There are only a few pairs of shoes I own that cannot be walked in for at least one mile on city streets. It's a requirement, because I don't drive.
My first pair of proper heels were Marc Jacobs, 3.5" polka-dot peep toes. I knew this woman who wore heels all the time, open toed, in London, all year round. (Imagine riding the Tube) She was this Indian bombshell, and she just looked like she was born in high heels. I asked her to show me how to walk in heels and she said, "Practice, practice, practice."
- Practice at home first.
- Walk slower, take smaller steps.
- Always step heel-toe.
- Practice walking in heels when you at work, wear them all day, so you get used to it. You can walk to work in ballet flats (or flip flops if you're worried about ruining the pedi).
- Practice walking outside, for short trips, like going out for dinner.
- After a while you become a pro, and you don't even think about it.
My experience is that walking in heels is more about developing the right muscles in your legs to support your body rather than about putting all your weight on the balls of your feet. If you compare it to core strengthening, or using a bosu, and think about as developing strength it becomes easier to visualize walking in heels.
35 lovely notes...:
Great advice, but noooooo not flip-flops! Ballet flats are soooo much nicer ^_^
I usually don't wear high heels because I am so tall (5ft11 I think) so when I do get up on heels I do find it find it difficult to walk. I am surely missing the "get used to it" part. If only I'd be surrounded by people taller than me... never have been and probably never will be. but I do love heels.
probably because I can't really wear them without feeling above everybody:))
I never really think too much about them - I guess I have been wearing my heels so long I had forgotten about having to LEARN to walk in them - maybe since i was "practicing" in my mom's since I was a little girl. Every once in a while I buy new shoes and my best friend says, "how do you walk in those?" She never wears heels, not even on her wedding day. I guess those of us who do wear them just about every day have a talent :-)
acutally, i really like flip-flops... they remind me of hawaii.
; )
but i can see the point about ballet flats!
diana! tall is sooo cool, i love it when tall women wear heels... it says confidence like nothing else!
jo... you must have been so cute in your mom's heels. : )
my son likes to wear my heels too, 3 years old and i say nooo that's for girls! ok, thanks for the walking tips, my heels are getting lonely! i realized that i need to buy heels that have some sort of straps to keep it on my feet. it seems to be hard to walk without them slipping off in the back.
oh yes, i like your white outfits so perfect for summer, i love it!
Lily
I love your new header.
And I cannot live without high heels.
the problem i have with longer walks in nice heels in that i ruin the shoes a lot more quickly. Any tips on how not to wear out the shoes?? I'm moving to NYC soon so I'm concerned :)
I HATE practicing wearing heels. I love them I own quite a lot but I never wear them because I feel so insecure. Well I'm quite tall (5ft11) and even taller while wearing them and when I feel everyone staring at me I at least should walk properly in them...
Love your new header, by the way...
thank you! i was feeling kind of insecure about the new header, so thanks!
lilly: heehe my nephew does the same thing. it's cute!
erin: i know what you mean about the heels... i wear chunkier heels and rotate my shoes as much as possible.
f&art: you are a such a beautiful woman, and if you wore heels, you would bring alot of attention to that. it would be a striking sight!
: )
eurobrat: i can't live without heels either...
This is great! More women need these lessons, but the truth is that no matter how hard your calves are or how tight your back is, heels are just not meant to be worn without physical impair.
Doesn't stop me though!
For those wondering how to protect the shoes during long distances, check out SmartHeel.com. A fabulous little invention to protect those gems.
Another suggestion for practicing in heels is when you're doing the grocery shopping, and I'm not talking about buying a quick something on the way home. Take a trolley (if your local supermarket has them) and walk up and down the aisles using the trolley for support. No obstacles to get in the way, just smooth, and more importantly straight, flooring.
I've become so used to heels, now 5 inch heels aren't quite high enough, and now I even climb & balance myself on 7 ft high opposite shelves in said stilettos.
I used to run down the street in them when I was younger, but I think I'm too scared I'll bust my butt.
great post. I am trying to re-train myself to wear heels. I love them so.
but walking so much in nyc I've just b/c used to wearing flats for fear of falling down.
xo, BG
InStyle had a great article recently about buying and wearing heels, what women should look for, etc. After reading it, I felt that it was sort of a "must read" for all women who love heels, but feel daunted, or those of us troopers who live and love them.
hi there, new to your blog but loving it already.
great tips on the heels walking, i fear i am a flip flop (or thongs as we say here in aus) kinda girl through and through!
Ooh.. I was pretty much obsessing over this very thing the week of prom. In order to prepare myself for my 2 inch heels, I bought 3 inch heels and started walking in them. After a while, the 2 inch pair seemed like nothing at all and I wondered why I had trouble with them in the first place. So when people tell you to start small, do the opposite.
georgia that is excellent advice!
