Regardless of the size you’re wearing one of the key aspects when it comes to footwear is its comfort. Comfort determines how much time you can spend wearing a design, how much distance you can cover, how long you can stand for, walk for, work, dance, exercise for. While the appearance, the quality and the durability of design are also important, nothing can beat comfort when it comes to actual wearability.

Achieving that perfect level of comfort is not an easy feat. It requires trial and error, testing, innovation, and a careful combination of traditional construction methods and the latest technologies. Different brands deliver comfort in different ways - through special systems, through the materials, the footbeds, the overall construction of the shoe and many more.

Fortunately, we can sort all of those into a few categories, to make it easier for us to describe each one. So, let’s begin:

• Technologies: Where there are world-renowned footwear brands, there is also an abundance of carefully planned and conceptualized comfort systems that cater to every customer’s need. Or most customers’ needs. In this list, we encounter quite a few of them: the Naturalizer N5 system, the Skechers Air Cooled Memory Foam insole, the OrthoLite footbed in the Clarks Ashland, the HPO2Flex of the Hush Puppies Chaste - all of these and more are outstanding innovations that are not often seen, and most unique to the specific brand (with the exception of the OrthoLite footbed).

  Each of these technologies includes a set of features to help with a particular problem you may be having while walking. This problem can be that you require a bit more cushioning, or arch support, or would like a moisture-wicking experience, or perhaps even motion control the New Balance Rollbar technology can provide.

  If you’re keen on having a shoe with any of these advanced features, take a bit of time to study them, and carefully consider if they would work for you. Remember that, even though systems like these are useful to have, and may even make a big difference in the way you approach footwear, they don’t necessarily agree with everyone. Each person is different, and each pair of feet is different, and it is quite alright if you discover that these fancy hi-tech options don’t work for you.

• Footbeds: What you can look at, instead of - or together with - a comfort technology, is what the footbed of the design is like. Extra padding in this area helps with absorbing impact from your steps; instead of that impact traveling up to your joints and causing damage in the long term, it gets distributed throughout the footbed and minimizes the pressure put on your ankles, knees, hips and even lower back.

  A step further are footbeds which have contours to them. These molds in the footbed correspond to the shape of your foot sole - or should, at least - and gently support it as you walk, providing you with stability and comfort like no other.
  Molded footbeds can also have arch support in them, which is probably the ultimate comfort experience. This reduces tiredness in your feet at the end of the day and also helps you avoid medical conditions such as flatfoot and overpronation.

• Materials: While we will expand more on how materials affect the overall design, here we will briefly discuss why they matter for comfort.
  Materials are the ones which surround the foot, essentially, and because of that they should be soft and malleable, but still firm enough to provide security within the design. They should have the ability to take on the shape of your foot, like genuine leather and suede do, for example, for that sock-like fit. They should also be lightweight, and not cause any chafing or blisters, such as canvas, or mesh materials.

  If, by any chance, the design you’re trying on feels stiff, unyielding and is even digging into your skin somewhere - there is a chance that these issues will resolve themselves with a little breaking in. But there is also a chance that they will get worse the longer you wear the shoe for. Choose wisely when you’re shopping, and opt for materials which you know are reliable, and which will provide you with enough support as you go about your days.

Because extra wide shoes is a broad category, we strived to include a wide range of footwear styles. We already mentioned in our introduction how needing a size like this doesn’t mean that you have to compromise between fashion and comfort. There is plenty of fun, flirty and fancy choices for you to enjoy!

Probably the most fashionable, and most business-appropriate out of all the items on our list are the Hush Puppies Deanna pump, the Clarks Ashland loafer, and the Hush Puppies Chaste flat. All of these styles are versatile, in the sense that they can take you from the office to a date night in a blink of an eye, and they have timeless silhouettes that are always on trend. You can pair each of these with pants and skirts or dresses, and be one cute fashionista!

We also have to mention the Naturalizer Jessie, a riding boot that is its own category. When winter sets in, and we need a design to keep us protected from the elements, but we don’t want to go the heavy, bulky route (such as Sorels, for example), then this is a stylish solution. Riding boots like these are great because you can both tuck your pants in them, or choose to wear the pant legs over the boot while looking cool and casual at the same time.

And of course, there is no shortage of comfortable walking designs, which mean the world during your leisure time. When all you want to do is relax, take a nice long walk and enjoy a nice day outside with your family and pets, then sneakers such as the Nike Tanjun or the Skechers Synergy Trend, or the New Balance 813 are the safest choice. They come with all the necessary technology we’ve talked about in the Comfort section, and they will support you and stave off the pain, the cramps, and the blisters no matter how much time you spend on your feet.

A special shoutout goes to the Skechers Bikers Fiesta, which is a comfy design that has all the features of a great walking shoe, but is also cute to wear and goes well even with that new sundress you just bought for a playful, everyday style. The best of both worlds!

