The shoes you wear are a reflection of your personality and your own style, as well as fashion sense, but keep in mind that your feet likewise carry you all day every day, therefore your footwear needs to be able to protect and keep your feet comfortable.
In many cases wearing a particular shoe can cause you pain or discomfort after a few hours which will also affect your mood and tolerance, having sore and uncomfortable feet should not be a part of your day.
Avoid Buying Shoes Just Because They are On Sale
Discomfort with a new shoe is acceptable at first because most shoes need some break-in time, but constant long-term discomfort means that the shoe is not suitable for your feet.
Having a narrow heel or narrow foot will affect your choice of shoes, luckily there is a large variety of shoe brands for narrow feet to choose from.
What is a Narrow Foot
Basically, when your feet are more Narrow than normal, you have narrow feet.
Narrow feet can be a genetic disorder, so there is no remedy or cause.
Having narrow feet can also result in a heel that is much narrower in relation to your forefoot which can be quite an issue when you are looking for shoes for narrow feet.
Shopping for the Right Shoe
Women’s feet have a different shape and contour to that of a man’s so with women narrow feet are also more narrow than that of a man.
Narrow width shoes are readily available for narrower feet in most shoe stores and online shoe stores.
When your heels are much narrower than the average “narrow”, then you may need footwear that has been customized to fit your foot type.
Individuals who have a narrow foot may also require a shoe that provides good arch support.
Wearing Improper Shoes for Narrow Feet
Wearing shoes that are too big or wide for narrow feet will result in your feet slipping around in the shoe causing chafing and painful blisters.
Then again wearing a shoe that is too tight or that causes pressure on the feet and toes can also cause pain and blisters as well as other conditions such as bunions.
Make sure that the shoe that you wear fits snugly and comfortably without squeezing your feet, and that your feet stay in place with movement.
Tips on getting a Narrow Foot into a Regular Shoe
People whose feet are narrow often struggle to wear normal shoes. Even the styles available in extra narrow, narrow or regular fits often slip and may fall off altogether.
Finding a style in a narrow fit shoe can also be quite difficult and much more expensive as well as a greater hassle to purchase.
However, there are a few tricks that may help you to be able to wear a shoe of any style with narrow feet;
Reinforced Shoe Laces
You may suffer from circulation issues and feet that fall asleep if you tie your shoelaces too tightly but a special lace reinforcing product will do the trick.
By reinforcing your laces between the second and third eyelet on your shoe and crossing both laces horizontally to the other side on the third eyelet your shoes will stay in place.
Shoes that can also up to one extra eyelet towards the tongue have also proven to provide a better fit for a narrow foot.
Inserts
Gel inserts and pads that you stick inside your shoe at the ball of your foot have proven to work quite well. These pads and inserts lift your foot up just enough to make sure that the shoe fits more snugly.
Arch Support
Arch support can also help to give you a better fit as well as provide better support to the arch of the foot.
Arch supports can be stacked on top of each other to take up the extra room in your shoes.
In addition, cutting strips of rubber to fit your shoes and placing them underneath your arch will also provide a more snug fit and prevent slipping.
Heel Inserts
When you have purchased a shoe, and it is only the back of your shoe that is slipping, meaning that you have a more narrow heel rather than forefoot, a heel insert could be just what you need.
Heel inserts cup your feet and also take up some space preventing slipping and sliding in your shoes.
What to Aviod
Never stuff your shoes with cotton balls, tissues or pointe shoe toe pads.
These techniques are cheap but will cause much pain and problems as well as still slip and slide In your shoes.
How to Shop for Shoes for Narrow Feet
In order to avoid pain, discomfort and other foot conditions when you have narrow feet you will need to do some testing of a few pairs of shoes to find a perfect fit. You will have to ask for a shoe size that is meant for a narrow fit when you visit the shoe store.
If you have a heel that is much narrower than what the normal narrow fit shoes can accommodate it may take some effort to find a perfect fit, and in the worst-case scenario, you may need to get your shoes customized to accommodate the narrower heels.
Because narrow heels and feet are more common in women, there is usually a much wider selection of women’s shoes in a more narrow fit.
Reviews: The Best Shoes for Narrow Feet
To make the decision process easier for you, we have compiled a list of some of the top rated shoe brands that are excellent to wear if you have narrow feet and narrow heels;
Using advanced technology and much research the Gel Kayano 25 from Asics will provide you with a comfortable and perfectly fitting shoe to accommodate narrower feet and higher arches.
Top Features:
- Made from the finest quality synthetic materials.
- A Dynamic Duo Max Support System for better stability.
- Gudance Trusstic System for enhanced giat efficiency.
- Flytefoam Propel technology for better bounce back and cushioning.
