“Nothing has man invented yet that will do a better job than heels at making a good pair of legs look great, or great ones look fabulous.” — Stuart Weitzman
This post is dedicated to all the girls out there who kill themselves every day wearing dangerously pointy 4 inch heels (or those who wish they could). I support all of you and I think we should all band together and start a movement to demand more comfortable heels from shoe designers. I really don’t think it’s fair to have to go through so much pain to get that extra 4 inches of height or to have that sexy slant of the calves. Personally I think that if shoe designers paid a little more attention to our needs they could create more comfortable shoe designs. I have shoes in my closet that are actually comfortable… why aren’t more heels like them? Don’t these things get tested out before going to mass production? How many times have you bought a shoe, taken them home, worn them out a few steps to realize they are totally unwearable because they are cutting into your flesh? By then it’s too late to return them and you’re stuck. I have plenty of brand new shoes to give away if anyone is interested in some foot torture.
I very well may have to start this Women Against Uncomfortable High Heel Movement one day but In the meantime I’ve put together some information/resources I’ve collected over the years which help me endure the pain. I hope these help. If you have some tips yourself I’d love to hear them.
Update this this post — see post on 8/25/08
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T H I N G S – Y O U – C A N – B U Y
Insolia Inserts
www.insolia.com
The problem:
You have a comfortable pair of heels that don’t rub your skin abrasively in any areas but after a full day in them the front balls of your feet are throbbing in pain and you have to make a mad dash for the nearest seat along your route to relieve these balls of pain.
The Solution:
A world-renowned podiatrist and an MIT rocket scientist teamed up to create a type of shoe pad that blows Dr. Scholls out of the water (not that I’m dissing on his products because I use Dr. Scholls products as well). The Insolia Inserts seem to work better for me than the average shoe pads. The technology behind them is that they help improve your body alignment and ankle stability while reducing pressure on the ball of the foot, lower back and leg fatigue (see diagram below).
The nice thing about these is that they are clear so they don’t look too funky in your hot heels.
Dr. Scholls
http://www.drscholls.com/
Dr. Scholls offers a wide range of foot and shoe products for hammer time feet. If you’ve got blisters, bunions, corns, calluses, or just aching soles the Doc can get you sorted out.
My favorite are these gel inserts for shoes. My left ankle sits a little lower than the average size 6 so shoes tend to rub up against my ankle and that area gets very sore quickly in certain shoes. I found that if I slip a massaging gel heel insert (see below) my ankle is lifted higher in the shoe and pain is gone!
Another Dr. Scholl’s product I use is the Moleskin Padding. Basically the moleskin is a padded cloth that has adhesive on one side. You can cut the pad into any shape and then adhere it to your foot or shoe — wherever your shoe is rubbing up uncomfortably on your skin. I bought the value size roll and it’s lasted me quite some time. I find this to be more convenient and affordable than Foot Petals.
Foot Petals
http://www.footpetals.com/
If you are just looking for some fun shoe pads with cute designs then you’ll like Foot Petals.
Foot Petals offers a wide range of foot pads for various parts of the shoe. I was thrilled when this line came out years ago because it was a step in the right direction. These shoe pads were clearly designed and marketed with females in mind. They are pretty looking things and are all cut specifically for high heels, stilletos, open toe sandals, etc. My main complaint with these is that the adhesive never stays long enough. They are also fairly light on the padding so if you’ve got serious pain in your feet I’d go with something more substantial like the Insolia Inserts.
M O R E – T I P S
Buy 1/2 Size Larger Shoes and Wear Thick Padded Socks
May sound silly but I do this all the time in the cold weather months when wearing closed-toed shoes. I buy my shoes 1/2 larger and then I find the fluffiest, well-padded socks I can find and wear them together. I feel like my feet are bundled up nice and warm + my shoes never hurt, even when braving 4 inch stilleto boots. I started doing this after I got addicted to my Uggs. I was addicted to my Uggs and actually still am. I wish more shoe designers would add that nice wool lining in shoes.
