Search for a missing shoe

A lady who lost one of her designer shoes, which cost around £400, has been handing out leaflets, sticking up posters and offering a reward in order to find it. According to this article in The Telegraph  her husband bought her the shoes for Christmas. When she was on a night out she changed to flats and put them in her bag, but she thinks she dropped the left shoe at a taxi rank. What lengths would you go to if you lost one of your shoes?

Cosmetic surgery for the feet – a toe tuck!

Although I have often been frustrated by the size of my feet when shopping for shoes (before I started Small Measures of course!), I have never considered surgery. However an article in the Chicago Tribune this month brought to my attention that such surgery does exist, maybe not to increase the size of your foot but a podiatric surgeon says there is a procedure where the top of your toe can be shortened to help your feet fit in high heels.  Could a toe tuck be the next big thing?

The end of Crocs?

According to the NY Daily News the popularity of Crocs is declining. These colourful plastic clogs first hit stores in 2002. In 2006 Crocs was at its peak and the company increased production but now they are apparently struggling with debt and left with a surplus of shoes. People either love them or hate them, if crocs were no longer around would you miss them?

Short of Space for your Shoes?

If you’re running out of room for all your shoes then I have just read in The Sun about a revolutionary new “shoe wheel”. Rather than leaving your heels in a pile at the bottom of the wardrobe, or under your bed, you can slot up to 30 pairs of shoes into pockets and rotate to make a selection!  Hmmm..now what can I do with all that extra space…

Packing Light For Your Holidays – Which Shoes to Choose!

My daughter recently went to France on her summer holidays and every year has the same problem- which shoes to take with her! An article in The Canadian Press provides some tips for packing light. They suggest wearing your heaviest pair of shoes and packing just two more pairs. Those that do make the cut should serve more than one purpose e.g. be suitable for sightseeing, as well as going to lunch.  They warn you to look out for wooden stacked heels and platforms as these are likely to weigh more. One of the pairs which Joanne made sure to pack in her suitcase was our leather gladiator sandals, but I know she didn’t manage to restrict herself to only two other pairs!

A Man’s Thoughts On High Heels

What do men think of the current fashion for sky high heels? Well this article in The Independent reveals one man’s thoughts on the subject. He feels that the highest heels e.g. those over 4 inches, make women totter and look unstable on their feet. He says “the sex has now gone out of high heels, in the same way that it went out of skirts when they became so short you can’t tell if women are wearing them. Quite simply, your heart does not race when the woman you are waiting for approaches you with her knees together, her back bent, and her concentration entirely taken up with balance”.

The Smallest Shoes In The Country?

A museum in Northamptonshire will soon be displaying what are thought to be the smallest shoes in the country. According to the Northants Evening Telegraph the leather shoes are only 6cm in size and were handmade in the 1930s by a stitcher at Alfred Sargent and Sons shoe factory in Rushden. Click here to see a photo of these tiny shoes.

Where to wear heels

A recent article in The Times states that Victoria Beckham was seen wearing a pair of 14cm heels (5.5”) on a day trip to the Universal Studio theme park with her sons. I imagine most women would have chosen to wear flats for such an outing! 

Where else would it be ridiculous to wear heels? Hopefully no-one would wear them horse riding, or develop a high heeled ski boot!

Barbie Shoes

As a woman with small feet I used to despair of finding grown up shoes to fit me and would often have to resort to looking in the children’s section of shoe stores. A number of Small Measures customers have also told me how great it is not to have to look at “Barbie pink” shoes. Well now even those with larger feet can experience what it’s like to wear Barbie’s shoes. Toymaker Mattel has launched a line of life-size Barbie footwear including a platform sandal, party shoe and pump. These shoes are aimed at women aged 24-49 who grew up playing with the doll.

My daughters both had Barbie dolls during their childhood, but I’m not sure that they would choose to wear Barbie shoes now they are in their 20s!

Do women in their 60s wear killer heels?

Grey Snakeskin Stilettos

According to an article in the Telegraph today, Debenhams has produced a report which examines the women’s shoe market. It says a woman’s love affair with high heeled shoes lasts for 51 years on average. 

Women’s heel heights begin to rise at around the age of 12 and increase rapidly until they reach their highest at 23. Women continue to wear high heels during the rest of their 20s and 30s but there is a slight decline around the age of 35, possibly due to childbirth. 

The first real dip in height only occurs in a woman’s late 40s and early 50s, when the average height drops to 1.7 inches (4.5 cms). Then there’s a final drop back to one inch from 63 onwards. 

What do you think? When you are in your 60s will you still be wearing killer heels? I am in my 50s and enjoy wearing heels, but perhaps not the skyscraper stilettos and platforms from my youth! My daughter Joanne is 29 and has just had her first baby. During her pregnancy she swapped to flatter shoes and continues to wear them now she is on maternity leave, as it is more practical when going out with her baby. However, she still loves adding to her shoe collection and wearing heels for special occasions.