Janet CollinsMe and My High Heel Shoes
November 10th 2008 08:07
High heel shoes are getting higher and higher. There’s no doubt about that. In fact, it’s all I seem to see, read and hear lately. Usually accompanied by the mandatory celebrity in a pair of ten-inch heels like Kylie or Posh and you wonder how they are even keeping their legs straight, these articles focus on the shoes and the shoes alone.
It is true that if there is anything most women are obsessive about other than their hair, it is their shoes. But shoes used to be regarded as an accessory – something that would add to an outfit, give a finishing touch. Now it’s the shoes that are the focus of every celebrity photo. They have made it to centre stage and they are looking dangerous.
It only seemed like a few years ago when I commented to a friend that I always saw lots of these really high heeled shoes in stores but I didn’t see anyone wearing them. Gradually, these killer pins have taken over.
Only recently a female colleague of mine commented that she used to be good at wearing high heeled stilettos but that was a while ago but there was no way she could now. I nodded in agreement but later I wondered if I was ever really good at it, or did I just think I was. This led to some serious memory prodding and I would like to share my history with high heels with you.
My first memory of rather high shoes was the pair I bought in my first full-time job in an office (yes you could get away with a lot if you are sitting most of the day). They were high platformed, wood and leather in a brand that was very trendy at the time – “Mr Christian”. I loved them and they probably cost me more than half of a week’s wage.
It was also fashionable at the time to wear pants rather than dresses and the pants went nearly all the way to the floor. This gave an impression I had much longer legs than I did have and I actually looked rather tall. The men in the office were quite amused one day when we were all having fun and I took off my shoes.
These shoes were actually quite comfortable to stand in because the front was nearly as high as the back. Walking in them was a different matter. Almost assimilating walking on stilts, I realised very quickly it was rather easy to fall off them. I did this on more than one occasion and it was usually in the middle of a pedestrian crossing or somewhere where there was bound to be a captured audience. In these instances, I always hoped anyone I knew was far from the scene.
Shoes and the heels on them became daintier after that. Slender heels with slimmer straps on the top far more suited the newer more feminine styles of clothes that had come into fashion. Most of the heels were comfortable enough and wearable enough if I managed to avoid any cracks in concrete walkways or having to walk on a surface that wasn’t concreted at all.
Then I bought a pair of very trendy stiletto boots. They looked great until one night I was dancing and the whole heel came off one of them, leaving me limping for the rest of the night.
Since then heels have gone high and low, fat and slim and somehow I manage to keep up with them and stay in them. I usually try to stick to ones that are comfortable enough to wear for a long period and not too high but look rather up-market, even if they are low priced.
A few years back I lashed out on a pair of very high wedged open top shoes. They looked great on my feet and they were a perfect match for an evening dress I had bought to wear for a special occasion but they were much higher than I would usually risk.
All was well until I reached the address of the venue. To get inside I had to negotiate a not too steep but steep enough ramp to get inside the building. My heart lost a beat a few times and when I started to lose my footing, I grabbed on to my partner and thakfully he was able to prevent a very embarrassing incident indeed.. If I hadn’t had someone to grab on to I would have ended up rolling down to the entrance.
Now wearing these high heel numbers has now become worthy of serious manual-style instructions. Recently I read an article in The Australian by Claudia Croft – How to walk in high heels. In her article, Croft gives ten rather amusing pointers for walking in high heels:
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1 To cut down on wobble factor, make sure the shoes fit you properly before buying them, and strap them firmly to your feet.
2 The chunkier the heel, the more secure you will feel. The more spindly and strappy, the tougher they will be to teeter in. Do consider platform soles — they take the arch ache out of wearing tall shoes and have made super heights (such as Louis Vuitton’s 7-inch court shoes) achievable.
3 Don’t make it any harder than it already is by wearing slippery socks or tights with strappy high heels. The toes need to gain some purchase on the shoe, otherwise your whole edifice becomes like a building with unstable foundations (it was the addition of a little cotton inner sock that felled the models on the Prada catwalk).
