Sure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

Today we’re hunting classic, comfortable work heels — perfect for interviews, a starter work wardrobe, keeping at your office, and more. A few things to note at the get-go:

• of course you don’t have to wear heels to work — check out our roundup of cute flats for the office
• a note on comfort: comfort/walking with confidence is the top thing to look for — e.g., if you feel uncomfortable walking in 4″ heels don’t get 4″ heels! — you should feel comfortable standing in your heels for at least an hour (such as at a networking event) and feel comfortable walking at least three blocks (such as to go to a restaurant near the office with clients). You can change into your commuting shoes for longer treks or other more specialized situations, of course
• don’t forget you can wear black with navy
• take care of your shoes — scuffs, scraped leather, and more can be taken care of pretty quickly either by yourself or by a shoe professional — you can also replace heel tips and even the soles of your shoe with rubber portions to increase the comfort (here’s our post on how to make your shoes last longer if this is a big problem for you!)

Ladies, let’s hear from you — what are your most comfortable work heels? Are you Team Block Heel, Team Kitten Heel, or Team Stiletto? How long on average do your work heels last for you?

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{related: check out our Guide to Comfortable Heels!}

Our General Favorite Comfortable Heels for Work

Pictured above, some of our favorite black heels for the office: one / two / three / four / five

The Most Comfortable Work Heels for 2023 (in Specific Categories)

The Most Comfortable Work Heel With Skinny Heels: Cole Haan

There’s a lot of great buzz around the Cole Haan Grand Ambition Pumps, with many saying the brand is earning back its title of most comfortable work heels. The Grand Ambition Pump comes in sizes 5-11, regular and wide, for $180.

Samples from some of the glowing reviews: “most comfortable pump I’ve ever worn!” as well as this one:

Really happy with this purchase. The shoes are beautiful with quality leather and detailing. The shape of the shoe is professional and stylish, and the heel-height is just high enough to avoid being matronly. (I would give the style an extra * for 3mm more height.) The fit is great for my triangular feet- sufficiently roomy in the toe box and yet my heel is not slipping. How cool is that?

Nice!

Hunting for other pumps with skinny heels the readers love? The M.M.LaFleur Ginger is always mentioned, as is the affordable Sam Edelman Hazel (which comes in a HUUUUGE range of sizes and colors).

The Best Block Heel: Marc Fisher LTD

Readers have loved this block heel for years, and it keeps coming out in new colors, prints, and textured leathers. It’s great because it goes on sale frequently — you can currently find it as low as $54.

It’s available in sizes 5-12 in medium and wide widths. Nordstrom has it 17 colors by my count; you can also find it at Zappos, Amazon, and most department stores.

Reviewers sing the praises of the block heel for comfort. One Zappos reviewer says these heels are “the perfect business to evening shoe! Felt true to size in all aspects. I loved the comfort immediately upon trying them after a long day standing. Took me through the entire day in comfort with the box heel. Highly recommend this shoe. Excellent value!”

The Best Round Toe Heel: Everlane

Everlane’s Day Heel has won a lot of love from readers who prefer a round toed heel. The shoe comes in sizes 5-11, and is currently available in six colors for $175.

Sample review: “I’m a size 11 in this shoe and they feel like butter on. So soft – right from the first wear. I’ve finally found a shoe that makes my large feet look elegant!”

Other round toe styles worth noting include Vivaia, Margaux, and Ferragamo.

The Most Comfortable Work Heel in “Nude For You” Colors: Naturalizer

There are a few brands that specialize in shoes that have a TON of “nude” shades to choose from (so they are “nude for you”) – Naturalizer is one of the most affordable ones, with their True Colors collection offering a ton of pumps, sandals, flats and more in a wide range of beiges, browns, and everything in between.

The pictured pumps are a great example — they come in shades like Cocoa Brown, Crème Brulee, English Tea, and Opal Pink and are available in sizes 5-12 in regular, narrow, and wide sizes.

But note that Naturalizer has sleeker sandals, pumps, and more if you’re on the hunt for a different shape.

Other brands of note in this space include Kahmune, Rebecca Allen, Salone Monet — they’re all at much higher price points. You can also keep an eye out at Target, where the affordable Jen pump has historically come in a wide range of nude shades, as has this reader favorite CK Calvin Klein pump, this block heel pump, and this sleek heel that comes in a zillion colors.