I routinely wear 5" heels and 5.5" ones for special occasions. I found that if I wore higher heels like Georgia the lower height was really nothing. The 5" are no problem for me now, but if I'm going to go out with the 5.5" heels, I'll wear some 6" pumps around the house for a few hours before. It works for me
I am very young (16) and my mother wants me to become a model because of my height and everything. She put me in modeling classes at John Casablancas and I think I am doing fine. See here is my problem I am already tall enough at 16. I am 5'8. And the requirements for the class is to have stiletto heels that are 4 to 5 inches tall. I can hardly walk in 2 inch heels. I am fine with walkin in wedge heels but we cant wear that. Can somebody please give me some advice.!!
anon....wow that's amazing your mom has such hopes for you to be a model! is it something you want too?
the only piece of advice other than was was written already in the post, is to just practice. when you get home, put on the 4 inch heels, and wear them... it really helps you to feel more natural in them if you are used to wearing them.
the only thing i have to say about heels, is a lot of women don't feel natural in them, and that's the biggest hurdle.
practice, my dear. you will be stellar!
: )
I learned to walk in heels by first learning to dance in heels. Latin dancing is a great way to get addicted to height and style (and to get that natural and sexy hip-swing).
What a great post!
I've never been able to handle heals and I thought I was the only one! Now I see how I can tackle those suckers! THANKS!
This was a great post - and I practice too!
I've also found something else: walking on concrete streets and sidewalks is much more effort than walking on wooden floors... practicers take note!
To anon who is 16, i had to wear big heels for my sisters wedding this summer- not quite 5", but for someone who wears sneakers always, 3.5" is pretty damn high! i only go to try them on for the first time the night before so i put them on and ran up and down the hotel stairs. Afer you've done that, walking down the street doesn't seem quite so scary anymore...
Thank you for the advice! I love heels, being moderately short (5'3"), but am a university student and work at a coffee shop, so I'm on my feet a LOT between work and running around campus at all hours of the day. My problem is not an inability to walk, but after a couple hours (okay, more like 1) even a three-inch pair of heels starts to make the arches of my feet sore. Do you have any advice for this? Are my feet just not the right shape or will I get used to this too?
I learned how to walk in high highs while Ballroom dancing, once you can spin-turn in heels everything else comes naturally. I recommend it, you'll be able to do anything in stiletto heels after a few months and it's great fun :)
Abby, I have a similiar problem. Instead of my arches hurting, it's the balls of my feet and sometimes my heels. I can wear 3 inch wedges ok, but a pair of 3 inch boots absolutely kill my feet after a couple hours of walking. I still don't know how to fix that problem.
I also have to be in a wedding in May so I bought 4 1/2 in. heels (thought they were 4 in. when I bought them). I am only 5'2", so I need the height. I am the shortest bridesmaid in the wedding. I am going to practice around the house in these shoes til I get used to them. I hope it pays off!
How funny. I gave up heels over 2 years ago when I moved from LA to Geneva and started taking public transport (and walk a lot more!). But now that I'm taking yoga, maybe I can get back in the habit of wearing heels again, you know, since I'm strengthening my core ;)
Any thoughts for wearing them when you are more than 50lbs overweight? I wear heels occasionally for dancing tango, and I'm a bit accustomed to that, though I also know that's much different than walking. I always think if I wear heels, that I'm going to sprain or break my ankle -- especially since the weight is redistributed. Even with dancing, my feet hurt after only a couple hours, and I couldn't imagine wearing heels for an entire day... I'm also in the process of losing weight, and I can tell when I'm dancing how my center has changed, and I wonder how that would come into play with heels.
on of my friends is overweight and she's 6ft tall... of course she's gorgeous. she also wears tango shoes for dance... she tells me that manolo blahniks make the best heels because the way they are balanced, as well as the cole haans... i would suggest going with higher quality shoes.. no mater what your weight is, mostly because they are better engineered, and won't be as hard on your feet or your back.
OMD Diana, I feel you. Im a lil over 5'11 and I dont seem to be getting used to it either. I get this pain running through my tendons (i think) after being in heels for like 10mins. As if my legs should not be elevated any higher off the ground than they already are. Im dying to just be as comfortable as those short chicks look in them AND SOON.
Lol. I remember when I first started walking in heels ...I couldn't last more than an hour. After a while I got the hang of it 'n could last all day. So, yup I agree with you gotta work up those muscles hehe. Fun post to read :)
I need to get used to heels again!!! and i want to thank for these tips. After i had my baby (2yrs) i totally forgot my heels.... Now i want them back!!
hmm, that's great advice but a poor choice of picture to illustrate - that model fell over a couple of seconds later: http://jezebel.com/assets/images/jezebel/2008/06/cruiseslip2020608.jpg
Oops!
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