Women Dress Shoes Buying Tips

"Handy Tips on How to Make Sure You Pick the Right Shoes"

Women dress shoes leopard pumps
Courtesy of Zappos

There are many reason why buying women dress shoes online can be a tedious task.

First of all, the sizes vary by brand and manfacturer.

Secondly, we don't know how comfortable those shoes are until we've tried them on. Thirdly, we tend to buy too many women dress shoes that we don't really need.


The chic fashionista Anna Villaruel says In fact, I consider women dress shoes one of the most time-consuming fashion accessories to shop online. Seriously. You have no idea how many times I've returned a pair of ill-fitting and weird-colored (and sometimes the wrong size and merchandise) shoes. Fortunately, online shopping technology is getting sharper each day. Online shoe stores are becoming more convenient with their detailed shoe size chart and the ability to add your review of the item you've purchased, informing other future buyers of the quality and size of a specific item.


But still, there are a couple of vital points you should think through before you click 'checkout' and that's what I'm going to be covering on this page!

Women dress shoes are available in different heights, styles and designs. You're pretty much faced with a wiiide variety of shoes, from sexy women high heel shoes to flats. This page will help you guide through the mass of women shoes by helping you save money and time on shoes that you're not meant to buy :-)

Buy Women Dress Shoes You Really Need

That means, buy shoes you know you'll be wearing.

If you're a career woman who spends most of their time at office, then make sure you have plenty of comfortable shoes both high heels and flats that are appropriate for your work setting.

Or if you're a party girl and are comfortable in high heel shoes, go for taller, trendy and bolder shoes like platforms and kitten heels.

If you have a casual style and wear mostly sneakers with your outfits then focus on flats. But make sure you have a pair of womens high heel shoes for special occasion.

fashion tip Note: No matter your style and lifestyle, make sure you secure the basics and trend-proof shoes before you buy anything else.

Shoes that Look Great on Your Body Frame

Women dress shoes Cole Haan gladiator sandals
Gladiator Sandals via Zappos
You might look into what type of shoes flatter your body shape and your legs. Here is a quick guideline:

If you have...

  • Wide shoulders or torso (inverted triangle and apple body shape) compared to your hips - balance it out with light or bright colored shoes
  • Curves (rounded hips an thighs as in pear body shape) -- choose womens dress shoes with pointy toe and a little bit of detail on the tip to elongate and slim down your figure
  • Short legs - go for shoes in colors that match the color of your pants or long dress to elongate your legs. Avoid "cutting" your legs in halves with lots of details and contrasting colors like white on black. Go for knee or thigh high boots. Sandals with t-strap that runs vertically will make your ankles and legs look longer.
  • Long legs - if you have long legs then consider it as a blessing. But if you have long legs compared to your torso, then stick to flats and rounded toe shoes.

If you're in doubt, go for high heels!

Shop guidelines Learn more about how to dress your body shape


Triple-Check the Stores Shoe Size Chart

Women dress shoes Frye ankle boots
Frye Boots via Zappos
Unfortunately, some shoe brands might be bigger or smaller than their stated size. If it's a brand you know, then stick with the size you've always worn.

But, if the brand is new to you, hereÂ’s an easy way to find your accurate size:

You need: A piece of paper, rules and pen.

1. Place the paper on the ground and stand on it with your weight slightly forward to make sure your foot is flat.

2. Draw a line behind your heel and another line in front of your longest toe.
Note: ItÂ’s common to have one foot longer than the other, so use the longer foot to measure.

3. Measure the distance between lines in inches.
Note: One inch is approximately 2.54 centimeters.

4. Find your measurement on the store's size chart to figure out the best fit. Round up if your size falls in between.

Length and Width Size

No one has perfect feet. So they might be wider or narrower than the average shoe size. Take a note of the width of the shoes in the item description. Fortunetaly, Zappos usually have their shoe description with stated width size and a Fit Survey that tells you if it's true to it's size and width.

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