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Singapore-based fashionista, Shameena, tells us about high heels. She offers invaluable tips on how to choose the shoes meant for you, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.
A pair of high heeled shoes has been a good friend of women since thousands of years. Wearing high heels is an evergreen style statement indeed making anyone wearing confident and tall. Becoming one of the most favourite things women adore and indispensable, wearing high heels every day make them better and also can do harm to them.
Shoes for Your Body Shape
If you’ve never considered your body type when picking out shoes, it’s definitely time to start. Choosing the right shoe will make your legs look longer and leaner while balancing out your figure.
An Inverted Triangle (wide shoulder, smaller hips, skinny legs) body shape: If you are an inverted triangle, experiment with bright colours to draw attention to your lower and smaller half.
Ballet pumps are a woman’s wardrobe classic but their dainty width means they are best avoided unless you have long slim legs.
Chunky Sandals are best to avoid looking top heavy. If you have skinny legs, you can experiment with ankle straps – otherwise, it is best to steer clear as they can make ankles look bigger than they actually are.
An Hourglass (curvy hips, small waist, full bum, wide shoulders) Body Shape
Peep toe Heels: A feminine peep-toe can complement your curves. A neutral colour like these Carvela platforms is versatile and won’t detract attention from your killer waist.
Brogues are a versatile style, which can be worn with masculine tailoring, or with dresses and skirts for a more vintage preppy look.
A Square (straight up, straight down, not much definition) Body Shape
Court Shoes: Simple shoes are best for a square figure. Classic courts in a neutral tone elongate legs for an elegant feminine look.
Loafers: Square figures can look great if you embrace more androgynous styles that curvier girls can’t. Loafers are the perfect accompaniment to a shirt and skinny cigarette pants.
An Apple (carries most of the weight around the middle, usually with skinny legs) Body Shape
Gladiator Sandals: If you are an apple with skinny legs, gladiator sandals can be a good choice – and one that is not advisable for body types with wider ankles as the straps are unflattering.
Stilettos: Draw attention to your legs with embellished ankle straps.
A Pear (small top with a fuller middle and bum, usually with larger legs) Body Shape
Wedges: Opt for an open-toe wedge to lengthen your pins but make sure it is a chunky style to balance out a curvier upper body.
Heeled trainers: Heeled trainers are a casual alternative to wedges – perfect for the active woman. The incline and size will lengthen and slim your legs.
Petite (small, short legs) Body Shape
Heels: A colourful heel is best for elongating your legs and drawing attention downwards.
Platforms: Platforms are a great way of adding height while still being comfortable. Avoid ankle straps as can make you seem shorter by breaking up the length of your leg.
Every coin has two sides, everything has a positive and negative effect and there also advantage and disadvantage to everything. Therefore, a better understanding for women in wearing high heels every day should be considered.
Advantages of High Heels
Tall look– has an effect of increasing the wearer’s height in some degree, one of the important factor for charming and confident to the crowd. Believing that it’s an addition to be sexy and elegant in terms of the overall outlook of the wearer. Much if this helps the wearer to walk graceful and makes their legs slenderer.
Style matters- high heels gives a stylish look and appearance to the wearer. Good looking legs- it enhances the beauty of the legs, looks gorgeous, longer and shapelier.
Good body posture- it creates a good posture and adds on the confidence, an exception on this are those women who rarely wear high heels.
Compliment to Clothes- best match of high heels on clothes makes the wearer stand out to everyone, and also it easier to match from clothes.
Disadvantages of High Heels
Difficulty in Walking: Walking long distance is difficult on walking and proves to be painful. Causes heel pain due to standing a long time and walking distance. Difficulty on walking can increase the chances of losing the balance and falling while walking.
Foot pain- a lot of women are suffering from foot pain. High heels entire pressure of body are concentrated by the feet, in often used of high heels can cause foot pain and hip pain.
Back pain- caused also by the body pressure that falls on the back in often wearing high heels.
Leg sprain- this is mostly happening to women who wear high heels. Those who are not used to high heels, these may cause serious leg and foot injuries in the future.
Why is it Important to Find Your Proper Foot Measurement?
