Monday, April 4, 2011

Walking in High Heels



In case you couldn’t tell from the title of my blog, I love heels, stilettos in particular.

It’s funny – I’ve always been a shoe person, but I didn’t really start wearing heels until a few years ago, when I began teaching (college English, for those of you that don’t know already). I try to dress up, since I’m so young, and since I love heels and have so many, I wear then nearly every day so that they don’t go to waste.
 
I know, I know. I have a problem.

Side note – different types of heels (that I totally found here):

Kitten – a short (less than two inches), slim heel
Stiletto – a tall (more than two inches), slim heel
Prism – (I did not know this one existed) a triangular heel with no set width or height, rather like the cone.
Wedge – the entire space under the foot is occupied. This is not to be confused with a platform, where the space under the ball of the foot is thickened. Platforms and wedges are not the same thing, though there are shoes called platform wedges that were popular in the seventies, and are still around today.
Pompadour – the front of the inside of the heel itself curves into the heel rather than joining it sharply.
Cuban – (I didn’t know this one existed either) a “chunky, four-sided heel in which the front remains relatively uniform while the back tapers modestly from top to bottom.”
Cowboy – this really needs no explanation.
Espadrille – the sole of the shoe is woven, usually of rope, and is nearly always a wedge heel.
Cone – the heel is in the shape of a cone, and there is no minimum or maximum height though this is usually a taller heel.
Spool – wide at both ends, but narrower in the middle – an hourglass shape.
Chunky – (quite possibly the ugliest heel) wide at the top and base. These were really popular when I was in high school – see Britney Spears’s shoes in the “Hit Me Baby (One More Time)” video.
Covered – the heel of the shoe is covered in the same material as the upper.
Painted – the heel of the shoe is painted to be the same color as the material of the upper. This usually (though certainly not always) means that the shoe is less expensive, as the paint tends to chip or flake off with age.
Stacked – the “stacked” or layers of a wooden heel are visible.

Wow, I’m only missing six of these – guess which ones!

That being said, I adore shoes of all kinds, including flats (of which I have just as many pairs as heels). However, when most people meet me, one of their first questions is often, “How do you WALK in those?”

To which I usually reply, “Pretty quickly.”

Seriously, though walking in heels isn’t nearly as hard as most people think. I’ve never really had a problem with it, and I’m a fairly clumsy girl. First, what most people don’t realize is that most three and four-inch heels have platforms under the ball of the foot, making the heel feel more like a two-inch heel (most of my shoes are like this), though this isn’t always the case. 

If you’re a stiletto virgin, you may want to start with wedges, since they’re usually more stable and comfortable to walk in, since they’re supporting your entire foot instead of just the ball and heel, like stilettos. Bonus – it’s almost summer, and wedges are a summer shoe, probably because they’re easier to walk in on sand or grass.

Ultimately, it’s all about ATTITUDE. Walk strongly – if you hesitate because you’re afraid of falling, you’ll wobble and (most likely) actually fall. Remember – you’re wearing the shoe, the shoe is not wearing you.

Here are the heels I’ve worn the past few days (and yes, one of them gave me blisters. Believe it or not, it was the denim pair).

Blue heels (Moxie) from ShoeDazzle.com

Kelsie Girl wedges from Three Sister's Boutique

Denim Tommy Hilfiger wedges from T.J. Maxx
Twirling
And finally, just for kicks, here's my outfit of the day. I actually wasn't happy with it, since I didn't plan it out last night and I felt rushed, but it grew on me over the course of the day. 

Oh, and I PROMISE I'll have a better background soon - it was raining today, so I had to stay inside.

Kisses!




Right, CHEESE!


The jewelry. An outfit's not complete without accessories!


Close-up of the shirt


Close-up of the detailing on the skirt

Last, but not least, one of my favorite pairs of boots. The poor things are horribly scuffed (they're at least three years old) but I can't BEAR to get rid of them!
Sweater: Change Clothes Boutique
Tank: Imagine Boutique
Belt: Three Sister's Boutique
Skirt: Change Clothes Boutique
Boots: Aldo
Ring: Charming Charlie's
Watch: Fossil
Bracelet: Vintage (originally my grandmother's)


2 comments:

  1. I am sooooo glad ytou finally did this...I don't know of ANYONE more ideally suited than you to give fashion advice! You really did learn as you went, which means that you are a great candidate for "teacher." Obviously you already know that, lol.

    So these heels. I feel like I could totally write a supplement to this post on what to do if you have tiny, short, high-instep, weird, wide feet like I do, but would like to wear heels. Except no one but me cares...thus the term "weird."

    I have a pair of...I'm going to call them wedges...that are...sculptured? They would probably be considered "painted;" they are wooden and just FABULOUS. The bottom actually makes some sort of sculpted, abstract shape. Like, you can stick a finger through it, they aren't solid. Not too worried about the paint chipping. They will be collector's items before I wear them enough for that ;)

    You have just inspired me to wear them. I'm certain that the blisters will dissuade me, but at the moment I am thinking of the outfit I bought them to go with, and the weather sure is just right for it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What size shoe do you wear? Maybe instead of giving away any of our shoes, we could work out a trading system. We could mail each other a pair of old shoes once a month, so out would be like getting a new pair. Just like a mail order wine club.

    ReplyDelete