How to handle heels April 16, 2008
They hurt like frig, but boy are they pretty. I bought these hot-mama heels from Eyeball Kicks a little while ago. They weren’t the best fit but they were on sale! I’ll cram into a smaller size if it saves me 50 bucks (that’s my only fashion motto).
Anyway, their first big night out on the town was at the last xmas work party. They hit the dance-floor (or dance-table as the case may be) at about 6pm and stumbled home 10 hours later. When I woke up my feet began to tingle, and didn’t stop tingling for about a week, so I went to the podiatrist fearing my toes would have to be lopped off.
It turned out I had crushed my little feet nerves, but they did get back to normal. And the foot doctor gave me some good advice about heels.
- Know your limits. Wear heels if you want but plan to take them off after an hour or two or when they start to get sore. I carry a little pair of flats in my bag now when I go out.
- Buy shoes that fit your feet. Antipodeans have a different shaped foot to Europeans and Asians. They’re much wider. But most of the shoes in shops are from Europe or Asia. NZ-made tend to be more suited to our wide feet – try Minnie Cooper. Either way, make sure they are a good fit when you buy them and you’ll be able to wear them longer.
- Stop blisters with Duct tape. Duct tape is much more effective than band-aids. It stays on your skin longer and covers as much skin as you need. PLUS you can buy Duct tape in different colours to match your shoes.
If you’ve got any tips for wearing heels please leave a comment – I’d love to learn more…
Oh, I have many many tips.
Fit is the key. If they don’t fit they will be uncomfortable after 10 minutes of standing up.
And know how high you can handle - not everyone can wear 4 inch heels.
Practice walking in them…practice practice practice. which also helps you to wear them in.
Party feet are a Godsend.
And hey, if your shoes are beautiful enough, but impossible to walk/stand/hobble in, they are the perfect excuse to sit and make people bring you drinks in a diva-like manner.
And Amy? LOVE those.
Thanks Megan! I have a friend who swears by PartyFeet.
And the pictured shoes are even better in real life. The best thing about them is that I’ve worn them to a couple of costume parties cause they look old fashionedy (a hollywood glam party and a pirate party). Actually, half my wardrobe doubles as costumes.
I have mutant feet. Well, my right foot is about half a size bigger than my left, so it makes shoe shopping just that little big harder.
But in my experience, getting shoes properly fitted is better than squeezing into wrong ‘uns. I know that if a size 7 pair feel tight, they will eventually stretch out if they’re leather, but if it’s a $30 cheapie pair, I’ll suffer. Oh, how I’ll suffer.
The way I see it, a beautiful pair of shoes should be filled with beautiful feet, not feet that look like they’ve just been on a 30km army march through a swamp.
Also, look after your feet today, cos, OMG, orthopedic shoes are so ugly.
I would have to say – always buy leather shoes. They always mould to your feet and they are way more comfy than those plastic ones!
One idea particularly relevant for Wellington -if you’re going to a party which is up a lot of steps, think about taking your shoes off and putting them on again up the top, especially if it’s not lit. This advice was given to me by my husband’s super glamorous grandma, who lives at the top of a long bumpy path.
This blog post helped me tonight! I tried on a pair of quite cool shoes, but then realised that they were too narrow and were alarmingly squashing my feet in. So I ditched the narrow shoes and will find some made for my antipodean feet.
Love the boudoir-y red heels!
I am too sooky to suffer in “proper” high heels (or to walk properly in them) … but they look so damn good.
My favourite style is the kitten heel, they are girlysexy and give your calves nice shape but without the pain of very high heels. I can walk anywhere in them.
Oooh, I have almost the exact same shoes myself. They are wanton harlots indeed.
My tip would be to get the heel end things replaced regularly. Walking in heels is difficult enough without further handicapping yourself by having your ankles turn in (or out depending on the way you walk. I saw a woman in Farmers this week whose left ankle was turned out at an alarming angle.