Shiny, great looking stiletto, but a fake!

It is a very normal high heel, of a regular style, then why have I given it here?
Not because it is so very popular but because it is a duplicate. If you carefully look at the seams and the sole, you will see how a seemingly good shoe is NOT a joy to have if its finish and comfort are not great.
Showing off  using duplicates and fakes can hurt. Also in money terms, in the long run.

Foot pain: It's shoe design, often not the heel size!

We often find high heel shoes blamed for any type of foot problem. The fact is that most often the heel pain is due to a swollen piece of tissue called planter fascia that connects the heel bone with the toes. Medical fact is that it get inflamed when people walk on flip-flops or have shoes with too soft or hard soles and not when they wear high heel shoes!

Yes, high heels will hurt too if you have non-fitting high-heeled shoes or wear them for long times or walk in them on rough or slippery surfaces or have  a biological problem in your feet [a list of good high heel wear practices here], you might end up hurting yourself. But, who said that high heels are for playing football or racing?

Women's shoes in the market often have a poor shoe design because the thrust is on fashion. Mass producers of women shoes seldom care for design and copy top brands and whatever is in vogue. They copy the looks but can't and won't copy the care that good brands have taken to counter-balance the ill-effects of very high heels, narrow shape and other shoe design aspects.

For many more posts on foot care, do visit this section.

My high heels pinch again!

You heard me right, but you've heard me half yet! My latest high heeled shoes, a Louboutin no less, pinched me when I wore them to the party. 

The shoe was not at fault. It was me. In my excitement to show the new stiletto pair (and which lady won't be too excited to show her latest acquisition to friends?), I did not remove a bit of sticker that was pasted on the inner side of the strap. 

And I think I am sort of expert on all shoee things ;) and keep telling people what to do and not do when wearing a new pair!

A pair to love for long! (pic from the web)

But let me tell you, it hurts even if you follow all precautions. And it hurts if you are not very rich; it hurts your pocket. I had to shell out my whole two months' savings on one pair of shoes (though I bought it with dealer's discount)!!

Ya, dear ladies, do take care to break the shoe before you wear a new pair.

(Not all Christian Louboutin products are available here; mine too was imported.)

For many stiletto shoe designs, click on this link.

10 tips to avoid toes coming out of peep toe shoes

Peep toe shoes look great, especially when one has shapely toes. However, after a few months of wear, many women find their toes coming out of the shoe, giving an ugly sight and leading to discomfort and injury.

Toes slipping out of shoes can be due to many factors.  Read on, and take care of the points given here. Enjoy your lovely peep toe high heels for a long time.

In this case, the heel case and ankle straps are there,
yet the foot slips forward as there was no firm upper
to hold the toes in..

1. If toes coming out of the shoe is regular in your case, carefully examine: 
Is it due to your feet’s shape? Do your feet sweat too much? Do you have big or thick toes? Are you unusually over-weight? Is the heel too high? Have you been buying low-quality shoes?

2. If the problem started after you wore these shoes for a long time one day, do get the shoes repaired immediately, whatever the reason.

3. Try shoes in the later part of the day when they are slightly swollen due to blood pressure because of sitting and standing through the day. It will help when the toes come out due to slightly small size of shoes.    

4. On the other hand, having shoes of half size smaller than the fitting size serves the purpose if the toes come out because the shoes are of a bigger size and feet are not properly clamped and move inside the shoe. 

5. Go for slender shoe styles if you have thin feet.

6. Stick anti-slip insoles (these are available with big shoe and accessory makers, also online) so that feet do not slip forward due to body weight or slipperiness caused by sweat etc.

7. Avoid puffing too much talcum powder inside shoes (many ladies do that so as to keep feet dry and mask bad odour) or the feet will slip. That may also cause shaky gait.

This figure shows how the weight of the foot moves forward
when the shoe slips out of the toe box, and the arch
of the foot gets mis-aligned with shoe's arch.

8. If the upper of the shoe has loosened or given way, get it repaired. Think of giving it an extra stitch.

9. Buy shoes with firmly clamping upper or wide straps and also a strap holding the ankle fastened to the heel of the shoe.

10. Remember that when shoes fit perfectly fine when bought but the foot pushes itself out of the toe box, the heel of the foot goes in and it also looks ugly. It can, in fact, lead to many more problems: further push forward, risk of falling (due to disturbed balance at the heel), injury (as the body weight now falls on the arch and not on the heel of the shoe).

When high-heels pain...

I was looking for some great shoe designs and went to an online store selling shoes by top international brands. I found this one looking good. But when I looked at the comments, I felt aghast. In trying to sell style, some top brands seem to be ignoring comfort, thus giving a bad name to high heels.

