One good thing about Lockdown is it got me out of the habit of wearing heels. I had accepted miserable feet as a part of life, but spending so much time in Birkenstocks and slippers (quickly learned barefeet isn’t comfortable with plantar fasciitis), my feet refused to go back. I still have a couple of pairs for when I’m feeling it, but even they have changed to accomodate the current me and the current me’s feet. In Spring/Summer of 2026, these are the shoes getting the most play in my closet:
Birkenstock Arizona Sandals
I have these in tomato red, ecru patent with the big gold buckle, in silver, in a rust color with the big gold buckle, and in the EVA in orange, white, and pink. The ecru and the tomato red are the two I would take with me in a fire; I wear them almost daily from April to October.
Honestly, I have just let my wardrobe adjust to accommodate this footwear situation. Midi-length sundresses, cropped and full-length wide-leg pants and jeans, and shorts all look good with them. I got this Quince belt which is the same color as my ecru Birks with a matching shiny gold buckle and I’ll combine the two to elevate the Birkenstock situation.
I also keep my feet nicely pedicured, I get a tomato red polish to match both my nails and the tomato Birks, and have made it part of my aesthetic. And I plan to buy more, though none have really grabbed my attention (except these brown raffia ones… I may get them).
Camper Casi Myra Flat
This flat has that cool girl Scandi vibe but of super duper soft leather that fits around my chonky feet really well. No support, but these are incredibly versatile and well-made and look expensive. Camper is hit or miss with me and my wide feet, but these are a total hit.
Margaux “The Paloma” Sandal
Margaux is one of the few high-quality stylish shoe brands that carry wide widths, and I find them quite comfortable. Not all styles work with the shape of my feet (they don’t curve like many feet do, and my pinky toes are short and like to slip out of straps), but The Paloma is a perfect mix of heel height, elegant style, and soft leather to fit my foot and corral my pinky toe.
This is a 2.5” heel which is the highest I am willing to do, but it’s high enough to look elegant and make the leg look great, and give a good swish with wide-leg trousers and long dresses. The heel is wide enough to feel secure but narrow enough to be dressy. I wouldn’t wear these for 12 hours straight, but I can wear them to a wedding and even get down on the dancefloor in them.
Aerosoles “Cinzia” Sandal
Another dress shoe, the Cinzia from Aerosoles is just under 2” for its heel height, and comes in under $100. I found I needed to use shoe stretchers to get them comfy enough for my high-volume feet, but they are definitely wide enough.
These are not real leather, so be careful when stretching; go slow. Also know they won’t be as comfortable for long spans and more likely to cut into your foot especially if you get sweaty. But I wear these often for times under 4 hours in length and am plenty comfortable.
Ros Hommerson “Leandra” Sandal
In silver and gold, this shoe has a vintage vibe that works really well with some styles of dresses. I think the black feels too Great Aunt At Your Bat Mitzvah, but the metallics work, and they’re effing comfortable. These are shoes you can wear all night and still feel great the next morning. The heel height is around the same height at the Aerosoles, just a hint lower. And if like me, you find slingbacks slide down, these don’t. They’re well designed.
FitFlop GEN-FF Fisherman Sandal
FitFlop isn’t always wide enough for my feet, but these work. They are a chunkier fisherman sandal, but I like how they look with longer sundresses and cropped wide-leg pants and wide-leg jeans. They are a bit heavy, but they also are shoes you can stand in for hours with comfort.
Vionic Uptown Loafer
I have these loafers in an ivory color that is no longer available and is almost the same color as the chunky soles. It’s why I got it, because I am not sure how I feel about that contrast sole. But the shoe is so incredibly comfortable, the leather soft, the insole removable (add your own or put a sock over it for a no-sock hack to keep shoes nice), and the style pretty versatile that I am tempted to get another pair. The black feels very sporty, the camel looks nice, but I don’t know if either go with my closet or I really need another pair at this time.
ABEO “Boulevard” Loafer
I have been wanting a super classic loafer for a while, and a lot of “comfort” and wide width brands are either ugly or cheap looking (I’m looking at you, WYDR). I took a chance with these and they’re great.
This is a chunkier loafer, nothing sleek, but it looks expensive and classic. The dark brown is dark with a subtle red tint that I think looks elegant and makes it work well with black. I did use the shoe stretchers to add volume and comfort, but these were favorites from fall to early spring.
Adidas SL 72 OG Sneakers
These sneakers are soft, low-profile, come in amazing colors and prints, and I find them wide-foot and high-volume foot friendly. So friendly, I remove the thin Adidas insole and add these from WALKHERO. I have these in a leopard print, but I dig the silver, the Wonder Beige, and the giraffe print is so fun. They switch up the colors each season, which means A) if you don’t love any now, you may in a few weeks and B) you can find discontinued colors for much less (search Adidas SL 72 in your browser, also look at eBay where a lot of retailers offload last season merch).
Veja Volley OT Sneaker
Veja sneakers run narrow, but I got these in chartreuse suede a couple of years ago and was surprised by how well they fit. It’s not so roomy you can fit insoles in them but roomy enough that you can rock these all day. I wouldn’t choose them for a vacation with a lot of walking, but they are worn on the regular by me and they’re cute and soft and nice.
New Balance 327 Sneaker
Again, a super soft sneaker with a removable insole; I put the WALKHERO insoles in these too and they end up a great sneaker for lots of walking and sightseeing.
Brooks Cascadia 19 Trail Sneaker
I like to hike and walk off-road, and have struggled to find appropriate shoes that aren’t fugly. And these aren’t fugly. And they’re roomy and comfortable and super duper supportive.
Birkenstock Bend Low Sneaker
TBH I don’t wear these as much as I used to because sneaker styles have changed a lot and a white leather sturdy sneaker isn’t as “classic” as it used to be. But these… I have walked 20K steps in them no problem. You can polish them up, you can switch out the insoles, they’re really great sneakers and have held up beautifully. But honestly if I were heading on a European tour tomorrow and planning to walk all over the place… I’d likely take my New Balance or Adidas sneakers with WALKHERO insoles in them.
Additional Shoes to Consider
These either I am scoping out, or have tried and they don’t work because of my weird short pinky toe slipping out of vamps and straps or how my foot goes straight while others curve slightly:
Margaux’s The Flat Sandal: So chic, my friend has a pair but they’re just not right for my feet
Margaux’s The Palermo Sandal: I so want that chartreuse nappa version but I know they won’t work on me.
Naturalizer “Brandy” Sandal: The brown with the tortoise buckle! The black with the silver studs! Honestly, they’re all really cute and chic.
Dolce Vita “Karlos” Sandal: That heel is so chic, the way it’s kind of architectural…
Sargasso & Grey “Jago” Cowboy Boot: Not exactly a cowboy boot, more like a cowboy bootie, but I have my eye on these for fall.
Bella Vita “Carmen” Heeled Slide: I don’t know if my feet would even be able to handle this heel, I thank my pinky toe for not even tempting me to order these.
Aerosoles “Charlyne” Sandals: These aren’t on the Aerosoles site and they’re almost sold out at Macy’s, but they’re a good classic subtle platform heeled sandal.
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