How To Buy A Good Pair Of Shoes
[ 16 May 2007 ]
Shoe shopping should ideally come at the end of the day, when you’re a bit tired & your feet are swollen from walking around for hours. This is for a couple of reasons. One is that with your feet swollen, you get a better idea of how the shoes are going to fit. The other is that when you’re a bit tired & worn out, you’re less likely to fall in love with a pair of shoes & buy them with little to no regard for their comfort level. (Yes, I’m looking at you!)
Here are some other tips…
Heels
If you’re interested in buying a pair of heels, the most important thing is to make sure that there is enough support under the balls of your feet — where your toes join the rest of your foot. The real test of this is to push down on the shoe bed, to see how it feels. If it’s hard & inflexible, those shoes are going to kill you. What you really want is a springy base to help absorb the shock of pounding the pavement. The best possible scenario is one where you press down upon the shoe bed & your hand bounces right back up again.
Flats
There is an assumption at the moment that all these people wearing ballet flats are walking around on clouds of air, in utmost comfort, etc. It is hogwash. Most of these fashionable flats have NO arch support, which is such a killer. If you’re going to buy flats, go shopping with a set of insoles in your bag. Put them in the shoe when you try it on. Initially, yes, it will be rather snug, but after a while the shoe will soften & you truly WILL be walking around on clouds of air, in utmost comfort, etc.
Soles
You should check these to make sure you’re not going to be slippery-sliding all the way down the street. The idea sole is rubbery with grooves. If your shoe’s sole is completely flat, you are in danger. Take it to a shoe store & get another sole attached!
Please note: All shoes need arch support! If you have a high arch (like I do), you will find most shoes are super-painful & that as you shuffle around the city, crying out, a sad man with a violin may start following you, playing a tragic ditty. This is not a good look. Do yourself a favour & buy some good insoles! Okay?! Okay!
Extra For Experts:
The Manolo has some wise words from Cary Grant on buying shoes. (Also read the comments, I luh-luh-looove them!)
SoYouWanna buy a good pair of sneakers?
Hyper-love & bunny kisses,
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What fantastic timing! I was considering asking you about this very topic. Thanks so much, very helpful :)
i have spent most of this week shoe shopping, i have been to EVERY shoe shop in lower hutt, and a few in wellington, and now im about to head off to porirua. where do i find shoes for my size 11 (and just as wide) feet?
Flats can be so uncomfortable…and you have to buy a size or two smaller.
I just bought another pair of shoes the other day. Keds slip on…so comfy! I didn’t even need to wear them in.
sarah- i had to comment because i also have size 11 feet! i live in sydney, though, so can’t help you out with wellington specifically. do you have Target there? they sometimes have larger sizes. also i have been known to buy from Payless. because of the size of my feet, i most often wear unisex shoes (converse, doc marten, birkenstock etc) and don’t really wear heels cos i’m so tall. i’ve been to a couple of “tall women” shoe shops, but invariably their shoes are ugly as all get-out.
BUT... i have bought some killer shoes in the past from amazon, of all places. US sizing is the same as aus/NZ sizing, so you should be able to buy an 11 on there.
hope that helps somewhat!
I have high arches, too, and the problem I have isn’t enough arch support (I usually pick shoes with that in mind), it’s finding shoes that are tall enough for my foot on the inside. The top of my arch presses and rubs painfully on the inside of my shoes, and it’s practically impossible to find shoes that don’t have this problem for me, unless I buy shoes that don’t cover that part of my foot at all. If I was to insert an insole of my own, I’d be in agony!
I feel for you girls with size 11 feet. It’s hard enough finding anything cute for myself in 9 or 10. My mother wears a 10 or 11, and I think my grandmother wears the same — so we’d definitely be a whiny group of women to go shoe shopping with.
Hi! Thanks Gala the timing of this article is perfect as I desperately need to buy a pair of new shoes, as my sturdy ones are literally fallen apart. And I am forbidden to wear them outside. I never knew about needing support for the balls of your feet! But now I’ll definately be on the watch for that! :) My problem with shoes is not their soles that much as the STRAPS! Japan is entering sandal season and I’m on the search for the perfect sandals that I can wear everyday, but I find that it’s impossible to find anything that won’t end up leaving my feet a blistery, bleeding mess. It gets so hot in the summer that it’s impossible to consider close toed shoes as vibable options.
So, do you have any suggestions to fight the straps induced blisters?
Thanks!!! I looooooooove your blog!
Chinami — I wish I knew! I am usually Queen Blister myself. I try to make myself feel better by buying really cute bandaids & just wearing those if ever I am nervous about it.