- Seamless construction for a softer and more comfortable fit.
- Available in a large variety of colours and designs.
1 Shoes for Narrow and High Arched Feet
A fashionable and sporty shoe for men and women that have all the essential features of a supportive and comfortable shoe for flat and narrow feet.
The Asics GT-2000 is available in a large variety of colors and designs and is a lightweight, breathable shoe for everyday wear.
Top Features:
- Mesh and synthetic material overlays to improve breathability.
- A removable insole for added comfort.
- The rubber outsole offers good grip on many surfaces.
- Rearfoot and Forefoot Gel cushioning systems to help reduce shock on the feet during impact.
- This model also rates as one of the best running shoes for bad knees.
- Heel Clutching system for better stability and a moisture-wicking ComforDry sock-liner.
- Available in many color options to choose from.
2 Running Shoe for Bad Knees and Overpronation
For a perfect narrow fit in a lightweight shoe that will improve your training performance, the Nike Free 5.0 is just the shoe for you. It is not available in Narrow sizes, yet the fit is much more narrow than a regular trainer in general.
A training shoe that can be worn every day casually or for a rigorous workout.
Top Features:
- A lace-up closure for an adjustable fit.
- Nike free Flex gloves are ensuring flexibility and comfort.
- Cushioning foam to improving shock absorption and support.
- Breathable mesh uppers with internal zonal support ensure a more snug fit.
- A durable and lightweight shoe with exceptional flexibility for natural movement.
3 Lightweight Narrow Fit Training Shoes
The Clarks Leather Boot is a fashionable and trendy looking ankle boot that can be worn for work or as a dress shoe.
This boot offers all the necessary comfort and support features for narrow feet.
Top Features:
- Available in leather in neutral color options.
- The Clarks Desert Peak Boot for men features a flexible sole with a non-marking rubber outsole and an Ortholite footbed.
- The Emslie Twist Lara features a flexible and stable Synthetic, slightly elevated sole offering excellent support.
- The Emslie Twist for women is a full grain leather boot with a suede cuff and zip closure.
- Designed to accommodate a more narrow foot with a narrow and snug fit.
4 Leather Boots for Narrow Feet
The Asics Gel Nimbus 20 is a supportive and comfortable running and walking shoe with many fantastic features that are available with a more narrow fit.
Top Features:
- Textile uppers are lightweight and breathable.
- A Fluidfit system with multi-directional stretch mesh and textile reinforcements for a more snug and narrow fit.
- Seamlessly constructed for less irritation.
- A supportive heel clutching system.
- Comfortable cushioned footbed.
- Durable and high traction rubber outsole,
5 Narrow Width Running and Walking Shoe
The Birkenstock Sandal is a comfortable casual sandal that is not only trendy to wear but also good for your feet.
Top Features:
- A durable rubber sole and a Soft Suede Uppers.
- This shoe encourages the natural gripping motion of your feet exercising the legs and stimulating blood circulation.
- Available in licorice and toffee color.
- Allows your toes to move naturally giving you better balance and aligning your feet from toe to heel.
- The four arch technology ensures even weight distribution and improves your posture.
- Cradles your heel with natural cushioning underneath the heel bone.
- A slender and comfortable fit.
6 Casual Sandals for Narrow Feet
If you are looking for a shoe that will offer you a comfortable and customized fit particularly if you have more Narrow feet, then you should give the Saucony Ride 10 series a try.
This shoe features a Forefoot Stretch Zone that provides added comfort to the foot and allows for a better fit.
Top Features:
- Textile and synthetic upper construction that is comfortable and breathable.
- The EVERUN top-sole provides continuous resilient cushioning.
- An updated TRI-FLEX outsole fro the best blend of flexible protection and shock absorbency.
- A durable and high traction rubber outsole.
- Large variety of color and design options.
7 Narrow Fit Walking Shoe
The ECCO Yucatan is one of the most comfortable fitting sandals, that also offers an adjustable and more narrow fit.
Top Features:
- Soft Nubuck leather uppers with a breathable and stretchable textile lining.
- A Dual density Agion treated CMEVA footbed creates a healthy bacteria-free environment for your feet and eliminates odor.
- A directly injected PU midsole with a full-length Receptora technology construction.
- The rubber outsole is flexible and durable, providing excellent grip.
- Likewise, this sandal is also fully adjustable.
8 Sandals for a Narrow Foot
Ariat is a well-known name when it comes to tough, and quality designed boots, not only for work but casual wear likewise.
This design is perfect for a more narrow foot and will complement almost any outfit exquisitely.
Top Features:
- Features a comfortable Gel-cushioned footbed with a moisture-wicking lining.
- The lightweight composite forked shank improves stability.
- A durable and high traction DuraTread outsole.
