We all know the feeling when we put on a new pair of heels that are higher than what we have worn before. There is that sensation of being like Bambi on ice until we start to regain our balance and composure. It reminds us of those struggles of learning to walk in heels for the first time.
Elegance while walking in heels requires a tall, upright posture. Walk heel to toe using small steps in a straight line, one foot in front of the other, without trying to rush. Keep your chin parallel to the ground at all times.
To help you avoid embarrassing mishaps or even painfully twisted ankles, I’ve put together a list of hacks that will help you walk in your new heels the right way – from day one.
Keep reading to check out my battle-tested tips for walking gracefully in heels.
“Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.”
Marilyn Monroe
Walk Heel To Toe, Not Toe To Heel
The easiest way to look clunky in heels is putting your whole foot down at once. You’re not running in flats.
When you look at your heels side-on you will usually see a bit of a curve to the heel. This allows the heel to flex slightly and soften the impact on your feet but it only works if you land heel first.
Besides saving your feet when wearing a high shoe, put your heel down first, followed by your toe to make your walk look more natural.
Take Small Steps
Wearing heels will naturally tend to shorten your stride. Don’t try to fight against this and start over-striding in heels. It will look awkward and runs the risk of your heel sliding out from under you.
Lead each step from the knee and allow your foot to land more under your center of mass as you walk.
Don’t worry about taking an increased number of small steps to cover the same distance. More steps equal more practice at getting even better at moving in heels.
Don’t Try And Rush
Just about every time I was in a rush and tried to walk too quickly in heels I have ended with a twisted ankle, or at least that is how it feels.
Walking too quickly looks awkward and your goal is to look elegant. Also, walking slowly gives off an air of confidence.
Lean Slightly Back
This follows on from not rushing. When you try and walk faster than your heels allow you will start to lean forward and over-stride.
Picture yourself standing with a tall spine and just the slightest backward lean as you walk. This will also help you keep your steps smaller.
Read the article that I wrote about how to stand like a ballerina to get a feel for your posture while walking in heels.
Visualize Yourself Walking In A Straight Line
An artist friend told me that when she draws a straight line free-hand, her focus is on the endpoint of her line and not her sketch pencil as it moves. If she had to look at her pencil, not only would her line be slightly wavy but she would likely not end her line at the exact spot she wanted meaning an even less straight line.
Similarly, when you walk in heels, you will look far more graceful if you look at your end-point and visualize a straight line to that point, rather than staring down at your toes while you walk. You know that your shoes are pretty and you’ll have time to admire them when you get to your destination.
Royal etiquette dictates that ladies should always keep their chin parallel to the ground and never look down. The only permitted exception to this rule while walking will be the first and last two steps of a flight of stairs.
During gym class in junior school, we would often need to walk the balance beam. These days I picture a balance beam as the straight line that I need to follow. That way I place my feet directly one in front of the other while walking in heels. This looks more elegant and adds a slight sway to my hips.
Arch Your Foot Slightly If You Feel Yourself Slipping
This is a trick that has saved me from many a fall. Most heels allow your foot a bit of movement inside the shoe. However, if you feel yourself slipping the last thing you want is for your foot to have too much movement inside your shoe.
I find that by arching my foot slightly I can pull the shoe closer to my foot and control the slipping before it becomes a fall. It feels almost like I am grabbing the shoe with my foot.
You don’t need to wait until you are slipping to use this trick. I also use it when I am walking across an uneven surface like cobblestones.
Make Sure Your Shoes Fit Properly
Walking in heels can feel unstable especially on some surfaces like wet paving stones.
Ill-fitting shoes make the process near impossible not to mention being bad for your feet and posture. If I spend an evening on my feet in heels that don’t fit well I will invariably wake up the next morning with lower back pain.
Opt For A Heel Height You Feel Comfortable With
The truth is that we love our high heels. The trick is to not go too high too quickly. Besides the obvious of not being able to move elegantly in them, you will also develop some bad habits as you try to cope with the too-high heels.
Start with lower heels that you can comfortably cope with and gradually progress higher. You might want to use my trick for adapting to a higher heel.
I would keep my new higher heels at work and each day I would switch into my new heels for between 5 and 10 minutes each hour before changing back into my lower heels. That way by the time date-night came around I was confident of being able to dance the night away in my new heels.
In all honesty, if your shoes feel too high to walk in then they are likely still too high for you. The good news is that there are plenty of gorgeous low and midi-heeled shoes available that you can still feel pretty while progressing toward your coveted high heels.
Thank you for your wonderful articles and for the obvious love and care that you feel for us.
Roxanna
Ms. Edith is such a wonderful contributor to this site and her content and input are very much appreciated. She is able to take such a neutral and objective perspective when writing about specific topics that are a valuable resource to those ‘girls’ finding themselves. I admire and appreciate how she does so in such a natural and casual way which is distinguished from other similar guides that tend to emphasize themes within D/s and fetish lifestyles where Ms. Edith contributes in a more neutral and more straightforward way, as if she already understands and accepts that there are girls who simply need an everyday guide which is much more useful and valued in a way. Thank you Ms. Edith
p.s. Ms Edith’s personal live and interests are still able to be fully respected and not necessarily needed to be discussed in detail which makes her articles even more legitimate as another aspect I find that represents her genuine nature and validates her contributing articles as a true source to be appreciated.