What causes you most problems when you are walking in heels?

[Dollybird]

Anyone who wears heels regularly has had embarrassing moments when inanimate objects attack your shoes. As a daily heel wearer I've had more than my fair share. I was wondering if it's just me or if you have had the same problems. I've listed the main culprits from my experience here. Which of these has attacked you most?

[Roxyinheels]

Cobbled streets and sidewalks. There 's still a lot of them where I live.

[Amanda]

Cobbled streets and sidewalks. There 's still a lot of them where I live.

I agree. They are my least favorite of all.

[heidi.bier]

Dolly, you listed some very serious challenges to heel wearers. I really have to think about your list as they all seem to apply to me LOL. Stairs, especially steep staircases without hand rails present the biggest challenges to me. In fact, I was giving a presentation at a very old museum one time. The staircase was long, windy, steep and it did not have a hand rail. I was wearing a white business skirt suit with white knee high boots that had 3" stiletto heels. With no one in the staircase, I took off my knee high boots. With them off, I realized that the thick grey wool socks and black pantyhose I had on underneath did not match my white skirt suit at all! I quickly grabbed my boots and went up the stairs as quickly as possible to avoid anyone seeing me. Once I arrived at the 3rd floor, I quickly put my boots back on.

[Amanda]

went up the stairs as quickly as possible to avoid anyone seeing me. Once I arrived at the 3rd floor, I quickly put my boots back on.

That's odd, I never had problems going up stairs before4. Only down.

That's odd, I never had problems going up stairs before4. Only down.

Actually that's not entirely true. Come to think of it, I did trip going up steps in a restaurant once wearing pointy shoes. One toe of which caught on the step.

[thehighheelsgirl]

Cobbled streets and sidewalks. There 's still a lot of them where I live.

Absolutely!

[OmNomBRAINS]

Cracks in sidewalks mostly. Our city has quite poor walkways, and I have to dodge all the cracks on my way to work.

[Alexa]

Seems like ages since I've logged in here. I didn't even know whether my password would still work. The things I find most difficult are sideways slopes. I'm usually to be found wearing a fairly broad heel, so thye're less likely to go down through gratings or between paving stones, but my love of platforms means a side slope is an adventure in itself. Yes, I'd agree with Amanda, going downstairs is a challenge. Wearing heels makes the whole staircase seem steeper and more precipitous. Alexa

[heidi.bier]

Alexa, very good to see you again!!!!!!!

Do your platform heels have a good rubber grip on the bottom Alexa?

Alexa said:

Seems like ages since I've logged in here. I didn't even know whether my password would still work. The things I find most difficult are sideways slopes. I'm usually to be found wearing a fairly broad heel, so thye're less likely to go down through gratings or between paving stones, but my love of platforms means a side slope is an adventure in itself.

Yes, I'd agree with Amanda, going downstairs is a challenge. Wearing heels makes the whole staircase seem steeper and more precipitous.

Alexa

 

Amanda Snake said:

That's odd, I never had problems going up stairs before4. Only down.

Actually that's not entirely true. Come to think of it, I did trip going up steps in a restaurant once wearing pointy shoes. One toe of which caught on the step.

I agree, going down stairs is even more hazardous in high heels but the staircase I was mentioning was very steep and the ledge was very narrow so evening going up the stairs was a huge challenge for me.

After my presentation, I waited until no one was around on the stairwell before I removed my boots and walked down on socked feet. I find it really embarrassing to have to remove my high heel boots in public. Partially because it means that I can't handle such high heels, even if the environment was hazardous like that rickety old staircase, secondly because I don't want people to know that I can wear such high heels because I hide layers of padding such as a layer of thick wool socks and two layers of pantyhose inside my boots for padding and thirdly because my grey wool socks do not match the rest of my outfit!

Has anyone else had to remove their heels to navigate a certain environment like a steep staircase or cobblestone walkways?