We talked about materials in terms of comfort - now it is time to dive deeper into this subject, and really discover how this aspect of a design affects its performance. Materials are the ones which not only determine the comfort levels, but also the shoe’s breathability, flexibility, ease of use, and durability.

There are some materials which are great in all of these categories; some which are decent, and some which leave something to be desired, and here we will describe them all.

We will start with the outstanding ones, which are, of course, natural leather and suede. Examples made out of these are the New Balance 813, the Hush Puppies Chaste and Deanna, and the Clarks Ashland. The reason we love these materials so much is that they are breathable, allowing air to easily circulate in and out of a design. This keeps your feet cool and dry, and maintains a healthy climate inside, for staving off itchiness, skin redness and flaking, and bacterial and fungi infections.

Genuine leather is also flexible, as we mentioned in our Comfort part, and it will conform to your foot over time. And it last for a long time as well, meaning that you won’t have a problem enjoying designs made out of this material for years to come.

The downsides to leather are that products made from it are more expensive, and that it requires a bit of care and conditioning (but not too much).

An alternative to genuine leather and suede are synthetic materials - combinations of textile and mesh and faux leather and suede, such as in almost all other items on our list. These materials have their benefits - textile and mesh are lightweight and breathable, faux leather and suede is inexpensive - but ultimately, they are not as high quality as genuine leather.

Finally, we need to point out the material which doesn’t belong in any of the previous categories, but is actually on a platform all on its own - the Crocs Croslite. This closed cell resin material has been specially engineered by Crocs to deliver buoyancy, water-resistance, foam-like comfort and odor control, and there is no other material like it on the market. It is one of the many reasons why Crocs is such a popular design, despite its less than favorable style.

When you need an unconventional footwear size, any bit of adjustability comes in handy. We love a design which we can customize to fit our feet, especially if we suffer from bunions, high insteps, thick ankles, and similar conditions and states which make us desperate for a shoe that isn’t uncomfortable from the get-go.

There are several ways one can adjust the fit to their liking, and we will outline the ones found in this guide:

• Laces: Shoelaces represent the best way to customize the fit. When you tighten them, the entire upper of the design holds your foot more securely, and when you loosen them up, so does the shoe, allowing you more wiggle room. They are great in sports and walking sneakers, like in the Skechers Synergy Trend, the Nike Tanjun, the New Balance 813, as they provide a good lockdown so that your steps aren’t wobbly, but they also don’t constrict too much - rather, you can adjust them not to be too constricting.
  The only disadvantage here is that laces require a minute or two to tie them up, and are maybe not the best if you’re not in a position to bend over so easily.
• Hook and Loop Straps: If you’re not a fan of laces, a good alternative is the hook and loop strap. We see this in the Skechers Bikers Fiesta - a thin strap across the instep that serves a similar purpose to shoelaces. However, the benefit of this type of closure is that you don’t have to bother with any complicated maneuvers. You simply adjust the strap to the tightness you like and fasten it on at a moment’s notice. No muss, no fuss!
• Gore Panels: We admit that we’re cheating a little with this last one. Gore panels, or elastic panels (like in the Naturalizer Jessie), aren’t exactly adjustable in the sense that they allow you control over the level of adjustment. However! They do allow for a stretchy fit, one which accommodates your foot regardless of its shape. Therefore, we felt the need to include this feature here as well, since it is something that will definitely be useful in choosing a design which fits the best.

Lastly, if you are not thrilled about any type of closure, and would just like a simple, easy design that you can slip on and off without even looking down at your feet - then clog type designs are the way to go! These are the Easy Spirit Traveltime and the Crocs Clog, which can be worn as slippers, but which are still sturdy and supportive enough to be taken outside.

It is expected that no design lasts forever, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a shoe we like for as long as possible. Many factors determine a design’s durability, some of which are: material type, construction methods, frequency of use, way of use etc. If you expect to engage in some high-impact sports in your new footwear, and on a regular basis - they certainly won’t last for a very long time.

That being said, let’s look at which of the items from our list are the most durable and why.

Starting from the top, we have those options which are made from high-quality materials, like the Naturalizer Jessie, the New Balance 813 and the Hush Puppies designs. We said how genuine leather and suede have an advantage over other material types, and this is one of the reasons why - footwear made from these materials can last up to a decade, especially if treated right. With a little bit of cleaning and conditioning, you should be able to wear your leather design for years in the future.

Other items, which are made from textile or mesh or a mix of synthetic materials, are not going to fall apart in record time, but they are going to scuff and fray more easily. However, they are also less expensive than leather options, as we mentioned before, and thus replacing them after a few seasons shouldn’t be a problem.

Once again, the one design that is standing out from the rest is the Crocs Clog. Given that Croslite is neither plastic or rubber, this material is unusually durable, with reports of Crocs lasting for over 10 years!