So, as I've mentioned many a time, I'm living with a 95 year old woman. Sometimes, she's cranky, repetitive or so out of touch with the modern day that her advice simply cannot and does not apply to whatever she is talking about any longer as things have changed so drastically since she was young. Sometimes, she comes out with a pearl drop of wisdom. Sometimes, she does both.
Being the age she is, she suffers from so many aches and pains from her arthritis and osteoporosis that it would scare any young woman into eating her dairy and taking care of herself. She also has very, very sore feet most of the time.
She has explained to me how little her generation cared about their feet, could they afford to. During the depression, they could not afford new shoes, she tells me. She and her siblings, parents and friends would put bits of cardboard in the soles of their shoes to keep the rain out. Too bad if they didn't fit. As she grew older and went to dances with her girlfriends, they would buy whatever pair they fancied (and could afford), again ignoring whether or not they fit or would hurt their backs, legs, etc later in life. Her list goes on and on in the instances that she and her friends and family tortured their feet, mostly in the name of fashion rather than because they couldn't afford a pair that fit.
At first I was horrified.... then I recalled those times when I wore horrendously uncomfortable cheap heels and ended up with blisters for weeks. The times I wore my favourite pair that were half a size too small, insisting that they still fit me. The many times a friend would buy a poorly made pair from a discount shop and hobble through the city in a broken pair of shoes that had done all sorts of damage or the times we raided vintage shops, etc. We don't often think how bad this is for our feet. Clearly, the aforementioned 95 year old didn't have much of a choice sometimes. What happened to her feet? They're covered in corns, ulcerated skin between her toes and she limps around in agony until she next goes to the podiatrist, who performs the painful but necessary task of extracting the corns from her feet and giving her little splints for her toes to keep them apart... otherwise, she'll have to have some of them amputated.
We're told of the dangers of smoking and how it can cause gangrene (which also leads to amputation of toes, limbs, etc) but never something as simple as the dangers of wearing ill-fitting, poorly made shoes. Here's a short guide I've compiled to buy beautiful shoes that won't result in you limping for the second half of your life.
1) Cheap shoes may cost you more in the long run.
Ok, so I'm not suggesting that simply because your cute kitten heels cost less than a pair of Manolos that you should burn them in a pile in front of your house. I'm talking about cheaply made shoes. The kind that never quite feel right when you walk around in them, slip and slide like an ice-skating rink and don't soften up when you wear them. This also applies to the $10 ballet flats you can get nearly everywhere if you're someone who walks a lot. The reason these shoes aren't the best, even if you're just wearing them once or twice, is because they are not designed to support your back and they are not designed to last. What does that mean? it means that they're uncomfortable AND you have the added joy of replacing them 10 times as often as you would a better made pair because the heels snap off, the soles wear out or the straps break. Not so cheap when you add up the cost of buying replacement pairs every few months.
2) If they don't fit, don't buy them.
Ok, so this should be a common sense one, but we've all tried to wheedle our way into buying a pair that doesn't quite fit right somewhere on our foot. If it rubs the back of your heel when you walk, it's too big or the heel is just too wide for your feet. If you feel your toes being pinched, it's too small or they're too narrow for your foot. If the straps don't fit your ankle snugly, they won't support your back properly and you will end up trotting like a pony as you struggle to keep your shoes on- if it has straps, it means the rest of the shoe will not support the arch of your foot enough by itself. Some styles will not work with your feet, that's the luck of the draw. Try a few similar looking pairs and if you're still not having any luck getting them to fit in one of these ways, try a different shop (or brand) or a different style of shoe.
3) Invest in a good backup plan.
When you're wearing heels, the best thing you can do is carry a pair of flats with you... but I also understand that not everyone lugs around a huge Mary Poppins-worthy handbag on a night out and therefore, will not have the space for something more comfortable after waiting in the cold for a taxi for 2 hours. My alternative? Buy those blister blocking bandaids from a chemist. They cost more than regular bandaids but your feet will thank you. Also, they're harder for the average onlooker to notice. Buy some "party feet" gel soles, especially if your shoes have thin soles. This will stop the balls of your feet from getting bruised and sore. If possible, get some hollywood tape or some other kind of repair paraphernalia on the offchance that a strap breaks, again so that you're not limping the whole way home. Also, the best thing you can do is find a decent shoe repairer. They can increase the lifespan of a pair 10 fold, make them more comfortable or help them fit better.
4) Invest in a few good pairs, rather than buying "just in case".
Rather than trying to have a closet of shoes that beats Imelda Marcos (or Carrie Bradshaw), think about how many pairs you will wear on a regular basis. Do you -need- that ultra cute, sparkly pair just because it's on sale? No? Put them down and look at something else. Try to find shoes that are classics or that will go with many different combinations of outfits, not just the one. Obviously, for occasions like weddings, this rule doesn't quite apply, but unless you're in some kind of rom-com, you won't be buying them every week anyway. While the downside is occasionally needing to borrow a pair from a friend when something unexpected comes up, the upside is that you can afford to spend more (ooh! luxury brands!) on the pairs you do buy as it's a good investment... though you may need to explain that to your parents/boyfriend/husband/girlfriend/etc again and again.
5) Apply common sense to your purchases.
A designer brand does not guarantee a better time for your feet and back just because they're more expensive any more than an adorable pair on sale for a steal guarantees that they'll give you a hellish time. ALWAYS try on a pair of shoes before you buy them. If you're not 100% sure, ask the staff if they can hold the pair for 24 hours, go for a walk, have a coffee, look at a few more pairs elsewhere and if you still want them, go back and get them. If you don't like a pair but they're comfy, you probably won't wear them... don't buy them. That being said, if you absolutely adore a pair but they're a little flimsy, there's nothing saying you shouldn't buy them. At the end of the day, go to a decent shoe repairer and you will be amazed what they can do to make your life easier and extend the wear of your shoes.