[Alexa]

Hi there Heidi, fancy seeing you here again! Some of my shoes and boots have a more grippy rubber sole, but a lot of them, especially from mainstream retailers like Schuh and Office just have plain flat soles. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. The most difficult thing is walking on a sideways slope in low-cut pumps or courts as peole call them in the UK. No ankle support! Alexa

[Dollybird]

Alexa I am with you on teh pave,menst that slope sideways. I have a 10/12 minute wlk from teh car park ot teh office \i work in and there is one bit where there is a steep slope because it goes into a supermarket drive. I generally go into teh road dependnat on traffic to avoid it . The two I have every day though is on the car park I use it's quite small and has two floors above ground but there is no lift so you are left with some concrete stairs or a steep ramp down. The concrete stairs are a nightmare becuase if you catch the back of your shoes going down it scrapes themk very badly. My technique is to turn my feet to 45 degrees so my shoes fits on the whole step and there's less chance of falling or scrapping my shoes. I was amd with myself last week because I scrapped the toe of my shoes going up the stairs. My excuse was that i was carrying my handbag, work bag and a bag of shopping. Given the shoes I wear my boss says I defy the laws of physics. If I take the ramp I just walk down slowly - it's not very wide and I've had people comment under there breath that I'm holding them up and some rude poeple just brush past me. A few months ago a woman sent me flying so she got a mouthful - hey ho.

[heidi.bier]

Alexa, do you mean your ankles tend to pop out of your pumps as you are walking on a slope? ..... Ouch, I never knew it was that challenging to walk in court shoes/low cut pumps! I will have to keep that in mind if I encounter sloped surfaces. I guess I am lucky in that I typically don't encounter ramps, just stairs primarily and even that, I can often get around by taking an elevator or escalator. Getting on fast moving escalators can be challenging if I am wearing tall thin heels as it takes me a moment to balance when I step down each time but the moving stairs requires another moment to compensate. Dolly, you are very creative with the walking down concrete stairs at 45 degrees! I know when I need to navigate stairs when wearing inline skates, I would walk down the steps at a 90 degree angle until I have reached a flat surface. I will have to keep your idea in mind when walking in particularly narrow concrete staircases to protect my heels too!

[Alexa]

Heidi, no, nothing acutally pops out. Well, I have tripped and lost a shoe occasionally, but that's very rare. What I mean is one's ankles feel vulnerable and a bit wobbly. Dolly - I'm with you on the technique for going down the stairs. Plus holding the handrail too! On slopes, I try to walk with my feet pointing down the slope, so sometimes it looks like I'm scuttling sideways. But it's better than running the risk of turning my ankle. Pedestrians have to cope with much worse surfaces on the pavements than cars do on the road. in fact, where there are a lot of changes in the pavement, or it's icy, I tend to walk in the road where I can, and get the benefit of a surface that is level and has been gritted! Alexa

[Steffie]

I have got my heel stuck and walked out of my shoe. At first I found it embarrassing, until I noticed how much men like to see it happen.

[Alexa]

One thing I hate is those knobbly bits of paving you get near pedestrian crossings in the British Isles. In platform pumps epecially, they can tip your foot sideways. Alexa

[heidi.bier]

Steffe, Alexa, Dolly, have you ever encountered an area with rough terrain where you just slipped off your heels and walked across it barefoot before putting your heels back on?

[Steffie]

Heidi I have taken my shoes off to walk on soft grass.

[sharon]

Hi girls,for me the biggest problem i find is walking down steep ramps, i find my self having to walk kind of side ways a bit and at times i have noticed people taking a odd look at me for walking this way, also i do find that my heels pop out and my feet arch more esp when im wearing courts / pumps when walking down hills ect, but all in all i tend to cope faily well .

[michelles]

In Germany there is usually a fine grid (is that the right word? ) under the doormat to prevent it from sliding away. The problem is, there are usually a lot of grids without doormats. This is a really nasty trap, especially in the night, when you cannot see them...

[Alexa]

Yes, I certainly have taken my shoes off tom cross uneven or soft surfaces in the past, but as I’ve said on here, I’m getting more uncomfortable with walking or standing in a flat footed position now I’ve been wearing heels for so long, so it doesn’t happen as much now. In fact, I don’t know whether I’m just getting better at choosing my routes, but I find I’m less often confronted with grass and cobbles as I wander around. I’m mostly walking on what my boyfriend calls ‘engineered surfaces’. For going off the beaten track I shall be getting some platform trainers or wedges sometime soon.

