Driven crazy by women’s shoes in the high street

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I want a pair of black shoes for work. Smart, comfortable, modern looking, will go with trousers or a dress.

However, it seems that my options via the high street are:
-5inch rubber soled loafers that weigh 2.5kg each
-Square toed heels with a triangular heel in lime green, neon pink or some kind of sparkly glitter
-Pointy toed slingbacks
-trainers
-ankle boots that resemble wellies

if you want to try anything on there is barely ever any sizes on the shelves and no shop assistants to help you either

I have had feet for over 40 years, and a job wearing black shoes for over 25 years and never had such a problem. What in the Kanye West is going on? I know my DP thinks I am making it up when I tell him I’ve still not found any shoes.

I’ve looked in Clarkes and I cannot afford their prices in all honesty. They have a decent loafer but it’s £80 😑

Any recommendations?

Simply be have nice shoes esp if you have wide feet like me x

I love this thread OP! Very funny descriptions - because they are accurate. Agree v hard to find decent shoes that don’t cost a fortune right now. I don’t like the thick soles either, but pretty much never wear black shoes any more.

Have to say that I love my ankle welly boots though.. Like to believe I’m ahead of the curve as they’re at least 5 years old. They’re a much slimmer fit/thinner soled than your pictures of abattoir boots though! They cost me about £10 in a Mountain Warehouse sale ages ago.

I’ve been looking for shoes for weeks now and can’t find anything suitable that don’t cost a fortune. I normally wear Sketchers but they seem to have doubled in price since I bought my last pair! I’m literally wearing a worn out pair of Sketchers for daily wear until I can start wearing boots (of which I have many pairs). It’s been one futile search after another.

I’ve never heard of them so just looked them up. The Epsom would have been my dream shoe years ago, I still think they’re gorgeous (but would have nowhere to wear them nowadays). I’m going to keep a note of this site.

Oh dear God, the frilly ankle socks

Linzi.com

loads on there and affordable. Next carry these but hardly have the sizes.

Can I suggest that you’re looking for the style of shoe that you want at the wrong time of the year. Stores are currently trying to clear out their Summer stock and they haven’t quite brought in all of their Winter stock yet. This will include a lot of boots (well it’s for winter) but it will also include brogue and loafers in the style that you’re looking for.

Since lockdown when WFH was the main thing, wearing high heels for work really isn’t done any more. Manufacturers have cottoned on to this and instead offer platform loafers or shoes with a very tick sole to still offer the height but the shoe is essentially flat (for comfort).

If you wnat to have a proper laugh at shoes, go on balenciaga website 😁

Please no one take offence if I have offended your shoe tastes it’s not meant to be upsetting. Horses for courses and I know what suits some doesn’t others. I am blessed generously in the thighs so some looks are not for me, if I was a little whisper of a woman I might embrace more fashion styles, or if I had a job that suited the giant rubber sole worshiping then I would. I’ve tried on DM sandals and my DP said I looked like I was wearing breeze blocks on my feet so this has put me off

I will pass on frilly socks and oldie worlde little house on the prairie shoes too though if that’s ok.

I was a teen in the 90’s and recall having a pair of cheap pleather knee high lace up boots with metal lace clasps I’m not sure they were very flattering either but outside of work I am 100.% a trainer lady and always will be. Unfortunately I have to go to a smart job and pass off as someone reasonably smart and I have just had a gutfull of terrible shoes for the past few days, M&S was by far the worst experience - I had a gift voucher so I was excited. Lucky I got a lovely bra, after I fought through all the husbands standing around aimlessly getting in the way of the plunge bras.

Love it! 😆

I’ve got my credit card out right now!! 🤣

Have a look on M&M Direct - I think that’s where I found some black shoes
https://www.mandmdirect.com/01/womens?device_type=2&fh_location=//catalog01/en_GB/website%3E{mandmgbp}/productsalesgender%3E{womens}/category%3E{shoes}/colour%3E{black}&fh_view_size=96

Sadly I must disappoint I don’t have a fetish. There was so many abandoned husbands though I did side eye a few of them who were standing in front of the crazy M&as shoes so I couldn’t actually see half of what was on sale. One old man at least 70 was very forthrightly helping his elderly wife choose a bra which was sweet but also funny, they were all the very naughty looking lacy boudoir type bras (50% off, I recommend)

“my DP said I looked like I was wearing breeze blocks on my feet so this has put me off”

That made me laughOP, and also recall the time, a few years ago, a niece came to visit and she had those humongous DMs on. She was standing on our lawn and left two huge holes from the weight of her shoes.🤣

I love dune shoes (in the sale only) but I’m with you, really struggling to find nice black ones.

Have manufacturers decided we'll all stay in trainers?

No, they're hoping to sell us lots of shoes, and are hoping that'll we'll buy new ones before the old ones have reached the end of their natural life in the interests of fashion.

But, like skinny jeans, wearable workhorse black shoes are a classic. They're what so many people need - nothing to do with fashion, but a staple. And they're needed year round.

The fashion industry is being slow to react to the more cussed customer, who isn't buying into (or just plain buying) the latest trend, and is choosing not to buy at all.

OP: try second hand shops. Usually, I wouldn't go near used shoes, but I needed a plain black pair in a hurry (funeral, stuff in shops all gopping) and found a good brand barely worn (labels on soles still there, barely scuffed)

Dunelm

I am a massive fan of MandMDirect.

You won't find much in shops. I was a footwear buyer. Stocking one style in one colour requires, as example -

Size 3 x 2
Size 4 x 3
Size 5 x 5
Size 6 x 6
Size 7 x 5
Size 8 x 2

Multiply that by, say, 85 M&S stores. And most of that doesn't have a high "hit rate" of try ons. It's far easier to just keep hundreds in one warehouse for people to buy online.

They're 2-3x times the price of the performance shoe that Tigist Assefa wore to smash the women's marathon WR (in a time that if you adjusted for sex, would have been under 1:57 by a man her age - amazing achievement)

And aesthetically, they're not perfectly aligned to my taste

Have you looked at sketchers?

OK leather shoes cost, but they last.

I also want decent shoes, but will stick to my boots for now.

I’ve given up on shoes for the office and always wear black trainers. It is against the dress code but I’ve worn them for a few years now and have never been pulled up on it. Can’t imagine ever wearing heals or even loafers again.

But then you lose sales. Because unlike most other things, lots of people still baulk at buying shoes online.

Shoes and boots are the things that people really want to try on.

So I'd always go to a shoe shop (probably Schuh or Office, maybe Clarks) or a properly stocked department store, and I'm far from alone with that

I'm a fan of MandM too - I recently got some sketchers go walk trainers for less than half price.

Mary Jones are a no. Even without silly, frilly ankle socks. Anything with a strap shortens your legs. If, like me you were at the back of the queue when they were handing out long legs, they are best avoided.

Same here!I had to buy a pair of black court shoes for a funeral the other day as I no longer need to wear shoes like that any more and I just didn't have anything suitable.I had a terrible job finding anything decent with a low heel.I ended up with a pair from Next but I still felt as though I was walking on stilts all day
This topic has given me lots of 😕piration-thank you!

Terrible issue with shoes and shoe shops these days, firstly very few real leather shoes, I do not want to wear plastic on my feet, I only wear real leather/suede

Secondly as you say, awful clumpy, heavy shoes or horrible slip ons which slip off and no good if you need support. Horrible polyester inners instead of soft leather.

Anything half decent is about 100 quid!!!!