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Even Pointy Shoes Can Fit Well and Be Comfortable

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Left X-ray
European Comfort Shoe
Right X-ray
Nota Bene Shoe
Look how relatively straight the joints in the Nota Bene shoe are. And did you notice how much more pointed a silhouette the Nota Bene shoe has? This took a lot of work! Though pointy on the outside, on the inside the Nota Bene shoe provides a good fit that makes it feel comfortable. In achieving comfort, what matters is not the shoe’s silhouette or “toe character” but the shape and space on the inside.
Though marketed as a “comfort” shoe, this shoe is too narrow, too shallow, and the toe angle is too acute. As a result:
  • Wide angles of joint deformity in toes (red and purple)
  • Toes buckled – shoe is too shallow and compresses 1st joint down/inward and 2nd joint up and back where there is more room (yellow)
  • Toes compressed – no space between flesh pads (blue)
  • Torsion of metatarsals compromises arch function (green)

This last (form over which leather is stretched) was proposed as a candidate “comfort last” to use as a starting point for our development. It’s dimensions are considered in the range of “comfortable” for fashion shoes. (What are they thinking?! And it isn’t even very pointed.) This foot is not going to be happy or healthy very long if it stays in this shoe.
The Nota Bene shoe is designed to provide enough space for the foot and toes to be in a fairly natural position. As a result:
  • Joints are straighter (narrow angles of joint deformity)
  • Toes extended
  • Adequate space between toes; less compression of flesh pads

Wearers are surprised that such a pointed toe can feel comfortable. But as you can see the shape is carefully designed around the foot.