“One size fits all” doesn’t work when your feet aren’t average, which is why, back in the olden days, shoes came in different widths and half sizes. At one time women bought shoes by width almost as much as by length, however it is not uncommon now to hear people say, when asked what size they are, “Well it depends on where I am buying them from”, or 6.5 but I have to buy a 7 so they’re not too small”. Finding comfortable shoes can be hard, especially ones that look good too. It is true that these days shoe sizes are usually a lot less specific, so people are guided mostly by brand and find eventually that some are better for broader feet, others for slim ones.

Find Comfortable Shoes Online at Cheerful Soles

Luckily finding ladies comfort shoes at Cheerful Soles is easy. We will always give you guidance as to whether a shoe is narrow (UK width A), standard (UK widths B-D), wide (UK E-EE) or extra wide (UK EE-EEE). We carry a large selection of comfortable shoes in standard and wide fittings so you can be sure to find something suitable that looks and feels great. Even better than that, most of our shoes also come in UK half sizes so that you can be sure to find the perfect fit.

To help you find the right shoes for your foot type, here is a brief summary of what to look out for at both extremes:

Finding Shoes for Narrow Feet

What to look for:

• A well-fitting heel, not too loose as you’ll wobble and slip out. Often just looking at the heel cup indicates whether the shoe will be suitable or not.
• Straps, laces or ties, so that you can adjust the shoe for a closer fit if necessary
• Leather rather than suede (the latter is too yielding to give adequate support)
• You could try inserting heel grips into shoes – see image below
•  Picture of a shoe with a heel grip in place.

Here is a small selection of shoes that are suitable for narrow feet available at CheerfulSoles. Go to our online store for see more!

Finding Shoes for Wide Feet

What to look for:

• Suede or soft calfskin that stretches where you need it
• More covered styles—broad feet “spill” out of bare, low-cut shoes
• Removable Insoles – Often taking out the insoles can give you a bit of extra depth and width where you need it most
• Laces or adjustable straps so that you can find a fit that works for you
• Nonbinding design – avoid fixed straps as wide feet can bulge causing pain and irritation

Here is a small selection of shoes that are suitable for wide feet available at CheerfulSoles. Go to our online store for see more!

We have customers in our sister shop “Helen Midgley” who suffer from painful foot problems and we successfully fit them with shoes that look good and feel great. Comfortable shoes don’t have to look ugly and unflattering and we wanted to regularly share with you some of our fitting experiences, hoping that they will help you to find the right shoe for you.

To kick us off we are starting with what to look out for when searching for shoes for rheumatoid arthritis. We see this condition time and again and completely empathise with those who are suffering and searching for shoes. Quite often people who suffer from this painful condition also have swollen and deformed toe joints, making the search for comfortable shoes that more difficult. You can find out more about this painful condition by clicking here>>

What Fits well for Swollen and deformed toe joints, commonly associated with Arthritic Feet?

We were fitting a lady with shoes in our sister shop, “Helen Midgleys” in Grassington last week who had this problem and we are pleased to say that she left the shop extremely happy and with two new pairs of stylish shoes in spite of her problem feet. So what did she buy?

Both of the shoes above are suitable if you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, our top tips for buying shoes for this condition are:

Look for a square and roomy toe box

This shape of toe box will accommodate the spread of your toes and any swollen joints more easily that a toe box that is rounded.

Removable Insoles

In addition to the square toe box, a removable insole will give you extra depth where you need it most. Often we have ladies (an gentlemen) who only have a problem with one of their feet and have been buying shoes that are too big. With a removable insole you need only remove the insole from the shoe that will be accommodating your problem foot making for a more comfortable fit for both feet.

Secure Fastening

It goes without saying that feet slipping in shoes further exacerbates pain in swollen joints so having a secure lace, Velcro ore elastic fastening across the foot will give you more comfort as the shoe is held securely on the foot with no rubbing or slipping.

Now you know what to look for, take a look at more stylish comfort shoes that look good and feel great on our website. Click Here>>

We are really excited to tell you about a new brand arriving this spring.
Scholl Footwear has a long established reputation in the comfort shoe
market and they have been manufacturing comfort footwear for over 100 years.
Known for the iconic wooden sole sandal made popular in the 1970s, Scholl
have come a long way and we were so impressed with their Spring / Summer
range that we just had to get some.

