Smart Shoes

STYLE

They may strike terror In 'the hearts of rush hour fashion mavens, but working women who wear sensible shoes--high-top sneakers, orthopedic loafers--with their suits are smarter. Literally.

"Educational background appears to play a role in footwear choices," says Cherise Dyal, M.D., who surveyed 531 working women on their typical morning shoes and found that 44% of respondents wore comfortable flats to work, 30% sported athletic shoes, 17% wore pumps; only 2% teetered to the office in heels greater than 2 1/4 Inches. Women with over four years of a college education were more likely to wear comfortable shoes: 58% of highly educated women chose flats, while only 37% of those with a high school education donned the foot-friendly but aesthetically challenged footgear.

Dyal, a New York orthopedic surgeon who conducted the study in conjunction with the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, says that this finding Is part of a decade-long trend of women shying away from towering high heels. In any case, it suggests that working women have to decide which they want to look smarter--their feet or themselves.

PHOTO (COLOR): Smart Shoes