25 Shoes That Look Good After 60 and Don't Hurt

Flat leather strips are woven into a cage over the toes, with a solid heel and one buckle at the ankle. It covers the parts of your foot you'd rather keep to yourself and holds the rest from three sides, so nothing slaps or slides.

It started as a work shoe, which is why it's built to stay put. It's also why it suits a bunion or a hammertoe better than most summer shoes do. Woven leather gives a little where a smooth toe box won't.

Before you fall for a pair, turn it over. You want a rubber sole with some texture. Stacked leather soles look lovely and skate on a wet patio.

Tan and dark brown go with nearly everything you own for summer. Oxblood is the surprise. It looks sharp under navy cropped trousers or a white cotton shirtdress that stops at mid-calf.

You're looking at a thick ridged sole and three webbing straps, one across the toes, one over the instep and one behind the heel, each closing with Velcro. Nobody will mistake it for a dressy shoe.

In black or olive, with a striped tee and a khaki skirt, it looks like a choice you made on purpose.

It earns its keep on long July days on your feet: a street fair, a ferry, a hike to a waterfall. When your feet swell at three o'clock, you loosen the straps without taking anything off.

Press your thumb into the sole before you buy. It should push back.

Very soft, unstable midsoles, the foam layer under your foot, are widely warned against for older feet, though a small study of 32 women averaging nearly 70, which also covered heel height, found mixed effects, with some soft soles improving balance.

A marshmallow sole feels wonderful for five minutes.

Most webbing straps have little give, so ask in the store whether a cobbler can adjust them, and get the length right when you try a pair on.

Two wide leather straps sit over a cork bed molded like a footprint, with a ridge under the toes, a cupped heel and, most important, a third strap running behind the ankle.

Without it, you have a slide. The National Institutes of Health warns that backless shoes raise the risk of falling. The heel strap turns the same comfortable footbed into a sandal you can trust on a staircase.

Arches get flatter and less flexible with age. A shaped footbed gives yours something to rest on, which is why so many women switch to this style once their flats start to ache.

The cork starts out hard and molds to you over a week or two. Wear a new pair around the house in short stretches first.

If the arch ridge presses in the wrong place, it won't move. Try another size or another maker before you give up on the style.

A braided rope sole rises gently toward the heel, under a canvas or soft leather upper, with ribbons that wrap and tie at the ankle. The wedge spreads your weight along the whole length of your foot instead of piling it onto the ball.

Keep it at 2 inches or under. Any higher and the slope tips you onto your toes all over again.

Look underneath. A good pair has a layer of treaded rubber over the jute. Bare jute soaks up water and slides on wet grass, and a dewy lawn at an outdoor wedding is exactly where it will let you down.

Tie the ribbons firmly. If they leave red marks on your ankles by the end of lunch, retie them looser.

Wear it with a cornflower-blue cotton sundress, or with white wide-leg trousers that just graze the top of the wedge.

An almond toe, an open back crossed by a thin strap, and a heel about an inch high and roughly as wide as a postage stamp.

Chanel brought out a two-tone slingback in 1957, beige with a black toe cap, and it's still the one most copied.

The inch matters. That same small study put the best heel height for older women at about ⅝ inch to 1 inch, and this shoe sits at the top of that range.

The strap is where slingbacks fail. Walk the length of the store and back. If the strap creeps down under your heel, choose a pair with a bit of elastic built into the strap, or have a cobbler add some.

Skip a pointed toe if you have hammertoes. An almond shape gives them room and still looks narrow.

Bone leather works in July with bare legs and in October with sheer nude tights.

Narrow strips of leather are woven into a tight lattice that covers the whole top of the foot, with a closed heel and a flat sole. Huaraches come from Mexico, and a well-made pair looks better with every summer you wear it.

New ones are stiff. The weave loosens and shapes itself to your foot, so buy a pair that's snug across the width but never short in the length. The leather gives sideways. It won't give at the toes.

The catch is the sole. By 50, nearly half the fat padding under your feet can be gone, and a thin flat sole lands right where it used to be.

Look for a cushioned footbed and a rubber outsole, or enough room inside to slip in a thin padded insole.

Wear it with a wrap skirt or cropped khakis, anywhere the sun is out.

