It’s often said that the one fashion accessory people notice is your footwear.

After all, shoes experience more wear and tear and they have to be practical as well as gorgeous if you’re planning to get around in them all day. And that’s the problem: many people feel that if they get a pair of shoes online for $25 they’ve got a bargain. The truth is that designer brand shoes cost more because they are better made: shape, support, strength of materials and finish all need to be of a high class so that you make an impression. Wearing a pair of plastic pumps that make your feet sweat and twist your ankle when you put a foot wrong is not a ‘saving’ at all.

Quality brands have you stepping out in style

In an average lifetime your feet walk, run, hop, skip and jump around 160,000 kilometres. The fact is that quality brand names in comfortable shoes make a huge difference. Sure they cost more than the discount shoes, but your feet are worth it. If you need to cut costs, cut down spending on fashion in clothing like blouses and pants, for as long as they fit. A discount pair of trousers won’t give you pain just by wearing them. Buy decent shoes and you won’t have to visit a podiatrist when those poorly designed shoes that have been twisting your feet for decades finally reveal how much they’ve really cost you. Another advantage of quality brand name shoes is that they will last years instead of months. Why buy cheap shoes regularly that hurt your feet, when you’d likely spend the same amount of money (or less) on one quality pair that will last for years before looking worn?

What to look for in a comfortable shoe

There are a variety of women’s shoes on the market ranging from comfortable, casual everyday shoes, to more formal shoes with increasingly high heels. An ideal choice is a shoe that has a square or wide toe box, with a heel that is lower than 5cm high. Higher heeled, pointed shoes can cause bunions, knee pain, and lower back pain. In addition, high-heeled shoes place tremendous pressure on the fat pad under the ball of the foot (forefoot). The higher the heel, the greater the pressure and the likelihood for injury. Shoes for men are constructed to conform to the shape of the foot and leather soled shoes are more durable and stable. If you regularly walk long distances, a softer soled shoe may be more comfortable, but go for a natural leather upper. Today’s athletic shoes are designed with specific activities in mind so if you do one particular sport more than two times a week, you should get a shoe designed for it — a running shoe, tennis shoe or hiking boot. If you are into different types of sport, cross training footwear may be the best choice.

Selecting the right shoe size

• The size of your feet changes as you age, so always have your feet measured before buying shoes – visit the shoe store at the end of the day, when your feet are largest
• Most of us have one foot that is larger than the other, so fit your shoe to your larger foot
• Don’t select shoes by the size marked inside the shoe but by how the shoe fits your foot
• Select a shoe that is shaped like your foot, and in the fitting process, make sure there is enough space for your longest toe at the end of each shoe

Although style is often key in choosing a pair comfortable of shoes, the most important quality to look for in shoes is durable construction that will protect your feet and keep them comfortable. When selecting shoes, keep this principle in mind: your shoes should conform to the shape of your feet, your feet should never be forced to conform to the shape of a pair of shoes. Soreness, blisters, calluses, and, with time, permanent disfigurements can be caused by habitually crowding your feet into shoes that don’t fit well. In short, don’t skimp on your feet!