How To Do Stairs Like An Elegant Lady

There is something empowering about being able to get dressed up and get out and about. That includes wearing a gorgeous pair of heels. However, you will soon become aware of your need to be extra careful on stairs.

Going up stairs; land on the ball of your foot with your heel dangling so that you can lift your heel as you move up to the next step, feet in a straight line to sway the hips. Float down by angling your feet slightly to the banister. Land with the ball of your foot a split-second before your heel.

Luckily there are a few practice drills that you can do on stairs in any shoes that will help you adapt to navigating stairs elegantly as you progress to higher heels.

Going Up Stairs Elegantly

• As you get to the flight of stairs, visualize a straight line going up toward your endpoint. Focus on that endpoint, rather than looking down at your feet as you climb the stairs.
• As you walk up, place your body weight over the ball of your foot on each step. This means that the back of the heel will most likely hang off the step.
• While ascending, place one foot directly in front of the other on the next step. Doing this will help you go up the stairs with a gentle, feminine sway to your hips.
• As you ascend, lift your heel as you push up to the next step. This does two things. First, it will flex your calf which is both good exercise and looks good. Second, it means you do not need to step as high with your other foot to reach the next step. If you are in a short, tight skirt it will stop the skirt from riding up, and in a long tight skirt, it will help you reach the next step in spite of the skirt’s restriction.
• Hold on to the railing if necessary. Instead of clutching the railing tightly, I rest my hand lightly on the railing. This keeps me in a straight line as I climb the stairs and ensures that I don’t bounce up and down as I step on each step. I want my head and shoulders to glide up the stairs with the movement coming from the rolling sway of my hips and the sexy flex of my calves.

Going Down Stairs Elegantly

• Hold the railing for support. Keep your grip firm, but relax the rest of your arm and shoulder. Gently glide your hand down the railing as you descend. I find that trailing my hand slightly behind me works best. That way I can keep my shoulders back and wide rather than crouching down over the stairs.
• At first, you might need to look down at the stairs to determine both depth and steepness. After the first few steps (if possible), visualize a straight line going toward your endpoint, rather than looking down at your feet. Sliding your hand along the banister as you descend will help keep you on that line, especially if there is a slight curve to the staircase.
• Place as much of your shoe (both heel and front of the shoe) on the step as possible. You place your toe near the end of the step so that the ball of your foot can be on the grippier strip that some steps have. Alternatively, the ball of your foot will land on the strip of the step that is a different color if your steps have those. Depending on the depth of the step, you may end up pushing your shoe back until it touches the back of the step. Just make sure you get as much shoe as possible is making contact with the step even if it means turning your feet slightly to be at an angle to the stairs.
• You want to land on the ball of your foot just a split-second before your heel. I know there are some guides that talk about landing heel-first. I find that tilts my center of balance back behind my heels. Combine that with stiletto heels, a tight skirt, and polished marble steps and you have a disaster in the making. When I wear heels it is the area under the ball of my foot that has the most grip and control. Therefore practice landing on the ball of your foot before the heel so that you hold your weight on your thigh muscles and float down the stairs rather than clunking your way down.
• If the staircase has narrow stairs, you may try pivoting your body to a 45-degree angle. Having your feet at that angle makes it possible to have your whole foot on each step as you go down on an angle. Place one foot in front of the other on the next step down. When you do turn your body at an angle, please turn in the direction so that you face the handrail. That way it is easier to hold the rail and avoid slipping. This method of descending stairs definitely requires practice to be able to maintain smooth elegance.
• Go down a flight of stairs slowly. Your focus should be on elegance and trying to float down the stairs rather than speed. Take your time going down a flight of stairs. That way when you get to do the same in heels you will have greater control. A trick that my mother taught me to not lose concentration when going down was to count the stairs in my mind when going down a flight of stairs.

As with most things in life, the more you practice walking up and downstairs in an elegant manner, the easier it becomes. This will stand you in good stead to do the same in heels.