Ladies, Tell Us About You and Your Shoes!

We asked New York City women about their relationship with their heels. Here’s what we found out:

 

Colleen 

1. How often do you wear heels? Everyday.

2. On what occasions do you wear them? To work, going out, to the deli…

3. What kinds of shoes do you like? Something over the top of VERY plain. I prefer something with a high heel, but recently started wearing some lower heel and even flat shoes (sneakers).

4. How do you feel about high heels? I feel like some of my legs are missing when I do not have them on… Sometimes they are painful, but when I wear flat shoes I get pains in my legs because they’re not used to stretching so much that my heel can hit the ground. 

5. How high are your heels? 2.5-4inches.

6. What kind of heels do you like? I have many stiletto heels, but usually wear medium thickness, because most boots come with those kind of heels. In the summer, I wear a lot more really thin heels because I don’t like clunky open shoes unless they are a wedge heel to make a statement. 

7. How often do you buy shoes? I am always on the hunt! I buy them as soon as I find the right pair for the right price!

8. How often do you buy high heels? Every shoe I purchase is high-heeled… well about 95%.

9. What criteria do you use to buy shoes? I am always hunting for the sexy high heel shoe that has some sort of comfort and can really hold up well. I tend to kill shoes with the amount that I pound the pavement. Nothing is worse than getting a flat tire in the middle of the day when you still have hours of running up and down subway steps left. 

10. How many pairs of heels do you have? More than 75.

11. Would you say you develop an emotional attachment to your shoes? YES!! When I find a good pair, I do everything I can to make them last. My shoemaker is as important as my real doctor. When my shoes are on their way out, I will save those last wears (sometimes for months) until I have a special occasion to retire them for. I have a shoe graveyard that gets cleaned out twice a year. I get sad, but then I try to buy more shoes to fill the void. I talk about shoes from the past like they were relatives who passed away! I even took shoe making classes at FIT to see if there were ways I could make my shoes last longer or make shoes myself that would last longer!

12. How often do you walk? I walk for many hours everyday. I do, on average, about 3000 stairs a day in addition to the walking. I am almost always carrying something very heavy too. 

13. For what reasons do you choose to walk/not to walk? If there is ever an elevator or an escalator, I will wait– any opportunity to not have to do another stair is taken! I also live in a 6th floor walk up and I have a dog that has to go out at least 3 times a day– that is over 600 stairs right there. And that is if I don’t go anywhere, like work or to eat something or to see friends. ANY opportunity to not have to take stairs I will take– even if it makes me late! Also, sometimes I take cabs when I just can’t carry something because I will blow out my shoes– which has happened on numerous occasions!! 

 

Beth

1. How often do you wear heels? 2-3 times a week.

2. On what occasions do you wear them? Mostly for work, sometimes to go out at night.

3. What kinds of shoes do you like? I like shoes that are classy, but not too conservative.

4. How do you feel about high heels? Heels are a combination of sexy and painful… but also elegant. Low heels are ok, but I rarely wear super-high heels, especially if I need to walk anywhere (which I usually do).

5. How high are your heels? Most of my heels are about 2″ tall. 

6. What kind o heels do you like? Generally kitten heels. Don’t like chunky heels, and stilettos, while sexy, are just too ouchy to wear.

7. How often do you buy heels? Maybe 2-3 times a year. 

8. What criteria do you use to buy shoes? They have to be versatile – e.g. can wear with many outfits, beautiful (of course) and also comfortable.

9. How many pairs of shoes do you have? How many pairs of high heels? Around 20 pairs (more or less), and about a third are high heels.

10. Would you say you develop an emotional attachment to your shoes? No.

11. How often do you walk? For what reasons do you choose to walk/not to walk? I do significant walking only 3 days a week, as I have to commute by car the other 4… If I could, it would be every day though.

 

Samantha

1. How often do you wear heels? On what occasions do you wear them? I used to wear them every day- until I got pantar fasciatius and now have to wear sneakers with an orthodic. Wish there was a sexy shoe that would hold an orthodic, so I could go back to heels. I have over 300 pairs of brand new shoes that need to go on Ebay– classic, sexy style– always in fashion.

2. What kinds of shoes do you like? Never met a shoe I couldn’t love– want them in all styles & colors to match my outfits. For daily wear, a small not-too-thin heel that I can walk in without tripping and falling. Special events, something more sexy and slutty (but with class).

