shoewawa
What are the biggest shoe mistakes and how can we avoid them? We’ve rounded up the worst fashion slip-ups involving footwear, with some sound advice on how you can avoid them. Read on for the wisdom!
1. Peep-toe shoes with stockings
A few seasons ago, we saw the introduction of a footwear item that I immediately pegged as a disaster waiting to happen: the winter peep-toe. Usually integrated into an ankle boot, it encourages one of the worst sartorial errors in the book: wearing open-toed shoes with stockings. This unattractive, wrinkly look is never a great basis for an outfit.
You can hardly blame the poor wearer: cold weather plus shoe open to the elements equals stockings, surely? But the resulting look is terrible! Do yourself a favour and don’t buy these items: stick to shoes that were built for winter wear instead – or brave the chilblains by going hosiery-free. The choice is yours…
2. Worn-down heels
All heels wear out sooner or later, whether they’re from Primark or Prada – but the good news is this problem is ridiculously easy to fix. At the first sign of wear and tear, simply take your shoes down to your local cobbler (yes, they do still exist!) and get them re-heeled: it should set you back no more than £15.
Wearing shoes that are already worn-down at the heel is not only a short cut to ruining them altogether, it completely ruins their look as well. You might think that a sloping or shortened heel is a minor defect – you don’t see it while you’re wearing it, after all! But a mangled stiletto can cheapen the look of your whole outfit, and it’s also dangerous to walk in heels that are different heights.
3. Shoes that don’t suit your feet
Just as not everyone can rock a miniskirt, not everyone has the feet for every style of shoe. In fact, ask any one woman what shoes she prefers not to wear and you’ll quickly find that most of us have already found our happy footwear medium. For some, completely flat shoes are out, as they need the support of a heel and arch support. Others will simply never feel happy in heels, and if your feet aren’t happy, your whole look will be off. So if you know you’ll hate it, don’t wear it!
Fashion is not so prescriptive that you can’t find beautiful shoes in whatever style suits you best. So if you’re finding this season’s clumpy flatforms don’t flatter your ankles, go for a wedge or a delicate kitten heel instead. And if you can’t do ballet flats for dressed-down days, check out the newest leisurewear trainers in beautiful prints and fabrics – the possibilities are endless!
4. Shoes that don’t really fit properly
We’ve all been there: that shoe we’ve been eyeing up all season but can’t quite justify buying suddenly goes into sale and it’s even more affordable than expected. Hoo-rah! But then we notice it’s only available half a size too small. But it’s only half a size. That can’t possibly hurt. Right? Wrong…
Shoe sizing is there for a reason, and you’ll be wasting your money if you spend it on kicks that are too big or small no matter how much of a bargain they seem. If you really love a shoe and decide you can’t live without it, snap it up while it’s still in your size!
5. The wrong shoe for the occasion
I was going to simply call this last section ‘Crocs’, but in the interests of being inclusive to all tastes, I’m going to revise that judgement. We all have our preferences, and if that means wearing Crocs (in the comfort of your own home or at the supermarket!) then that’s your shout. But there’s a time and a place for every shoe, and getting this code wrong is one of the biggest footwear mistakes you can ever make.
Or to put it another way: don’t wear trainers to a job interview. Don’t wear DMs to a wedding (unless it’s a themed one!), don’t wear Uggs in the office (unless the central heating fails), avoid wearing high heels with boot cut jeans (pet peeve!) and never, ever wear stilettoes while climbing up a mountain…it’s all pretty basic stuff!
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