts with the shoes. I can't wear heels and have lots of problems with foot pain so I decide what I CAN wear and try and build up from that.

[Figure17a]

Yes, that's exactly what I do allegretto, but it seems to restrict so much. For me,it's not just about heels though. Flats also need to be comfy, which I fund the prettier ones often aren't

[wizzywig]

I do have a fine selection of gel soles, blister plasters to aid uncomfy shoe wearing. Someone said being slim helps. Yes sadly i think i does. Or having clothes with a bit of 'give'.

[chanie44]

I'm the same, in that I have to be comfortable in my clothes otherwise they won't get worn.

I wear lots of jersey material clothes, which aren't too clingy.

In terms of shoes, how about wedge heels. They get a lot of hate on this board, but they are really comfortable.

[1horatio]

Place marking. I have the same issues. Wearing heels for a party? Sure.

But not everyday, for work...

[KatyS36]

I think it is possible. For me the trick is a strict rule of only buying things that I love that are wearable for my lifestyle. There are pretty, shoes that are flat and comfy, they tend to take a lot of trying on and finding though.

[Floisme]

I think you can but it may mean accepting that your style isn't everyone's cup of tea.
I only wear flats or low, very chunky heels. I still wear pencil skirts - provided they have a lot of stretch and are comfy - but with flat ankle boots or plimsolls.
I also draw the line at anything too time consuming. I wear my hair in a wash-mess-and-go style because I cannot be arsed with straightening and blow drying. And I don't paint my fingernails, never mind toenails. If you enjoy doing that kind of stuff that's great but I don't.
I still love clothes and think I look perfectly stylish

[PNGirl]

You can I think but you may end up looking slightly sporty or wearing more masculine-inspired fashion.

I can't stand uncomfortable shoes so I will wear stylish (not neon running-style) trainers, brogues, chelsea boots, and Dr Martens. I wear cropped trousers or rolled boyfriend jeans in summer because my thighs rub together in dresses. I still wear mote feminine tops, have long curly hair and wear makeup though so it looks like deliberate style rather than dressing for comfort only.

[Softkitty2]

Why not try block heels like these chanel slingbacks or gucci marmont. I will try and link.. Obviously these are expensive designer ones but many dupes out there.

www.gucci.com/uk/en_gb/pr/women/womens-shoes/womens-pumps/leather-mid-heel-pump-p-408208C9D001000?position=12&listName=VariationOverlay

www.popsugar.co.uk/fashion/Chanel-Two-Tone-Slingback-Shoe-38719388?slide=opening-slide

[Judydreamsofhorses]

I think it depends on your definition of what is stylish. If it's heels and pencil skirts then I think you possibly do need to suffer for your art a bit! I don't even own heels, but my style doesn't lend itself to them. I wear a lot of shortish a-line skirts or dresses with opaques and Chelsea boots, in summer I wear midi dresses with trainers (like a PP, not athletic style, but Stan Smiths, Gazelles, Supergas) or flat sandals. I always have painted nails and red lipstick - that's just part of my overall "look", not suggesting it's for everyone - and look groomed/pulled together, it's just a different sort of style.

[LadyOfTheCanyon]

Taxis. Taxis are your friend.

Mid heels look fine with skinnies IMO for day to day if you can manage it.

Big nights out necessitate ballet flats in my handbag for the return journey.

You can train your feet to get used to heels but it is a massive ballache. Far easier to adapt your style to look good with flat shoes. Loafers look nice with skinnies too..

[Orangepeppers]

The most stylish woman I know is a
mum I see at the school gates. She always looks stylish, groomed and impossibly glamorous without looks no tacky or overdone. I've loved ones closely at what she wears and surprisingly she wears very normal comfortable clothes - jeans and a jumper normally with mid heeled boots. Her secret seems to be throwing in a fabulous fake fur trimmed coat over the top, immaculate makeup and blow dried hair. Those things make whatever she is wearing look a million dollars whereas when you analyse it her clothes are not actually that glam.

[GloriousHarpy]

You're conflating high heels with stylishness, when there are lots of other ways of looking good, surely. Personally, I never wear heels or anything uncomfortable. This time of year it is brogues, knee boots or biker boots, and I wear a lot of cashmere and jersey in well cut but slouchy shapes.

I'm always a bit aghast at threads on Mn where hundreds of posters say they come in from work and pull off their bra as they kick off their shoes and go straight into pyjamas. I mean, I get some people wear a uniform and or get dirty, but it does suggest a lot of people wear uncomfortable clothes on a daily basis....?

[Judydreamsofhorses]

Oh, I am a "lounge wear" person at home! I don't sleep in those clothes, they're just inside clothes. For me it isn't about my clothes not being comfortable, it's about a physical removal of the working day. I often have a shower as soon as I get in too, despite having one every morning, for the same reason.

[HiHoHeidi]

For me, coming in from work and changing into pjs, means I don't have to worry about whether my 'work clothes' get dirty. I'm not concerned if my kids rub their dirty hands on my pjs. I am concerned if they rub their buttery fingers on something that needs to be drycleaned. I also don't do any cleaning in my work clothes, I'd be too worried if my tights tore, if cleaning agents stained or grease rubbed off on them.

[GloriousHarpy]

Oh, I do get the practicalities (I have a very tactile four year old who usually has a piece of toast in one hand and a purple marker in the other, apart from anything else), but from those other threads, many people just seemed to be physically uncomfortable enough in their daytime clothes to take them off in order to feel easier sitting around in their houses. And I still think that if you're ripping off your bra with a sigh of relief as you kick off your shoes inside the front door, surely you're wearing the wrong size?

But anyway, not to derail, I definitely think you can be supremely comfortable and stylish, but possibly not if your definition of 'stylish' presupposes vertiginous heels and the kind of body con dress that involves two pairs of Spanx.

[notagiraffe]

It's possible. Start with the shoes. I bought some stiletto ankle boots a month ago. Couldn't work out why they were so comfortable - I could walk miles in them. Then realised I'd accidentally bought a wide fitting. I don't have wide feet but the extra space meant there was no pressure on my feet despite them being high heels. Look for heels with cushioned soles too. Makes all the difference.

[blueshoes]

I swap shoes. When commuting, I am in trainers, then change to stilettos which I keep under my desk for when I am in the office. If I go out during lunch time, I wear mid-heel or wedge shoes.

I find LK Bennett high heels very comfortable - they make up the back bone of my high heel collection.

Pumps are more comfortable with an ankle strap. Boots are more comfortable than pumps.

I think it is good for your feet to wear different heel heights. Pain does not have a chance to set in.