3 Tips for Buying & Wearing Fabulous Shoes
“A pair of shoes can change your life. Just ask Cinderella” – Unknown
I wasn’t always, what my husband lovingly refers to as, a shoe whore. I can’t even remember when shoes became important to me. I never really thought about them in college, I was tall, so I rarely wore high heels. I was much more concerned with shoes that would allow me to dance into the wee hours of the morning. I lived in my Soffe shorts and cotton jerseys with all forms of U of F, Florida, Gators emblazoned upon them.
“Three inch stilettos are not for the drunk.” – Sarah Ivens
I do remember sometime after college, building an outfit around a pair of buttery Nine West pumps and casually mentioning to a friend, “Many times my outfit starts with my shoes.” However, it wasn’t until I began making a little more money that I discovered that magical, dizziness called the Shoe High.
“I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.” – Oprah Winfrey
I even have a chapter in my new book called “When Is a Shoe Not a Shoe: You Are What You Stand On”. When I’m speaking at an event, many times women will notice my shoes and ask “How do you walk in those all day?”. Here are three of my best tips for wearing fabulous “Hot Mogul” (a.k.a. Kick-ass) shoes without killing your feet.
1. Stilettos, Wedges and Platforms, oh my! Selection for occasion, is important. Consider: if you will be on your feet all day, you’ll definitely want wedges or platforms. Anything else: I call these my limousine shoes, because you should only wear them when you are getting in and out of a limo and posing or perching, not dancing and definitely not walking very far.
2. Size does matter. Buy at least 1/2 size up. This gives you room for Tip # 3 (see below) and always go shoe shopping at the end of the day, after you’ve been upright, on your feet and walking around for hours, this is when your feet are the most swollen. If you must purchase a pair of shoes in the morning, make sure to try them on before bed and do a few laps on your area rugs, before tackling the outside world You may find that your feet have grown and you will still be able to take them back and get a better size.
3. Gellin Like Magellan. Two words. Gel Inserts. Get you some. In fact, get you some in lots of different shapes and sizes, because it’s not so much that the gel inserts are magical, although after many hours in these:
They just might make you feel all tingly. It’s the change in pressure points. Taking gel inserts in and out over the course of a long day, hence changing the pressure points on your feet will bring relief and many more hours of Hot Mogul-licious shoe-wearing time.
I just looked up the official (urban dictionary) definition of “gellin”
In addition to the accurate and humorous examples of how to use this word in a sentence, definition # 2 has a long list of great rhyming words for rapping about gellin, like this little ditty I just made up on the fly. Yo, check it:
“Whether you’re an author that’s best sellin’
Or you used to be a felon
Take my advice, cuz I be foretellin’
Ignore my tips and you just might be resellin’
Your Choos & your Louboutins, excuse my misspellin’
Get yo aching dogs to the store and pick you up some Dr. Scholl’s
and we be gellin’ yeiah
Together, y’all yeiah yeiah
Everybody’s gellin’ yeiah
Happy Feet = World Peace, y’all“
It’s way past my bedtime, can you tell?
So, what about you? What are your favorite shoes? Post a picture! What are your best tips for comfy toes? Send me your rap song about shoes.
Peace Out.
Yes, I’ll admit most women loves shoes and handbags and can stay in a shoe store for hours.
Ohhh Sandy, after spending an hour in the shoe store today trying on a bunch of high heeled full length boots (after a full day of holiday shopping for everyone else), I so agree that there’s nothing better than a great pair of shoes. I know my closet is full of them, and according to my husband many look the same, but I know the difference in how I feel when I put each one of them on. Now for some fun occasions to wear them…
I also admit, I’ve got the same delicious love for handbags.
I know! I need some fabulous events to wear my fabulous shoes to. I just got the most amazing black ankle boots with zippers up the back (all the way down the fabulous high heels) and haven’t worn them yet. I guess I’m saving them for something special. But you know what they say:
“Use your good dishes, wear your fabulous shoes today! don’t wait!”
Great article, beautiful shoes – if only I could wear any of them. For those of us that fall over forward with heels this size, what you do you recommend? I am a stay at home mom, so I mostly wear flat shoes, but loves getting out those heels on occasion.
I had this conversation with my editor over & over because she has foot problems & suffers terrible pain if she wears too high heels.
She does tango though, and found that the shoes they make for dancers have much more support (and they are quite beautiful).
The shoes that have a little lift in the front as well as the back are easier to walk in and you don’t feel like you’re going to fall over. Here’s a picture of a platform heel from Burberry (these are VERY high) but if you look at the distance between the front platform and the height of the back heel you’ll see that it’s only a couple of inches difference (which means it will feel like you’re only wearing 2 inch heels rather than 4 or 5 inch heels)
http://www.zappos.com/product/7731124/color/268166
or these from Michael Kors are fun & funky without being terribly high
http://www.zappos.com/michael-michael-kors-jennings-platform-black-madras
But the BEST news is that “kitten heels” are making a big comeback this year! So if your feet are complaining or your balance is waining the kitten heel is going to make you *so* happy! These will take you back to Audrey Hepburn & Marilyn Monroe: http://www.zappos.com/nina-poesy-new-navy-luster-satin
Here’s a great article about how to wear kitten heels & some cute pictures…
http://www.shefinds.com/2010/5-perfect-for-work-kitten-heels-your-feet-will-thank-you/
The most important thing is to find shoes that make you feel faaaaabulous. I love the new snow boots I bought myself for my birthday this year. Every time I put them on I feel the love, they express my personality & they are extremely functional!
Here’s a pic: http://www.zappos.com/sorel-cate-the-great-tusk-stone
And this summer I lived in my Steve Madden leopard ballet flats that I found on sale 50% off! I think “Fabulous is really about the Feeling”.
xoxoxoxo
Sandy Grason recently posted..Delivering Happiness
I’m thinking there is a higher power that made my feet a little too wide for great looking shoes because I’d be spending way too much money on fabulous shoes if I could actually wear them.
I was in New York City this past weekend sampling chocolate (pretty cool job for a culinary nutritionist) and there was a line several blocks long of people waiting to get into the Uggs store. (My husband calls them uggslies.) Will never figure out the popularity of that boot!
Here’s a quote I thought you might enjoy: The trouble with having bags under your eyes is finding the shoes to match.
Glad you’re back, Sandy. I’m plugging away on my book proposal. . .
Hugs,
Sue Ann
What truths! YES one hundred percent. Footwear is your stage you carry around.
Real thought-through, craftsman-made designer shoes, are like setting the stage for you: the right support, upliftment, and showcasing of you with your shoulders back and your hips wide strong and confident !
There’s a brilliant lady based here in England who I’m not affiliated with at all but she’s a former ballerina teaching women in one hour how to walk fabulously in high heels. I’m doing it this week, the transformation in my buddies has been great – like how to improve ankle muscles so the work is all from your glutes and your feet fall softly and sound awesome… Sarah Toner, Fabulous in High Heels. Has resurrected my one friend’s confidence in a similar way Journalution did for her main life – I have just bought your book on Amazon and am SOO amped to get going!
Go Sandy! x
OMG- I have to look her up! What a great class! Will you let me know how it was? Report back to us.
Can’t wait to hear about your experiences with JOurnalution, too.
mmwwaaahhh!
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