How not to look frumpy in a clunkier shoe

Hi, Deborah and JoJami,

I would love your advice on how not to look frumpy when I have to wear clunker shoes because of foot problems. Because of an old skiing injury, I have been unable to wear heels since I was in my 20’s, which makes it hard to look and feel sexy, or even professional, when I want to dress up. I’m limited to certain brands of shoes recommended by my foot doctor and orthopedic surgeon so it’s not just a matter of being able to wear flats.

For example, I’d love to wear leggings this Fall as shown in the photo on your website, but I can’t wear heels.

I’d appreciate any advice you can give me. Many thanks!

- Nancy

Dear Nancy,

We sure wish we could wave a magic wand with your problem, but it is not that simple. However, your problem is one that many women face. We get letters all the time from women that can not wear heels.

That being said, you can still look fabulous but just have to try styles that might not be the latest trends.

The good news for you is that with styles changing so often, almost anything goes when it comes to pant styles.

When you are stuck having to wear clunky shoes, there are several things to make sure you do not do. First off, is leggings will be out of the question for you. Since the style is really a “pencil” shape, no matter what you do, legging will just not look good with a clunky shoe. Instead, you will need to opt for any pant that has a wide leg and (or) has some flair at the bottom.

This will still be stylish, and you can wear almost any shoe. Also, there are some great brands of shoes out there that do sell some comfortable shoes that don’t look orthopedic.

Here are some styles from Zappos.com that we suggest:

These Taryn Rose flats are comfy and stylish	Actually if you can wear this type of flat shoe you could still wear it with a skinny jean and look great!
This is good with pants only!	Once you have to start wearing more orthopedic looking shoes like these, you can easily see that style starts going out the window.
Another simple but elegant choice	However once again, if you wear these with the right style of well-fitted pants, you will still look great!

The 4 C’s of Dressing

How do you look fashionable when you’ve got a mature body and the styles out there are targeted to svelte young twenty-somethings?

Image Consultant Diana Pemberton Sikes sums it up nicely with advice to remember the three C’s when you dress: Clean , Classic and Coverage.

But there’s one more C we think needs to be added to that “how to dress” list, and that is Comfortably! It’s especially true when it come to shoes.

Now, don’t for a minute think that just because we know that your baby boomer tootsies are starting to swell and ache, that we’re trying to get you in to granny orthopedics.

We love a sexy shoe and a gorgeous heel and never want to give them up. That’s why we’re thrilled with a few designers who realized the shoe worshiper’s need for a combo of comfort and style.

High end comfort brands from Thierry Rabotin, Anyi Lui, Jeanne Jarvaise and Tayrn Rose (a former orthopedic surgeon turned shoe designer) are selling like hotcakes. What shoe crazed women wouldn’t love this black and white patent leather pump by Tayrn Rose?

Then there’s Cole Hahn who’ve had a lot of press about The Dress Air Line that incorporate Nike air technology in chic shoes with 3 3/4 inch heels. The line has been so successful that it’s expanding to 14 designs this spring and summer.

So put your best foot forward and check out these shoes. As designer Tayrn Rose says,  “Just because you love fashion, doesn’t mean you always want to be the victim.”