Every so often, I like to take a look at the search terms people type into Google which bring them to this site. Not only is it often fascinating to see what people are looking for when they arrive here, it also tells me that lots of you have shoe-related questions which you need answers to. Here are some of the questions that have popped up in my search referrers lately, and my attempts at answering them!
Q: Why can’t I stop liking high heel shoes?
A: Perhaps a better question here would be “why do you feel you HAVE to stop liking them?” I know some people have a tendency to look down on heels, and those to wear them, and a lot of the time I find that people who dislike heels themselves, or find them uncomfortable to walk in, just can’t accept that there might be people who wear them through choice, and don’t have any issue with them. This leads them to the assumption that anyone who DOES wear heels must be a) lying about being able to walk in them and b) a vapid idiot who cares more about appearance than comfort. I’m sure I don’t need to point out, though, that neither of those assumptions are automatically true: there are plenty of people out there who love heels, so if you’re one of them, my best advice is to wear them with pride, and ignore the nay-sayers!
Q: Why are shoes cheaper at Shoeaholics?
A: Shoeaholics.com is the Kurt Geiger group’s discount site: it sells past-season stock (i.e. the shoes that didn’t sell, even in the sale), and ex-display models – shoes which have been sitting on the shelves in one of their stores, and may have been tried on multiple times, or otherwise suffered a bit of wear and tear due to being in-store. For that reason, those shoes are sold at a lower price, and the site generally offers the disclaimer that they may have small imperfections such as scratches or other marks. I’ve ordered from Shoeaholics a few times now, though, and only once have I noticed any sign that the shoe might have been ex-display stock: a small mark on the heel, which came off with a bit of soap and water. You might not be as lucky, of course, but my experience with Shoeaholics has always been positive, so I have only good things to say about them!
Q: How to make shoe shelves
A: This question has come up a few times, and unfortunately I’m not qualified to answer it myself. What I can say, however, is that Shoeperman built both my current shoe shelves, and the ones in our last house, from scratch, and to his own design, buying the wood from a local tradesman, and cutting it to exactly the right size. We decided to use this approach after looking at lots of different ready-made solutions, and we’re pleased we did, because it allowed us to create a shoe storage solution that was exactly right for our space and requirements. In our last house, for instance, where space was tight, the aim was to be able to fit as many shoes on the shelves as possible, so we went for basic shelves. In our current home, we also wanted to make a “display” of the shoes, so we chose a boxed design which allowed each shoe to be presented almost as a little work of art, and Shoeperman planned the sizes by taking my highest pair of shoes, and making sure there was enough room for it to fit. Of course, everyone’s requirements will be different, so my best advice is to take your time, look at lots of different examples, and work out which kind of shelves will best suit you and your space. If you’re not skilled at DIY, you can always consider paying a professional to do it for you: creating my shelves was a lot of work, but it still worked out cheaper for us than buying a ready-made solution.
Q: How to protect heels on grass
A: With the summer wedding season under-way, I suspect this is a question on many a shoe-lover’s mind! Grass and mud can really do a number on delicate heels: if there’s no way to avoid it, you can try purchasing some heel stoppers, which slide over the end of your heel and stop it sinking into the grass. (They can also be used to protect delicate flooring from being damaged by the heels, if you’re wearing stilettos at an indoor event, and are worried about them marking the floor.) I have a pair of these myself, and they’re really easy to use: unfortunately they ARE visible on the shoe, and I always get a lot of questions about them on the occasions I wear them, but you can always remove them again once you’ve stepped away from the grass!
