Despite being crammed onto the escalator like a rush hour sardine, I rode through the subway yesterday afternoon feeling quite content thanks to a taste of summer-like weather. After glancing down to admire my newly self-pedicured toes and to bemuse as to whether or not I deserved an ice cream to celebrate the season (I don’t, and I didn’t), I looked up, and that’s when I saw them: the heels of hell.

A well-dressed woman, likely in her mid-30s, was rocking some serious canvas wedges – and some serious strategically-placed bandages on her heels – unaware that her fellow passenger was aghast at the equivalent of bra-strap overload. There were four or five bandages on each heel - to be honest, I lost track after two – layered to cover blisters and the shame of an ill-fitting shoe.

Ladies, ladies, ladies. If you’re old enough to buy your own clothes and accessories, you’re old enough to buy properly fitting footwear. There’s simply no excuse for reverse muffin top (when toes are unceremoniously propelled forward over the edge of a sandal because they have no where else to go), a blister bonanza (go a size up! no one is looking at the number), or having to sulk in the corner on a Saturday night out while your girlfriends are dancing it up (because you bought cheap shoes with no flexibility in the sole and can’t stand for more than five minutes without becoming gripped in pain). Granted, blisters can happen accidentally and even with the most delicious Ferragamo flat by chance, but are mostly by-products of awkwardly placed heels, straps and seams.

Think about it. We all have different body types; likewise, we all have different shapes and sizes of feet. What will work for one narrow-footed Nancy won’t necessarily work for a wider-soled Wilhelmina – which is why there are a virtual bevy of styles to choose from at any given time. And don’t use a sale as an excuse to pick up a pair of ridiculously bad-ass heels that you can never wear because the straps don’t quite cover your ankles. Unless, of course, you like gazing wistfully at unworn shoes in your closet. And if that’s the case, then I suggest a strong drink and blasting some Ting Tings to shake off the discount blues.

So get out there, my fellow bargain connoisseurs, and shop until your coupons drop – and please, try before you buy.

-Karyn Polewaczyk

Digg      Del.icio.us     Technorati     Reddit     Tweet This
Share on Facebook