Do you struggle to find pretty shoes that ARE NOT sky high?

[DeltaG]

For the last couple of years now, I've had this problem - am I the only one?

Why are many nice heels just so high? I no longer buy/wear anything higher than 7/8cm (2.5/3 inches) as they are just too uncomfortable and impractical. I find it really quite difficult to get pretty styles at this heel height however; many of the styles I'm drawn to, especially evening styles, are 10+cm.

I've just recycled a load of lovely pairs that were just too high and gathering dust as I know I'll never use them again, but have been unable to find nice replacements. I find it really frustrating and have even considered making my own to cater to this need, although I know bugger all about shoe-making, which is a slight issue

Anyone else feel the same?

Yes it's so annoying. I am tallish anyway so can do without the height honestly not cos I'd struggle walking in them. Also narrow of foot. I like to be able to go about my business without risk of toppling over!

I bought these recently which are prettier than they look! Perfect fit for narrower feet too, and they had quite a few lower heel ones
https://www.joebrowns.co.uk/sp+outlet-sale-ladies-boots-shoes-key-to-my-heart-velvet-shoes+kc018?coloursel=A

B.a.i.t are an American company that do lovely retro shoes in Mary Jane and similar styles. They ship to the UK and the shoes I've had from them before have been comfy.

They don't all hit the mark for me, but some of them are gorgeous.

I'm covering these right now:

www.baitfootwear.com/product-page/cassie-yellow

*coveting

Thanks for the links! They prove my point somewhat - not that they aren't pretty - but they are very much of a certain vintage style, which unfortunately is not mine. I have searched everywhere for some 7/8cm heels like these, but they just don't seem to exist;

I too can no longer wear skyscrapers and so many I love are stupidly high. And I am a sucker for pretty shoes!
My go to's now are Ruby Shoo, Irrgular choice (some are crazy high but there's a good range of heal heights), rocket dog, joe browns and i've got a few pairs from amazon as well.

There are lots of lovely flats about these days. When I need to be smart I just wear a pointy flat (usually Mary Janes). I see no point in wearing shoes that are painful and restrict movement.

I have that pair of shoes Delta. They're surprisingly comfortable. Imo it's not usually the height that makes a shoe painful ( unless you have knee eye issues) it's the room in the toe.

Knee etc

I feel your pain. In both senses! The thing that gets me is that I have very small feet. When they design shoes they make all sizes with the same height heel (obviously cheaper as they can just make a big batch of heels and stick them to any size shoe). Thing is this means that a 3 inch heel on a size 4 puts your foot at a much steeper gradient than it would on a size 7 for example. I tried on a pair of shoes in Zara last summer and the heels were so high the ball of my foot didn't even reach the bottom bit of the sole!

Yes me too. If you’re not into the vintage or kooky look, buying classic, elegant pared back shoes in a low heel is a pest. Irregular Choice etc work for a certain style but definitely not mine.

LK Bennett throws up one or two styles each season that work for me; Hobbs is sometimes worth a look. I’ve never seen anything like what you’re after, though.

Oooh Lady of the Canyon - those look very nice!

Yes I have problems as I prefer a thicker shorter heel. Ridiculous that some times the choice is between ballerinas or sky highs with nowt inbetween!!

I like the shoes at Finery - not a huge range but some well designed key pieces each season - like these red ones: www.finerylondon.com/uk/products/ponsonby-v-back-structured-dress?taxon_id=14

And these boots:
www.finerylondon.com/uk/products/grace-black-leather-and-suede-sock-boot?taxon_id=14

And pointy flats are just a different form of restriction for me. My big toe is also the longest, so that pointy flats require my toes to all get squashed. Who decided that fashion should have nothing to do with comfort. Sigh.

I am constantly whingeing about this. So many lovely shoes are just an inch or two too high to be wearable for me.

I’m tall anyway, so just don’t need a skyscraper heel. I find it particularly annoying with courts and ankle boots for work. I’d like a heel, but a very high heel for work would be stupid. It really winds me up!

Yes, I have this problem too. I have arthritis in my big toe on my right foot and so high heels are agony - no way can I wear them for a whole evening. Plus if you have to walk or travel by train, etc, high heels are bloody uncomfortable and impractical, but it's really hard to find pretty, dressy shoes that aren't really high. And then there's the issue of how nice heels look - particularly when you're a 5'4" short-arse like me!

I think heels are finally coming down. I notice that Zara, which for the last few years had only sky high heels, now has a reasonable selection of lower heels. They wouldn't be the first place I'd look in terms of comfort but I am hoping its a sign of things to come.

I've had a few pairs from Boden that have worked out week.

Well, not week.

Oh me too. I'm also tall so don't need the height and my old lady knees don't love them either.

I have some Mary Janes and a pair of pointy flats for work things, but when I'm going out out I want some nice proper non-frumpy shoes and they're always too high.

It's true, LK Bennett do have some nice ones, I often forget about them. They are not cheap though and I somewhat resent paying £200 just to get a reasonable heel!

Nine West also have some nice styles but don't seem to ship to the UK (except Gibraltar??)

I'm not tall - on the contrary, I'm 5'3", but I just hate being uncomfortable. As someone mentioned, very high heels are also no good if you need to walk any distance or take a train/plane etc., which I frequently do.

I also feel a bit 'Barbie-ish' in them as I am blonde and big of boob.

Thanks for the suggestions all!

If I had to go lower (I tend to manage up to about 4"/10cm OK) then I'd be looking at some of these:
www.joebrowns.co.uk/pp+women-shoes-and-boots+fw-l?contenta=textlink3l
A lot of them are around 8cm.

I sometimes find that Matalan and Asda have shoes that work in, but they tend to be the type of shoes you would have for a season, not ones that would last years unfortunately.

Ruby shoo do some pretty shoes that are a decent heel height, not all are wacky or retro I’ve bought a few pairs from them I can’t do massive heels either.