I've always refused to wear painful shoes in the name of looking good save for dire necessity (such as job interviews), which is why the loss of these boots is so annoying. Unusually for high heels, I *could* wear them perfectly comfortably for several hours, and I've never found another pair like them. Of course, it helps that they're not all that high as high heels go.

Some of it is spread in the width, which is probably due to a combination of being older and being heavier, but the real problem seems to be slightly longer length and/or more protuberant heels. That might be to do with the plantar fascitis which is the reason for me taking a rather more serious interest in losing some weight, but I can't rely on it going away.