When I set out to research the most comfortable women’s dress shoes, there was one all-important question to answer first and foremost: What exactly is a dress shoe, anyway?

As it turns out, a ladies’ dress shoe is any footwear other than a boot or sneaker that is suitable for more formal attire. Or, in layman’s terms, it’s a shoe you can look dressy in. The category is flexible, as a dress shoe could be any style you wear in an office setting or to a wedding, depending on your needs. But regardless, you need at least one good dress shoe in your closet, just like you need a pair of classic white sneakers, as many comfortable high heels as you can find, and—in accordance with this season’s hottest runway looks—a set of trendy cowboy boots. Below, find the best dress shoes for women, ranging from professional-looking loafers to hammer toe-friendly wedges and everything in between.