Baddy Two Shoes: Tips & Tricks for Dealing with Heels

| Jul 16, 2015

I bought a gorgeous pair of strappy sandals a couple of weeks ago that I plan to wear to three different weddings this summer. They have remained in their box since the day I bought them because I wanted them to be in tip top condition.

Here's the part where we divide into two sub-groups - the readers who agree with me and think my idea is pretty damn sensible and those who are screaming at me to Wear Them In. Those screamers are right. I learned the hard way that shoes, especially party shoes, must be given a trial run before subjecting them to your feet for hours on end.

I went to a party last weekend and the thought crossed my mind that I should give my new shoes a go. So on they went. I walked to the venue, stood for five hours, walked back home (hey, taxis are expensive!) and I have pretty much been crippled this week. Of course I didn't bring flats to change in to, why would I have popped a few plasters into my bag. Lesson well and truly learned.

My shoes are like this beaut from River Island but without the T-bar strap.

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I want you to learn too, dear readers. Never wear a new pair of shoes to an occasion before wearing them in. Put them on in the safety of your own home and go about your business for at least a couple of hours. Do a spot of hoovering, make the dinner, walk up and down the stairs. Just wear them to see where and how they will give you guff - because they definitely will.

The source of my hoof woes came from the very thin ankle strap which wore the skin off the back of my legs. Not only that but my feet swelled and became slippy in the heat making my toes spill and splay over the ends front unattractively, totally ruining the chic city girl look I was trying to achieve. I have yet to come up with a solution to the strap problem but I am going to fix a cushion to the ball of the shoe to tackle the slip issue.

Of course I have had shoe problems before, who hasn't? So before I casually throw it out there that I have the cutest puppy in the world to give away to whoever has a solution to my ankle strap issue* I will offer my tried and tested tips.

When buying shoes, always try them on in the shop with whatever sock you are going to wear with them. If you are planning on going barefoot, do pop on a pop sock, for obvious reasons. Walk around the shop to detect possible issues there and then.
If you happen to buy a pair of shoes that you discover are a half a size two big, heel grips are your friend. I bought shoes in what I thought was my size but got confused because they were labelled in American sizes. I couldn't bring them back to the shop because I walked all the way to work in them with my heels popping out of the back every time I took a step, but I just popped in some guards and they worked a treat. In fact, I'm wearing them today:
This is one that's been doing the rounds lately. You tape your third and fourth toes together for better balance and to force them to fit inside a pointed toe better. Images of ugly sisters trying to squeeze their feet into the glass slipper spring to mind, but hey, it's better than chopping your little piggies off altogether. Try it - it works.
We're not fauns. We're not supposed to go around walking on tippy-toes all day. The ball of your foot gets a lot of grief when you wear heels and while that's just the damn nature of the shoe and you have to accept it, you can decrease the pain my inserting a cushion pad. It sounds simple because it is. But padding the ball of your foot is essential for comfort and it really does help.