Look at the shoe on the left. It looks fantastic. For proper foot support, it has heel-back with zip, a wide ankle strap and nicely shaped upper. The soothing 'blush' color and great looking stiletto heels add to its style content. These great features, however, hide the lack of proper support at the heel, which is a must for steep heels (the heel is 4.5 inch tall). Do have a look at the two comments that tell the story. I have not edited the comments. Maybe, these come up if you search for the text on Google.
1. I love shoes and I know the pain us girls go through to sport a cute pair of eye catching heels but my goodness these puppies are impossible. I wanted these so bad and loved the cute buckle detail, I imagined all the outfits I would pair them with before they arrived. I took them out of the box when they arrived and buckled them on took ten steps and couldn't wait to take them off. Why? Well here's the thing ladies... the back of the heel on the top is extremely stiff, so every time you step it jabs you into submission. I couldn't imagine all the chaffing and pain I would have to endure if I couldn't even make it off the carpet in my room. These sadly had to go back.
2. I ordered these heels in black. These heels are definitely super hot! I loved them. The leather was good quality. I have larger ankles and short legs, so styles like this sometimes look funny on me but these looked great! You can't adjust the ankle strap, but I think if you have thick ankles like me, or skinny ankles, they'll still look good. The only thing bad about these is they're kind of painful and difficult to walk in since they're so high in the back, yet low in the front.

Steep high heels: Good looks but very bad for feet

Though a diehard fan of high heel shoes, I can't stand shoes with heels that make you stand on your toes. Such shoes may or may not add to your glamor quotient but these are surely very bad for the health of your feet. Walking on such shoes for even a few minutes has the potential to permanently damage the arch, ligaments, bone alignment and even the tiny bones. You can see the diagram in this post on bad shoe shapes to judge for yourself.
Well, if you are wearing them just for a pose, no issues.

when the shape kills the joy of wearing high heels

Need heel condom for your high heel shoe? Perhaps yes.

Don’t get alarmed if you haven’t heard the expression before. Heel condom is just an accessory added to the high heeled shoe for either securing it tightly to the foot or adding ornamentation to the middle and back portions of the shoe. The word ‘condom’ distantly relates to protecting the heel and fitting over the high heel like a condom, nothing else.

Though the origin of the expression is not known, thehighheelcondoms website claims to be the originator of this concept. However, use of decorative and fastening accessories for shoes - especially women's high heel shoes - has been common for quite a long time.

 Since narrow-heeled women's shoes such as stilettos do not often have enough material to fasten it to the foot, heel condom is a desirable accessory for such shoes. It is also helpful for women's high heel shoes with a few narrow straps.

According to the website mentined above, heel condom used to be of condom style in the beginning and has evolved to panty style of late. While the former is a slip on over the heel, the latter extends to the middle area of the shoe.

Whatever the connotation of ‘condom’ and whatever the origin of the expression, do use these accessories to make your high heel shoes more sexy and glamorous. And safer too!

My personal likings

I prefer the following types of shoe condoms:

• thick, with strong elastic, for stilettos
• thin and solid-colored for heel condom around the heel so that it doesn’t protrude too much towards the back
• flowery, satin / fur / velvet for upper and matching with bow etc on the upper
• non-elastic but knotting type for securing the shoe tightly with thin uppers
• contrasting, for rare experiment

shoe photos: courtesy: theheelcondoms.com

So many factors decide whether your shoe is comfortable!

You cannot blame a shoe brand or design if it is not fitting you well. Not always.
Even the best footwear manufacturer will make shoes with the standard foot in mind, but there are tens of factors that decide whether the shoe is perfectly suitable for your foot. Consider these:

Foot anatomy and body type: 

Your foot may not be of the perfect shape due to age, change in shape caused by misfit shoes or else.
Foot ‘anthropometry’ or proportions may differ considerably on whether you are a Chinese or a Mexican.
Feet differ a lot on the strength of the heel, the way toes and their bones are set inside the foot, slight bent of the foot towards left or right, comparative length of toes and so on. We are not even considering a malformation such as flat feet and bent toes. Infirmities can also involve ankle and leg.
A high body weight magnifies even slight foot disorders.
The way you walk matters a lot too.

External factors:

The shoe fit and comfort depends on climate too.
Feet as well as the material behave differently under different conditions of temperature and moisture.
The surface on which you walk also matters and also the duration for which you wear the shoe. Walking with high heels on gravely, spongy or very slippery surfaces is like inviting danger, but even if you are able to avoid the visible danger, it may hurt the inside of the feet because of awkward and unbalanced gait.
Even how you wear the shoe matters: too tight fit, tightly tied laces and too tightly fitting elastic may lead to bruises and bunions in addition to temporary discomfort.
The shoe size may not be exact for your feet. When you buy a tight-fitting shoe, it is also important to know that the feet are longer and plumper after a long day’s work.

