The ultimate guide to comfortable heels

 

 

Heels. Those gorgeous shoes that can make you feel ohhhhh so pretty, so fabulous, so sexy. 

But ohh so painful, so uncomfortable. 

Most of us have a love-hate relationship with heels whether they are high heels, mid heels or even low heels.  

We love wearing them to look kick a$$ at work, to be sexy as on a date night, a girls brunch, a wedding, and the list goes on. 

Yes, yes we know that there are flats and sneakers out there that are cute and mega comfortable, but nothing compares to the way high heels make you look and feel.  

At Luminous Assembly we believe that “the right shoes” are heels! Heels can make you feel like you can take on the world. Literally.  

In our quest to make heels more comfortable, we've put together some tips and tricks to help you out.  

 

1. Understand the different heel heights and decide what's right for you. 

Typically, you'll find three types of heel height: high heels (over 9cm), mid heels (6.5cm-8.5cm) and low heels (normally between 3-6cms). 

Common sense would probably tell you that low heels would be the most comfortable. If you are standing all day or just don’t feel like you can walk on anything higher, then by all means go for a lower style heel. 

I find that the perfect heel height for an all-day heel that can also be taken through to a night out is the mid heel. Its high enough to give you that extra length and fierceness but not too high that will make you feel ache by the end of the day.  

If you want to feel like Carrie Bradshaw in New York City then the high heel is for you. But see point two below before you decide on a high heel.  

 

2. High heels are better with an internal (or external) platform 

High heels can make you feel sassy and fabulous, and they dress up literally any type of clothes that you are wearing and make you look better. Yes I said it, high heels make you feel and look better 😛 

Choose one that has a platform so that it offsets the heel height.  

See example below. Those yellow high heel pumps have a heel height of 11cm but they have an internal platform of 2.5cm that means that whilst the shoes look 11cm high they would feel like a mid heel (11cm minus 2.5cm = 8.5cm! boooooom.)  

 

 

3.Opt in for heels with an ankle strap  

 

There is nothing worse than wearing a pair of heels that are slipping off. This is one of the major annoyances why heels can be uncomfortable.   

Get heels that have an ankle strap or any strap that will hold your foot down when walking. This will give you that extra support.  

For example, these red mid heels are not only extra cute and perfect for women with narrow feet but they are also have a cute ankle strap you can tie in a bow.

 

4. Make sure you “break them in” before your big night out 

Imagine this. You bought the cutest heels. You love them. You have a special night out and you can’t wait to wear your new heels out. Don’t. Please break them in first. 

How to stretch them out? The easiest way is to get a thick pair of socks and wear them whilst at your house.

 

5. Find the right size for you 

We all have very different feet and fit! There are narrow feet, wide feet, high arch, low arch, flat feet, and the list goes on.  

Also, despite there being “universal” shoe sizes and sizing charts where you can convert from European size to Australian size for example, the different shoe styles and even the different shoe brands, can make it just that bit more difficult to find the heels that would fit you perfectly. 

If you are buying online make sure you have the option for free exchanges in case the heels don’t fit quite right so you can go up or down in sizes. 

We find that when you get your leather heels, if they are snuggly but not painfully tight then you can stretch them out (see point 4 above), even perhaps if the shoe is slightly big you could put in a separate insole to make them snuggly (see point 6 below!). 

But no matter what – the worst thing you can do is to get heels that are wayyyyyy too tight that you can barely fit in.

 

 

6.Use separate inserts  

 

There are a multitude of inserts in the market including some that are specific for heels.  

Generally speaking, you will find gel or foam inserts.  

Some can shift pressure off the ball of the foot whilst others add more padding to the forefoot.  

If the shoe is slightly too big you can find heel inserts that will add cushion to the heel so that your heels fit more snuggly.  

 

7.Use Moleskin tape 

 

If you find that there is shoe friction between your heels and any part of your foot, an –almost magic- trick that works is to apply moleskin adhesive tape.  

You can buy them in most pharmacies. They usually come in rolls and you can basically cut it to any size and put it on your foot where there might be uncomfortable friction hurting you.  

 

8.Be mindful of what you can and can’t do on heels 

Of course you are reading this article because you want to wear your much loved heels anywhere you want.  

But, yes there is always a but, we need to be aware of when and where to use heels specially if high heels.  

If you have a long commute where you have to walk long distances, it is best to wear a pair of flats for the commute and put your heels in a bag for when you arrive to work.  

If your work requires you to be standing up all day, it is best to wear flats or a low heel.

If you are running a marathon, definitely wear sneakers not high heels 😉 

 

9.Get heels that are designed with comfort in mind

Like these gorgeous heels here that have been crafted to specifically make them as comfy as they can be so you can wear them all day long. 

Shop here.

 

If you want to see more tips and tricks, and generally gorgeous heels follow us on social media:

www.instagram.com/luminousassembly

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@luminousassembly

 

 xx