They Fit, I Bought Them, Now What?

Well, how do you get to Carnegie Hall, Einstein?  That’s right!  Practice.

Oh that wasn’t all that helpful?  Well fine.  A couple of more practical pieces of advice.

First start with a sturdy heel that isn’t too high. 

How about these gorgeous 3.5" Turquoise Miu Miu Suede Pumps?

No one is going to be able to put on a pair of super skinny 4.5” stilettos and walk like a supermodel.  It just isn’t going to happen.

Now, are the soles of your shoes too slippery?  Get an emery board and go to town.  It’s what models do before they go down the catwalk.  Even then you may still slip a bit. 

I dunno if that’s what happened to Nina Porter at the 2010 London Fashion Week Burberry Prorsum show or if Annie Lennox belting out 17 Again just sorta knocked her over (it knocks me over sometimes when it comes up on my iPod when I’m out on a run, “Seventeeeeeeeen” and there’s Katie fallen into a hedge, and I’m wearing sneakers, so....).

Regardless, the 16 year old model demonstrates what you do when you fall, you show remarkable grace by getting back up, dusting yourself off and moving right along.

One more piece of practical advice.  Don’t wear 6” stiletto platforms on a high gloss Runway EVER.  Unless, of course, you’re being paid oodles of money or you get to keep the clothes.

Okay, let’s assume your soles are nicely scuffed but you’re still a bit unsure, well, let’s go back to practicing.  Find a bit of carpeting, it’s easier to walk on and if you fall there’s a bit more padding.  One foot in front of the other, heel to toe.  You’ll probably notice that your hips sway a little more than usual, hey, that’s okay, you are woman!  ROAR.   

Keep practicing.  No one is going to judge you for wearing heels in your pajamas and eating a Pop-Tart while you watch The McLaughlin Group.  I mean that’s just a normal Sunday morning, right?  Right?

All this practice should also help to “break in” your shoes.  Leather will never be super comfortable right off the bat.  It starts out a little stiff.  If it helps, when practicing, go ahead and wear socks.

If after all that your shoes are still a bit uncomfortable I recommend getting Foot Petals.  They are inserts for your shoes that add a bit of cushioning. 

I hate to say it, but seeing these like this, they sorta look like another feminine product I use...

Foot Petals also makes an insert called Heavenly Heels, these work well if your shoe is a little too roomy.  Even if you buy the right size sometimes shoes can stretch out a bit too much.  These will help your heel from sliding in and out of your shoes.

You don’t have to get the Foot Petals brand. Dr. Scholls also makes a high heel insert that Stacy London has been endorsing.  If you watch the amount of television I do (it’s tragic) then you’ve seen the commercials.

So there you go, much like when you took up clarinet in grade school, practice, practice, practice.  And practicing walking in heels, just like practicing the clarinet, will likely scare the family dog.