Euro style tennis shoes

Truth: Ok this is partially true. Yes, I did see some gorgeous Italian women strutting down the Florence’s cobblestone lanes in their designer stilettos– but by no means did all women sport spindly shoes.

Just because you don’t have the gait of a supermodel doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to frumpy shoes. Vacation is a time when you want to look and feel your best– so find a chic travel shoe option that will work for you.

Myth: You need hiking boots to walk European city streets.

Truth: Grubby hiking boots? Save them for the trails.

American tourists in Europe aren’t the only offenders here, I see plenty of Europeans riding the New York City subway, decked out in full-fledged hiking boots, just to walk Manhattan’s city streets.

Myth: Black travel shoes match everything and are the only shoe you need.

Truth: Black matches black.

If you don’t have room for another pair of shoes, look for a summer neutral that goes with everything– a sandal that blends with your skin tone, whatever the shade.

Myth: If you wear sneakers in Europe in the summer you’ll stand out as a tourist

Truth: If you wear clunky running shoes in Europe you’ll stand out as a tourist.

Not all sneakers are big clunky running sneakers– and Europeans wear causal sneakers like Converse all the time.

Truth: Unless you are wearing true formal wear, a perfect pair of very simple slides or sandals looks right with evening outfits.

Dressy doesn’t have to mean fancy– I love wearing a pretty dress with very simple, chic flat sandals. While I wouldn’t necessarily wear these backless slides all day, they are plenty comfortable for a relaxed evening walk to dinner.

Myth: Forget platform shoes, you’ll sprain your ankle.

Truth: While this is 100% true for steep hill towns like in my photo above, platform sandals can be a very comfy travel sandal option for regular city streets.

The key is the actual heel angle when you factor out the lift of the platform– which can make the effective heel as low as an inch or inch and a half. In a sooty city like my home city of New York, I actually prefer to have some distance from the street when I wear open sandals. Super flat sandals that graze city sidewalks can result in black feet by the end of the day– requiring a scrub in the bathtub before getting into bed.