The Best and Worst Advice for Walking in High Heels

Today, InStyle posted a quick little guide to the art of walking in high heels. Their tips included searching for shoes with a forward arch, scratching the soles of the shoes to avoid slipping, having the toe stretched out to keep it from pinching your piggies and using water to soften leather and mold it to your own feet.

These are all great high heel walking tips, and we thought surely there must be tons more floating around cyberland. Want more tips for walking in any pair like InStyle offered? We’ve compiled the best ones (and the worst) here for a complete guide to stiletto steadiness:

• Keep good posture: You’ve heard it before – shoulders back, head up. But what is even more important here is keeping your abs tucked and tight for balance, especially if you’re teetering on 8-inch spikes.
• Buy the right size: Seems too easy, but having enough room for your foot, while ensuring your foot is correctly distributed over the shape of the shoe can vastly improve the comfort of heels.
• Step lightly: If you stomp down on every step, the greater impact will just wear your feet out faster, and could potentially lead to more friction and blisters.
• Land on the ball of your foot: Walking on your heels or toes will only further throw your balance.
• Practice: Walking around in a pair of high heels at home before wearing them out will help you get accustomed to the extra height and shifted balance. It’s also smart to try dancing in them at home before hitting the floor at a wedding or club.
• Avoid socks and tights: If you’re an experienced heel walker or you can find the kind of tights with grips on the soles, go for it. Otherwise, adding a slippery fabric between your foot and the shoe can be disastrous. Proof: Back in 2008, models for Prada stumbled on the catwalk from wearing socks in their heels.
• Use those thigh muscles: If you can feel them contracting while you walk, you’re getting it right.
• It always helps if your high heels actually have heels. If you aren’t Daphne Guiness, you’ll probably end up on the floor. Lady Gaga can attest to this.
• If you can’t walk in the shoes, don’t wear them: The best advice of all.

And here, just for funsies, some terrible advice for walking in heels we found while searching the Internet:

• Cling to a friend for extra stability
• Wear your heels only when you can avoid walking altogether.
• Walk like you are on a tight rope with both arms outstretched to maintain your balance.

Sources: StyleBinge, InStyle, About.com, Howcast, Times Online, The Coveted