Once I’m barefoot outdoors I tend to stay that way for a while. I don’t like putting dirty feet back inside my shoes! So I try to wait until I get a chance to wash them.

Alexa

[heidi.bier]

Alexa, you are very hygienic, leaving your sandals off until you can wash yourself so that when you wear them you are clean. I see many co-workers taking shortcuts across the company parking lot in rough terrain over the summer time. They take off their high heeled sandals, walk across and put them back on at the office. Michelle, I know what you mean by grids, they are extremely hazardous to anyone wearing heels as you can get very very stuck in them!

[Alexa]

Well, I wouldn't want to get dirt in the lining of a favourite pair! I have slipped really cheap shoes off and on outdoors, but that's for budget varieties that I tend to think of as more or less disposable anyway. Alexa

[heidi.bier]

What about when you go to work Alexa? Have you ever gotten yourself dirty and had to wash yourself in the restroom at work before slipping your sandals back on in the office?

[Alexa]

Ha ha – I work in an office, and spend my time in front of a computer screen and going to meetings, so it’s not exactly dirty work! However, there is a toilet on our floor which is like a self-contained little washroom. You can lock yourself in and enjoy having your own washbasin, hot air hand drier and paper towels. So I sometimes pop in there for a bit of privacy if I need to freshen up. The washbasin is really low so you can get your feet in it if need be. There’s even a bunch of flowers in there sometimes, so it feels quite homely.

Alexa

[pata]

slippy surfaces- anykind you do not expect: ice on the streets, sometimes mud, sometimes wet tiling, sometimes silicon oil on the floor

[heidi.bier]

Having a private restroom is really advantageous indeed! I can see how you can use that to clean yourself after getting your feet dirty when it rains outside Alexa.

I wish I had a private restroom at the office so if I need to change the padding in my high heel boots, I can simply go into a private restroom, take off my boots where no one can smell anything, change my socks or pantyhose to a non-sweaty pair, put everything back on and return to my desk! haha

Ha ha – I work in an office, and spend my time in front of a computer screen and going to meetings, so it’s not exactly dirty work! However, there is a toilet on our floor which is like a self-contained little washroom. You can lock yourself in and enjoy having your own washbasin, hot air hand drier and paper towels. So I sometimes pop in there for a bit of privacy if I need to freshen up. The washbasin is really low so you can get your feet in it if need be. There’s even a bunch of flowers in there sometimes, so it feels quite homely.

Alexa

[heelsrule]

Dolly, you listed some very serious challenges to heel wearers. I really have to think about your list as they all seem to apply to me LOL. Stairs, especially steep staircases without hand rails present the biggest challenges to me.

In fact, I was giving a presentation at a very old museum one time. The staircase was long, windy, steep and it did not have a hand rail. I was wearing a white business skirt suit with white knee high boots that had 3" stiletto heels. With no one in the staircase, I took off my knee high boots. With them off, I realized that the thick grey wool socks and black pantyhose I had on underneath did not match my white skirt suit at all! I quickly grabbed my boots and went up the stairs as quickly as possible to avoid anyone seeing me. Once I arrived at the 3rd floor, I quickly put my boots back on.

Wouldn't be the first time shows have been removed for similar, I would have taken shoes off with or without people around. Much better than broken neck.

Have I removed shoes for poor footpaths, deep muddy grounds yep. Also been given a piggy back by hubby, not easy or elegate in a fitted dress.

[heidi.bier]

Wouldn't be the first time shows have been removed for similar, I would have taken shoes off with or without people around. Much better than broken neck.

Have I removed shoes for poor footpaths, deep muddy grounds yep. Also been given a piggy back by hubby, not easy or elegate in a fitted dress.

You even took your heels off outdoors? Did you end up with ripped pantyhose or ruined socks that way?

[Leigh]

The worst for me is stuck heels as its very embarrassing when it happens. Really dont like that.

[heidi.bier]

Stuck heels? As in stuck in a crack on the sidewalk?

The worst for me is stuck heels as its very embarrassing when it happens. Really dont like that.