My Hunt for Nice-Looking Mary Janes for Wide Feet

Dr. Scholl’s reputation as a comfortable — if not, orthopedic — shoe maker is for good reason: These mary janes had one of the most spacious toe boxes of the shoes I tried, along with a pillowy yet supportive footbed and some extra padding on the heel to prevent rubbing. They had the potential to be in the final few if the wide sizing was available in anything smaller than a size seven. I tried the seven with the hopes they wouldn’t be too big, but they were so roomy that they may as well have been a whole size too large. Alas, small feet can be wide, too, and these shoes don’t account for that.

I tried these on the recommendation of my colleague (and former shoe designer) Martha Tuber, who says they’re her favorite from the brand. Per her advice, I sized up to a seven, but the oval-shape toe box warped against the shape of my foot, especially after a few thousand steps. I had better luck with Rothy’s Max Square mary janes below.

Margaux’s mary janes are a team favorite, and my editor, Hilary Reid, has even packed them as her only shoe for weekends out of town. Needless to say, I had high hopes for the shoes, but even the wide version was too narrow for my feet, especially in the toe box where both my big and pinky toes jutted out from the supple burgundy leather. I wish they were just slightly wider as the footbed was supportive and cushiony — exactly what I was looking for.

With a more rounded toe box, Margaux’s demi janes were more compatible with my wider foot shape. They have a similar, supportive footbed, a soft yet sturdy leather outsole, and some canvas lining. Still, the shoes were still ultimately too narrow. After just ten minutes of walking, I noticed the footbed was stretching to fit my foot, and every time I logged a few thousand steps in them, my toes and heels would get rubbed raw.

While these aren’t explicitly marketed as a shoe for wide feet, their generous, ovular footbed was reason enough for me to give them a try. Out of the box, they felt similar to the Margaux demi janes above — in fact, the outlines of their soles are almost identical. These, in comparison, maintained their shape for longer than the demi janes, but that meant they were also tighter and less stretchy from the heel to the toes, making them less comfortable for long walks. As far as statement mary janes go, though, they’re the best I found for wide feet. (How about that shearling-lined pair?)

These flats, on the other hand, were too stretchy. They’re not part of Alohas’ barefoot line, but they may well be with their generous toebox, malleable footbed, and elastic drawstring at the top. While my feet had plenty of room to breathe while I walked, I could never get the drawstring tight enough to prevent the shoe from rubbing with each step I took.

It’s difficult to stress just how close these were to being a winner. They have everything I could ask for in a shoe: a cushiony footbed with extra support on the heel, arch, and ball of the foot; extra padding where the shoe would usually rub on the back of my heel; and a woven strap that allows you to place the prong wherever you please (compared to just a few predetermined holes). Despite these bells and whistles, the shoes still irritated my toes after several thousand steps. I could stop the rubbing by wearing socks underneath, but my winner was comfortable on its own.

Like a flashy bra, there’s a time and a place for toe cleavage, and I’ll be wearing these for all those occasions going forward (that would be Lower East Side happy hour and Saturday brunch). The flats dip just low enough to show off the beginning of the toes without showing any actual toe — and as someone with Raynaud’s, I appreciate all the extra coverage I can get. I wouldn’t wear these on a 10,000-step day — the leather outsole is slightly too rigid for walks that long — but I’d wear them for a 5,000-step day without a second thought. They have a nice, cushiony footbed that absorbs shock, too.

Unlike the Rothy’s, these run large. I’ve been testing them in my usual size, but I imagine half a size down would have been perfect. Even with the extra room, though, the shoes are very comfortable thanks in part to the secondary insole they come with. With different thicknesses and cushioning levels, the insoles provide varying levels of arch support, and I found the second “relaxed” fit insole better fit my high arches. If the rest of the shoe had been that comfortable, the Vionics would have been a winner, too. Unfortunately, they rubbed too much on my heels. I’d recommend wearing them with socks if you have sensitive skin like me.

Compared to the other pair of Rothy’s I tried, these have a more pronounced square toe that was more compatible with my foot shape. And while I didn’t size up in these, I wish I had (from a six-and-a-half to a seven). Still, these shoes were exactly what I would expect from Rothy’s: They mold to the foot without looking deformed and have a supportive insole with extra-cushiony support on the arch. I’d recommend them to anyone looking for a pair of workhorse mary janes they can wear everywhere from the office to vacation. (You can even throw them in the wash if they get dirty.) They just weren’t as comfortable as my winner.

While hunting for other sartorial white whales (like low-rise work pants and mockneck sweatshirts), I often go back and forth about my winners, comparing merits and drawbacks as I commute or fall asleep. With this hunt, though, I felt sure that these would be a winner — it was just a question of whether or not anything would compare. It turns out, nothing did.

Out of the box, these mary janes fit my feet perfectly, hugging my toes just enough to feel secure without any squeezing and supporting my arch and heel with an insole that targets “key pressure points.” No matter how far I walk in them, too, I’ve gotten nary a blister nor a scab. Their success comes down to the shape of the toebox that’s such a wide square it almost has a right angle. And while this might make it seem like the shoe would be bulky, it’s still sleek and refined. There’s even a small, half-inch-ish heel that makes the shoe look all the more elevated. If I have but one critique, it’s that Franco Sarto should make the wide version in more colors. The zebra-print version in the standard sizing is calling to me.