Here's the pump you remember, with an almond toe and a closed back, set on a heel two inches high and as solid as a child's building block.

In black suede or navy leather, it goes to a funeral, a board meeting or an anniversary dinner.

The two inches matter. Podiatrists quoted by HuffPost put the limit there. One figure from that piece: pressure on the front of your foot rises 57% in a 2-inch heel and 76% in a 3-inch heel.

Listen to the rest of your body, too. Plenty of women whose feet could manage two inches find their knees, hips or lower back can't. If that's you, a wedge or a Mary Jane on an inch-high heel will treat you better.

When you try a pair, stand still for a full minute. If the ball of your foot starts to burn, a padded insole won't fix it.

From the side, the sole runs in one solid piece from heel to toe, under a rounded front and a closed back. It reads as a pump across a room. Underfoot, it feels closer to a flat.

What counts is the heel-to-toe drop, meaning how much higher your heel sits than the ball of your foot. A 2-inch wedge with a half-inch platform under the toes gives you a drop of only about an inch and a half.

If you're short and flats make you feel like a schoolgirl, it gives you the height, and your weight stays spread across the whole foot.

Pick it up before you try it on. A heavy wedge clunks and feels like work by evening. Cork and foam cores weigh far less than wood or solid rubber.

Wear it with ankle-length black trousers. Suede also hides the scuffs a wedge picks up on curbs.

A strap runs down the center of the foot and meets a second strap buckled around the ankle, over a slightly flared heel of about 1½ to 2 inches. In pewter or soft gold, it looks like the 1920s.

Character shoes are made for stage performers who spend hours on their feet and can't have a shoe fly off mid-turn. That makes them a good bet if you're the mother of the bride and plan to dance at the reception.

Check the sole. Many come with leather or suede bottoms meant for a stage floor, and those are slick on stone steps and wet grass. A cobbler can add a thin rubber sole before the day.

Break them in on your own floors for a week or two first.

Tuck a pair of soft flats in your bag anyway. Plenty of women change partway through a long day, and nobody remembers which shoes were in the photos.

This is a low slipper-style loafer in deep green, burgundy or midnight velvet, sometimes quilted inside. It's the evening flat for anyone who's finished with heels and still wants to look dressed for the occasion.

The trouble with most of them is the sole, which is barely there. A thin flat sole puts every step on your sore joints, and velvet doesn't leave you much room to fix it later.

So look for three things: a small stacked heel of at least half an inch, a rubber layer on the bottom, even a thin one, and enough depth inside that a padded insole doesn't push your heel out.

Velvet often can't be stretched much, so ask a cobbler before you buy. When in doubt, buy the size that fits today.

Wear it with black cropped tuxedo trousers, or with dark opaque tights and a knee-length skirt. Against holiday tartan, it's hard to beat.

Thin leather straps cross the toes, another circles the ankle, and the heel is about an inch and a half high and wide enough to stand on through a long evening. This is your summer wedding shoe, your garden party shoe, your dinner-outdoors shoe.

Buckle the ankle strap in the store. If it only closes on the last hole, it will bite by nine o'clock, once your feet have swollen. You want a spare hole or two on each side.

Then look down at the front. Your toes shouldn't reach the edge of the sole, let alone hang over it.

If you have a bunion, watch where the toe strap crosses. A narrow strap running over the bump will rub it raw within an hour. A wider strap, or one set farther forward, misses it.

Gold works for evening. A soft nude close to your skin tone works in daylight.

You see an almond toe, a slim strap buckled across the instep and a heel about an inch high.

The name goes back to a little girl in the Buster Brown comic strip of the early 1900s, which is exactly what worries some women about it.

It doesn't have to look young. The grown-up version has a narrower strap, a real heel and a lower cut over the toes, in black, burgundy or dark navy patent.

If your ballet flats feel as if they're about to slip off, this strap does the holding, so your toes don't have to grip.

Be careful if you have a high instep, because a fixed strap can dig in across the top of your foot. Look for a buckle with several holes, or a strap with a hidden bit of elastic.

Patent can be stretched, so a little snugness across the toes isn't a dealbreaker.

This ankle boot has stretchy elastic panels on both sides, a loop at the back for pulling it on, and a deep-tread rubber sole. The style dates to Victorian England and was everywhere in 1960s London.