4 Confidence is the key to looking good in heels. Show no fear. Lean back, stand tall, stretch your leg out in front and imagine that you are walking in flats. Swinging your hips helps with momentum.
5 Plan your heel-wearing strategically. Limit the time you spend in them. For example, walk to work in flats, then change into heels in the office. Always carry a pair of emergency flats (roll-up ballet pumps are very handbag-friendly).
6 Prevention is better than cure. If you know you are in for a prolonged and unavoidable period of heel-wearing, take a Nurofen.
7 Avoid uneven and sloping surfaces (cobbles and heels don’t mix). Don’t walk down stairs, use the lift instead.
8 Use a friend as a crutch. Cling on to them for extra stability.
9 The best way to walk in high heels is to do no walking at all. Set aside a taxi slush fund.
10 Finally, don’t moan. It spoils the elegance. Heels hurt. You knew that when you put them on. If you are going to suffer for fashion, do it in silence.
2 The chunkier the heel, the more secure you will feel. The more spindly and strappy, the tougher they will be to teeter in. Do consider platform soles — they take the arch ache out of wearing tall shoes and have made super heights (such as Louis Vuitton’s 7-inch court shoes) achievable.
3 Don’t make it any harder than it already is by wearing slippery socks or tights with strappy high heels. The toes need to gain some purchase on the shoe, otherwise your whole edifice becomes like a building with unstable foundations (it was the addition of a little cotton inner sock that felled the models on the Prada catwalk).
4 Confidence is the key to looking good in heels. Show no fear. Lean back, stand tall, stretch your leg out in front and imagine that you are walking in flats. Swinging your hips helps with momentum.
5 Plan your heel-wearing strategically. Limit the time you spend in them. For example, walk to work in flats, then change into heels in the office. Always carry a pair of emergency flats (roll-up ballet pumps are very handbag-friendly).
6 Prevention is better than cure. If you know you are in for a prolonged and unavoidable period of heel-wearing, take a Nurofen.
7 Avoid uneven and sloping surfaces (cobbles and heels don’t mix). Don’t walk down stairs, use the lift instead.
8 Use a friend as a crutch. Cling on to them for extra stability.
9 The best way to walk in high heels is to do no walking at all. Set aside a taxi slush fund.
10 Finally, don’t moan. It spoils the elegance. Heels hurt. You knew that when you put them on. If you are going to suffer for fashion, do it in silence.
The full article can be viewed at:
Really Long Link
The website About.com also has another fun post “How to Walk in High Heels”. One of the pointers by Desiree Stumpert is to practice, practice, practice.
Perhaps just like writing, dancing or playing the guitar, you really have to allocate a certain time each day to walking in them so you can go out in them without looking as if you’ve just downed half a bottle of vodka.
This article can be viewed at:
Really Long Link
In all that, I can say – you can’t take the shoes out of the woman. If anyone asked me would I give them away, I would probably give the same response as a motorcyclist after a nasty fall who was asked if he would give the motorbike away……..NO WAY.
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Comment by alt_ed
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Yes, it is a lot harder than you could imagine.
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You give me the shoes, I'll give you the demonstration
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Comment by Janet Collins
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I wouldn't dare you. I just never see these celebs actually walking in them. A lot of people used to call them VIP shoes because they were only meant for getting out of limousines and walking up the red carpet. Really try them sometime. It takes a lot more skill than you think.
Comment by Janet Collins
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No they're not but that's the price of high fashion. It takes skill to keep the smile on your face while you'r wearing them too!
Thanks for the comment.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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those were my "tranny boots", they were 5 1/2 inch on the heel with a 1/2 inch platform under the ball of the foot . . . they were EXTREMELY difficult to walk in - nearly impossible . . . i wore them to mardi-gras one year which required a huge amount of walking up and down the inclines of uneven ashphalt and pavement
they didnt hurt my feet they just strained my thighs because of all the seldom-used muscles you need to balance yourself
im 6 foot tall without shoes, so those boots put me at nearly 6' 6" - it was a striking look, but i gave up about half way home! haha
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