The Best Comfort Heel: Margaux

There are a lot of great comfort brands, but Margaux has been getting a ton of great buzz lately for their versatile 2.5″ block heel. It has thoughtful designs like a “structured, supportive fit that molds with wear,” 5mm of plush foam padding. It’s also great to see the HUGE range of sizes — sizes 3-14!

They’re $295, and currently available in 12 colors.

The Best Heel for Standing All Day: dr LIZA

Honestly, in 2023 I wouldn’t recommend trying to stand in heels all day — there are so many cute and comfortable flats. Still, if you really have to do it, you’re going to need to bring out the big guns, and dr LIZA heels are getting great reviews for their crazy comfort. (The pictured shoe is called the “sneaker pump!”)

The website notes that the shoes have a “comprehensive orthotic insole, a shock-absorbing platform, a rocker sole to alleviate metatarsal pressure, a non-skid rubber outsole, and a deep heel cup to remedy pronation.”

dr. LIZA heels are available in sizes 5-13 in regular and wide widths.

In general, check out brands like Clarks, Naturalizer, Sofft, Trotters, Cole Haan, Vionic, dr LIZA, and Lifestride if you’re seeking affordable, stylish comfort heels!

The Best Affordable Heel: Target

Target’s Jen heels have been around for years, and are a solid option if you’re looking for a super affordable heel. Note that they often have a lot of great “nude-for-you” color options, and the polyurethane faux leather is technically vegan-friendly. The shoes are available in regular and wide sizes 5-12 for $29.99.

It’s hard to find a similar shoe that’s as affordable as this one, but keep an eye out for frequent sales on this block heel and this skinny heel — it’s not that hard to score one for under $75.

The Best Luxury Heel for Work: Sarah Flint

If you’re hunting for investment heels, Sarah Flint is a name to know (although she tends to be slightly less than true luxury designers, more in the $500 range). The designer herself notes, “[a]s a woman, I understand the frustration of buying shoes that end up sitting in your closet. Because of this, I obsess over the details of fit and construction to make the most comfortable and durable shoes, never sacrificing an ounce of style.” Nice!

The pictured Perfect Pump 85 is one of her bestsellers; if you prefer a lower block heel check out the Perfect Emma, another of her bestsellers. The Perfect Pump comes in 18 colors in US sizes 4-13 (IT sizes 34-43).

Other luxury heels that readers love: Ferragamo, Stuart Weitzman, Tamara Mellon, Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, and Prada.

The Most Eco-Friendly Work Heel: Vivaia

Hunting for an eco-friendly heel? Our top contender in the space is Vivaia with these elegant, round-toe chunky heels. They’re affordable (generally under $150), come in a huge number of colors, in sizes 5-11. The brand also makes flats and wedges.

Some of the thoughtful details in Vivaia pumps: they’re made from recycled materials, are antimicrobial and breathable, have a built in “back counter patch” to allow you to “say goodbye to blisters,” and have added arch comfort on the insole. And the 3D mesh is seamless, “designed to perform like a second skin.” Yes please!

Another vegan brand with work-appropriate heels: Veerah.

The Best Low Kitten Heel: M.M.LaFleur

After a few years where kitten heels were hard to find, they are back in full force for 2023. There are a lot of options here, so the competition was fierce — but I think the M.M.LaFleur Lillian pumps have just a touch more polish than a lot of the more affordable options, and they’re renowned for comfort.

One reviewer sums it up:

These are as comfortable as promised and confirmed by every review. The heal height is perfect. It gives the look of a high end heal wit the comfort of flats! I have lower back injuries that make most shoes unbearable. These, so far, are comfortable and forever gorgeous.

The Lillian pumps are available in five colors, sizes 34.5-43, for $345.

Other more affordable options for kitten heels for work include Trotters and Calvin Klein (tons of nude-for-you shades!); on the pricier side, Sarah Flynt has a 50cm kitten heel as well.

The Best Low Block Heel: Ferragamo

Ferragamo’s Vara pump has been around for eons, and readers with a classic style love the low, solid heel. It’s $850, available in sizes 5-11, in B and C widths. Readers have noted that the brand in general runs narrow; you can also often find shoes in smaller sizes (3 and 4 even), so keep an eye out if you have very small feet.

