Girls’ Dress Shoes – Finding the Perfect Pair to Wear Everyday

Are you looking for a pair of supportive, comfortable, and durable dress shoes for your child? Do you have a fashionista at home who loves sparkly and dressy shoes? The more glitter the better, right?Parents need to know that not all kids’ dress shoes are the same. Certain styles are more comfortable, supportive, and durable. I have put together a selection of the best dress shoes for girls that are also available in different widths such as narrow (N), medium (W), and wide (W).

As soon as little girls start getting older, they become more expressive every time you take them to the shoe store, and they will start asking for the shoes that they want! Not the ones mommy wants! So parents: enjoy choosing your girl’s shoes while you can, because soon they will be choosing their own.

Finding a pair of girls’ dress shoes for a child is not an easy task, it might be one of the hardest pieces of footwear to fit kids’ feet into, especially if they like wearing flats.

Do Dress Shoes Provide Good Support?

Certain dress shoes provide better support than others. For example, Mary Jane dress shoes always provide better support than flats or high heels. I always recommend parents choose Mary Jane dress shoes over any other type of dress shoes since the Mary Jane styles are more versatile.

In this article, I will provide you with a selection of the 3 most common and popular dress shoe styles which include Mary Jane’s, flats, and high heels.

Before I show you a selection of the best girls’ dress shoes, let me first show you what the different types of dress shoes are and the advantages/disadvantages that each one provides, so you can choose the most appropriate one for your daughter.

The Different Types of Dress Shoes – Choose Them Wisely!

➡️ Flats: They tend to look great for fancier occasions. The downside to flats is that you are limited to the number of hours that your child can wear them — no more than 4 hours a day. These type of dress shoes doesn’t provide any type of support whatsoever. Another disadvantage of flats is how it’s very hard to leave much, if any, growing room. For a flat to stay on your kids’ feet, it has to have an elastic holding on your child’s foot, or it has to be fitted heel to toe (no growing room).

➡️ High Heels: These types of dress shoes are only meant to be worn for a special occasion and no more than 4 hours a day. High heels can make your daughter more prone to developing foot issues if worn for longer periods of time.

➡️ Mary Jane: This is the most versatile type of dress shoe since it can be worn for longer periods of time. Most Mary Jane’s come with a rubber outsole to support and protect your kids’ feet and a firm heel counter that provides ankle support.

What Are Mary Jane Shoes?  – Stylish and Versatile!

Mary Jane shoes feature a heel counter, and a harder, more structured rubber outsole that allows children to run and play for longer periods of time without their feet or legs feeling tired. They tend to hold up much better than any other type of dress shoe. The Mary Jane shoe styles tend to be the most popular choice for elementary students.

Ballet flats and high heel shoes do not have any structure or support, and they are only meant to be worn for special occasions. I want to clarify that we do sell a lot of flats and high heel shoes at the shoe store that I work for, and some parents are okay with their kids wearing dress shoes for a short period of time and every once in a while.

I wanted to describe a shoe that offers more versatility, so your child can get the most out of it. Below you can find a picture of how a Mary Jane shoe style looks like. I am sure you have seen these types of shoes before!

I only write reviews of shoe styles that I have fitted before, otherwise, I wouldn’t know how well-made they are, the amount of support that they provide, and how they fit. 

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best girls’ dress shoes. Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links and we may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) when you click our links and make purchases.

The Best Girls’ Dress Shoes

Always make sure that your child tries the dress shoes with the same type of socks that they will be wearing them with. If you didn’t bring the right type of sock to the store, ask your fitter for a try-on sock or a pair of footies.

How to Retrieve Your Child’s Exact Foot Length and Shape

If you want to be 100% sure about what shoe size to order online, I suggest that you follow the instructions in a different resource I created.

How to Make Sure Your Girls’ Mary Janes are Fitting Properly?

There are 2 steps you can follow to make sure that your girls’ Mary Jane shoes are fitting correctly:

1️⃣ Make sure there is no extra space around your child’s heels.

2️⃣ Slide your finger around the instep of the foot, and make sure there is enough room for your finger to slide around it. If there is no room to fit around that area of the shoe then it means that the Mary Jane is too narrow.

These are the 4 most important features that your daughter will get from the dress shoes I recommended:

1️⃣ Support: The Mary Janes shoes come with a substantial outsole that minimizes the impact that your child’s feet take every time they come in contact with the ground.

2️⃣ Heel counter: They all come with a firm heel counter to provide ankle and heel support and protect your child’s heels.

3️⃣ Good traction: This feature prevents your child from slipping and falling.

4️⃣ Extra Depth: This feature prevents the top part of your kids’ feet from rubbing against the top part of the shoe.

Is Your Girl Supposed to Wear Socks with her Mary Jane Shoes?

I strongly advise you to have your child wear socks with her Mary Jane shoes. Socks act as a barrier between the child’s feet and the shoes, preventing the buildup of bacteria inside the shoes as well as irritation and infection.

The other reason why your daughter should wear socks with these types of shoes is that children tend to complain about the velcro strap rubbing against the top of their feet. The correct types of socks provide cushion and comfort.

Some parents prefer the “no show socks” since they say it doesn’t spoil the look of their kids’ fabulous shoes. These tend to fit over the top of the foot and mainly cover the heel, bottom of the foot, and the toes. It is important that the sock covers the heel part since that is a place where children tend to get the most blisters.

Dress Shoes for Narrow Feet – They do Exist!

After all these years of fitting children’s shoes, I can tell you that narrow feet are the hardest to fit. Primarily because shoe manufacturers don’t make a lot of narrow width shoes. Parents of children with narrow feet have the hardest time finding dress shoe that fits the shape of their girls’ feet, especially when it comes to Mary Jane shoes or other types of dress shoes.

I hope you found valuable information that can translate to your girl’s feet feeling comfortable and stylish. No matter the shape of her foot, there is a perfect pair of dress shoes waiting for her. Do not compromise when it comes to her feet and use this information to make the most informed decision.

Are Any Other Shoe Choices Available?

Do not hesitate to contact me directly at my e-mail if you have any further questions or if you need a different pair of shoes for your child. My e-mail address is:

fittingchildrensshoes@gmail.com

Have you found a particular Mary Jane shoe style that has worked well for her feet Please share your thoughts and experiences below so other parents can benefit from them.