BarkingDogShoes | Reviews and Deals - Comfortable Shoes for Women

Guest Blogger Sarah and her Ara Boots

Written by my galpal, Sarah H. who suffers from lives above rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and other autoimmune illnesses.

I am writing this review on a beloved pair of Ara GORE-TEX boots. My motivation is to come to my dear friend’s aid, we are fellow sufferers of multiple autoimmune disorders and they, as you read on her Thursday’s review, can throw a woman’s life upside down in a heartbeat. These illnesses can also can cause some major foot problems, which is why I personally love my Barking Dog Shoes blog.

About 10 years ago I worked with the fabulous sales people of various Nordstrom’s in New York and New Jersey, training them on the value of a comfort shoe. I was helping my Father, who has owned his own comfort shoe business for years. A lot has changed in the industry in the last decade, and I also have grown up, trading in my beloved Steve Madden’s of my college years for any shoe that won’t cause further problems to my arthritic feet. The problem is finding comfort and fashion that come together in perfect harmony, as a 33 year-old Mom of four children under the age of 5 years of age (including a set of twin boys – no I am not joking) I have to be able to move, heave, lift, throw and run at any given time.

 The Ara GORE-TEX black boot is my solution to the slushy, snowy Chicago winters (and springs, summers and falls for that matter). It is a boot I wear for 3 season of the year, comes in a variety of styles and heights and heel lengths. The Ara Portofino, Ara Paris or the Ara London are 3 examples of high black stretch boots that fit over or under jeans, and can be dressed up to wear with skirts and dresses. They have an easy side zipper and resist any water. I get lots of compliments and honestly, my pair has stood the test of time both in fashion and durability. 

Some additional thoughts: The footbed is not super cushioned, which is why I like the lower heel better or 
the idea of putting in an insert. It is a year-round boot, so doesn’t provide tons of warmth for chasing your kids through snow, for example. The fabric stretches, it feels great on my wider upper foot which tends to be sensitive.

Check out 6pm.com for great deals on comfortable European-made Ara.

Stylish Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis: Do They Exist?

I'm not a podiatrist and I don't play one on my blog. But I do have that nagging plantar fasciitis, which I suspect you might have too. So what do we do, you and I, about our heel pain? Sure, we can roll our foot around on a tennis ball, wear all manner of torture-looking devices on our feet at night and put our Dr. prescribed orthotics in our P.W. Minor shoes, but come ON! Is that the best we can do?

Not according to the Barking Dog who dug up a few great choices to alleviate the pain of plantar fasciitis while looking pretty darn good. Choices were made based on customer testimonial and comfort technologies specifically designed to provide relief from PF: great arch support, slightly raised heel, and no flimsy soles!  The brands are listed with photos depicting styles that customers recommended for PF.Many styles have removable insoles to accommodate custom orthotics.

Dress: Naot, Aravon (a New Balance Company), Helle Comfort

 

 

Dress Casual: Dansko, Sanita, Think!, Ariat, Naot, Kumfs,  PG Lite Alegria, Wolky

 

 

Casual: Birkenstock, Chaco, Haflinger

Walking/Exerice: MBT, Ecco Performance RXP, Ryka, Kuru, Merrell

 

Honorable Mention: Orthaheel Tide.  My dear friend with plantar fasciitis swears by Orthaheel and wears them around the house exclusively when her PF is acting up.
 

Now for your input. What shoes have saved your heels? Some folks love Earth footwear, but I find the negative heel to put strain on the fascia.  Fit-flops? Still too flimsy for me, although the wobbleboard technology feels great for a while. I continue to love my Wolky Jewel sandals for wearing around the house on the hard floors. Ok, enough from me. Your turn!

Stomach Flu, Grave's Disease and Me

Update 2/4: My apologies to subscribers. Sometimes I forget to change the email subject line after a new post. This has nothing to do with Clark's!

I really do plan to get back to regular posts, but after serving on the bucket brigade this weekend for two youngins with stomach flu and trying to schedule necessary medical tests for myself, I just haven't had time to keep up with all the fantastic comfortable shoes coming our way for spring.

My Grave's Disease (over-active thyroid) has come back with a vengeance and caused me to act like a crazy lady. Having a panic attack among loaves of french and rustica bread at the grocery store was my first clue that Grave's had crept back up on me. Thanks to the kind bakery lady for lending me her bucket to sit on while I gathered my wits.  And thank you to the buff paramedics for coming to my aid. You were greatly appreciated. Really. So off I go for more diagnostic tests and possible radioactive iodine treatment. Please contact me if you know of someone who has opted for this treatment. I'm trying to glean as much information as I can to make an informed decision. Thankfully, my eyes haven't bugged out and I don't have a goiter like the unfortunate woman on the right.