Reviewers delight in “pulling off” a shoe that can look old lady-ish on the wrong person. One sample Nordstrom reviewer:

These are adorable, comfortable and very attention getting. The Italian workmanship shows. (You can spot the sad blocky look fakes a mile away). I bought the Bisque and the buckle is very rich and shiny. I own 4 pair of SF Vara and the buckles vary with the style but all mine are shiny and beautiful. The Vara isn’t for everyone. This style has shown up in other labels like Tory Burch. (I have the TB black quilted with the gold cap toe). This style isn’t for every woman. As another costumer put it they can look “old lady” on the wrong woman. And I have heard that petite women are afraid of looking schoolmarmish in them but I have seen petite fashionistas rock them. But if you take delight in pulling off a look other women can’t wear you will love the Vara.

Another great option with a low block heel: these slingbacks from Naturalizer.

The Most Comfortable Work Heel for Wide Feet: Walking Cradles

There are a lot more options for wide widths heels than even just a few years ago, which is great to see. Our top pick for this category are these classic block heels from Walking Cradles, which come in TWO wide widths (as well as regular and narrow widths), in sizes 5-13 for $139.

According to one Zappos reviewer, these heels “were everything promised and more. I did a full day in them which included over 20 blocks of NYC walking. On day one no less! Will definitely be ordering in additional colors.”

Some of our other favorite comfortable wide heels include Sam Edelman, Naturalizer, A New Day (under $30!), and LifeStride — and keep in mind that brands like Inez and Margaux specialize in wide widths!

The Sleekest Heel in Extended Lengths: Sam Edelman

These classic stilettos have been around for years at this point, and keep coming out in more colors, patterns, and textures. Sam Edelman is also noteworthy, though, because they come in a huge range of sizes — if you need extremely small shoes or shoes over size 11 this would definitely be one of the first places I’d look. Unlike a lot of shoes with such extended sizes, though, this shoe is one of the sleekest.

It’s available in sizes 5-14 in narrow, medium, and wide widths for $150.

Other shoes with extended lengths: Margaux, Naturalizer, and Rockport.

The Most Comfortable Strappy Heel for Work: Anne Klein

I recently saw a young professional woman on TikTok extolling the virtues of these heels — soooo comfortable, so stylish, everyone asked where she got them — and I had to laugh because these heels have been in our Workwear Hall of Fame for a long time. They’re also constantly on Zappos’ bestseller list!

These ankle strap heels from Anne Klein have 674 glowing reviews at Zappos, currently come in 10 different colors, and are generally under $85. They’re available in sizes 5-10.5.

As one reviewer notes:

Love this shoe! Got to be honest, I scoffed at the FLEX sole when I saw – or whatever it’s called, but I wore these for the first time, an entire work day (9a-5p, up and down 2 flights of stairs at least 4 times a day) after my feet were already tired/sore from some new shoes I wore all-day yesterday and my feet felt great. Didn’t even want to kick them off when I got home after work! They’re super cute, too. I may be nerding-out, but if anyone ever wondered how Sailor Venus could fight crime in those heels all-day, it would be because of this shoe! Okay, I’m finished. Thank you, Anne Klein!

If you’re on the hunt for more strappy heels for work, other styles we love include M.Gemi, Calvin Klein, Lifestride (under $50!) and classics like Manolo and Valentino.

The Best Commuting Heel for Work: Clarks

Here’s a phrase that we haven’t used for a while: the commuting heel. Ankle pants have been so popular that these haven’t been an issue, but as full-length trousers and bootcuts come back in vogue, so too must commuting heels.

The idea here is that you have to hem your pants for a specific heel height — and if you then try to switch to, say, flip-flops on your commute, your hems will be dragging unless you pin them up.

Enter the commuting shoe — the shoe that’s kind of ugly but maintains the height needed for the hem, AND is a LOT more comfortable for walking.

These Clarks Mary Janes look great — they’re available in sizes 5-11 in medium and wide widths; you can find them at Amazon, Clarks, and Macy’s.

Other brands we love for this kind of purpose include FLY London, Dansko, Eileen Fisher, and Børn.

The Most Comfortable Wedge Heel for Work: Trotters

Wedge heels haven’t been on trend for a few years now, but they still have a place in your wardrobe, particularly if you’re preparing for an event that will be held on grass (graduation, wedding) and want to wear heels. They also tend to be really comfortable!

These Trotters wedge pumps are our top favorites because they’re from a renowned comfort brand and look simple and elegant. They’re available in 5 colors for $119 (there’s also a Mary Jane style available).

Other brands to look at for wedge heels include Vivaia, Bandolino and Nine West.

Readers, which of these categories are you most interested in? Which are your top heels in these different categories?

Like this feature? Check out other recent installments!