NYC is one of my favourite cities and spending time back here again just makes it harder to leave!

In Manhattan, you could walk everywhere and anywhere. It’s also one of those places where dressing up for drinks or brunch is just part of everyday life. But pounding the pavements in thinly soled sandals and uncomfortable heels can really take its toll – not just giving you pain at the end of the day, but probably for life (just ask a few golden ladies and chances are quite a few of them would have pains caused by improper footwear during their younger days…)

Being back in the city many years later, I’ve found that my feet can no longer take walking the whole day in footwear with little support (fyi, thin-soled flats and flip-flops are included in this category!). While I wish all brands would start creating footwear that protect our feet in the long-run, here are some that I’ve found to provide more shock-absorbence and comfort for precious feet.

p/s – While these tend to be pricier, they are definitely worth it in preventing foot pain in the future. To get more bang for your buck, choose classic styles and neutral colours that you can wear more often!

Cole Haan

A lesser known fact is that Cole Haan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nike. The benefit of that is the incorporation of Nike Air technology in dressier Cole Haan shoes!

The quick way to tell – Cole Haan shoes with concealed Nike Air technology will have the word ‘air’ in their names.

While heels aren’t the best for your feet in the long run, when you do have to wear them, the best thing you could do is wear something that protects your feet more than the average heel. I’ve had a pair of Cole Haan Nike Air heels that have lasted me for the past several years for long events and nights out – definitely worth the investment!

Kenneth Cole

If you need heels that work for you 24/7 that brings you from work to nights out, the superb heel from Kenneth Cole would be a good option to consider.

These heels boast a unique flaxseed pillow in arch molds to suit the shape of your foot, two layers of Poron foam for shock absorption, cork and bonded cellulose comfort layers, breathable sheepskin lining and the list goes on.

Dr. Scholl’s

Already known for comfort shoes and footwear solutions, in recent years Dr. Scholl’s has been coming up with trendier styles. Clarks is another similar brand option although much searching has to be done for both these brands for styles that work with some hits and misses in each new collection (Couldn’t find much with Clarks this time round so no pictures sorry!).

YOU by Crocs

When Crocs first launched, many told me about how comfortable and practical they were but I could never bring myself to step into a pair. But now with YOU by Crocs, I’d jump into a pair quite readily! These shoes are made of leather-wrapped Croslite material – a propriety foam resin that forms itself to the wearer’s feet, offering purported medical benefits.

Just got me a pair of Clonnie sandals to replace my flip flops for running errands and they’ve been great so far.

Perhaps if we start rallying, all shoes and sandals in the future would be built much better for our dear dear feet. ;)