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Girls, I just got my first pair of stilettos today (I have four more pairs on the way, lol). The heel is 4 1/2 inches. They have a 1 inch platform, too.
My concern is there is noticeable flex in the heel. As I stride and my heel starts to unweight, I can feel and hear it kick back ever so slightly. It doesn’t effect my walking or anything. But I am worried that I might snap the thing right off. I don’t know if this is caused by the platform and is normal. I don’t know if it’s because I could be taking too long of a stride. I’ve heard lots of times to take short strides but I walk so well and confident in my heels that I have been taking more normal strides. I love these shoes and they are my nicest pair so far. I would hate to ruin them. Let me know if you have noticed anything similar, if it’s normal, or if I need to be more careful how I walk.
Hi Mika
All my heels are 4-5 inches. To my experience if you take to long strides you tend to flex the heel an ever so small bit when you put down the heel. I’ve once broken the heel of a pair of 5 inch heels that way. The heel just snapped, I didn’t hurt myself but it could have been nasty.
Lots of Hugs
Lily
Mika
Your on the right track, smaller strides. The higher the heels, the smaller…AND slower the step. I have a pair of 4.5 inch heels with no platform, I have to slow down and take shorter steps or else the same thing happens.
Robyn 👠👠
Then I’m really glad I asked. I have a pair of 5 inch ones on the way, as well, and none of the incoming pairs have platforms. BTW, I did a quick inventory of what is currently in transit and I have seven pairs of shoes on the way with five of them stilettos. I should probably shift my focus to tops now because I only have two, lol.
Hi Mika,
I agree with Robyn and Lily-Rose. As someone who wears 6″ to 7.5″ stilettos on daily basis, I have experienced similar reactions from stilettos while walking. I walk with a shorter stride and slightly slower pace as the heel height increases, however, still walking with confidence and poise. I discovered that less expensive heels have a greater tendency of behaving as you described but perhaps many of the more expensive name brands of stilettos exhibit this behavior as well.
Goodness, girl!! Please tell me those 6 and 7.5 inch heels have platforms. I just got some 4.3 inch heels that are causing me all kinds of torture. 3.75 heels are a piece of cake for me and I thought the 4.3 wouldn’t be too bad.
Oh goodness…yes all my 6″, 7″ and 8″ wedges and stilettos have a platform. They range from 1.75″ for 6″ heels to 4″ platforms for the 8″ to 8.5″ stilettos. Lately I have been wearing more 8″ heels than 6″, but my go to heels are 7″ to 7.5″ heels. I was recently complimented by another customer while shopping for dresses and pantyhose. She thought I looked amazing in black 8″ stilettos and matching black floral lace pantyhose. This would not have been possible if those heels lacked a platform. I have been wearing 8″ heels for several years and the primary reason why I can confidently wear 8″ heels out in public is due to there their platform which makes stable and easy to walk in. Plus, the platform makes the heel extremely comfortable which consequently minimizing the possibility of aching feet and enables me to wear them all day.
Great idea Mika, wearing them around the house and getting acclimated to a 5″ heel. I follow the same practice as you and most of the other girls here. Wear at home get used to the feel of the heel as well as its height. Once a certain level confidence is achieved I introduce them to the public. As somebody already mentioned wearing high heels with confidence is a part of the learning curve. I never stop learning. Next challenge for me are 9″ and 10″ Infinity and Beyond heels by Pleaser. Good luck on your journey into high heels.
From everything I have read, and learned, Mika, as girls we need to take shorter strides anyway, as “him”, no one keeps up with me, I take 1/4 mile strides, so it is a challenge
Regine
And here I am thinking I went overboard with 3 pairs in two days 🙂
(Well, they are my first womens shoes and they are all so cute! 3″ heel booties and then two pairs of booties with 1 3/4″ heels.) Since they’re my first, I’m still getting used to the 3″ heels. LOVE THEM THOUGH!
Good luck with your new stilettos, Mika. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
<kisses> tara 🙂
I have 3” booties that have been my favorite. I wore them on my first public outing this past Sunday.
My first stilettos (from this post) are awesome! They are my most expensive pair so far. But they were more comfortable right out of the box than shoes I broke in for two weeks. On the other hand, I got some more stilettos today that are the most torturous things ever. I have learned from the public chat girls that it’s because they are pointed toes and I should have gone up, at least, a half size for them. Lesson learned. Both pairs, good and bad, are in my public photos
Hi Mika Havent had that experiance yet because im scared to get that high off the floor . LOL
Most of mine are in 3 to 4 inch range still working up doing real in a kitten 2 and 3 like i said a 4 sometimes havent tried anything taller yet to scared ha ha
Stephanie Bass
When I got my first few pairs of women’s heels, I started practicing my walking with the highest ones I had, 3.75 inches. These were all chunky heels because I was in such a hurry to go public and didn’t want to struggle with stilettos. I wore those 3.75’s for two weeks straight. When I started wearing my lower heels it was like nothing at all. That’s probably not the best way to start for most people though.
