I don’t chase trends — I tell my style clients to pick and choose carefully the trends they adopt. You have to know yourself and develop your own sense of personal style. Part of my personal style is to be comfortable. That goes for my shoes, too. Wearing a shoe that rubs or squeezes my feet causing pain is unacceptable!

The good news is many shoe brands are listening to women, and designing for both comfort and style. Ladies, if you’re like me, you have a collection of shoes, and you LOVE looking at, dreaming about, and shopping for shoes. Whether you have a particular shoe style that you stay with because it works for your lifestyle, or you constantly keep up with the latest fashion trends…it’s all about the shoes. They can make or break your outfit.

I was never one of those women willing to sacrifice comfort for “killer heels” — I’m far too practical and self-loving to make myself suffer for fashion. Instead, I look for shoe brands that offer BOTH style and comfort.

I agreed to do a product review for a company that was new to me — the Walking Cradle co. — It’s a Matter of Fit! #walkingcradles #itsamatteroffit.

Lisa Schmitz, Creative Director, asked me to go to their online store and pick out a pair of shoes. I’ll share my process (and what I recommend to clients) for selecting new shoes: First, I look at my current shoe collection to see what style is missing; Next, I think about what color(s) I need — do I need a nude color, a pop of color, or a neutral; Last, I think about my lifestyle and where I would wear the new shoe. Since this new pair was for a product review, I wanted to choose an all-purpose shoe. I chose the Nox Camel Cut Snake Print Leather sandal. It can be worn with nice pants, shorts, jeans, dresses, or skirts. Dress it up, dress it down. Very versatile.

I received the shoes within a couple days. I instantly loved the camel color and the snake print leather. Different — fits my bohemian personal style. I wasn’t so sure about the 2 inch chunky heel, as that’s a bit high for me these days, but I decided I would give it a try. I didn’t have a chance to wear the shoes until the following Monday when I wore them for my Monday Morning Live Video [Note: For those who aren’t familiar with my Monday Morning Live Videos, I do a 30-minute style tip live video every week in my Facebook Group, “Style Your Way To Success Over Fifty.” This is a closed FB group for women over 50. If you’d like to join, please click here and request to join.

These shoes are what they claim to be — they cradle your feet in comfort! There are small “pillows” on the foot pad that create that cushion feeling when you walk. The velcro strap is super wide and seems to be very strong. The color is camel, so it’s a neutral for me. The height of the heel honestly isn’t a problem for me. I’m more comfortable with a 1-2″ heel than perfectly flat, so if you need flat, these aren’t the style for you.

I wore them for the second time on Tuesday when I made a quick client visit and then went to my hair appointment. My hair stylist noticed them immediately and she wanted to try them on! “Wow, these are so comfortable!” were the first words out of her mouth. She said she couldn’t buy a pair now because she just spent her shoe budget. But she was impressed. I wore them almost all day Tuesday, walking around downtown, and my feet were happy (I would tell you if they weren’t happy). I am very particular about my shoes. I have been known to choose comfort over style — and I’m an image stylist! That’s how much I value my foot comfort! But the Nox sandal is cute AND comfortable.

Then, I wore them AGAIN the other day for a talk I did at a women’s connection group. The nude shoe color elongated my leg line and gave me just the right amount of lift!

Please check out their online store. You can also find their shoes in local shoe stores (mostly U.S. midwest and east coast). Use the Store Locator to find a store near you. They also have a loyalty program!

Here’s the best news, ladies, Walking Cradle gave me a link to shop online and a sweet 20% discount code, “StyleClub20” for Style Success members. Woohoo! I saw a couple pair of casual flat sandals for everyday that I’d like to buy.

What do you think about these shoes? Are you looking for style and comfort?