- Soft and comfortable leather uppers with a narrow fit and a square toe for the men, and round toe for women.
- The best of all is, this book is available in a variety of colors and patterns.
- An ideal, work, casual and formal wear boot!
9 Cowboy Boots with a Narrow Fit
Comfortable and supportive, with a shock absorbing heel, and an adjustable fit. This is all that you need in a good sandal for a narrow foot.
Top Features:
- The EVA outsole and footbed is lightweight, shock absorbing, reduces foot fatigue, as well as conforming to the shape of your feet.
- Adiprene heel cushioning offers exceptional heel support and comfort.
- The two velcro straps allow you to adjust the fit to your foot type requirements.
10 Stylish Narrow Fitting Sandals
So if you suffer from narrow feet or narrow heels as you can see from the listed shoes above there is a shoe for every occasion that will fit you perfectly and give you all the comfort and support that you need.
Keep in mind the golden rule with narrow feet is to fit a shoe and make sure it fits snugly without causing any pain or discomfort.
Index Table: Top Shoes for Narrow Feet
| No. | Shoe | Men | Women | Brand | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asics - Shoes for Narrow and High Arched Feet |
|
|
Asics | 90 |
| 2 | Asics - Running Shoe for Bad Knees and Overpronation |
|
|
Asics | 90 |
| 3 | Nike - Lightweight Narrow Fit Training Shoes |
|
|
Nike | 90 |
| 4 | Clarks - Leather Boots for Narrow Feet |
|
|
Clarks | 72 |
| 5 | Asics - Narrow Width Running and Walking Shoe |
|
|
Asics | 90 |
| 6 | Birkenstock - Casual Sandals for Narrow Feet |
|
|
Birkenstock | 90 |
| 7 | Saucony - Narrow Fit Walking Shoe |
|
|
Saucony | 90 |
| 8 | ECCO - Sandals for a Narrow Foot |
|
|
ECCO | 60 |
| 9 | Ariat - Cowboy Boots with a Narrow Fit |
|
|
Ariat | 80 |
| 10 | Rockport - Stylish Narrow Fitting Sandals |
|
|
Rockport | 20 |
11 Comments
by Garry
Great site. Wish there was a greater variety of tennis style shoes in narrow width.
by David Alegeta
Thank you for the feedback, we will try to add a wider range.
Here are a couple of ones we found:
Keds Women’s Champion Core Canvas Sneaker – https://amzn.to/2rhECxu
Propet Women’s Travelactiv Mary Jane Fashion Sneaker – https://amzn.to/32rwtUe
by Gail
The article is about narrow feet and searching for shoes to fit. Every link to the shoe that is recommended does not come in narrow. This is of no use for someone trying to find a shoe that fits a narrow foot.
by David Alegeta
We apologise for that, here are some better options for you – https://amzn.to/33pomsp
by Galen
Excellent article! Extremely helpful. However, it would be great to incorporate dress shoes as well. My 87-year-old mother has no dress shoes at this time. Her last pair broke in the middle. She has a high arch as well, and we have ordered and returned more pairs than I care to mention. I did note, too, as another person said, that the links led to shoes that did not come in narrow.
by Patricia World
This was helpful in finding trainer type shoes or walking shoes/sandals but can you not give any suppliers of women’s shoes that might be attractive dress shoes albeit flat ones or slippers? You cannot wear the above listed shoes for dress wear.
by Ed Miller
You can if you want to!
by Hanabi
european designers may run slightly narrow but they need to be tried on in person.
For me stuart weitzman is pricey but stunning
another tactic that works in general is go to ebay or thredup and search for shoes by size and width. on poshmark going for the shoes category, setting a filter for size, and then typing in narrow in the search bar yields decent results for brands that are known to sell narrow sizes. my size is a 2a so there’s still a reasonable selection.
by Monica Etter
Amalfi shoes by Rangoni should be listed! Pricey but when you have a super slim fit, you need at least one pair of shoes that fit!
by Joey Katzen
Hi there! I’ve suffered from searching for solutions for my narrow heels for years and finally decided to design a sock to help!
I just launched Skinnys… no-show padded-heel socks specially designed for narrow heels. I can wear these out walking, dancing, etc., and never slip, never get a blister. Really, they’re the best socks I’ve ever owned for my narrow-heel issue. (I guess that’s because I designed them just for it! Haha)
Please try us out!
wearskinnys.com
by Tracy Daniel
Hi, I am a AA narrow fitting size 6. Shoes are a nightmare for me as my feet are very soft and I can’t ware any hard shoes or heels. There is only one place where I can buy shoes, and they are very expensive. Also the styles are limited.
Which in turn limits the type of clothes I can wear.
I hate Shoes.