I’ve never experienced that, Mika but I weigh like 4 pounds! LOL I’d only advise to put the weight of your step in the ball / toes of your step. Hopefully that helps. It does change the ‘dynamic’ and the way that you step, but it’s supposed to. The point of stiletto’s as I’m sure you know, is to accentuate the length of leg and make the butt more poignant…
I would suggest you wear therm as often as possible and walk around in them a lot. get used to them. Break them in, then see how you like them and if the issue you noticed goes away.
Thanks, Patty. Actually, they are my favorite pair of shoes so far. They were more comfortable out of the box than shoes I broke in for two weeks. Thus, I’ve been wearing them almost non stop since I got them. I should find out before too long if this helps.
I know so well how wonderful and fun it is to wear sexy heels. When I got my first couple of pairs, I never wanted to take mine off. I even wore them to bed.
Mika,
You’ve probably received far more advice/opinion than is helpful already, but, as an avid stiletto fan, I thought I’d weigh in. My first pair of actual stilettos, 4 inches or more, were black patten leather, peep-toes. They’re well displayed in many of my older pictures. They coordinated well with many outfits and I wore them often. While they were quite comfortable, due to the platform sole, the entire shoe was stiffer and, therefore the heel would kind of flex and snap as it was unweighted. I did not worry about it breaking – most manufacturers build those things to support pretty big people. I still have several pair of platform stilettos that are beautiful, but they all have that flexing/snapping dynamic. More recently, I’ve looked for stilettos without platforms. These heels deliver a full 4+ height, not diminished by the platform differential. I like the added lift and actually find them easier to negotiate. More importantly, however, the entire shoe is more flexible, adaptive, and a whole lot lighter. The heels do not seem to bind and move more easily with the entire shoe. SO, my suggestion is try some high ones without the platforms and see if you share my perspective!
FAM
I am going to do just that. I got some 4 1/2 inch stilettos without a platform but they ran small and I had to return them. I have a pair of 4.7 inch stilettos without a platform that should be arriving any day now. Hopefully, they fit and I don’t kill myself trying to walk in them. But I am still looking for some around 4-4.5 inches still. I kinda felt like the stiffness of the platforms had something to do with it.
I just got my first pair of ballet stilettos, and I have too many pairs of heels, so I may not be the right person to ask – ha ha
I learned from watching a few online videos, practicing, watching a few more, and buying decent quality shoes that fit better, last longer, and have better mechanical design for ‘striding’.
I also have narrow feet and use ball of foot pads, heel grips and tread grips as needed. Take care of your feet, take care of your shoes and you’ll get more enjoyment out of them.
If you are just starting out, I would recommend wearing a thin compression knee sock while you are getting used to it all. It will help the shoe fit better and help prevent rubbing your foot sore in a tender spot.Thanks so much for all that advice. I just put an order through for some 5 inch stilettos. I was hoping to find just the right pair in the 4.5 inch range but had to go with the 5’s. I’m definitely going to have to take all your advice into consideration as I try to get used to those.
My daughter really wanted me to get some ballet stilettos and I just had to say, “no way.” Those are as extreme as they get. Props to you for getting those!
You say they’re comfortable, would you mind sharing the brand? I don’t yet have a pair of stilettos and would like one as long as they don’t double as torture devices
Bridgette vS
Mika, I recently bought my first pair of girly shoes. They’re 5 inch heels. Closed toe. No platform. Walking heel-to-heel-toe on a concrete surface, I think I’m experiencing the same phenomenon you describe. At the moment my weight fully transfers from the heel to the ball of my foot, he heel sounds like it’s sliding back slightly against the floor.
I didn’t read all the replies and I don’t know if this is normal, but it’s definitely happening with a non-platform heeled shoe. It could be my walking technique. Best of luck and happy dressing!
Here’s a bit of an update. I think the heel scuffing is just because of the flex in the footbed with my long feet. I noticed when I was walking around the house with my 5 inch heels that they were making a little squeaky noise. I started walking around with a half step (only about 6 inches) and I was still getting the sound. I have also been wearing some 4 inch block heels. They are doing the same thing on the hardwood floor with the half steps. On concrete it’s noticeable on them too even with tiny steps. If I am just standing on the hardwood, I can shift my weight and make them do it. I guess it’s just a normal thing for some of my shoes. It seems to just be how much flex there is in the shoes and unavoidable in my case.
Mika…
Please don’t stride! Walk softly and upright, thighs together and take shorter steps… especially in stilettos. Stride out in flats or loafers if you want but the whole allure of stilettos is the slow and elegant pace you present.
I have seen women clumping along in the high shoes and even the so-called beauties look inelegant and clumsy.
Practice your shorter walk, thighs together up and down every day until you get it down, Sister!Love Polly
I trained myself but starting out walking in kitten heels with a 1 1/2 heel and then to 3 inch and now move naturally in a 41/2. I even learned to dance in them with my boyfriend. Now just need to learn the tango. I love em
I have a new update too, Mika. I received a pair of strappy 5 inch heels on Thursday. Again, no platform. Walking on concrete seems to generate the same effect I described before. But walking on hardwood or vinyl plank flooring does not! So, maybe as some of the other sisters have said, the platform contributes to the issue? Not sure. Best of luck!
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