STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Alegria · Kate Spade

Ladies that love/hate high heels

CheryleB · Kenneth Cole

I bought a pair of gel inserts for the front part of the shoe. I believe they are made by Dr. Scholl's and they provide a bit of cushioning and also prevent the slippage. You may have to get your shoes a 1/2 size larger to accommodate the thickness as they add a bit of thickness on the footbed.

cahabo · Kate Spade

I love the way heels look too, but they hurt my feet. I highly doubt losing weight will help the balls of your feet from hurting. I weigh under 100 lbs, and they still hurt!

halleybird · Hermes

I have weird feet too (very high arches, wide toes, very narrow heel, one foot that is 1/2 size larger than the other) and I have to put inserts in almost all of my shoes. Try Dr Scholl's gel inserts for the ball of the foot (foot petals do very little for me).

erin · Chanel

halleybird wrote:

I have weird feet too (very high arches, wide toes, very narrow heel, one foot that is 1/2 size larger than the other) and I have to put inserts in almost all of my shoes. Try Dr Scholl's gel inserts for the ball of the foot (foot petals do very little for me).

i have this problem, too - wide toes/narrow heel. it definitely makes finding comfortable shoes a problem.

Kitty · Hermes

erin wrote:

halleybird wrote:

I have weird feet too (very high arches, wide toes, very narrow heel, one foot that is 1/2 size larger than the other) and I have to put inserts in almost all of my shoes. Try Dr Scholl's gel inserts for the ball of the foot (foot petals do very little for me).

i have this problem, too - wide toes/narrow heel. it definitely makes finding comfortable shoes a problem.

Wow. I also have this problem. My heel is always sliding out of my shoes, even when they aren't too big length-wise.

boobaby · Kate Spade

erin wrote:

halleybird wrote:

I have weird feet too (very high arches, wide toes, very narrow heel, one foot that is 1/2 size larger than the other) and I have to put inserts in almost all of my shoes. Try Dr Scholl's gel inserts for the ball of the foot (foot petals do very little for me).

i have this problem, too - wide toes/narrow heel. it definitely makes finding comfortable shoes a problem.

Me three! I also have high arches and most shoes cut into the tops of my feet.

I have broken my ankle twice and it hurts when I wear anything over 2 inches, so I pretty much gave up on heels in general.

Cortney1982 · Chanel

I've tried and tried but heels are uncomfortable as hell. I like how my feet look and don't want to mess them up by torturing them. Also most shoes I cannot wear because my heel slips out of them, even on flats. Annoying.

halleybird · Hermes

Kitty wrote:

erin wrote:

halleybird wrote:

I have weird feet too (very high arches, wide toes, very narrow heel, one foot that is 1/2 size larger than the other) and I have to put inserts in almost all of my shoes. Try Dr Scholl's gel inserts for the ball of the foot (foot petals do very little for me).

i have this problem, too - wide toes/narrow heel. it definitely makes finding comfortable shoes a problem.

Wow. I also have this problem. My heel is always sliding out of my shoes, even when they aren't too big length-wise.

I feel your pain. I find that ankle straps w/buckles help. I usually buy shoes to fit my toes, and then add heel grips (sometimes doubled up).

dangergirl · Kate Spade

cahabo wrote:

I highly doubt losing weight will help the balls of your feet from hurting. I weigh under 100 lbs, and they still hurt!

i agree with this, i think heels just always hurt! i am quite small and when i wore a pair of 2 inch heels recently my feet were so painful! i'm going to try the gel inserts sometime.

luckylily · Gucci

Hmmm...I find some heels pretty comfortable.

When I'm buying heels I won't buy them unless they are 100% comfortable in the store. If I have even a little doubt, I don't get them. If there is even the slightest pinch, I know they won't "break in" for as much walking as I do. I know some disagree, but I think when it comes to comfort, you get what you pay for with shoes. My most comfy heels all retailed over $250, even though I bought a lot of them for less than $100 on sale. Having a nicer leather makes a huge difference, IMO. Also, I always have my cobbler put a protective sole on my heels. The shoes wear so much better with them, and it adds cushioning at the ball of the foot.

tina242 · Kate Spade

I saw Stacy London's show too and and it's cool that there are injections that cushion the ball of your foot but it's not cool that they cost $500 each and last 8 months!

I am normally comfy in heels up to about 3 inches and anything over that is usually too high, but I sprained my ankle about 5 months ago and can only go up to 2 inches. I wore 4 inch heels at my wedding and they were comfy b/c they were platforms.

erin · Chanel

halleybird - i usually can only wear higher heels that have an ankle strap. (or are just strappy heels in general)

Suasoria · Chanel

luckylily wrote:

I know some disagree, but I think when it comes to comfort, you get what you pay for with shoes.

I agree with this, at least with 9 out of 10 pairs of high heels.

Wedges tend to be more comfortable because the weight of the foot is distributed a bit better.

Lastly, I almost never buy shoes that don't have rubber soles, for cushioning and traction too. (No one would ever mistake me for someone graceful, even stone cold sober.)

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

I agree that higher priced (assuming better quality) shoes do help. It's not a cure-all, but it helps.

The thing that allows me to wear heels longer without pain is to wear foot liners. I usually wear HUE Hidden Foot Liners, but they changed the way they're made. They're not as good now. Anyway, many companies make them. Get the ones that are as scantily clad as you can. They keep me from getting blisters.

I think there might also be something to walking well in heels. Keep your back straight, neck graceful and extended, and keep your weight back a little so it is more on your heels. I find that when I walk like a hunchback in heels-- it's harder on my feet.

Look for footage of Isaac Mizrahi's talk show. He once talked about walking in heels and the correct way to do it. I remember that every time I am walking around campus (where I work) in heels.

-- Edited by pollyjean23 at 21:30, 2007-08-18

atlgirl · Gucci

I agree with those who said buy better shoes. I don't buy super high-end shoes, but when I spend closer to $100+ my feet are happier.

I'm one of those girls who is actually more comfortable in heels than flats. I have really high arches and have to wear custom orthotic supports in flat shoes, so I'm nearly always in heels. I've been wearing heels so often, for so many years, that my legs / back hurt when I switch to flats for too long.

I find that certain shoes fit my feet better and are just generally more comfortable than others. Nine west shoes work well for me, as do Banana Republic shoes, just to name two examples. I like a lot of the BCBG and Steve Madden styles, but those shoes are always hellishly painful so I won't buy them no matter how cute I think they are.

Also I find that most wedges are fabulous - I get the heel height I crave but I can wear them for much longer than regular heels.

Definitely try some sort of extra cushioning for the ball of your foot. I love a lot of the Linea Pelle (Nordstrom brand) shoes, but many of them hurt the balls of my feet until I put some of those foot petals in. That made a *huge* difference.

Good luck! I know your pain (well, metaphorically at least). I'd be miserable if I couldn't wear my heels!

XtinaStyles · Marc Jacobs

I may not be of much help here... I would say instead of looking for a "heel" go for a wedge, they are much easier to handle. I would also recommend you get your feet adjusted to the height, as in, for a month or so wear a 2 inch heel, then 3 inch heel then graduate further. I think the muscles need to adjust and grow to handle the bigger heel.

I feel your pain with the whole flip flop thing... I commute to work and will not wear a heel (maybe a wedge) bc of the walking I do. Every day I change from flip flops or flats into my heels. Its the only way to do it in the long run.. otherwise you'll end up with bunions or worse!