Shoe itself:

Here comes the craftsmanship, design, material and science behind shoe making. Generally speaking,in this compartment reputed brands would score better than street vendors.

Who says walking in high heel shoes is painful?

10-point formula for wearing high heels  
and not getting worried about foot health

When I got my first job and I insisted on wearing high heeled shoes to office every day, I was cautioned. I have also seen warning on many blogs why heels should not be worn for long times. Some sites shout aloud that wearing high heels can permanently damage feet. Well, I too have written one post on this topic [and I am supposed to have had a stint at a foot technology institute.] But, personally, I have been wearing high heels for ages – and heels of all types – but seldom had a problem with heels. 

Let me share my formula. I have not taken too much effort to stick to this formula either. Such things come naturally to you if you imbibe them once, keep the basics at the back of your mind and do not do unnecessary ‘adventure’. I will be honored, and it will help visitors, if you can share your own experiences here.

nothing gives bigger kick to a woman 
than a sexy high heel shoe

1. Don’t buy sexy-looking, very high heeled, shoes from flea market. You should purchase high heels only of good brands, not from mass-scale producers and street-sellers. Unlike flats, high heel shoes need proper design, based on sound understanding of the human foot’s working.
2. Buy heels that fit just right: they should be tight fitting when you buy them so that they break in fine. When buying heels with open toe area and not wide straps to keep feet in place, ladies tend to buy tighter shoes so that toes do not bulge out of the shoe after some time. My formula is to buy just right sized shoes, and use skin-colored socks when the straps turn a bit loose. I took a new stiletto that developed this problem to the local shoe guy and he tightened the front strap nicely and the shoe served me another year.
3. Buy heels that suit your body / foot type: thin or fat built… width of the paw… toe length… any deformity such as flat foot. I am lucky not to be overweight [so far] and so can indulge in very high heels, while my mother [no mom, you are not fat – just a bit healthier than me ;)] needs to wear shorter heel.
4. Walk in new shoes in front of a tall mirror before stepping out. You should be in no hurry to flaunt a pair of shoes that you have not worn for a few minutes everyday for at least a couple of days inside your home. This applies more to a shoe style that you have never tried before.
5. If you happen to buy hard-soled shoes, e.g. ethnic varieties, put an adhesive sole cushion or ask a shoe-man to lay a cushioning over the hard surface.
6. Do not over-use shoes. Get the shoe repaired only to the extent that it does not change its height, curves and position or thickness of straps. When its heel, sole and main straps are worn out, throw it rather than repair.
7. When in high heels, be conscious. Do not jump, move in jerks, turn abruptly to a side or kick something even in the most playful moments.  
8. Of course, do not use high heels in odd places: on ice, sand, uneven surface, a very slippery or soft surface; and for dancing, playing and other such activities needing brisk foot movement. If you need to mix fashion with an active hobby, keep a pair of flats in your bag to alternate with the heels.
9. If you wear high heel shoes for a long time, do give a few small breaks to your feet. If you can sit, just remove them for a few minutes; if you need to stand all the time, do remove them whenever you can find a counter or some screen [as in a hotel]. If you find a washroom that is clean and not very crowded, place your feet on a tissue paper on the floor, jump a few times and wear the shoes again.  
10. Finally, when my feet burn and are tired after wearing high heels for a long time [This happens equally with low heeled shoes, and more with boots.], I take care to put feet in water for a few minutes and then give them a light massage.

High heels without injury: body weight on feet

While I am a die-hard high heel lover, I take care to use my understanding of the mechanics behind Human walk and the engineering behind good shoes.

Let me share some of this stuff with your in a series of posts. I will make it as jargon free as possible.

This one is on the weight distribution in the foot and high heel wear. The next one will be on walking.

All our body weight  is held by our feet and when we stand and walk, it comes concentrated at the ankle joint. Consider it like a rod constantly pressing this point from above with over 50 kg load, about 4-5 thousand times a day for many years.

foot's weight distribution changes
with high heel shoes

pressure points on foot

Nature has devised a way so that the pressure does not crush the tissues and bones below the joint and still we have sufficient flexibility to walk. So, this pressure is distributed to the entire foot through a complex chain of bones. In normal standing, about half of the weight goes to the heel while the rest half goes to the balls behind the toes. An arch, with lining of tough ligaments etc helps further in this distribution..