Scholl Sandals at Cheerful Soles

Our new range of Scholl Sandals includes a mixture of styles; from the traditional
wooden sole with a rather stunning heel to flat sandals with cushioned orthotic
footbeds. Here’s a taster of some of the Scholl Sandals that will be arriving soon.

We love them and lovingly refer to them as our ‘Marmite Shoes’ because you either automatically love them or are really not that keen. Well, give Alegira Shoes a try is what we say and don’t just take our word for it, have a look at some of our great customer reviews.

Alegria Caiti Boot

The Cheerful Soles description is right – this is a fantastic little boot. This is a very comfortable and cute addition to the the range – I even wore them with a shortish skirt and opaque tights. Read full review……..

Alegria Paloma Shoes

have problems with the ball of my right foot and for months have not been able to walk very far, but went shopping on Saturday and had the best walking day I have had for a long time. Read More………

Buying Advice

Don’t forget that the Paloma Shoe, Caiti Boot and Dayna Shoes are ‘fitting big’. Order a size below what you are normally. So, if you are a 39, order a 38!

Are you Loving your Alegria?

let us know what you love about your Alegria Shoes, leave a comment below.

Mephisto Shoes Review

We have known that Mephisto Footwear is stylish and comfortable for a long time now so we are pleased to see that some of our customers are leaving reviews of their Mephisto Shoes for others to see. Our best selling Mephisto Ladies Shoe for this season has to the the Mephisto Fiducia Boot.

We know that lots of you are looking for comfortable shoes and boots this winter and so we though that it was about time that we told you about what has been selling well why.

Alegria Shoes

This style really has taken off with many of customers, people who are already familiar with the Alegria Shoes brand those new to the brand absolutely love this little ankle boot that we have in 3 great colours, Black Etched Leather, Brown Etched Leather and Black Leather shown above.

Alegria Shoes Make You Happy….

Or so they claim, what we can tell you is that at Cheerfulsoles we all have a pair and find that this brand works really well and demonstrate all the features that we ask for in a shoe – It looks great and feels great! Key features include:

Key Features

• Anatomic Foot bed - Also made from leather and moulds to the shape of your foot for ultimate comfort
• Mild Rocker Sole- Not on the same level as MBT however the Alegria sole will make you roll your foot naturally as your walk and helps to relieve pressure from heels and toes.
• Secure Fastenings - Our Alegria Shoes and Boots have velcro fastenings that hold them onto yur foot well. On the Caiti Boot, this enables you to adjust for a perfect fit which is great if you have wider than average ankles!
• Non Slip Sole - Essential in our British Climate, the non slip feature makes them an ideal choice when outdoors in lot of different work place settings

Theresia M Shoes

Our best selling Ladies Comfort Shoe has now been joined by a leather alternative with is great for winter. The Theresia M Harriet Black Suede has been one of our most popular shoes for people who wear Orthotics or just want a stylish comfortable shoe for work. We are not surprised that this smart Graphite Leather alternative is selling fast and the good news is that we are able to get more stock!

Key Features

• Extremely Comfortable - The Harriet style is deceptively roomy and looks really elegant on the foot
• Cushioned Removable Insole -The insoles on most of the Theresia M Shoes are fully removable and have a soft finished footbed underneath. This makes them ideal for people who wear orthotics or simply need to make a bit more room in one or both shoes to accommodate other foot problems
• Secure Adjustable strap - The strap across this shoe is Velcro and can be adjusted for a more secure fit

Hassia Shoes

The Hassia Petra Pump really is a Little Gem! Shown here in Black, it is also available in Navy too. It’s a great choice for people with sensitive feet, arthritis or Bunions (even large ones)!! Along with the Theresia M Harriet Wedge, it is consistently one of our best sellers and is a style that we will always have in stock, or coming into stock soon.

Key Features

• Wide Fitting - This pump will fit D+ width feet easily and with removable insoles we find that it will also accommodate a Ladies E width too.
• Removable Insole- As stated above, great if you need some extra depth for one or both feet. They are soft and cushioned with a soft finished foot bed underneath too making them ideal for a shallow orthotic.
• Secure Fit in Soft Suede- These pumps are so soft when on the foot that it really does feel like you are stepping out in your slippers. This is a comfortable shoe that fits like a glove an holds onto the foot well

Mephisto Shoes

We love this little boot by Mephisto and so do lots of our customers who have voted with their online shopping baskets. We will always try to keep a good stock of these in (though colours may vary depending on what Mephisto are stocking throughout the winter). Shown in Grey nu-buck above with a grey leather cuff around the ankle, we also have the same style in Navy. Mephisto Shoes are well known amongst the comfort shoe market for their stylish and comfortable designs that incorporate lots of technology to make them one of our most popular brands. We find that once you have bought Mephisto, you will be converted and do so time and again.

