Smarter shoes as comfortable as trainers? Or very smart trainers?

[Cinnamonandcoal]

I have a work event for several days which involves loads of walking.

I'll be wearing skirts and dresses. Definitely no heels. But from experience loafers, brogues etc even with no heel are still torture after the first couple of days. I'm walking back and forth between venues and otherwise standing, and the hours are long - plus going to and from accommodation.

Anyone recommend a shoe which works with business clothes but feels as much like a trainer as possible?

Or do I just need v smart trainers?

Men will be in suits or in blazers and chinos, there will probably be some jeans and blazers too, to give an idea.

Moda in Pelle do nice leather trainers

www.modainpelle.com/new-in-c58/new-trainers-c178?gclid=Cj0KCQiAgOefBhDgARIsAMhqXA5ztsDYsq3qnsolTQIdKRoSOx7sTOZVcRnyys92TbvdLRi8JYwtPccaAvq7EALw_wcB

They're still trainers tho'. Gabor does proper, smart, pretty shoes. I don't need "comfy" shoes as such but there are Gabor shoes on their website just because they are smart, pretty shoes.

I feel for you as my feet suffer too, but I’m not allowed to wear trainers at work. So I find the loafers by Pavers are super comfortable. They are made in Italy, and you need to choose the ones with the thicker soles - the thin-soled ones are not substantial enough for all day wear. They’re light as a feather too, like good trainers.
www.pavers.co.uk/products/wide-fit-leather-loafer-cont2400-309-091?variant=40504419483733

As others have said Gabor are good and bear in mind they come up half a size bigger but I find your feet swell up and actually u need to bear that in mind if on your feet all day so if wearing socks start with thicker socks so u can change to thinner socks later in the day when they swell a bit that when shoes start to pinch or suffocate . Soft soles with a bit of flex means your feet have more flexibility so more comfort. Arch support helps and design. If your wanting a bit of height a wedge is good a slight wedge in a soft rubber. When choosing a trainer a woven top will be more breathable and flexible so I wear ASH trainers the woven ones with a slight wedge they have colour options but quite expensive but to me they are comfortable. Another consideration is sketchers because they are lightweight. The weight of shoes is another indicator of comfort at times depending if with support

Agree with this, not tried Vionic, but hear good things about them. Fitflop might be good too, if they work for you. You could also try some Mary Jane comfort shoes with arch support. I have some Finn Comfort Salo Mary Janes which would be my choice for something like this, they are really comfortable, but I got them online from Schuherlebenis in Germany and they might be hard to find here. Joya make Mary Janes, or you could try other similar brands. It might be better looking for shops with comfort shoes such as Shoemed, rather than just looking at individual shoes.

So I ended up getting:

Smart silver trainers from Clarks

Grandeur loafers from Dune which are exceptionally comfortable and I highly recommend

Some quite smart shoes from Sketchers which I don't like as much as the others so I'm going to take them back

Tried on loads of others and those were the best. I didn't try the fit flop loafers but I'm guessing they would also work.

I'll come back to all the suggestions here next time I need shoes!

Glad you’ve found something OP. For next time maybe bear in mind Camper, the soles tend to be quite flexible. Something like this perhaps.

I get school shoes for my kids from Camper but unfortunately they aren't suitable for work for me - too casual. Somehow fancy trainers are more acceptable!

I had great hopes of Gabor but found them actually pretty uncomfortable when I tried them on, the soles were harder than I needed.