Yes, it’s another shoe post here! We talked about winter boots last week, and today I want to talk about a classier type of shoe that every woman should own – high heels.
Even if you think you’re “too tall” or “can’t walk in heels”, think again. Every fashionista should own at least one pair of fabulous heels – they’re the perfect example a true fashion must-have, a transformative piece of clothing that adds a little extra something to any outfit.
This is part one of a new series you’ll see here over the next few days – A Girl’s Guide To High Heels. This series will cover everything you might want to know about heels – from how to tell a quality shoe, what to spend on a pair of heels, and even where to buy the perfect pair of high heels.
If you don’t wear heels or don’t have any good quality high heels, this series will hopefully help take some of the mystery away and maybe teach you a few things you didn’t know about these fabulous shoes.
How to Walk in High Heels
I’ve received a lot of emails about walking in heels, so I thought I’d write an article about it to demystify it a bit. But just hear this.. learning to walk in heels is something that takes lots of practice, and it’s not something you can learn just by reading an article!
That said, here are my top tips on how to walk in heels. With practice, you’ll be strutting like a pro in the highest heels!
Start small. If you’ve never walked in high heels before, don’t start out learning with 5 inch stilettos – that’s a recipe for pain and maybe even injury! Try something smaller, like a 2 inch heel or wedge to get used to the feeling. You can always work your way up to your most killer heels.
Walk heel to toe, not toe to heel. While it might be tempting to put your whole foot down at once, don’t do it – it makes your walk look strange when you’re wearing high shoes. Instead, put your heel down first, followed by your toe. This will give you more balance and make your stride look more natural.
Take small steps. Wearing heels naturally makes your stride shorter, so you’ll need to take more steps than usual. Don’t expect to be able to walk as fast as you normally do in high heels.
Step as if you were walking on a straight line. When you walk with one foot in front of the other, it gives your hips the sway that models are known for. Pretend you’re walking on a line on the ground, one foot in front of the other, or practice on an actual straight line at a basketball court or on a line in the floor.
Watch how models do it. Download a video of a fashion show on YouTube and watch the professionals strut in their high heels. While models walk the runway in a way that’s exaggerated from real life, you can learn from their walks and tone it down a little to get the perfect normal-person strut. Practice in front of a mirror until you get it down.
Practice… Then practice some more. At the end of the day, the best way to become a pro at walking in high heels is to do it as often as possible. Practice walking on carpet, slippery floors, up stairs, and outside. No amount of reading how to do it will make a difference if you don’t work at it. Walking in high heels is like any other skill – you need to do it a lot to get good at it.
Here’s a Video on How to Walk in High Heels
I love this video as it gives some great tips!
More About High Heels
Now that you know how to walk in heels, check back here for the next part in the Girl’s Guide To High Heels series where I’ll explain how to find quality high heels, what to look for when you’re shopping, and how much money you should spend on a pair of heels.
If you have any questions, be sure to leave a comment and I’ll try to answer in a future article.
You should add that you shouldn’t look stiff and should still bend your knees when trying to walk. So many girls on my campus have the “stiff-leg syndrome” and just look like Barbie trying to walk in heels…
Also, should also do some core strengthening exercises as well if you were to walk in high heels a lot and also, keep the back straight as well. Probably look for a leather sole based shoe, that way it can last longer and i do agree with starting out small heels. Ive seen a lot of girls who start out with 4-5 inches, only having to take them off!!
Thank you! I will be looking forward to this series!
Hi! I don’t know if it’s my computer being wonky, but there seems to be an incomplete sentence in the post:
“Step as if you were walking on a straight line. When you walk with one foot in front of the other, it gives your hips the sway that models are known for. Pretend youβre walking on a – ”
Just wanted to point it out! I love this series by the way, i’m one of those girls who’s ALWAYS in flats so i’m definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the articles! π
T, Annie…i agree
Another thing you can do is wear you heels around the house, like house slippers. My cousin got me doing it and its a great way to break in new shoes before waering them out or just getting some practice in.
You can wear them when cleaning cooking or just relaxing.
From personal experience, I would say it’s a good idea to break into them first by walking around in them at home. Then wear them outside.
It may come as a surprise but when trying to learn how to walk in high heels, it can be just as challenging or even moreso when you try to stand still.
When walking, you shift your weight a little to maintain your balance, but trying standing still in high heels. You might find yourself wobbling a little if its new for you. Definitely worthwhile to learn standing still as well as learning to walk in them.
any tips on how to dance in high heels? and not end up with bear trap feet….i can’t enjoy a night out because my feet hurt and i cant move, but hate feeling short in flats!!!
This may sound funny. But being a big girl, is learning to walk in heels harder? I’ve always dreamed of wearing high heels but am scared
Jaclyn – Good point – I did forget to mention that! It can’t be comfortable to walk that way anyway.. wouldn’t that put a lot of stress on your knees?
Lyd – Core strengthening exercises are a good idea! I never thought of that, but it really does make sense that if you don’t work out your abs, you won’t walk as well in heels.
i’m a tv and have to say that this post is brilliant. I’ve taken all advice given and can now walk in 5″ heels all day. They make me feel far more like a real women, so thank you all for the advice. xx
Dana, thats the point, practicing wiyh your heels at home makes you perfect. why others walk proper? meaning anyone else can!!!!!
I am 65 and still enjoy wearing pretty heels. A friend had just sent me a pair of knee-hi boots with a high heel can’t walk in them yet but working on it. I do have a nice pair of black heels 3″ that i can walk in though so still feel girly haha
I’m 15
I’m the girl who’s almost ALWAYS in flats! I love them, but lately I see girls strutting around in the most amazing heels and wedges and I feel less of a teenage girl + I want my crush to drop his jaw when he sees me stutting by in my killer new heels! But I’d most likely eat the pavement Dx
walking in heels makes u more elegant i wud love to read ur next article thanks
i ll start little by little
I find that lower body exercising- walking running etc, really helps with the heel walk. I’m pretty overweight and when I first started wearing heels, my ankles would wobble from weakness and my calves would cramp. Now, I don’t have that problem (started run/walking for health) but I need to get the elegant walk down π
I am a 23 year old female wearing heels for the first time! This really helped a lot!! π
High heels, my favorite topic!!! π Chinese Laundry has the best shoes! Comfortable and amazing price point! I just got the Drastic wedge, and they make walking in heels a piece of cake! Great post π
Nice write ups…….
Hi, I have bought a metallic fuchsia sequins colored prom dress, and was wondering which color of high heels are most suitable.
The sides of my toes and the back of my back get swollen and then bruised when I wear heels. Do you have any tips on preventing this? I love the way heels look, but I hate to get scars