Here are VellaвЂ™s key sandal recommendations: look for lightweight footbeds cushioned with memory foam or air cushioning or similar. You may still need a custom insole (from a podiatrist),вЂќ she says, вЂњbut we can point you to sandals that will accommodate either off-the-shelf or custom insoles.вЂќ вЂњIf you need an insole, the scanner will tell you what will work. (Some problems need to be diagnosed and addressed by your doctor or a podiatrist, Vella cautions.) All this info means staff can recommend shoes that will not only fit properly, but be best suited to your individual foot concerns. The scanner does more than determine foot size - it measures length, width, girth, and instep and arch height, and then produces a 3D model of your foot. вЂњWeвЂ™ve just installed Aetrex Albert 3D foot scanners in three of our stores,вЂќ Vella says the rest of the chain will get them soon. When you go into the store, a high-tech gadget will help you find the perfect fit the first time. вЂњKeep trying styles until you get a feel for what works.вЂќ вЂњWhat works for my foot may not work for you.вЂќ Shoes, especially walking shoes and sandals, are something you need to try on or be prepared to return if theyвЂ™re not quite right. But comfort is at the centre of what they do. вЂњThen we started to bring in youthful, boutique brandsвЂќ like Gabor, Wonders and Redback.

вЂњWe went in early on the Ugg trend and that brought in a new generation of customers,вЂќ Vella says. SheвЂ™s a second-generation comfort footwear purveyor - her father started his own shoe business in Toronto 60 years ago and Walking on a Cloud was folded into that, so the footwear knowledge goes deep. In the past 10 years, both its stock and clientele have become younger and hipper, says co-owner Lori Vella. Walking on a Cloud is the place to go for comfortable shoes, so that is where I went to seek out more info for you, Wincing. And handily, the current generation of young immortals are wiser than I was: they have made what used to be considered вЂњuglyвЂќ sandals cool. IвЂ™m not alone: during the pandemic, the siren call of comfortable footwear lured most of us. Now I alternate between two pairs of Birkenstock Arizonas - matte navy and metallic silver - all summer long unless IвЂ™m going to a wedding. That was a long time ago, before Birks became wildly fashionable through various collaborations with designer fashion houses. The universe got the last laugh: I now have the feet of a 75-year-old, decades prematurely, and I deserve them for that next-level hubris. I dismissed them as a clunky relic of the hippie era, bragging about how my foot, accustomed to strappy stilettos, would cramp when offered a moulded footbed. When I was young and arrogant and believed myself to be immortal I wrote a scalding story for a city magazine about the scourge of the Birkenstock. Are there sandals designed with foot health and comfort in mind that I wonвЂ™t be immediately embarrassed by? Can I find some that take orthotics?вЂќ - Wincing wherever I walk But I donвЂ™t want to wear the same running shoes I wore all pandemic. вЂњIs it possible to find comfortable walking sandals that still look good? IвЂ™m going to Europe this month and I canвЂ™t wait to get my steps in on the cobblestones.

Sandals with arch support