Inspiration for this post came when Holly emailed me asking for some high heel shopping tips. It’s great to know that I’m not the only person who finds most shoes totally uncomfortable. Finding a well made, comfortable pair of heels seems like mission impossible whenever I go shopping. Being a little bit fussy helped me to develop my personal shoe shopping tactics, I hope some of it will be useful for you.
I’m going to sound very old here, but I just don’t buy shoes if they aren’t comfortable. My feet are too important plus a bad pair can really ruin my day. No I’m not perfect in every way! I also get it wrong sometimes like with the snow boots or when I’ve listened to the shop assistant instead of my gut feeling. Most of the time I’m good though. Last weekend when I went to look for a pair of comfy flats and couldn’t find anything decent, I didn’t just go and buy any old pair. Hymm… I came back home with a lovely Reiss skirt instead. I’d like to point out that a skirt was also on my shopping list just not at the top of it. That’s allowed..No?
Back to business now. Here are my 6 must follow shoe shopping tips:
- Don’t save on shoes.
- buy leather.
- If not perfect don’t buy!
- know what you need them for. day or a night out.
- buy your size!
- get real!
Let me explain what I mean.
- Don’t save on shoes, even is this means you’ll only have a couple of pairs. I think it’s much better to have two pairs that you can wear then plenty that give you blisters.
- buy leather. When I say leather I mean a whole shoe made of leather not just the outer shell. It’ll breath therefore it’ll feel nice, not sweaty and it’ll also mould a little to your feet as you wear it.
- Not perfect don’t buy! If shoes don’t feel comfortable when you try them on then usually they won’t get any better later as your feet get tired and swell as the day goes on. Let’s be honest here and just accept that heels will never be as comfortable as a pair of trainers, however if fitted well you’ll be surprised how comfortable a pair can be. (One of my most favourite pairs is an LK Bennett wedge. I can walk in them for hours, worth every penny and I would certainly buy a pair like this every season).
- know what you need them for. Is this a pair of heels to go with your day dresses that you’re going to wear a lot and walk around the city? Stick to a max 6.5 cm heel then. If you’re shopping for a pair of going out shoes you’re allowed to go for a killer heel. Personally I’d recommend it only if you can actually walk in them rather than limp. Sorry but I just don’t think this is elegant, classy, attractive what so ever!
- buy your size! I know this seams like an obvious one, but it’s quite surprising how many times I see woman wearing a size to big heels and struggling to walk. I’m not quite sure how they do it. For me personally, too small or too big shoes are just not an option! Some shops advise insoles when they don’t have the right size. For me it’s a no! I just think shoes should really feel and fit like they were made for you to be really comfortable.
- get real! It’s not easy to find a pair of shoes that are pretty, fit you well, made of leather and that you can afford. At least it’s not easy for me.
Do you follow any shoe shopping rules? If you have any good tips when it comes to shoe shopping, pop them down in the comments below so we can all learn and hopefully never ever have a nasty pair of heels.
Happy shoe shopping!