3. How do you feel about high heels? Painful, sexy, frivolous, confidence-boosters– depending on the shoe. There are some sexy comfortable ones. 

4. How high are your heels? What kind of heels do you like? For work and walking, 2-inch heels– solid, not chunky. For evening, 3 inches, and slimmer. 

5. How often do you buy high heels? Before I had foot problems, whenever a pair caught my attention. Funny thing about shoes– no matter how much weight you gain, and you may not want to buy that extra size in clothes, you can always buy more shoes. 

6. What criteria do you use to buy shoes? I like all kinds of shoes, but they always have to be relatively comfortable. 

7. How many pairs of shoes do you have? High heels? Over 300– mostly heels, about 95%– and then a few flats and sexy boots. I don’t count my sneakers in this total. 

8. Would you say you develop an emotional attachment to your shoes? Yes– as I still have all of them, even though I have not been able to wear them for the past 5 years. I do sneak in some for special occasions– can’t wear sneakers during a formal party– even if I have to wear them to & from.

9. How often do you walk? For what reasons do you choose to walk/not to walk? I walk all the time– fastest way to get somewhere and sometimes the most direct.

Notes: I am passionate about shoes and would love to be further involved in your endeavors– even as a beta tester for a prototype. –Samantha

 

Sarah

1. How often do you wear heels? Twice a year-ish.

2. What kinds of shoes do you like? Sneakers and comfy nicer black shoes with height, platformy sort of, tall boots with height too. 

3. How do you feel about high heels? Very sexy! But impossible for me to feel great in them all night because too uncomfortable. 

4. What kind of heels do you like? Chunky or kitten heels.

5. How often do you buy shoes? Not often.

6. What criteria do you use to buy shoes? Cute and Comfortable.

7. How many pairs of shoes do you have? How many pairs of high heels? 23 pairs of shoes. 2 pairs of high heels.

8. Would you say you develop an emotional attachment to your shoes? No, not a huge shoe person. Grow huge attachment to coats and other apparel though. 

9. How often do you walk? For what reasons do you choose to walk/not to walk? I love walking. But only if my feet feel good. And not when it’s too cold. 

 

Bret

1. How often do you wear heels? Just about every day. 

2. What kinds of shoes do you like? When you wear heels as much as I do, you can tell teh difference between a well-made shoe and well, everything else. So I always look for shoes made in Italy or Europe– sling backs, pumps, boots, etal. 

3. How do you feel about high heels? Nothing looks as put together as a beautiful high-heeled shoe. And when you buy good quality, they are usually quite comfortable. 

4. How high are your heels? What kind of heels do you like? Thin, kitten, stiletto, louis heel– from 2 to 5 inches.

5. How often do you buy high heels? Whenever I can.

6. What criteria do you use to buy shoes? Beautiful, well-made, and “me” — if I stick with that, everything else usually falls into place. 

7. How many pairs of shoes do you have? High heels? Total: over 50. High heels: about 35. 

8. Would you say you develop an emotional attachment to your shoes? Absolutely.

9. How often do you walk? For what reasons do you choose to walk/ not to walk? All the time. I am a runner as well. Although I try not to run in heels

Notes: If you have any other questions feel free to call me.

 

Jennifer

1. How often do you wear heels? On what occasions do you wear them? Special occasions– theatre, dinner, holidays– or when I don’t have to walk anywhere. 

2. What kinds of shoes do you like? I love all kinds. I love frye leather boots, new balance sneakers, and I have a couple of pairs of dress heels for special occasions. 

3. How do you feel about high heels? They look great, and they are fun to wear. I do love them, but they wear me out, and I never wear them during the day. 

4. How high are your heels? They range from super-almost-can’t-walk-in-them to just manageable. 

5. How often do you buy shoes? High heels? Twice a year, but then I only shop four times a year too!

6. What criteria do you use to buy shoes? Comfort first, unless I’m buying a high heel. 

7. How many pairs of high heels do you have? Three. 

8. Would you say you develop an emotional attachment to your shoes? No. 

9. How often do you walk? For what reasons do you choose to walk/not to walk? I walk every day for at least half an hour. I like to incorporate it into my day.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 15th, 2008 at 6:46 pm and is filed under HiHeeling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.