I wish you’d written this one a month ago! I fell in love with a pair of flats, tried on the 39 and decided it was too small. The shop got a 40 in, I went back first thing in the morning to try it on (uh-oh) and decided the 40 was too big. I bought the 39s, wore them that afternoon and was in absolute agony. Cleaned them up, took them back for the 40s… got the 40s home and realised they were a bit too big. Aaaargh!
I felt like a right idiot, they were expensive, too. I now have insoles in the 40s and they fit okay — even though they have stretched, and make me wonder if the 39s would have been okay after all. All this obviously means I need to buy shoes more often, I’m far too out of practice.
The guy at the shoe repair shop where I bought the insoles recommended against getting a pair with arch support, as they are made for athletic shoes and will stretch other shoes width-ways. Do you have proper orthotics made?
And on a completely different note, I just watched this and it’s made for you: Dali plus really cute sleeping masks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXT2E9Ccc8A
Annabel — I saw that video this morning! Haha! I posted it on my livejournal. It made me sooooo happy.
Re: insoles, I just wear normal ones, I’ve never had a problem with them being too wide. Give them a go & if you have problems, take them out, but I’m sure you’ll be fine. I buy neat blue spongy ones, they’re so useful, especially in shoes with a very thin sole — a foot needs some cushioning or it is agony central!
I work in a shoe store (and thus have an insane shoe collection), and must say that Gala is on to it with her shoe buying tips!
For those of you with a size eleven, it’s worth knowing that Clarks, Rockport, Josef Seibel, Franco Sarto and Mephisto are all available up to size twelve. Clarks, Rockport, and Franco Sarto also make very cute shoes, even for large sizes (I wear a size 10-11 so I understand!). Clarks and Rockport also offer wide widths. If you cannot find them in Wellington, I do suggest ebay, amazon, or direct buying from the supplier. The three cute brands all retail for about $130 in Canada, and are worth every penny.
If you are finding shoes too wide, or that they are blistering your feet, get them stretched. This only works on real leather, but is FABULOUS. There are two ways to do this. One is to buy rubbing alcohol (isopropel alcohol) and pour some on the inside of the shoe. Walk around for about 15 minutes and it will help stretch the leather. If this isn’t enough, take them to a shoe repair (or if you bought them from a fancy store, take them back there) and ask them to put them on the stretcher. It is possible to stretch a shoe three ways: width, height, and to stretch out the heel. Each form of stretching takes about 24 hours, so plan to leave your shoes there for 1-3 days, depending on what you need done.
Experiment with heel styles. A good quality shoe (assuming we’re talking stilleto style heel) will taper in at the heel. This places the heel directly under your centre of gravity, making the shoe much more comfortable. If the heel goes straight down from the back of the shoe, it is unlikely you will ever be fully comfortable.
Follow the general rule of thumb re. tightness. If it feels snug it will give enough to be comfortable, if it feels tight it will never give enough.
If a shoe slips in the heel, place a pad under the ball of your foot. This forces your heel to the back of the shoe and will stop the sliding (most shoe stores should give these pads out complimentary).
Ask the sales associate. Companies spend thousands of dollars a year training employees. We have reps from all the big companies come in to give us training sessions, show samples, and explain the product inside out (literally). They also give us free shoes (and always great discounts) so that we can wear them and tell you honestly how they feel.
Follow Gala’s golden rule: spend as much as you can afford. Your feet will thank you and your shoes will last longer!!!
GENIUS! Thank you so much for your tips, Gwen! I never knew you could get your shoes stretched! Hallelujah!
The real manolo has another piece of advice. he says when buying heels, look at how they site on a flat surface. If there is any wobbling at all, buy another brand. Also, examine a few pairs of the same shoe in varying sizes…the details on the shoe should scale proportionately, not appear to be fused together regardless of size.
Nice post, and nice tips for us shoe lovers!
my mum worked at david jones back in the day, and their “shoe stretcher” was a broom handle with wadded-up tissue paper on the end! hehehe! of course, not saying that they would do that these days, but it’s pretty funny.
and on a light note- at least being a size 11 means that come sale time, there’s no crowd around my size table!
Some great tips! We are having a theme of 3 inch heels this week on apples2apple. Gonna steal few tips from ya…:P
Hey Gala, great advice on buying shoes. I need insoles as well for arch support. The ones from Kumfs are actually great!
Hi Gala, excellent tips, I especially like the one about shopping for shoes last! And buying shoes that I can wear insoles with. Such great ideas, thanks for posting this!
i so agree with insoles. Must-haves, definitely.
Will keep in mind your tips while my next shopping for shoes.