My Hunt for Heels That Don’t Hurt My High Arches

When I first began my hunt for heels with arch support, Reddit directed me to one of the only nice-looking suggestions I found, Naturalizer’s 27 Edit collection. These were the easiest to walk in at first, without needing much break-in time. But once I started wearing them out more, my feet could only last a few hours.When I went out to dinner with my fiancé in Calabasas, I couldn’t do my usual “walk around the block after dinner” routine without wanting to change shoes first. I ordered them in my regular size, 8, and they fit true to size. They go up to a size 12 and come in a wide width as well, making them one of the most size and width-inclusive options.

This pair also broke in pretty quickly. I wore these all day doing chores around the house, and I only took them off to try to turn off the fire alarm I accidentally set off while cooking. They have “PillowTech athletic-grade cushioning” that makes them super-comfortable — after walking on them on a different day for an afternoon running errands around town, my soles felt fine until about hour three, when I changed into Birkenstocks in my car to go into Ross. The style does run slightly big, so I would order half a size down. It doesn’t have visible arch support, but the cushioning was enough for a low-to-medium-steps walking day; it wasn’t comfortable enough for a full day out or a night that includes dancing or waiting for a drink at the bar, but would be great for a standard workday where there’s a mix of sitting and walking.

This pair had the least arch support built in; they have “inFORMA comfort technology” that adds cushion to pressure points on the foot, but I could still see a gap in the shoe with my high arches because the design didn’t have an arch lift. They were surprisingly easy to walk in for three-inch heels, though, despite not having a platform or real arch support. I did feel some arch soreness after a few hours of wear, so these would not be ones I’d wear for a night out with friends but would wear to Thanksgiving — where we take one nice picture and immediately take the heels off after. I ordered a half-size down, as my usual size 8 was too big to walk in comfortably.

These were my least favorite shoes, style-wise. That said, I’d seen a lot of positive reviews of this brand from other people with high arches, and I’m glad I gave this pair a shot. They were immediately comfortable, even with the thinner heel, and they broke in quickly because they’re made with a knit fabric instead of leather. I tested them out for happy-hour drinks with friends, and the walk from the parking lot to the restaurant was decently long. I felt immediate support in my arches, and the balls of my feet didn’t burn on the walk back to the car, something I’ve experienced with other heels in the same parking lot.It was also one of the only pairs my feet weren’t sweaty in by the end of the night. Unfortunately, this just isn’t my style, but it could definitely fit into my routine for work events where the chair-to-invited-people ratio is unclear.

These heels run true to size and were perfect for a dinner with co-workers that included a classic “I arrived here too early so we’re doing some window-shopping” walk. After going over a mile on concrete sidewalks and uneven thrift store tiled floors in Long Beach, the shoes were still very comfortable. Once we got settled at a dive bar, I didn’t dread getting up from my seat to order drinks, like I used to with non-supportive heels, because my feet didn’t hurt even after two hours of walking in them. By the end of the night, I forgot I was wearing heels and playfully did a little dance for my colleagues to show them the shoes were the real deal. These were also my first choice for a wedding at a ranch with an uphill walk, and I felt like I surpassed a new milestone as a heels newbie.

These Sarah Flint heels were the first pair I saw where I visibly gasped at how well you can see the arch support. The price point initially turned me off, but the arch support convinced me it might be better to invest in one solid pair than buy a bunch of uncomfortable shoes on sale. I wore them for a full night out to a journalism mixer that was outside in the backyard of a community center with uneven concrete floors. The night eventually shifted from business to party when my co-worker Savannah and I moved to our next stop: a karaoke bar to celebrate our other co-worker Bethy’s 21st anniversary with her husband, Colin. I didn’t feel pressure on the balls of my feet walking to and from the car, parked a few blocks from the bar. There is a bit of a break-in period, like with almost every heel, especially in the toe-box area with the pointed design, but once they were broken in, they felt like a pair of flats and gave me confidence to consider trying a higher pair from the brand in the future.