When I was 16, I envied my classmate - let's call her Susie - for her beautiful brown court shoes.
Years later, I realised that it wasn't that her shoes were exquisite but that my feet are less than pretty.
They suffer from a flat sole, bunions and what my orthopaedic doctors call an accessory navicular bone - a useless bony bulge on both inner ankles.
This means any fully covered pair of shoes - as opposed to open-back mules - will protrude where the ugly knobs sit.
On top of that, a bunion operation two decades ago on the left foot left me with a right foot that's half a size bigger (US 5½) than the left. My orthopaedic surgeon then refused to do both sides because the right bunion wasn't painful at that time, saying: 'We don't do cosmetic procedures.'
Imagine that.
As for the inner-ankle protuberances, years of pounding the streets for interviews yielded throbbing pain in 2000. Two courses of steroid jabs over a year have taken care of that.
It has been tough to please all the members of my foot assembly - all 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 tendons and 19 muscles - that holds 46kg of me.
So where my shoes are concerned, form has never married function - those that are kind to my feet will never top the style charts.
Ever since the bunion op, flat shoes have been my mainstay. Following the steroid jabs, I've been obedient to my consultant orthopaedic surgeon call. 'Wear sports shoes. Change your wardrobe if you need to.'
Out went the dramatic and dainty, like toe-tight Sam & Libby's gold mules and Kenneth Cole cover-ups.
In came the chunky (Merrell walking shoes) and clunky (Timberland Trek Travel mules), along with an assortment of flatties from the likes of Hush Puppies and Scholls.
Keen to break out of my orthopaedic range, I volunteered to source and road test dressier comfort shoes.
Although most of the five pairs I tested come close to shoe heaven, there are caveats aplenty (see other story).
It's to her credit that Joanna Tan, director of Heel & Toe in Palais Renaissance, which has the widest and most comfortable range of dressy shoes, admits: 'Women must understand that there must be some compromise between aethetics and comfort.'
Helen Crawford, a podiatrist in private practice who consults for comfort-shoe shop Arch Angel in Delfi Orchard, has this tip.
'Keep a dressy pair for when you want to meet clients. The rest of the time, just be comfortable.'
FOOT NOTE
I didn't get my Cinderella moment - none of the shoes fit, not perfectly, anyway. To be fair, the fault probably lies more in my woeful feet than the shoes themselves.
Here are the verdicts.
Kumfs
The most comfortable pair of heels I've slipped into in two decades. You can't imagine what a 3-inch elevation does for a shortie.
Even so, I'd say keep the heels for that formal sit-down dinner - our feet aren't meant to do protracted toe stands.
The folks which stock Kiwi brand Kumfs 'don't just sell a shoe, we sell a fit', says director Joanna Tan of Heel & Toe.
Flamenco-inspired dress shoes, Zippo by Kumfs, $329, from Heel & Toe
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Xsensible
Stretch leather means the shoe should mould to your foot like a glove, expanding with your feet as the day progresses. This pair from Dutch brand Xsensible fit my left foot perfectly, but my bunion felt pinched.
When wearing lace-ups, tie them up tight so the foot has no space to wobble within the shoe.
Lace-ups by Xsensible, $279, from Arch Angel
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Scholl
Nappa leather uppers of these shoes by British brand Scholl were soft on the feet and the arch support was welcome, but the elasticated sides hugged my right foot too snugly, causing a small blister at the heel.
My suggestion: Wear with a pair of foot stockings.
Mary Janes by Scholl, $89, from major department stores like Tangs Orchard, Metro Paragon, Robinsons The Centrepoint and Raffles City
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Ara
The plus point of this shoe from Ara, a leading brand from Germany, is its varying widths - from F (narrowest, for fashion shoes) to H1/2 (for widest room).
The truth is, my bunion will always require deep, square-toed fronts. This one gave slight blisters on the knuckles of the third and fourth toes.
Have the front expanded before wear.
Slingbacks in pearlised weave in H-width by Ara, $198, from Comfort Shoehaus
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Hue
A home-grown store, Hue is not a comfort shoe label but the yummy sponging in the upper soles of this made-in-Italy sandals cushion my feet and the open toes mean no angry bunions.
Dress sandals, $119, from Hue
This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times on Sep 5, 2008.
