75 responses so far ↓

• 1 you'll probably delete me barrie // May 28, 2008 at 10:29 am

  i stopped buying new balance sneakers for the same reason. not worth the money for the pain. there are too many shoes out there. you’ll find yours.

• 2 Suzi // May 28, 2008 at 10:33 am

  Interesting that almost every had a heel rub problem with the privos. They are cute.

  I love Zappos. They are amazingly quick with delivery – sometimes faster that you think. Free returns help too.

• 3 Ansley // May 28, 2008 at 11:51 am

  They have great arch support, but I do not like the irritating dots on the footbed. I had to get rid of them.

• 4 Joanna Schmidt // May 28, 2008 at 12:46 pm

  Those are really cute. I’d get them, but who knows how your feet will fit the Cinderella shoe. Maybe a band-id or two to get used to it…

• 5 Emily // May 28, 2008 at 1:40 pm

  I don’t know about the Privos, but the Michelle K’s are really really comfortable –
  http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/28906140/c/116852.html

• 6 kat // May 28, 2008 at 2:35 pm

  I have the most sensitive feet especially with anything I don’t wear socks with & I adore these shoes. I can wear them all day & then wear them again the next day which is unheard of for me. They do seem to run a little big but the guy at the Clark’s store put an insert in them for me & it made a huge difference!

• 7 Kristine // May 28, 2008 at 5:56 pm

  I have VERY picky feet. Most shoes, when worn without socks, end up tearing apart the backs of my feet. Painful to say the least.

  I bought these recently http://www.famousfootwear.com/product.asp?product_id=1011323&variant_id=61336 I have the brown ones but I’m actually thinking about buying the black ones too cause I’ve been wearing them all over Chicago for weeks now and no heel injuries!

• 8 chez shoes // May 28, 2008 at 6:15 pm

  I find both Privo and Clarks to be unkind to my sensitive feet.

  I recommend a trip to REI – there’s a similar style of Keens that runs narrower than most, and they’e super comfy. There’s also a brand REI carries called Ahnu that don’t work on my wide stubby feet, but a friend with narrower feet swears by them – comfy out of the box, she said, with no sensitive spots.

• 9 leslie // May 28, 2008 at 6:27 pm

  ABSOLUTELY try the blister block from bandaid. you can pick it up from most big drugstores, target, etc.

• 10 Pleasant Girl // May 28, 2008 at 10:04 pm

  Everytime I buy a new pair of shoes, I pick-up a pair of (Heart) My Heels. Easy to apply and a good price point too!

• 11 missy // May 29, 2008 at 5:49 am

  I have a similar pair of Privos and have had no problems with rubbing or blistering.

  Back in the day when I was a competitive runner, I used to have to tape the heck out of my ankles and would get terrible gigantic blisters on my feet(even with pre-wrap). My dad got me a bottle of NuSkin, which you just paint right over the blister or sore spot- no more pain, and the skin heals faster.

• 12 Lisa // May 29, 2008 at 5:53 am

  I don’t know about this exact pair, but Privos are so DARN comfie. I’ve had 2 pairs now and neither pair has rubbed anything. They are so so so comfie.

• 13 Winnie // May 29, 2008 at 6:16 am

  I have two pairs of Privos in a similar shape/style that I wear all the time. I even bought a replacement pair when I found them on clearance. They are my all time favorite walking shoes– they are sooo comfy and do not give me any sort of issues. These are the only shoes that I’ve found to be blister free out of the box (except for Keds).

  I think you’ve said you have narrow feet, so that might be an issue. My feet are small but a bit wide, and I think their boxier toe shape makes them work for me.

  If there’s a Clarks outlet near you they carry the Privo brand.

• 14 DR // May 29, 2008 at 6:25 am

  I have these in orange, and they did start rubbing on one heal about three months after I got them. But they are so easy to wear, and the footbed is so, so comfy that I just soldier through it. My thinking is that my foot will adapt.

• 15 leggynic // May 29, 2008 at 9:09 am

  I too have the Privo Comice that’s very similar. I bought and wore them for my trip to Europe this fall. I loved them. The first day or so I did have some rubbing but no blisters.

  Have you tried the Band-Aid Blister Block stick? It looks like a little deodorant stick but its this gel stuff that cuts down the friction. Great purse size.

• 16 Jen // May 29, 2008 at 10:13 am

  For slip on shoes, I would get the foot petals heel liners instead of the Dr. Scholl’s ones: I find the latter too thick for a shoe and it messes with the sizing. However, the thicker Dr. Scholl’s ones are what I have in a pair of stiff boots where my heel was slipping.

