Finding Your 'Mr. Right' Pair of Boots to Wear With Leg Braces

Shoe shopping sucks in general. It’s a ton of work and rarely satisfying.

My girlfriends, the ones with perfect arches and no cankles appear to love shoe shopping as much as (or maybe even more than) sex. Some women get a visible, flushed face high from finding the perfect pair. They sound like giddy teenagers revealing the brand name of their newest love.

I am always happy for them, but can’t relate. My love for shoes is unrequited; they have never loved me back. Like choosing the guy who is nice and supportive but not so attractive, women with foot issues often settle for shoes because they fit.

Boot shopping is for sure the most difficult. My list of must-haves is long.

Lainie’s Boot Requirements

• Full top to bottom zipper on the outside of the boots
• Wide width but not wide calve
• Flexible suede or leather material
• Rubber no-slip sole
• Traction on the no-slip rubber soles
• No heel or a platform style
• 14.5-inch height in order to cover brace
• Comfortable but not ugly bulky “comfort” shoes
• Warm and waterproof for a Midwest winter

Are my standards too high? Should women with foot challenges give up good looks for function?

Be grateful, I tell myself. There are many people who can’t walk or have even more limitations on the shoes they can wear.

Why should I settle?

I don’t want to slip on ice, and I don’t want to wear ugly boots if I do slip on ice. Superficial or not, I need both fashion and function.

So, I spent (no joke) five-plus hours at two different malls, and seemingly endless hours scouring every corner of the internet to find boots that would fit and that I would feel good wearing.

After several Amazon returns, I finally found them…

The boots of my disabled girl dreams!

I bought these boots two sizes larger than my regular foot size to allow more depth. They have a stretchy back, making it easier to stretch over my AFO’s. Most importantly, the outside zipper goes all the way down to the footbed.

These are the Bromley boot by Michael Kors. They were kind of expensive, but given how hard I worked to find them, they are worth it to me.

Us foot-challenged girls need to stick together and share great finds.