shoes

Hi Joanna, there have been many threads about shoes here. May I say whichever shoe feels great to you is the best one? I have eccos but not these- have the MaryJanes. However, merrells, ecco, mephistos, clarks, prive, abeos, danskos, all have their fans. I usually shop Dillards, Nordstroms and outdoor stores like REI for great walking/comfort shoes. Hope you find some you like!

I just found a really great pair of Naots. They are much more femine looking to me than some of the heavier soled shoes and they seem to conform well to my foot.

I have one pair of Naot's..the black Mary Janes and they are wonderful. I plan to buy the same shoe in the neutral beige color. I also like the Ecco sandals (not sure of the name) however, I did get a blister in the same location on both toes where the sandal strap rubbed my toe with each step I took. I just slapped on a bandage and kept on going. It might be a good idea to pack some of the soft skin colored bandage stuff as walking all day on vacation can be quite different from walking in the mall. Unfortunately, Merrill has not had a substantial walking shoe in a couple of
years IMO.

I don't think I care for the sophia (if we're taking about a shoe to dress up a skirt) but the Isola is very nice!! You might also look into Spring Step Shoes. Love mine!! http://www.springstepshoes.com/

The sofia is not an attractive shoe for skirts. It looks like a black sneaker. The Isola looks a bit better, but I would consider looking at Naots, they are by far the comfiest shoes I have ever owned, and they have many attractive styles .
Ultimately choose the shoe that is comfiest for you, and make sure you break it in at home first.

I have always used Munro shoes. I wear a size 12, so Ecco's are not available in my size. I have had Ecco's in size ll's the past, and they are great. Munro shoes are available through Nordstrom.com or Zappos.com. You don't pay for postage to or from with Zapppos. You just re-wrap the ones you don't want and take them to a UPS store and away they go. I just bought a pair from Zappos last week. Zappos is the largest on-line shoe supplier in the U.S. You can find Ecco's and Munro's at Zappos.com. Nordstrom.com doesn

I have Munro's & Prevos, both comfortable and both are in the Mary Jane style which look great with skirts & capris. But, the best by far, are the Nike Mary Jane style shoes. I actually wore the innersole flat (walking 10-15 miles a day in Italy, France, Austria & Iceland)and had to visit a FootLocker Store in Rome for new innersoles. They gladly replaced the innersoles for less than $20.00 and I was once again walking "on air". I wore them with & without socks :)

My wife's favorites are the bicycle style Sketchers. They aren't expensive, comfortable out of the box, useful for a lot of walking, but nice looking enough to wear with a casual skirt. http://www.skechers.com/style/21159/bikers-hot-ticket/gypk The one down side is they aren't water-proof, so a better summer choice. For dress up, I think a simple sandal, in a dark color, works best. It doesn't weigh much and can be worn to dinner, a show, or the beach.

AHH posted something similar.. it is a personal choice.. I loved some of the shoes suggested but my feet just did not I wound up with keens (soooo comfortable) and mary jane type black orthoheels which are very supportive and cute although now I wish I had tried springfield by off the beaten track as they look adorable and have a little lift or the naot mary janes which look cute and comfortable but I have not tried on either of these. I am looking into another pair of keens that are more of a sneaker.. but the ecco sofia's look interesting.. I might check them out.
Good luck

Does anyone else find that the inner soles of ECCO shoes wear out really quickly? I like the style and the comfort, but I know I always have to buy a new inner sole for them after only a few months.

I swear by Privos, i believe they are made by Clarks. Very comfy and they come in leather or suede. They slip on and look nicr with jeans or pants. They would not look nice with a skirt though as they are sneaker-like. Any one else wear these? Ill be wearing these in France soon and ill be bringing a fancier black ballet flat for evenings and my buisness meetings.

JoAnna, I can't comment on woman's shoes but my preferred travel shoes are ECCO Trac II (low). They're partially made with Goretex and have a very robust construction and a good sole. The colour I wanted wasn't available locally, so I special ordered from the U.K. Cheers!

Ken, the ECCO shoes you mentioned, wouldn't it be too hot for Rome during the summer? What do ya think? I need to get a pair of walking shoes too, but I was gonna go for some nikes. Thanks!!

Some of the Munro style of shoes are more feminine to wear with skirts than are reguar Nike's or some Ecco's. It has been suggested on many occasions (on line and in travel books) not to wear white tennis shoes in Europe. We have been there three times in the past three years. You don't see many people with regular white tennis shoes in Europe.

The soft mushy stuff that the gal mentioned above is called "moleskin". I would never go to Disney World or traveling to Europe without it. Also, do not try to find it in Europe. I had quite a time at pharmecia's in Italy trying to describe it and had no luck finding it.