Aetrex Ashley Arch Support Wedge

Sometimes yes, and it depends on why they hurt.

The height is spread along a full-length platform, so the drop through your foot is less than three inches and your toes aren't jammed forward. There's arch support shaped into the footbed, which most dress shoes have none of. And the sole is rigid, so nothing is flexing under the ball of your foot.

Where we'd hesitate: if your ankle is unstable or you've had falls, three inches of anything raises your center of gravity, and that's a real consideration regardless of how comfortable the footbed is. Come and stand in a pair before you commit.

Two things, and both are in your favor.

First, contact. A heel puts your weight on a small area under the back of the foot; a wedge spreads it along the whole sole. Second, pitch. On a stiletto the whole three inches is drop from heel to toe. On a wedge the forefoot is lifted too, so the angle through your foot is less.

The trade is that a wedge is heavier and doesn't bend, so it walks differently. Most people find that takes a few wears.

No. Aetrex lists this style as Removable Insole: No, and publishes that their sandals, wedges and cork styles have non-removable footbeds. The footbed is bonded into the platform, so there's physically nowhere for an insert to go.

If you wear a prescribed orthotic every day, call us at (704) 846-0301 before you order. For an evening out the built-in support is often enough on its own, and sometimes it isn't. We'd rather have that conversation than process a return.

Because it's built on a European last, where one EU size covers two US sizes, and Aetrex doesn't explain that anywhere. A band is one size written as two.

Pick the band your size falls in. A 7.5 takes the 7.5 - 8. A 9 takes the 9 - 9.5. The single sizes in between, the 7 and the 8.5 and the 10, are exactly what they say.

This one starts at a 6 - 6.5 and runs to 11.5 - 12.

No, but the straps are the adjustment. Aetrex builds one width and uses hook-and-loop closures with a stretch gore panel, which is how the same style works on a narrow foot and a wide one.

Set the straps loose enough that nothing presses on a bunion, and expect to let them out as the evening goes on. If you've been buying wide for years, call before you order.

Better than the shoes most people wear to one, which isn't a high bar, and we'd still be straight with you: this is a dress shoe, not a walking shoe.

If you're on your feet from a two o'clock ceremony to midnight, wear them and take a flat pair for the dancing. If it's a ceremony, a meal and some standing around, they'll do the whole thing.

Break them in around the house for a couple of evenings first. Leather on a strap edge is the thing that catches people out.

Leather upper, so no water. Aetrex's own instruction is a soft damp cloth for everyday marks, and for anything worse three parts water to one part mild detergent, applied in gentle circles.

Keep the cork dry, and let them air dry at room temperature rather than near a heater if they do get caught out. A soaked cork midsole is what ends a wedge.

Call us. We run a comfort guarantee: if they don't feel right, we'll make it right with an exchange or a refund. If you bought them for an event and they're not right two weeks out, that's exactly what it's for.

Aetrex also warrants against manufacturing defects for six months.

With a three-inch wedge, trying them on is worth more than with anything else we sell. Standing in it for thirty seconds tells you more than any description will.

We're at 924 Park Center Dr, Ste 101, Matthews, NC 28105, open Monday through Friday 10 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 4. Call (704) 846-0301 and you reach our fitting team, not a call center.