Your Summer Shoe Guide: What Your Feet Actually Need

Every June the same thing happens in the shop. The sun comes out, the sandals come out, and within a couple of weeks we start seeing people come through the door with sore heels, aching arches and rubbed toes. After more than 20 years of fitting feet here in Portishead, I can tell you it is the most predictable pattern of the year. So before summer gets properly going, here is my guide to what your feet actually need, whatever they happen to be dealing with.

The sandal switch is bigger than it feels

Going from a closed shoe to a sandal is a bigger change for your feet than it might seem, especially if you have been in supportive footwear all winter. But the most important thing is not which features a sandal has. It is whether it actually fits your foot.

A sandal that fits means your toes are completely relaxed, not scrunching to hold it on. Your foot sits inside the sandal rather than spreading beyond it. And it stays secure when you walk, not just when you are standing still. Those three things, more than any particular feature, are what make a sandal comfortable all day. What works brilliantly for one foot is wrong for another, and that is why coming in and trying is always worth it.

If you have plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common things I see, and summer is often when it flares. It is heel pain, usually worst first thing in the morning, caused by inflammation in the band of tissue along the bottom of the foot. The wrong sandal makes it worse very quickly.

For plantar fasciitis, arch support and a cushioned heel cup can make a real difference, and this is one area where a completely flat sandal is usually the one to avoid. The Birkenstock Arizona is a sandal I often reach for here, with its contoured footbed and shaped heel, though as with everything it depends on your foot and whether it suits you. Come in and we will work out what helps yours specifically.

If you have bunions

A bunion is a bony bump at the base of the big toe, and the most important thing if you have one is being able to adjust the fit around the joint rather than having a fixed strap pressing on it. Adjustable straps make a real difference here, and it is one of the reasons we rate Waldlaufer for bunions: their sandals have adjustable straps so you can fine tune the fit to your foot, and they come in H width options for feet that need more room. We are also a DB Gold Star stockist, which means we can order any style from their full catalogue, and DB shoes are cut wider as standard.

If you need a wider fit

Wide fitting is for far more people than realise it. If your shoes feel fine in length but tight across the foot, if straps leave marks, or if you regularly size up just to get the width, a proper width fitting will change how your shoes feel.

With adults we do not use a gauge. Adult brands vary so much between each other that a size can send you in the wrong direction, and what matters is how the shoe fits your foot, not the size you walk out in. We look, we try, and we use 20 years of experience to find what works.

Brands worth knowing about

Different feet get on with different brands, and part of what we do is knowing which ones tend to work for which feet. Alongside Birkenstock and DB, brands our customers consistently come back happy with include Waldlaufer, Legero, Rieker, Josef Seibel, Lunar and Skechers. For anyone planning serious walking this summer, TEVA is worth a look: adjustable straps, a footbed built for distance, and they are happy getting wet. There is no single right answer, but there is very likely a right answer for your feet, and finding it is what we are here for.

Come and have your feet looked at

The simplest way to get summer right is to pop in. We are at 62 High Street in Portishead, and helping you find the right pair is what we are here for. No appointment needed, just come and say hello. And if you are not local, the summer range is online at solelution.co.uk and you are always welcome to give us a call on 01275 843399 for advice before you order.