Look at the second figure. It shows the points where the pressure is the highest when we stand. When we wear high heeled shoes, the weight distribution goes awry. About 90% of the pressure now is directed towards the balls while heels bear 10%. Our feet are not made to bear this huge pressure at the small joints that transfer the weight from the ankle joint  and the balls. The joint itself bears the load in an unnatural way, leading to unusual wear and tear if we do not take care to walk properly.

heel deforms alignment of bones surrounding the arch

and at ankle joints

The distortion in the anatomy and load distribution increases with the height of the heel, and is also influenced by many factors such as body weight, make of the foot and shoe design.

The simple takeaways from this knowledge are-

We should not keep standing in high heels for a long time, even if we do not feel immediate pain and fatigue;

We should do simple exercises of ankle and toes, and massage the feet, after long high heel wear;

If there is a congenital deformity in the feet / legs / back, or there has been some injury in these parts, we should consider that before going for high heels, especially more than about 2 inches; and

Ladies with bulky build should avoid too high heeled shoes.

I posted this general post earlier on care of feet while wearing high heeled shoes.

My friend’s bad experience with cheap high heels

My friend, who doesn’t usually go for cheap heels, experimented with high heels from one of those cheap shoe sellers that have mushroomed all over big cities in India. They sell flashy heels and you might not find a problem with the shoe unless you closely examine it. The heels are dirt cheap and can very well imitate good and expensive brands. So, it is natural that girls who want to look smart and modern fall for these ones. Forget Jimmy Choo or Christian Louboutin, you cannot buy a decent domestic brand such as Bata and Liberty in Rs. 3000 [USD 60] but you can but a superb looking platform 6 inch super-heel in that price from such shops.

My friend bought the high heel, wore it once and it wore fine. The next time, it caused slight ankle pain. She thought, the pain would go – as happens with all high heel wearers who occasionally wear the heels for long time – but it didn’t. The other mistake she did was that she wore the shoe again and for a long period. This time not only the pain turned more severe, it led to swelling.

She showed the shoe to me when I visited her.[She was unable to attend office.] The shoe was an excellent piece going by its bright silver color, beautiful curves and shiny buckles. You could easily tell your credulous friend that your bought it from a top store in Paris. But the imitators  had not cared to buttress the sole and heel where required. When you wear such shoes, the shoe might fit well and go well till you have walked a few thousand steps in them. After that, the body’s weight starts putting pressure at wrong places. Moreover, as the shoe does not have proper strength [due to poor joints or use of material that is too soft or too hard], it gets distorted and makes things worse for itself and the wearer. I have seen many girls’ sideway wobbles due to ill-crafted but outwardly beautiful shoes.

Coming to problems with design in ladies’ shoes, especially those sold cheap in streets, let me talk about the three most common ones.

In many cases, the heel either points backward or it becomes so after some use. In both these cases, your centre of gravity falls away from the heel’s tip. It makes your gait awkward. It also looks shoddy if the heel goes a lot backwards. It hurts the arch of the foot as the shoe sole stretches to align the points of gravity.

In trying to make the shoe ‘extra sexy’, they forget how much height is enough. The sole has to slant a lot in high heels of 4 inches and above, and unless it is properly strapped and proper toe support is there, it is prone to hurt the foot and also make the walk unstable. But cheap shoe makers make the shoe curvy while forgetting the things that need to be cared for to minimize risks - such as proper base, strong sole, cushions, arch support, proper flexibility and strong upper.

Straight sole. I have seen straight soles more in low / chunky heeled shoes. No curvature. This is a recipe for silent damage to the sole arch especially if you have flat foot or other deformity in the sole area. Since such shoes do not hurt and you keep on wearing them, you have a chance of deforming the foot in the long run.

Many more disadvantages are coming to mind but I’ll stop here. My advice, as always is, spend a few bucks more for the sake of your feet if you want to wear high heels.

Plastic surgery for high heel comfort

This article in the Daily Mail of the UK on plastic surgery for high heel comfort is interesting. This has appeared in many papers and websites since its publishing a week ago.

I find it interesting on two counts: One, women can go to any length to look and feel sexy and stylish. Two, the pain would be so less in wearing high heel if we ladies took a bit of care of our feet and wore high heels sensibly. I do not think women in general [not grandmas, nor infants, nor in their ninth month of pregnancy, nor infirms] can hurt themselves of high heels if they wear the right types and for the right period of time. I have talked of foot health and high heel shoe engineering earlier too [with some overlap], so I'm not repeating them here.

"By the way," a male friend of mine said, "what is so abnormal about it? Women are used to sitting in the beauty parlor for hours, undergoing pain in hair removal, breast implants, butt firming and so on, shopping for the entire day. You people should love it iff a surgery removes some of your pain."