More and more women are infatuated with high heels even if it will cause them harm and feels painful. Risking your own health is not charming to anyone; women should avoid wearing high heels more frequently and choose the best footwear that they are comfortable enough to walk. However social status is worthless if in age of total leg and back pain. Wearing heels almost always adds an air of sophistication to any look. However, wearing heels that don’t fit your feet correctly can immediately detract from your intended fashion statement. Finding heels that fit just right can be tricky, but by taking your time to find out your foot measurements and inspecting the shoes as you try them on, you can save yourself a lot of unnecessary discomfort and embarrassment in the long run.
Get Your Foot Measured at a Shoe Store: Getting the proper measurements of your foot will allow you to pick out shoes that fit your foot best. An accurate shoe fitting can improve comfort, security, and appearance.
Inspect the Heel Area: While standing, the heel of the shoe should rest on your skin. If there is any room between the skin of your heel and the heel of the shoe, it should be no more than about ¾ cm to 1 cm. That is because while wearing heels, your feet are likely to expand and swell. If there is about 1 cm (or a tad less) of room between your heel and the shoe, you give yourself room for your foot to inevitably and comfortably swell.
If your foot is sliding or lifting out of the back of the shoe, or there is more than 1 cm of room between your heel and the heel of the shoe, the shoe is probably too big. Wearing heels that are too big makes for too much movement in the shoe. This movement creates friction between your skin and the heel that can also give blisters.
Inspect the Toe Area: If the heels clearly feel too tight and uncomfortable in the toe area, they are probably too small. If your toes are hanging off the front edge of the shoe, or have too much wiggle space (as in you can move your toes around significantly), the heels are most likely too big.
Inspect the Sides of Your Feet: While standing, the sides of your feet should remain within the parameters of the heel. This means that the sides of your feet should touch the inside edges of the heel comfortably. Your feet should not bulge out from the sides of the heel, and there should not be excessive space between the edges of your feet and the insides of your heel. Excessive space on the edges of the heel means you can comfortably fit a finger or two in between your foot and the heel of the shoe.
Walk Around the Heels: You can’t fully know how the heels fit until you practice walking around in them. Uncomfortable rubbing or noticeable spacing becomes evident while walking around with the heels on. That is why walking in the heels before you buy them is so important.
Importance of Heel-to-Ball Measurement
This illustration shows two feet which are the same length, but each requires different size shoes. There are different fittings for Short-toed feet and long-toed feet. Proper shoe-fitting incorporates not only overall length (heel-to-toe measurement) but also arch length (heel-to-ball measurement). Shoes are designed to flex at the ball of the foot. Correct fitting properly positions the ball joint in the shoe and provides room for the toes so they are not confined.
Improperly fitted shoes can cause a variety of foot problems in addition to general discomfort and shoe breakdown. If the arch of the foot is not positioned properly in the shoe, the foot will become fatigued and uncomfortable.
The foot to the left is correctly fitted. The arch of the shoe and ball joint of the foot meet at the same point. The foot arch is correctly positioned in the shoe. The foot and shoe bend at the same location, with the arch, fully supported, allowing the toes to remain straight. There is ample space in front of the toes to allow adequate ventilation. This will ensure a correct and comfortable shoe which will keep its shape.
Find the Correct Shoe Size
Genuine Brannock Foot-Measuring Device is designed to indicate the correct shoe size. This is the first step in the fitting process. Due to differences in manufacturing, styling, and other variables, it is up to each fitter to be knowledgeable of shoe styles and fit characteristics. It may be necessary to make compensation in size to achieve a proper fit for each individual customer. The fitting process often involves trial fittings to ensure that the proper size was selected.
Compare the arch length to the heel-to-toe length. Generally, you’ll use the larger of the two measurements as the correct shoe size. If the arch length and heel-to-toe length are the same, this will be the shoe size. If the heel-to-toe length is larger than the arch length, then fit the heel-to-toe size. If the arch length is larger than heel-to-toe, then fit to arch length.
Example
| Heel-to-Toe Measurement |
Arch Measurement | Shoe Size |
| 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 8 | 8 ½ | 8 ½ |
| 8 ½ | 8 | 8 ½ |
It is important that both measurements be taken and compared to find the proper shoe size. Simply using the heel-to-toe length may result in an improper fit. Be sure to measure both feet, then fit the larger foot. It is common to have feet of different sizes.
©Shameena Abdurahiman
Photos sourced by the author from the internet.
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