With no laces and no zip, it goes on easily with stiff fingers, even on mornings when bending over isn't fun. Wear it under charcoal wool wide-leg trousers, or with a midi skirt and thick tights.

Unlike a sleek sole, that deep tread grips wet leaves, slush and the slick tile just inside a store's front door.

Try it on and look at the elastic. If it bulges out over the top of your foot, the boot is tight there and will press all day. Go up a width before you go up a size.

This one is cognac suede, with a zip up the inside of the ankle, a heel about an inch and a half high and a toe that ends in a soft curve.

With a knee-length dress and tights, it's what you'd wear to lunch in November.

A pointy boot looks sharp until it presses on a hammertoe, and then it goes to the back of the closet. An almond or round toe lets your toes lie flat.

If an otherwise perfect pair rubs in one place, a cobbler can stretch just that spot.

The zip means you can open the boot all the way and step straight in. Make sure it runs smoothly with one hand.

Spray new suede with a water and stain protector before you wear it out. Rain spots on cognac are hard to lift.

A tall riding-style boot in dark brown leather, with a zip that runs from ankle to knee and a low stacked heel. Over tights and under a knee-length tweed skirt, it covers the leg in one clean line.

Check the shaft before anything else. Many makers sell tall boots in wide-calf versions, and a shaft that closes easily over tights may not close over leggings.

The classic flat riding boot has a thin sole that lands hard on the ball of the foot. Look for a heel of about three-quarters of an inch and a rubber sole instead.

You'll probably want a cushioned insert in a boot you wear all day. Bring the insole you plan to use and try the boot with it in. A tall boot that fits perfectly without it can pinch with it.

A short western boot, with a shaft that stops a few inches above the ankle, a rounded toe and a low, wide heel about an inch high.

It goes with a dark floral midi skirt, a corduroy dress, or cropped trousers that show a little of the shaft.

Usually it's tan, brown or black leather with pull loops at the top. The style came from rodeo calf ropers, who needed a boot they could run in.

Compare it with a classic cowboy boot. The cowboy boot's pointed toe and tall angled heel press on your toes and tip you forward. A roper keeps the western look and drops both problems.

Pull-on boots need a firm grip. If your hands are stiff, sit down and pull a pair on yourself before you decide.

A roper should feel snug at the instep and roomy at the toes from the first day.

A rubber lower wraps the foot like a galosh, a leather upper laces above the ankle, and the sole carries a wavy chain-link tread. It's been a New England winter boot for more than a century.

On ice, slush and salted sidewalks, the rubber keeps water out, and the tread grips where smooth soles skate.

Size it with the socks you'll really wear, the thick ones. The rubber can't be stretched, so a snug pair stays snug all winter.

Skip it if your hips or knees object to weight. Lift a pair before you even try it on. Lined versions are heavy, and you'll feel each step by afternoon.

A navy or brown pair looks good under a wool skirt and ribbed tights. That's not the first outfit most people picture with these boots, which is why it works.

Gray boiled wool shaped like a soft loafer, with a full back around the heel and a thin rubber sole with a visible tread. It looks good enough to answer the door in.

The NIH warns against walking on stairs or floors in socks, or in slippers with smooth soles. That covers a lot of what's sitting by most beds.

Turn any house shoe over. If the bottom is suede, felt or smooth leather, it's for sitting, and not for the stairs.

Wool shapes itself to your foot within a few weeks. If your heels ache first thing in the morning, slip a padded heel cup inside.

Replace the pair when the tread wears smooth. On something you wear every single day, that can happen in under a year, long before the wool looks tired.

The sole is carved wood, the leather upper is tacked around its edge with small nails, and the back wraps your heel instead of leaving it bare. Clogs had a big 1970s moment, and a lot of women still miss theirs.

The wooden sole doesn't bend, so your foot rolls over it instead of flexing at the toes. Some women find that a relief.

Others with arthritis find they can't wear clogs anymore. The weight and stiffness that once felt fine now hurt. If that's you, skip them without regret.

Ten minutes of walking in the store will tell you which group you're in. Use the stairs if the store has them.

Choose the closed back over the classic open one, which is a backless shoe. And check underneath: a bare wooden bottom slides on wet pavement, so you want rubber with some texture.

