That was then, this is now.

There’s a shoe store around the corner from my apartment. I’d been there before and struck out. But on my way home today, I spied a cute pair of strappy silver sandals in the window. I ducked in, discovered they were in my price range, and tried them on.

They are Loreen by Vaneli di Notte, and they are perfect.

As you can see, they are very, very similar to the David Tate shoes above and have roughly equal ratings on Zappos. But the shape of Loreen is a bit more graceful, the straps are more delicate and thus don’t put as much pressure on my foot and the footbed is constructed of a more comfortable non-sticky material.

The heel on the Loreen is 2 3/4″, a half inch higher than the other shoes. This will make my seamstress happier (I did my first fitting wearing 3 1/4″ heels) but is still a very comfortable height for me to wear.

I love these shoes. They are dressy/bridal-y enough to wear for the wedding, but would also look great with a cocktail dress or even jeans. I expect to get a lot of wear out of these shoes, and I paid less for them than I did for the others!

That’s one more thing off the list! Next up: my invitation solution.

Related Posts:

• Bridal Shoes for Narrow Feet: David Tate
• In Search of Comfortable Bridal Shoes: Nina
• Fortuitous Sales! I Succeed in Buying a Flower Girl Dress and Hair Combs
• I Love My Wedding Dress!
• That’s One Way to Save Money on Bridal Attire

© The Bride for Bridal Babble, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: david tate, david tate shoes, dress shoes, shoes, special occasion shoes, vaneli, vaneli shoes

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I tried some more local department stores and shoe stores, but had no luck at any of them. So I turned to the Internet. I found these t-strap sandals on AnnTaylor.com:

and these from Zappos:

From left to right, the shoes from Zappos are:

1. Grant, by Nina. These are the shoes I mentioned at the end of this post.
2. Sculpted, by Steve Madden
3. Infinity, by David Tate. These shoes come in both narrow and wide sizes.

I ordered all the shoes in a 6.5M, except for the David Tate shoes. Those I ordered in a 7N. I tried them all on in the comfort of my own home, taking them around the carpet and the kitchen linoleum.

The Ann Taylor shoes were ok, except for a bit of poking/chafing around the ankle strap. They’re really shiny, but I could still see myself wearing them on many occasions.

The Nina shoes were very nice, but a tiny bit too small. From my previous experience with trying on Nina shoes, I suspect going a half size up will make them much too big.

I loved the look of the Steve Madden shoes, but they were too wide around the ankle.

The David Tate shoes fit better than any other bridal shoe I have tried on so far. The secret, of course, is in the narrow sizing—all the other brands only come in the standard medium width. I can usually make do with a 6.5M, but my real shoe size is 7N.

All the shoes except the David Tate shoes will be going back. I haven’t quite decided to go with the David Tate shoes yet. First, the heel is a full inch lower than the heels I wore for my first dress fitting. I’m not sure how much this will upset my seamstress. Second, the straps at the front are a little uncomfortable. But I’ll hang onto them for now. They’re the best option I have so far and Zappos has a generous 365-day return policy.

Related Posts:

• I Found My Bridal Shoes!
• In Search of Comfortable Bridal Shoes: Nina
• I Bought My Bridal Jewelry!
• DIY Wedding Invitations: Paper Sources
• I Love My Wedding Dress!

© The Bride for Bridal Babble, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: ann taylor, ann taylor shoes, buying shoes, david tate, david tate shoes, dress shoes, nina, nina shoes, shoe, shoe shopping, shoes, special occasion shoes, steve madden, steve madden shoes

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

However, heels are also a must, as I am both short and short-legged. I had my first gown fitting while wearing these (flimsy and uncomfortable) 3 1/4″ heels, so I need to find something about the same height.

The reviewers at Zappos seem to love Nina shoes for their comfort, so I decided to give them a try. Here’s a sampling of what I tried on:

From left to right, top to bottom, they are:

1. Halena, an asymmetrical slingback with a 2 1/4″ heel
2. Vergone, another asymmetrical slingback, this time with a 3 1/2″ heel
3. Fiore, a slingback with crystal accents and a 3 1/2″ heel
4. Fifi, a mesh pump with rhinestones and a 3 1/4″ heel
5. Gretel, a rhinestone-accented sandal with a 1/2″ platform and a 3 1/2″ heel

They were all super-cute on the shelf. But after trying them on, I discovered they were also:

1. Too low, and actually kind of ugly on the foot. The asymmetrical strap provides no support.
2. A better height, but the asymmetrical strap has the same problem as above.
3. Pinchy. The regular slingback provides more support, but still not enough to dance comfortably.
4. Stiff and painful.
5. Precarious to walk in, mostly thanks to the platform.

The Gretel might have worked, but negotiating a 3 1/2″ heel and a 1/2″ platform was a little too much for my uncoordinated self. But I did notice that the around-the-ankle strap helped anchor my foot to the shoe during tricky maneuvers (like…walking in a straight line). So I’m going to look for shoes with those kinds of straps.

After browsing around on the Nina site some more, I found Grant, which I hadn’t seen in the store. It’s a T-strap sandal with a 3 1/4″ heel.

If I don’t find anything promising on my next shoe-buying trip, I might order them off the web site and give them a go.

Related Posts:

• Bridal Shoes for Narrow Feet: David Tate
• I Found My Bridal Shoes!
• The Dress, and the Moment
• I Bought My Bridal Jewelry!
• I Love My Wedding Dress!

© The Bride for Bridal Babble, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: buying shoes, dress shoes, nina, nina shoes, shoe, shoe shopping, shoes, special occasion shoes

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh