Today I want to dedicate this new article to WOMEN and talk about the always difficult choice between heels and flats.
For someone like me who lives in a shoe store and mostly serves women, the female universe is up to his neck and we face this problem every day.
Because after all, everyone likes heels… but for a series of considerations that we will see later, many (perhaps even you) do not choose them.
But let's start from the beginning…
When buying shoes, women have two problems:
The first is the same as that of men: FEELING WELL inside, wearing them for hours and hours without thoughts. (I could also say…that they are comfortable…but it gave me a sense of health…)
The second, which men generally don't hear, is to LAUNCH, appear more beautiful, more feminine, more cool in short!
PROBLEM: Often requirement two is in open conflict with requirement one.
There are simply three solutions always assuming that the shoe is one of the valid ones. (I know those, otherwise you have to read some other blog :-))
The first solution is that you adapt to wearing flat shoes all day long: this is the famous choice of common sense or prudence
You choose a shoe in soft leather and depending on your taste and your personality you can go for a ballerina, a little man shoe, an ankle boot or a sneaker.
I like flat shoes, but they have to be beautiful, particular, have the right style otherwise you risk a lot. We risk banality.
What does it mean to be trivial, or rather present yourself with a trivial look?
You must know that this thing is underestimated by most people. In short, it is not a priority and can create serious difficulties.
To give you an example, I'll tell you a true story, an episode that happened in our shop. I'll start by saying something very important: I was there that day and so I'm talking about my firsthand experience, but the same type of service is the rule applied by all of us who work there.
Elisabetta, a client of mine who is a saleswoman for an advertising company, paid absolutely no attention to the impact that the RIGHT shoes can have when I met her a few years ago. (…and to be honest, even the ugly or banal ones have an impact which, however, is not the intended one, maybe)
I remember perfectly the first time he entered the shop and showed me one of the shoes on display in the window.
In my mind I didn't see them suitable for her, I thought they were too classic for her figure, but since we didn't know each other, I obeyed her request and brought them to her.
Before letting her try on the shoes though, I wanted to get to know the person.
Who he was, what work he did, how he intended to use the shoes. These are very simple questions, but they allow us to enter a little "inside" to be able to do our job well. What, said between us in secret, is not to sell shoes, but to enhance the person in front of us, making them look good with others and at the same time giving them hours and hours of well-being.
Well…once I got to know Elisabetta a little, I had the strength to lead her towards a shoe with a little more grit, with a little more personality, that DARE a little more.
Gradually, I managed to make her understand that shoes, if beautiful, are like the lights on the Christmas trees. They give light, importance even to a rather normal look and to the whole person.
Because if we combine a "classic" look with a normal, anonymous shoe, like the ones unfortunately found in most shops, we have made a disaster. You appear dull and devoid of panache.
You could also tell me "embè... I don't care..."
I don't know what job you do, but I know that Elisabetta who has to sell to eat (like me) with the right image has a completely different appeal with customers... and at the end of the month this makes all the difference, assuming it's logical an excellent professional. But this is also true in all professions, even if you are a teacher. Wouldn't you like to receive looks of admiration and respect from parents, pupils and colleagues? Try showing up with a pair of old and dirty crumpled shoes… you'll see that the effect will certainly be there.
Returning to Elisabetta, I saw her after some time, happy and satisfied. She told me that something completely new had happened to her, that she was very pleased with. Even some people had stopped her on the street complimenting her on her shoes…and they wanted to know where she had bought them.
And since that day, our relationship has been splendid, like the one I would like to have with all my clients.
"Antonio, what can you give me this time?" He tells me every time he comes back to the shop…
So, in conclusion, if you want to wear a flat shoe it is very important that it is "rich", particular, otherwise the stage falls.
To give you an economic indication, you have to invest a little money…let's say between 150 and 200 euros to hit the mark and have soft feet and the right look.
The second solution is to leap forward wearing heels ... watch out for blisters though ...
Of course, talking about heels is a bit too generic.
We need to see the height we are talking about, the shape of the heel and the structure of the shoe on which they are mounted.
THE HEIGHT
The heels can be of various heights. A 50 (5 cm) heel is the easiest to wear, it allows you to keep it on all day without causing damage to your back and posture. Today they are making a strong comeback in fashion… and therefore it is a good opportunity to take advantage of.
The 70 heel begins to be more streamlined, and continues to be "walkable". It is perhaps the best solution for those who have to wear heels all day and want to have an elegant look.
The 90 heel is the slimmest heel "possible" for our body. Attention, by 90 heels I also mean the highest heels, such as 120 with a plateau of 30. The difference, and therefore the walk, is always 90. Of course, this solution gives you maximum femininity, determination, but go a little to sacrifice your posture.
The highest heels exist, but they are real instruments of torture. The consequences they bring to the wearer are not worth the candle. So, knowing this, we give up proposing them even if sometimes they are very beautiful... and they make us think "bad" thoughts...
SHAPE
The shape of the heels is also important and affects wearability. The chunky heel is much more stable, sporty. Certainly more suitable if you have to carry it all day and up to nine centimeters it is quite portable.
Clearly there is also the thin heel. The most intriguing, refined and iconic heel that can be found. Able to transform a schoolgirl into a sex bomb!
Of course, here you have to be even more careful both to avoid twisting your ankle and not to "enter" the cracks in the cobblestones and grates. In this case you know how it ends… The heel cover shrinks and it takes a very good shoemaker to make the shoe usable again.
STRUCTURE
One of the most underestimated things by people is the structure of the shoe and its shape. By structure I mean the quality of the reinforcements that are placed to ensure that the shoe maintains the right shape (reinforcement on the heel and on the toe) ... in short, that it does not deform after you wear it twice ... and then it no longer fits on your feet.
Another fundamental aspect in a heeled shoe is the steel plate contained within the sole (did you know that there is one inside?) which must support your plantar arch. If it's too light (to make the shoe come out at a lower price) the heel can break and in any case when you walk you realize that there is no stability, with all the risks involved for your poor joints.
Finally the shape. When building a shoe with a heel, however, it must be taken into account that a foot must fit inside. Some companies therefore look for the right compromise between a comfortable fit and a sensual and slender shape (and they are the most difficult to find...) others focus entirely on aesthetics (with hallucinating foot pains) still others focus on the width of the fit... but with really sad results (in those heels you might look like your old maid aunt)
A piece of advice: before wearing a heeled shoe for hours (like a day at work or for a ceremony) it is necessary to get your foot used to it. At the beginning when the shoes are new you can keep them at home for a while, then you can use them for a few hours and once you pass this test you're ready to keep them all day.
Even in the case of heels (and perhaps even more so) the shoe must be of quality, made with a nice leather and above all with a right design AND SUITABLE FOR YOUR FOOT.
Here, on the part of the seller, even more "eye" is needed. A careful analysis is able to understand if a certain shoe can cause problems.
The third solution: use both flats and heels to express all aspects of your personality
The basic rule to respect our back and our long-term health is to wear heels occasionally.
The ideal is that you wear them on the weekend, for a dinner, for a ceremony or a few special days at work.
Furthermore, using all shoe heights, you can really give an image of yourself, the most varied: Gritty by day with a nice ankle boot and very feminine in the evening with a nice stiletto heel for example.
This is the choice that I prefer and I usually recommend both for postural and look reasons, but the important thing is that each person finds the right image suitable for his personality.
And now… here is your access key to shoes that make you “fly” and that can transform your life.
Good fun.