Key Features

• Soft-air Latex Midsole and Shock Absorbing System – Basically this means that the sole unit helps absorb the shocks from walking, relieving pressure and jarring of your feet, joints.
• Rounded and Seamless Toe Box – so this boot will be good if you have sensitive toes or an enlarged joint.
• Removable Insole – so you can pop your own in or make a little bit more room in the boot if you need to.

If you think that we have missed any of our great winter selection from this list then please let us know and we will update the blog with your thoughts too.

Ladies Comfortable Work Shoes

Finding Comfortable Shoes for work that look great and feel even better can be a challenge. Luckily for you, at Cheerful Soles we are trying to make this even easier for you by finding comfortable ladies shoes that are smart for work and still provide you with all the comfort you need to make your feet feel great all day long.

Wearing high heels or cramming your feet into flat pumps all day long are both extremes of what not to wear when you are on your feet all day. The pumps will lead to your feet swelling and spreading whilst the high heels will leave your calf muscles stretched and your toes squashed.

What to look for is a Comfortable Work Shoe

• * Firstly make sure that the shoe fits! Most of  our ladies shoes come in half sizes making it even easier to find the perfect fit. If you are not sure what size you are then pop into a local shoe retailer and asked to be measure. You may be surprised that you are no longer the perfect size 5 that you were in your 20′s!
• * Are you shoes wide enough? As we get older, some of us find that we need  wider fitting shoes when we used to. We are not talking about really wide fitting here, however a good E  fitting may be more suitable for you if you are up and about at work all day. A comfortable shoe that is a wider fit will allow room for inevitable swelling that takes place during the working day
• * Look for a slight wedge or block heel as this will spread the pressure on your feet more evenly (hurray we still get some extra height)!!
• * Adjustability is good. A good ladies comfortable shoe is one that allows your feet to behave is as ‘normal’ a way as possible. Adjustable straps and laces allow you to adjust the shoe all day long for a secure and comfortable fit.
• * Look out for Removable Insoles you can take them out and pop in your own orthotic or take one or the other out for a bit of extra depth and width.

Comfortable Work Shoes from CheerfulSoles

Click on the shoes below to go straight to our fantastic selection of comfortable shoes for work now!

Want to know how to look after your favourite Suede Shoes this Winter? Then read on.

One of our best selling ladies comfortable shoe is the Theresia M Harriet Suede Wedge, see below. It is elegant, deceptively wide and roomy and simply one of the most comfortable pair of shoes we have ever worn (personal testament here)!!

Given that we know that you will want to wear it in the winter too, we have put together some tips on how to look after your suede at this time of year.

How to be Suede Smart

The wet cleaning remedies that work for smooth leather aren’t good for suede, which needs to stay dry so it doesn’t lose its texture. Instead, quickly rub off overall dirt with an eraser, or just lightly sand away obvious stains with an emery board.
To raise the nap of suede that’s flattened, scrub briskly with a clean toothbrush or terry cloth towel. If it’s really matted, hold the shoe a few inches above the spout of a steaming teakettle for a few seconds, then brush up the nap.

You can read our own online review of this shoe in our “What are We Wearing Section of our Blog” or just click here

If you have any more tips on how to be ‘Suede Smart’ then let us know.

We are very excited to tell you that we now sell Mens Waldlaufer Shoes too!

Waldlaufer Shoes have long been synonymous with comfort and style but up until recently only our female customers were able to buy this European Comfort Shoe from us. Mens Waldlaufer Shoes offer complete comfort at what we think is a really reasonable price. Waldaufer, or ‘Wood Walker’ have long been associated with the comfort shoe market with over 50 years in the business. No wonder our customers love this brand so much. Many of the Waldlaufer mens shoes have removable insoles making them ideal for men with a wider than average foot or who need to accommodate an orthotic insert.

Go straight to our Mens Waldlaufer Shoes department now to have a look.

Our Summer Sales starts next week so hopefully you will be able to bag yourself a great pair of comfortable shoes at at discounted price. Can you believe that we have already taken delivery of some of our Autum / Winter shoes. There are some great styles from Mephisto and Theresia M that we can’t wait for you to see.

Watch out for your newsletter letting you know that the sale has started.

Bye for now

Jo, CheerfulSoles