Make the Shoe Salesman Do His Job
Before closing the deal on a pair of shoes make the salesperson work for his/her sale. Tell them you’re not sure if the shoe is comfortable enough. Generally these guys know the insider techniques to make a shoe fit your foot better. I’ve had salesmen add additional padding under the inner lining of shoes or just stretch the shoe out with their machines to break them in a little. Whatever it may be they know best so put them to work!
Invest in Quality Shoes
I read an article in a magazine (I believe it was the Luxury Magazine that Time puts out every quarter) a while back which posed a good question — "Are expensive luxury shoes worth the $$$?". In other words, do you get what you pay for? The conclusion of the article was yes you do. I have to agree wholeheartedly. Beyond just the fact that they last forever — I have had a pair of Gucci mules that just celebrated it’s 6th birthday! And they are still going strong. They look fabulous and continue to hold together almost good as new. I have re-soled them several times (this is a MUST BTW). Beyond just lasting forever, quality shoes are more comfortable too. They are sturdier and tend to provide more support. Flimsy cheaper materials tend to bend/slip out of shape and hurt your feet. Not to say that all expensive designer shoes are comfortable whatsoever but in general they are better made and thus fit your feet better.
Some good ones to try:
Manolo Blahnik
Jimmy Choo
Gucci
No good (infamous for being uncomfortable):
Christian Louboutin
Dior (hit or miss)
T H E - M O S T - C OM F O R T A B L E – S H O E S – A N D – W H E R E – T O – B U Y – T H E M
Cole Haan
Cole Haan is very foot comfort conscious. They have a partnership with Nike to use the cushioning and shock absorbing technology Nike uses in their sneakers. The most comfortable pair of boots I ever owned were these Cole Haan suede lace up boots. To this day I have not had the heart to throw these out even though they are so overworn and beatup. Secretly I’m hoping one day I can revive them. They deserve a second life. I found this article that talks a little more about Cole Haans latest line: http://www.azcentral.com/style/fashion/articles/092906comfypumps.html
Where to Buy:
http://www.colehaan.com/
http://www.shoes.com/colehaan/
"Charles" by Charles David and "Steven" by Steve Madden
I was speaking with a sales associate at Charles David many years ago when these lines were first launched that they were created specifically to address the comfort complaints customers were issuing on the regular lines. It was about time. Charles Davids have got to be some of the most uncomfortable shoes out there. The Charles line is much better. I never buy from the regular line. But beware not all of the Charles and Stevens are pure comfort. Make sure you try everything on and walk around in them for 5 minutes before purchasing (more on that to come).
Where to Buy:
http://www.stevemadden.com/category.asp?id=133 (Steven)
http://www.zappos.com/n/es/d/722095330/page/1.html (Steven)
http://www.piperlime.com/browse/categorySearch.do?cid=19946&mlink=20195,154204&clink=154204 (Steven)
http://www.zappos.com/n/es/d/722073357/page/1.html (Charles)
http://www.piperlime.com/browse/search.do?searchDivName=&searchText=charles%20david&submit.x=986&submit.y=49&tid=PLGO70271&kwid=1 (Charles)
http://www.endless.com/s?node=242169011&brands=Charles%252520by%252520Charles%252520David|Steven%252520by%252520Steve%252520Madden&bv=1 (Steven and Charles)
Stuart Weitzman
I have a couple of these heels and they are super comfy. I have heard varying results from other girls but I think I read somewhere that he was using Insolia technology in his shoes. One killer looking pair of stilletos I have of his are so comfy I can wal/run all day in them and still smile at the end of the day. They are defn. worth a shot.
Where to buy:
http://www.stuartweitzman.com/
Neiman Marcus
F U R T H E R – R E A D I N G
High Heels: Tips for Looking Hot, Not Hurting!
http://www.azcentral.com/style/fashion/articles/092906comfypumps.html
http://www.uniquelywoman.co.uk/womens_high_heels__shoe_fit_comfort.htm
http://bohanna.typepad.com/fashionfix/2006/11/comfortable_in_.html
http://www.shoeboxers.com/how-to-buy-comfortable-heels/
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/7/prweb258601.htm
Note: I’ll keep adding to this post as I come up with any new tips. I’d love to hear what tricks you all use to bear the pain too! Please share with the rest of us.
What’s a Look Book?
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