To the ladies that attend Dapper Day, what kind of shoes do you wear with your outfits? I just can’t imagine heels would be comfortable to walk around the parks!!
I've heard someone say they wear flats but carry a pair of heels to throw on when posing for photos - that seems like a good compromise as long as you have a big enough bag. I would never choose heels as my primary footwear for the whole day, but some people have a better tolerance for it than I do.
I've seen lots of people say that their heels are only for picture-taking... And hide reasonable (ie, flats or something comfortable) shoes in a bag. Seems reasonable!
I am trying to figure this out as well. I wore the best looking of my comfortable sandals with my dress last year, and they weren't supportive enough. No way I can wear dress shoes and it's hard for me to find flats that stay on my feet. I've had my eye on some sandals with a little lift to them that are a bit dressier, but still sturdy enough for my super flat feet. Or I may just wear my ugly Tevas.
Everyone I know who has dared to wear heels for the whole day has regretted the decision for a week or more afterward! If you'll be dancing at the Expo or at PFF on Saturday evening, wear dance shoes, then change into comfortable shoes for the parks. There are all kinds of comfortable, flat shoes that can look fine/cute with dapper outfits, e.g. saddle shoes, keds in all colors (and white keds can be dyed to match an outfit), ballet flats by various makers (some are surprisingly supportive, like Crocs), mary jane styles (again, some are surpisingly supportive), TOMS (all colors! check the bridal TOMS section on the website), ankle boots for certain period looks, etc. Whichever shoes you pick, make sure to break them in before Dapper Day Weekend and to wear peds or socks (bring spares) to prevent blisters.
Mostly, the Dappers you see in heels are locals just there for a few hours for pictures, or if not local, will change shoes at some point. You don't want to do a full day in any kind of a heel.
Thanks so much for all the advice! I have a pair of nice sandals with a low wedge heel that are Teva’s. I think I will give those a try. I still have my comfy Teva’s to change into when needed.
I've tried just about everything over the years while attending dapper days. Flats usually make me look/feel too stubby while wear full midi skirts or dresses. Keds were the most comfortable and were cute with the full dress I wore for my profile pic (dapper snow white). Another great option I found was a pair of flat pointed toe shoes that I usually wear to work. They have an ankle strap so they wouldn't slip off and were surprisingly comfortable. The worst mistake I ever made was wearing low wedges that seemed super comfortable until halfway through the day. My toe was also pressing against the tip inside, needless to say, I lost that toenail a few months later and it took a year to grow back right
I highly recommend you wear comfortable dressy flats. Don’t wear heels if you’re not used to hiking around for miles in heels. A lot of girls I know that go to dapper day (or do elaborate Disney bounds year round) that want photos of them in perfectly matching heels will bring them in a tote bag to switch back & forth but mostly wear flats still for walking around the parks. Another option is leaving them in a locker for the majority of the day. I usually just opt to not bother & wear comfy shoes because between the expo and the parks we usually do at least 10 miles a day each day.
One of my early Dapper Days taught me that heels are a no-go unless it's for pictures. I wore a cute pair of patent-leather not-too-high wedge shoes and they seemed fine when I walked around in them at home, but do listen to the voices cautioning not to do it. I was practically crippled by the end of the evening and I'd only worn them to go to dinner and walk around in DCA afterward. Fake patent leather--almost any kind of fake material will not have much give and you'll end up with all kinds of miserable repercussions, plus I don't normally wear heels so my feet were like, "What???". That's me on the right in my black torture-chamber heels, but we all made that same mistake and paid.
In reviewing our previous DDs, it looks like the ladies alternated between heals/wedges and flats.
Spring 2014 They wore heals (Depression-era Dapper)
Fall 2014 Amy wore heals
Spring 2015 They all wore flats
And pretty much the entire Disboard group wore flats...
Fall 2016 (they all wore flats) We were bounding... I was Grizzly Peak, Amy was Splash, and Katherine Was Matterhorn.
Spring 2017 (they all wore flats) Retro Mickey/Minnie Inspired
Fall 2017 (they all wore heals) Only pic I have as I haven't finished that TR yet. We were bounding again, I was pirates, Amy was Peter Pan, Katherine was Alice, other Girls were generic.
This can be a really good idea since it can be surprising how much your feet can swell when wearing dressier shoes in the parks! For those whose feet have a tendency to swell, don't forget the epsom salts for soaking after the parks.
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