(the poll is almost closed. Every vote counts! Next weekend, Charity and I will be going to a T group meeting. I suggested we do the matching dress thing again. Should we?)
Last week, I wrote about wearing earrings around the house because they really need a long time-test to ensure comfort.
Shoes have the same issues. Interestingly, I can tell if men's shoes will be comfortable after just a short time. Women's shoes... not so much. I need to try shoes for comfort for several hours of standing and walking before I hit the street (that sounds bad, but I can't think of a better way to phrase it). On days when I'm wearing tights, even if I don't change, or don't change fully, if it's convenient, I put on a different pair of heels. In addition to putting aside the painful ones, I have a spreadsheet with information about each pair. I rate each pair:
* wonderful. Well, I have yet to find a pair I'd feel comfortable wearing all day and night, but a couple of pair are close.
* good for x hours. I try to estimate how long it will be before I say "enough!" and put that in the spreadsheet.
* not really good. I want to wear these shoes! They're beautiful and painful but maybe I can wear them for an hour outing. Maybe.
* no ****ing way. These go to the swap; maybe someone else can make them work.
I have swapped a few pair that I'd miss if my memory was better.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
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Meg,
ReplyDeleteI do a simpler version of your test...I can pretty much tell in a few minutes if they'll work. And I don't do any spreadsheet!
A beautiful pair of heeled sandals I bought several years ago on-line looked fabulous - they were elegant and could even make a men's suit look feminine. But I literally couldn't walk in them for more than a few minutes...not to mention that the heels put dimples in hardwood floors. Hopefully some other girl has had better luck with them. And there were several other pairs of shoes which met the same fate.
Now that all my shoes are women's, and I look fairly androgynous every day, it's much easier to try on shoes in person. So from here on, that's the only way I plan to buy them. Unfortunately, inability to find ballerina flats that fit, is the reason I only have two pairs that are exactly alike! But I keep looking...
Mandy
I often wear heels around the house. If my wife is around I limit the use of heels since most of our floors are wood and I know that the clacking is loud and annoying. If I am home alone I will almost always have on some heels.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am not as organized and proficient at you at creating charts and graphs, I wear my heels in the house for several reasons. First I like to get dressed and even partial dressing is preferable to guy mode and heels and hose are a big element of dressing. Second, I do want to test which shoes fit and feel best for use on those occasions when I get out of the house. Finally, I find that the more you wear them the better chance they have to break in and fit and feel better.
I advanced all three goals last night when I took three pair to the treadmill for 10 minutes apiece of moderate treadmill walking. I find the real test of feel and fit requires some time on your feet and some time walking.
While some may think that dressing in a bra and falsies, a unitard, tights and heels while walking on a treadmill to be a bit odd I find the exercise (pun intended) fulfilling on many levels.
Pat
A sound idea in principle, but I can't think of anyone else who woudl construct a spreadsheet for the purpose. There is nothing wrong with having a couple of pairs of "Resturant Shoes", i.e. ones that areest worn sitting down for dinner.
ReplyDeleteMeg -
ReplyDeleteI find that once we get to a size 13-w, the makers tend to make she shoes big anyway... With this being said, I was shoe shopping with a friend (she was the one buying shoes), and I thought - walk the length of the store and back (it was a large DSW outlet) and tell me what you think. She didn't notice anything after about 500' of walking - so I said - buy the shoes! If you didn't notice anything bad after this distance, it means they fit well. If you noticed anything, that wil be what bothers you after an hour or two. Then you'll have to ask - can I live with the discomfort?
She ended up buying those shoes - and I think she's happy with them....
Marian
Ah, shoes. I love fitting them on - where I can (the Zappos Outlets in Kentucky and Vegas, Friedman's in Atlanta, and a store whose name I can't remember in Toronto, are about all I know of). There aren't many stores that stock 14w, so the internet is it. I stick to certain brands that are predictable in size, and return them if they pinch out of the box, use shoe stretch and trees if they prove tight after some extended wear, and wear them around the house (do not forget to go up and down stairs) until they're well broken in.
ReplyDeleteLove the treadmill idea, I'm adopting that one!
We all have a couple pair of heels that aren't comfy, but look so good we keep them for formal events or clubs - note that you'll see a lot of women on the dance floor in stocking feet. I admit to having a lot more flats, wedges, kitten heels, and pumps than heels 3" or higher - I love the look of a nice pair of flats with jeans or slacks and a nice top for shopping. You don't see girls in heels at the mall or Target very much.