In the meantime, I am working on a post featuring fairly stylish shoes for plantar fasciitis. If you have this "pain-in-the-heel" malady, what shoe has provided relief? I know how important custom orthotics are to healing the pain, but they're expensive and don't fit in all kinds of shoes.

I'm happy to report that Barking Dog Shoes has 28 new subscribers since Jan. 13, so I will making a donation to Soles4Souls for $140 ($5/subscriber). Thank you.

Stylish, Comfortable Heels by Clark's

Are you one of those people who thinks this would be the only high heel you could EVER be comfortable in?

I have friends who think so, and I hope they will reconsider. With options out there like this beauty from Clark’s, there is no reason to give up the kicky, in-charge feeling you get from a wearing a great pair of heels. The Clark’s Diamond Sparkle gets high marks for comfort from Zappos customers. And isn’t it beautiful? Wardrobe suggestions: I would wear this shoe with pants and a semi-sheer, textured trouser sock, or with a dressy sweater, skirt and contrasting tights.

Available in sizes -12, three widths for $85.50 from Zappos, $78-95 from Endless, $70.95 from Footwear Etc.

Take a look at a new offering from Clark's "Diamond" collection: The Diamond Love slingback! I'm crazy for this shoe. With the same manageable 2 1/2" heel and memory foam footbed as the Diamond Sparkle,  the patent slingback upper gives it a high style profile.

Available for $90 from Zappos.

Are there any foot-friendly heels that you recommend? Give us your input by leaving a comment below!

Abbadabba's LOVES Naot

Over the past few months, I've enjoyed chatting comfort shoes in 140 characters or less on Twitter with Jade Regotti, store manager of AbbaDabba's shoe store in Gwinnett county outside Atlanta. I asked Jade if she'd be interested in sharing a post about the role comfortable shoes play in her day-to-day life. She chose to highlight the Naot Matai, which you know is a Barking Dog-approved shoe for all that ails the foot from plantar fasciitis (heel pain) to fallen arches to bunions. Here's Jade.

My passion for shoes did not just start with working at comfort shoe store.  I worked in the mall and noticed how my back and legs would hurt with each shift.  I decided that there had to be a solution out there and the common thought was that a whole body's support is based off of your feet which led me to realization that I needed a pair of good, comfortable shoes!  Working at the mall, I thought that this would be an easy task to find the solution to my problem.  That was not the case for me because many of the stores I went into did not offer help on the sales floor, I wasn't offered help or when I was the suggestions given to me weren't for me.  I made another decision, that with more research there had to be comfort, support and fashion in one and I was right!

     Abbadabba's is the comfort shoe store of the South and was suggested to me by a co-worker who also had back problems in the past.  I had never heard of Abbadabba's and also hadn't even thought to go outside the mall to a smaller "boutique" store to find the comfort and fashion I needed. 

The world of brands I was introduced to was incredible: Birkenstock, Mephisto, Dansko, Haflinger, Merrell, Clarks (and that is just a few from that day when I first entered the real world of comfort shoes!  I purchased my first pair of Danskos with their cute little clog look and never felt better!  I felt so good and so good about Abbadabba's I have now been employed here almost 6 years and my favorite brand to introduce customers to is Naot. 

     Naot have many different collections to help fit all types of feet and styles that fit the needs of dress to casual all the way to business styles for men and women.  I have worked with a pedorthist who makes custom orthotics to custom fit the Naot foot bed.  That's right, many Naots have removable insoles and all have the foot bed made of cork and latex that will mold and personalize to your foot.  My all time favorite Naot is the Matai! 

The Matai is a medium width foot bed with the softest leather upper that maintains its shape but allows for foot issues that require a wider toe box  Before I have my customers try the Matai on I express to them the feeling of unbelievable comfort they are going to experience and am met with many look of uncertainty until they remove their old shoes and place their feet into luxury that can be described by many as a soft pillow on your feet!  The foot bed only gets better and better as it molds a personalization to your foot and becomes a shoe made specifically for you!  

 The world of comfort footwear have drastically expanded within my years with Abbadabba's.  The company I work for and myself have grown right along with them!  We carry over 30 different brands that largely include comfort and if they are lacking in support, we always have insoles ready to make a fashion shoe into a comfort shoe. 

Where can you find us?  Throughout Georgia are exact locations are located in Little 5 Points, Buckhead, Kennesaw, Roswell, Gwinnett and on the Internet at Coolshoes.Com.  My journey in comfort shoes is a new experience every day with finding the right shoe for a persons needs, but if you stop in I will pull out all the stops to make sure you leave with the experience that we at Abbadabba's know how to treat your feet!

If you live in the Atlanta area, head on over to one of Abbadabba's five locations to check out their extensive comfort shoe inventory.

Can't get to a brick and mortar shop? Check out Zappos extensive Naot collection. For discount Naot, try 6pm.com.