  I love my Keens, but yeah, they are big inside. I’ve added insoles to take up some of the space, especially depth, and now they’re so comfy I rarely wear my other shoes.

• 17 laureg // May 29, 2008 at 10:55 am

  The backs of my feet are so sensitive that almost every pair of shoes gives me blisters, if not worse. I have found these http://www.drscholls.ca/english/products/product?d=Dr.+Scholl's%c2%ae+For+Her%e2%84%a2+Heel+Liners to be a lifesaver (they also have a foam version that works really well). I apply the whole thing up at the top of the back of the shoe, or conversely, I’ll cut them up into little pads and place them where I need them. There’s also some padded moleskin stuff that works really well, too, and each of these these products have really sticky adhesive that makes sure your paddings stay in place. These products have allowed me to wear a lot of shoes that I otherwise would have had to pass up. Hope this helps!

• 18 tammy b // May 29, 2008 at 4:22 pm

  i’ve got the mesas, and it’s right under the ankle and the achilles tendon that they got on me

• 19 wadiefong // May 31, 2008 at 1:40 pm

  If you really want comfy shoes for sensitive feet and odor prevention, consider getting a pair of Keens!

  http://www.onlineshoes.com/productlist.asp?ptclass=brand&brandid=38&ptcat=Keen&gen=w&attribute_value_string|AgeGroupID=1&attribute_value_string|Brand%20Name=Keen&brand_category|0=BrandCategories~brand_root&brand_category|123038=_sale_shoes_~brand_0

  I actually have these
  http://www.onlineshoes.com/productpage.asp?gen=w&pcid=88015

  There are more “stylish” versions. But, I’ve had my toes run over by shopping carts, taken them on hikes, and even run some serious mileage on the trails with them. They have super cushioning. A little dorky looking with the toe bumpers, but they are the best shoes to knock around with :-)

• 20 wadiefong // May 31, 2008 at 2:45 pm

  oop, forgot to mention that the non-leather ones are better (my other pair)…
  http://www.rei.com/product/707627

  very easy to wash! Black ones are nice :-)

• 21 Alex // May 31, 2008 at 7:30 pm

  AHNU! Yes, I’ll second the rec for Ahnu shoes. I bought my first pair at REI Seattle and they rubbed my heels so much for a week and then poof, became the best shoes ever. Wore them in Europe for a month solid, even jumping across flooded fields in the Netherlands.

  When the fabrication did start to break down a few months later (suspiciously), I emailed their headquarters in the Bay Area and got the nicest response. UPS label via email and then a brand new pair to replace them. And, to apologize for the defect, they offered me a crazy 75% coupon for my next pair from them. Made in China (and supposedly fairly sourced); run by very very nice folks in Alameda.

• 22 LANDS END FAN // Jun 2, 2008 at 3:18 am

  I LOVE Lands End shoes! Most of the their sport shoes are lined in the sensitive areas with a cushy neoprene like material… NO BLISTERS! Most of the big name brand shoes just rub and rip my feet to shreds… athough I have had some luck with Adidas.

• 23 Amanda // Jun 2, 2008 at 6:29 am

  I tried these on last weekend b/c I was looking for some good walking shoes for a European trip I’m taking in September.

  They are a little orthopedic looking. Nike, however, makes a Mary Jane in the “free” style that are very cute and Sketchers also, surprisingly makes comfortable fashion sneakers that do well with much walking.

• 24 Deb P // Jun 7, 2008 at 8:38 am

  I own a pair of Privo and they have saved my life on these cobbled streets in Europe. I bought them at Nordstrom before moving from the States. I would recommend this brand and that you buy them at Nordstrom because of their fabulous return policy. Hope you have a Nords near you. When I need another pair of walking shoes, I’m going with Privo. Just fyi, when I’m out in them, I actually forget I’m wearing shoes (a really good sign). I should also mention that I have horrible, hard to fit, tortured, walked enough miles in my life to go round the globe a few times, wide, bunionized, in desperate need of a pedicure, feet. Bad visual huh? I feel sorry for next person who gives me a pedicure- they’ll probably run away crying. Wah!

• 25 Melissa // Jun 9, 2008 at 7:52 pm

  It sounds silly, but if you put a band-aid on your heel, where the shoe rubs, it’ll protect it and then you don’t get the oh so fun rubbed completely raw, limping around experience.
  I do that with all my flats until they stretch out some and I’ve worn them enough that they stop rubbing.

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