Shoes: If you have a dress code that requires a certain level of professional dress - business casual, business formal, etc. - how do you balance the need for professional, sleek shoes with comfort?

I have a lot of trouble with this. A few times a year, I will need to wear suits for work, but having the right shoes to go with them is always tough, especially when you don't wear heels on a regular basis. I can't wear my Danskos because they're far too casual. I want to wear pointy heels, because they just scream, chic, sophisticated and put-together to me. But wearing heels for hours on end, let alone for days in a row can be rough.

Is there a secret to heels or a special brand of shoe that I just don't know about? Or is it honestly just about conditioning your feet? You wear them every day or not at all? How high a heel can you feel comfortable in for a full day?

If you aren't used to heels then I suggest getting some sort of gelly pads to go in them. I always wear heels 'cause I am super short but with my 4" stilleto boots I still need some support & those work wonders!

If you aren't used to heels then I suggest getting some sort of gelly pads to go in them. I always wear heels 'cause I am super short but with my 4" stilleto boots I still need some support & those work wonders!

I used to have these 4 inch heeled boots that I'd wear on occasion and I tried softening them up with liquid gel pads for the ball of the foot. But I always felt just as much pressure, but now I was kind of on a wobbly, liquid surface! Are you talking about the solid gells with air pockets...? Or the liquid gel-filled pads?

Have you tried those "strappy/open" shoe pads that have that are more narrow so they supposedly hide beneath your foot? I'm curious about those and the band-aid shaped pads that you can slip into the heel of your shoe to save your heel from blistering if the shoe is too big or small.

Oh yeah, and the super-narrow gel bandaids you can place on the undersides of staps on stappy shoes.

well...i'm not sure.

if you're looking for SHOES that are actually well made and comfortable, you can look at the brands Sofft, Beautifeel, and Oh Shoes. all three of those brands are well made, and have alot of support. i can wear them for 10-12 hours at a time comfortably.

I used to have these 4 inch heeled boots that I'd wear on occasion and I tried softening them up with liquid gel pads for the ball of the foot. But I always felt just as much pressure, but now I was kind of on a wobbly, liquid surface! Are you talking about the solid gells with air pockets...? Or the liquid gel-filled pads?

Have you tried those "strappy/open" shoe pads that have that are more narrow so they supposedly hide beneath your foot? I'm curious about those and the band-aid shaped pads that you can slip into the heel of your shoe to save your heel from blistering if the shoe is too big or small.

Oh yeah, and the super-narrow gel bandaids you can place on the undersides of staps on stappy shoes.

I use all different ones- depending on the shoe. One key is to have shoes that fit well in the first place. Most of the time the reason you are wobbly is because they aren't fitting your foot well. Even a 4 inch tiny heel should be stable if they fit well. For those heels though I use the full length harder gels because they don't slide, for open shoes I stick to the solid gel just for the ball of the foot- special made for us crazy women who jamb our feet into little tiny, adorable shoes :teehee If you aren't comfy in heels in general I would stay away from the liquid ones just 'cause I don't even feel 100% in them & that is almost all I wear.

Thanks. That's definitely good to hear that the liquid ones weren't just me. I used to wear heels a lot more often, but its just not practical in my job. I'm jealous that you're able to wear them in yours! I think I'd be 10 times more feminine if I had the high heel down on a regular basis. I'll try the gel ones next month when I'll be living in my heels for a week. In those circumstances, I try to rotate between several different pairs so that if blisters arise, I'll be getting them in different locations each time. ;)