Comfort in Every Step
How Manufacturers Are Making Women's Footwear More Comfortable
Shoe makers today have more options available for making footwear foot friendly without making them dowdy or unfashionable in appearance.
When it came to footwear, women once had to choose between comfort and fashion. Even loafers and sandals, the traditional choice for comfort wear, still needed to be worn several times before they stopped pinching. But today, shoe makers have many ways to make shoes quite comfortable without sacrificing the looks that fashion .
A Better Fit
Some features that manufacturers add to shoes help them fit without needing to be broken in first.
- Stretch In The Material. Shoes that are fabric or of a manmade materials can be stretchy all over or at the portion which hits the top of the foot, which lets the shoe conform to the foot from the very first.
- Elastic Insets. A small piece or gore placed at either side of the shoe's lip or at the instep lets the top of the shoe stretch a little and eases the pressure on the top of the foot. Insets are particularly helpful in shoes of rigid manmade materials.
- Elastic Straps. Some shoes have this instead of cording or lacing so the shoe is easier to get on and doesn't becomes too tight as laces will when the shoe is worn for a long period of time. Pumps that have crisscross straps for style will use elastic instead of leather so its easier to wear.
- Quick-adjusting Straps. Manufacturers have been using hook-and-loop fasteners like Velcro® to secure straps for years. It gives a more snug fit that elastic straps and allows that fit to be changed quickly throughout the day.
Reducing Step Impact
Impact shock is the term used to describe the effect on the foot of hitting a surface, particularly a hard surface like asphalt and concrete floors. Specialty shoes like athletics have always been designed to reduce impact shock, but now manufacturers have more options for cushioning that works in all types of shoes.
- Memory Foam. This high-density, shape-molding foam, used medically for years in pillows and bedding, is used in place of the multiple layers of cushioning manufacturer use to make the traditional comfort shoes, which creates shoes that are too thick or stiff. Memory foam is being used in all types of shoes today.
- EVA midsole. This is the common term for ethylenevinylacetate, a manmade compound used in most athletic shoes for shock absorption, and now appearing in casuals and some pumps as a midsole, the layer under the footbed and above the outsole.
- Molded Units. Used in place of a standard sole in nearly all casual shoes and can be lightweight, incredibly flexible, shock absorbing, or some mix of all three. Units molded of a manmade material that compresses and flexes are used for pumps, making them easier to walk in.
- Sole Insets. More and more manufacturers instead are using rubber or rubber-blend insets in dress soles to make soles more flexible and reduce the step impact. Insets, particularly in athletic shoes, are also added to improve traction.
Comfort compromises
While today's options allow shoes to be not only stylish but also quite comfortable, there are compromises to these new features. Anything that stretches ultimately stretches out and looses it shape, and elastic stretches out the fastest. The softer material used in today's shoe bottoms wears out faster, making even the soles with insets less durable than traditional soles.
