By Gretchen Ditto, Image & Personal Branding Advisor

I remember the good ‘ol days of wearing shoes that caused huge blisters on my heels and forced me to walk in ways that just weren’t natural. Thank goodness those days are gone, which just means I’m a bit older and maybe a little wiser. Now, on to a shoe-finding adventure in which my shoes must meet 3 criteria: they must be Cute, Current and Comfortable. Impossible you say? Well, it is possible! It all starts with the heel and the sole…..

HEEL A                                                          HEEL B

HEEL C                                                           HEEL D

Heel Characteristics to Look For:

1. Thick/fat heel (see pics B, C & D): the bottom of the heel should have a lot of contact surface with the ground.  WARNING: If it’s too fat and square you risk looking like an 85 year old grandma going to church. If it’s too clunky it actually adds weight to you—who needs that??
2. Rubber on the soles (see pics C & D): I would prefer diamonds on the soles of my feet, but rubber is much more comfortable. Rubber gives you just a bit of extra cushion that makes walking easy and painless.
3. Decent height: height is a very personal thing. I have a friend that practically breaks an ankle on anything over 2 inches, and I, on the other hand, could easily run a few blocks in 6 inch platforms. If you’ve never worn heels then it’s time to explore some height options. Try them on, walk around the store and make sure they are comfortable and that you’re not going to topple over.
4. Platforms (see pic C): They now make some platforms that extend a thicker sole all the way from the heel area to the front of the foot. This lifts the entire foot without forcing it into an uncomfortable angle. The shoes in the picture are super comfortable—so don’t pass them by. Instead, give them a try and then make the decision of whether they are comfortable or not—looks alone will not tell you.

Heel Characteristics to Avoid:

1. Stillettos (see pic A): you know, those tall crazy hooker shoes. There is a time, place, and age for those. If you’re over 30, you’re probably disqualified. Thank goodness! Those are the feet and back killers anyways.
2. Clodhoppers: ok, I don’t think that’s the technical term, but I’m referring to the shoes that were popular in the late 90’s with huge fat rubber heels. If these super clunky shoes are in your closet then they are probably over 5 years old and need to be donated.

Next Steps:

1. Determine the objective of the shoe that you’re looking for. If you plan to wear it often, then it should be a workhorse shoe—meaning that it’s comfortable enough to wear often and for long periods of time. If you just plan to wear it on special occasions, then you may sacrifice a bit of comfort, although I don’t recommend it. I’m super grumpy if my feet hurt, so my cute dress for the occasion gets ignored because of my pissy attitude. Not good. Therefore, I always go for cute AND comfortable.
2. Analyze your current shoe inventory. Do you hate your shoes? Are your shoes more than 5 years old? Do your shoes have dust on them? Time donate and make space for lovely new specimens.
3. Go shopping and don’t rush yourself or stress yourself. Go to a DSW near you and walk in without planning to buy anything. Just go to look around and see what you see. Try shoes on that you never would have tried. Try on shoes that are beautiful, try on shoes that are ugly – whatever! Well, maybe not the ugly ones. You must go in with a sense of adventure and some courage. One thing I do recommend is getting a lovely pedicure a few days in advance (pretty toes are always more fun to look at when trying things on).

One Last Word of Advice: If you wear both heels and flats, then you must have pants that are hemmed at different lengths. Avoid, at all costs, pants that drag on the floor and pants that look like you’re waiting for a flood. Both are looks that will wreck an image that even the cutest pair of shoes can’t overcome.

Still need help in the shoe arena?  Let me know – I love to teach people how to become shoe lovers.

Tags: Imange Management, Picking the Right Heel, Shoe Guide, Shoe Shopping, The Right Heel, Women's Image, Women's Shoes

This entry was posted on Monday, May 2nd, 2011 at 5:39 pm and is filed under All Articles, How to Dress, Image Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.