I can often be seen tottering around my house in my lazy pants, hoody and glittering heels. Wearing your heels around the house not only breaks them in, but it also gives you practice at walking on different surfaces. No one wants to show up to a carpeted party and immediately take a face plant because you’ve only ever walked on tiles.
Think about where you are going and what you are doing.
When I lived in a small city, I wore heels every day because I drove everywhere. Now I live in a huge city I mostly wear flats because I walk everywhere or take public transport which requires a lot of walking. If you’re making a quick dash to the train and spending the rest of the day sitting at your desk, then go forth with giant heels my friend. If you’re running all over town for meetings or your job requires you to move quickly, perhaps save the heels for dinner dates and weddings.
Walk heel to toe.
My most favourite season in Melbourne is race season. When all the die-hard spray-tan fans break out their giant heels that they never wear and attempt to walk in public in them. They do this bizarre toe balancing walk, mincing along like they have a broken pelvis and no control over their upper body limbs. Just calm down, slow down and walk heel to toe. Take small steps. Stand up straight. Place one foot in front of the other. Easy.
Don’t buy cheap, nasty shoes.
Please. Just don’t. They don’t breathe, are badly designed and they hurt. You are much better off investing in amazing, good quality shoes that will last and that you can wear for longer than five minutes. I respect a lady’s right to well priced footwear just please consider the quality before you hand over your cash.
Get assistance.
I’m totally addicted to those gel inserts that you stick inside high heels. I don’t have a particular favourite brand but I love the heel strips and the gel pads for the balls of your feet. My trick? Don’t put them in your shoes right away. Wear your heels and tuck your gel pads into your clutch. Half way through the evening when your balls start burning and your heel is developing a nasty blister, pop your gel pads in your shoes and it will buy you a few more hours. This is a particularly fantastic tip for weddings.
Talk to the professionals.
A few years ago my mother told me about these places that you can go to get shoes fixed. They’re called ‘shoe repair stores‘. It’s mental. They can reattach straps, fix holes in the soles of your shoes, stretch them, dye them. Take advantage. They take your well-worn pair of boots from unbearable to good as new.
I would imagine that when you go out on date night, whether it be a first date or just another date with the person you are currently getting to know/seeing/married to/settling with/employed you via Craigslist/etc., you have a certain set of expectations. Now, don't get it twisted—when I say "expectations," I don't mean the kind of exaggerated expectations that tend to follow the typical "women be shopping" dialogue. Simply put, you want the other person to take you and the time they spend with you seriously.
So, while the guy you're dating isn't going to magically show up and be Michael Fassbender, Daniel Craig or (at the very least) Paul Rudd, you'd hope he took things seriously enough to impress you with his appearance. I think the same thing applies in the reverse scenario. Whether or not he is expecting heels, and he probably is because "sexy shoes" are, like, the bare minimum of "fashion" signifiers that the average man understands, I think wearing them is the right move. You and I both know that you put thought—maybe too much thought—into what you're wearing to date night. Your date probably does not. But when he sees heels, I think it's safe to assume that he knows you mean business.
Personally, I have nothing against boots or flats. Actually, I take back the flats part. A cute pair of sneakers or sandals beats those fancy socks masquerading as middle school ballerina practice slippers any day. But for those of you looking to lead by example, I think they fall a little on deaf ears.
As for the worry of being as tall or (gasp!) taller than your man friend, I wouldn't sweat it too much. Everyone knows someone who knows that weird short dude that is creepily obsessed with taller girls. You hear about him and it sounds shocking and bizarre. To be honest, I've never met a guy, short or tall, who had a problem with getting together with a tall woman. Seriously! Let's chalk that one up to ridiculous gender roles, forget about it and talk about how awesome Hillary Clinton is.