Being the age she is, she suffers from so many aches and pains from her arthritis and osteoporosis that it would scare any young woman into eating her dairy and taking care of herself. She also has very, very sore feet most of the time.
She has explained to me how little her generation cared about their feet, could they afford to. During the depression, they could not afford new shoes, she tells me. She and her siblings, parents and friends would put bits of cardboard in the soles of their shoes to keep the rain out. Too bad if they didn't fit. As she grew older and went to dances with her girlfriends, they would buy whatever pair they fancied (and could afford), again ignoring whether or not they fit or would hurt their backs, legs, etc later in life. Her list goes on and on in the instances that she and her friends and family tortured their feet, mostly in the name of fashion rather than because they couldn't afford a pair that fit.
At first I was horrified.... then I recalled those times when I wore horrendously uncomfortable cheap heels and ended up with blisters for weeks. The times I wore my favourite pair that were half a size too small, insisting that they still fit me. The many times a friend would buy a poorly made pair from a discount shop and hobble through the city in a broken pair of shoes that had done all sorts of damage or the times we raided vintage shops, etc. We don't often think how bad this is for our feet. Clearly, the aforementioned 95 year old didn't have much of a choice sometimes. What happened to her feet? They're covered in corns, ulcerated skin between her toes and she limps around in agony until she next goes to the podiatrist, who performs the painful but necessary task of extracting the corns from her feet and giving her little splints for her toes to keep them apart... otherwise, she'll have to have some of them amputated.
We're told of the dangers of smoking and how it can cause gangrene (which also leads to amputation of toes, limbs, etc) but never something as simple as the dangers of wearing ill-fitting, poorly made shoes. Here's a short guide I've compiled to buy beautiful shoes that won't result in you limping for the second half of your life.
1) Cheap shoes may cost you more in the long run.
Ok, so I'm not suggesting that simply because your cute kitten heels cost less than a pair of Manolos that you should burn them in a pile in front of your house. I'm talking about cheaply made shoes. The kind that never quite feel right when you walk around in them, slip and slide like an ice-skating rink and don't soften up when you wear them. This also applies to the $10 ballet flats you can get nearly everywhere if you're someone who walks a lot. The reason these shoes aren't the best, even if you're just wearing them once or twice, is because they are not designed to support your back and they are not designed to last. What does that mean? it means that they're uncomfortable AND you have the added joy of replacing them 10 times as often as you would a better made pair because the heels snap off, the soles wear out or the straps break. Not so cheap when you add up the cost of buying replacement pairs every few months.
2) If they don't fit, don't buy them.
Ok, so this should be a common sense one, but we've all tried to wheedle our way into buying a pair that doesn't quite fit right somewhere on our foot. If it rubs the back of your heel when you walk, it's too big or the heel is just too wide for your feet. If you feel your toes being pinched, it's too small or they're too narrow for your foot. If the straps don't fit your ankle snugly, they won't support your back properly and you will end up trotting like a pony as you struggle to keep your shoes on- if it has straps, it means the rest of the shoe will not support the arch of your foot enough by itself. Some styles will not work with your feet, that's the luck of the draw. Try a few similar looking pairs and if you're still not having any luck getting them to fit in one of these ways, try a different shop (or brand) or a different style of shoe.
3) Invest in a good backup plan.
When you're wearing heels, the best thing you can do is carry a pair of flats with you... but I also understand that not everyone lugs around a huge Mary Poppins-worthy handbag on a night out and therefore, will not have the space for something more comfortable after waiting in the cold for a taxi for 2 hours. My alternative? Buy those blister blocking bandaids from a chemist. They cost more than regular bandaids but your feet will thank you. Also, they're harder for the average onlooker to notice. Buy some "party feet" gel soles, especially if your shoes have thin soles. This will stop the balls of your feet from getting bruised and sore. If possible, get some hollywood tape or some other kind of repair paraphernalia on the offchance that a strap breaks, again so that you're not limping the whole way home. Also, the best thing you can do is find a decent shoe repairer. They can increase the lifespan of a pair 10 fold, make them more comfortable or help them fit better.
4) Invest in a few good pairs, rather than buying "just in case".
Rather than trying to have a closet of shoes that beats Imelda Marcos (or Carrie Bradshaw), think about how many pairs you will wear on a regular basis. Do you -need- that ultra cute, sparkly pair just because it's on sale? No? Put them down and look at something else. Try to find shoes that are classics or that will go with many different combinations of outfits, not just the one. Obviously, for occasions like weddings, this rule doesn't quite apply, but unless you're in some kind of rom-com, you won't be buying them every week anyway. While the downside is occasionally needing to borrow a pair from a friend when something unexpected comes up, the upside is that you can afford to spend more (ooh! luxury brands!) on the pairs you do buy as it's a good investment... though you may need to explain that to your parents/boyfriend/husband/girlfriend/etc again and again.
5) Apply common sense to your purchases.
A designer brand does not guarantee a better time for your feet and back just because they're more expensive any more than an adorable pair on sale for a steal guarantees that they'll give you a hellish time. ALWAYS try on a pair of shoes before you buy them. If you're not 100% sure, ask the staff if they can hold the pair for 24 hours, go for a walk, have a coffee, look at a few more pairs elsewhere and if you still want them, go back and get them. If you don't like a pair but they're comfy, you probably won't wear them... don't buy them. That being said, if you absolutely adore a pair but they're a little flimsy, there's nothing saying you shouldn't buy them. At the end of the day, go to a decent shoe repairer and you will be amazed what they can do to make your life easier and extend the wear of your shoes.
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