Finding the perfect pair of shoes you can wear from after work drinks to a night out on the town can be a hard task.

But Anna Baird, a qualified podiatrist and founder of Bared Footwear, has spent a decade trying to bridge the gap and can reveal exactly what kind of shoes you should be wearing – and avoiding too.

Her biggest tip for women struggling to choose the right footwear is to avoid the standard styles altogether.  

Anna Baird, a qualified podiatrist and founder of Bared Footwear (pictured on model), has spent a decade trying to bridge the gap - and she believes the company has finally figured it out

Anna Baird, a qualified podiatrist and founder of Bared Footwear (pictured on model), has spent a decade trying to bridge the gap – and she believes the company has finally figured it out

‘Make sure that you avoid wearing slip on shoes and mules. Never wear thongs for anything but the public shower block,’ she told FEMAIL.

‘Having to claw your toes to keep a shoe on the foot really can and does lead to lower back pain as your gait pattern is completely changed.’

One of the most important things to look for in a great shoe is that they ideally fasten on to your foot in some way. 

One day she decided that someone needed to fill up the market and 'that person may as well be me' - and now her pointed flats are being worn by the likes of The All Hate Us' Elle Ferguson

One day she decided that someone needed to fill up the market and 'that person may as well be me' - and now her pointed flats are being worn by the likes of The All Hate Us' Elle Ferguson

One day she decided that someone needed to fill up the market and 'that person may as well be me' - and now her pointed flats are being worn by the likes of The All Hate Us' Elle Ferguson

One day she decided that someone needed to fill up the market and 'that person may as well be me' - and now her pointed flats are being worn by the likes of The All Hate Us' Elle Ferguson

One day she decided that someone needed to fill up the market and ‘that person may as well be me’ – and now her pointed flats are being worn by the likes of The All Hate Us’ Elle Ferguson

Her biggest tip for women struggling to choose the right footwear is to avoid the standard styles altogether

Her biggest tip for women struggling to choose the right footwear is to avoid the standard styles altogether

Her biggest tip for women struggling to choose the right footwear is to avoid the standard styles altogether

‘Other features like a rigid shank (you can not bend the shoe through the middle), deep toe box (plenty of room on the toe area), firm heel counter (the back of the shoe behind the heel can not be compressed easily) and of course a great footbed are all features of good shoes.’ 

Ms Baird started the company to fill a gap in the market for shoes that were ‘designed with support and comfort that were actually cool and not depressive and daggy.’

‘I found myself practising as a podiatrist and not able to find any shoes that I could recommend that I would actually wear myself,’ she said.

'Make sure that you avoid wearing slip on shoes and mules. Never wear thongs for anything but the public shower block,' she explained

'Make sure that you avoid wearing slip on shoes and mules. Never wear thongs for anything but the public shower block,' she explained

'Make sure that you avoid wearing slip on shoes and mules. Never wear thongs for anything but the public shower block,' she explained

'Make sure that you avoid wearing slip on shoes and mules. Never wear thongs for anything but the public shower block,' she explained

‘Make sure that you avoid wearing slip on shoes and mules. Never wear thongs for anything but the public shower block,’ she explained

One of the most important things to look for in a great shoe is that they ideally fasten on to your foot in some way

One of the most important things to look for in a great shoe is that they ideally fasten on to your foot in some way

One of the most important things to look for in a great shoe is that they ideally fasten on to your foot in some way

One day she decided that someone needed to fill up the market and ‘that person may as well be me’ – and now her pointed flats are being worn by the likes of The All Hate Us’ Elle Ferguson.   

‘The two main points of difference in Bared shoes are that they all have our supportive biomechanical footbed and that I sample our shoes to death to make sure that they are really comfortable,’ she explained.

‘The factories that I work with can never believe how many samples of the one shoe I will make as most brands don’t actually care about how the shoes feel at all. 

‘We repeat many of our styles season in and season out and are often changing little things to perfect the feel of the shoe.’ 



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk