During Christmas, Aldo was having a big sale and I picked up a pair of nude patent leather pumps. Aldo shoes aren’t offered in half sizes, so I sized up and crossed my fingers that I could make them work. Unfortunately, when they arrived, I teeter-tottered about in them because the foot bed was too large and my feet kept slipping out. Felt like I was 7 years old wobbling around playing dress-up in my mom’s heels! Even after putting in insoles, they were loose and my feet had to curl into camel pose to hold up the shoe. They were cute though, so I wore them out one night – only to end up begging my boyfriend to carry me back to the apartment!
After setting the shoes aside for a few months, I decided to look into heel liners to see if they could make the inside of the shoe smaller and consequently, fit better. No reason to let pretty shoes sit at home unworn! I went into the foot care section at Rite Aid and bought some Dr. Scholls’ heel liners (also on sale at drugstore.com). They’re adhesive sponge grippers that fit inside the concave back of the shoe, and the point is to fill out space in the shoe so that your foot shifts back against the back of the shoe and aren’t slipping out.
They worked great and made a dramatic difference! With the insoles and the heel liners, my foot now filled out the shoe much better and I had a solid grip in each step that I took. Now I could walk confidently in the shoes (well... still carefully, since they’re super tall)
Alternatively, toe pads can be used fill out the front part of the shoe to prevent feet from slipping. I tried these initially but there was still too much space. Aldo’s half size up meant business. Companies like Dr. Scholl’s and Foot Petals (I like their Sole Stoppers too) make great products to help with shoe problems.
Poorly fitting shoes strains the feet and increases your chances of tripping/falling/spraining an ankle. Pretty shoes can still be comfortable! On top of that, it’s a waste of your money to buy shoes that end up sitting in the closet. The good news is, there are lots of solutions to help ensure a great fit!
That's interesting...I got really similar Taupe pumps from Aldo around that time. 6 was the smallest they had left and it was much too big. I tried full insoles, plus extra toe insole, but didn't think to use heel padding. I didn't think it would make that much of a difference!
ReplyDeleteI refuse to buy shoes now unless it is the right size (or too small, cuz leather can be stretched) ...I see women all the time stuttering around in heels with an inch gap in the back and I'm just waiting for them to fall.
I have these pumps in black and wanted these taupe ones but never had my size 5's in stock:( Love your blog!!!
ReplyDelete@ PAG - I agree now with buying shoes that fit well off the bat. When I look at these pumps, I feel a little silly with insoles + heel padding + sometimes extra toe pad! They were at the right price point though, hard to pass up =P
ReplyDelete@ Really Petite - I bet it's really tough to find shoes in your size, especially on sale! I've been needing a taupe/nude pair of heels but wish these were more practical.
I have not much time, but I've got many useful things here, love it!
ReplyDelete