A low sneaker with no laces, a smooth front and a strip of elastic on each side, so the shoe opens as your foot slides in. In black leather or navy canvas, it goes with cropped trousers or a striped knit dress.

No laces means no bending down to tie them on mornings when that's a nuisance. Canvas versions go straight into the washing machine.

Press the back of the heel with your thumb. It should feel firm. A soft heel folds down every time you push your foot in, and before long you're wearing a backless shoe.

Then think about your toes. In a study of 2,627 women aged 50 to 89, nearly 45% had bunions, and narrow shoes in their 20s were linked to higher odds of one.

If you have one, buy leather, because knit can't be stretched and canvas has very little give. Room keeps a shoe from rubbing a bunion. It won't cure the bunion itself.

This smooth leather shoe has no laces. A wide strap crosses the instep and fastens with one or two buckles on the outside. It comes from menswear, and in burgundy or dark brown it looks sharp and a bit unexpected with gray flannel trousers.

Take the buckle up a hole in the morning and let it out in the afternoon, as your feet swell.

It's also a quiet fix for narrow feet, which are as hard to fit as wide ones. Narrow widths cost more and come in fewer styles. Cinch the strap, and a medium width can hold a narrow foot well enough.

Walk in it anyway. If your heel still slips with the strap on its tightest hole, the shoe is too wide, and no buckle will save it.

The insoles in these are often thin, so check that a slim cushioned insert fits without crowding your toes.

From the side, the sole curves up at the front and back like the runner of a rocking chair. That's a rocker sole. It's stiff, and it rolls your foot forward so your toes and the ball of your foot do less bending.

It's the shoe for a travel day, a museum or a city seen on foot. If the ball of your foot aches after an hour of walking, try a pair.

An all-white rocker can look medical. Choose black, navy or one color from top to bottom, and the thick sole looks like this decade's sneaker.

Be careful if your balance is already shaky. Some women feel unsteady on a curved sole at first. Wear them at home for a few days before you trust them on a curb.

Pick the firmer of any two pairs you're deciding between. Thick and squishy is a bad combination.

This leather lace-up has its eyelet flaps stitched on top of the shoe, so they can spread apart. On an oxford, the flaps are sewn underneath and stay closed. That small difference changes the whole fit.

Open lacing gives you room across the top of the foot. If you have a high instep, wear prescribed orthotics, or need a shoe that loosens as the day goes on, a derby can handle it.

Find one with a removable insole. Pull it out, set it on the floor and stand on it barefoot. If your foot spills over the edges, the shoe is too narrow, whatever the size on the box says.

In tan or oxblood leather with brogue punching, it goes with cropped trousers and a patterned sock. A plain black pair goes anywhere you'd once have worn a low pump.

A low sneaker in smooth white leather, with a plain rubber sole stitched around the edge and almost no logos or seams. With a midi skirt or a navy shirtdress, it looks crisp and deliberate.

It won't replace dressy shoes at a wedding. It covers nearly everything else, from errands to a long lunch to a day of walking in a new city.

Keep it slim. A chunky sole or a puffy padded collar tips it toward the very look you're trying to avoid.

The insole decides how it feels. Buy a pair where the insole lifts out, so you can swap in a cushioned one if your heel or the ball of your foot hurts by evening.

Each maker builds on its own foot-shaped form, called a last, so your size in one brand can be off in the next. Order two sizes online only if returns are free.

A penny loafer, with the slotted strap across the front, set on a ridged rubber sole about an inch deep at the heel and thinner under the toes.

In black, dark brown or oxblood, it suits a lunch, a museum floor and a wet parking lot on the same afternoon.

Look at how much it gets right. The back is closed, so it stays on going downstairs, the heel is low and the tread grips. The sole is firm enough to stand on all day, and there's room inside for a cushioned insole.

Penny loafers have been around since the 1930s, and the thicker sole keeps them looking current.

Before you buy, squeeze the stiff cup around the heel. It should hold its shape. Then lift the shoe. Some lug soles are so heavy you'll feel them by noon, and a lighter one gives you the same grip.

Choose leather uppers, which a cobbler can stretch. Wear them with cropped trousers so the whole shoe shows, or with a midi skirt and opaque tights.