Transgender |
Basically, women’s shoe styles come in pumps, sandals, mules, wedges, and sling backs. On top of this are many variations of these styles such as straps, and types of straps, heels shapes and height’s and materials used. Added to this selection are a host of shiny metal decorations and combinations of colors, textures and materials. The red and white shoe shown to the left is a basic low heeled pump, while the shoe below it is a basic sandal for casual wear. No wonder women have such a difficult time picking a pair of shoes. Then of course there are the sizes, both length and width. Not all shoes are sized the same. A size 10 in one brand may be a size 10 ½ in another. If at all possible, you should try them on before buying them. I realize this is not always possible. Mail order is an alternative and if they don’t fit, you can return them with just the lost expense of shipping and handling both ways. The basic parts of a shoe are the outer sole, the heel, the upper and the inner sole. In women’s shoes, the parts we judge when we try to decide to buy or not, is the upper and heel shape. However, the parts that affect our feet are the inner sole, liner and any cushions inside. If these are plastic, they may not breath too well hence cause our feet to get hot. A smooth plastic sole can be slippery on wet surfaces. The shoes to the left are pumps while those to the right are pumps with ankle straps. In looking at the various styles we see that the pump is basically a shoe with a heel of some height, and has the upper surrounding the foot. A variation of a pump can be with an open toe. Pumps can have straps holding the shoe on or rely on the covered toe to hold the shoe on. Since women’s shoes typically rely on the lower part of the foot for holding, the top of the foot is usually exposed. Straps also serve to keep a slightly loose shoe on. Obviously too loose a shoe is bad. Straps, to name a few, come in ankle types, over the top of the foot types and criss-cross straps. There may also be other straps for fashion appeal. Toe ShapesToe shape can be important factor to comfort. Since women’s shoes tend to be held on the foot by pinching the toe’s, and with the heel elevated, all the pressure is on the ball of the foot. The foot has a pad just behind the toe’s similar to the pads on the fingers, when the foot is flat the pressure is distributed over the entire foot, including the heel. With an elevated heel, this pressure is forced to the front of the foot. The pad gets temporarily mashed. Heels above about 2 inches start to mash this pad. Normally there is no permanent damage, and once the shoe is removed, the pad returns to it’s original shape. A pointed toe may squeeze the toes together forcing the great toe into this point. A more rounded toe helps distribute this lateral pressure as shown in the first picture to the right. The second set of shoes shown have the pointed toe shape, while the third group is a rounded toe shape. A squared off toe provides even more distribution of pressure. One problem I’ve encountered with a square toe is that if the shoe is loose on the foot the great toe is forced against the flat putting pressure directly on its tip. Long nails will murder your foot. The pointed toe puts the pressure on the toe’s side as does the rounded shape. Heel Height and ShapeHeel shapes typically found are flat low heel, cylindrical or column shaped (i.e. straight parallel sides), tapered shapes which includes stiletto, and various degrees of taper shapes, and wedge shaped. There are. many variations on these shapes including cut out’s in the heel, flared tapered heels, and assorted colors and textures specifically for the heel. The shoe to the left top is a spiked heel style while those below it are a cylindrical shaped heel or column heel. The heel height is measured from the tip of the heel to the top of the heel where it joins the shoe. Heel heights can be over 6 inches high. The average heel height that can be comfortable worn by most people is in the neighborhood of 2 inches. And yes I know there are you gals out there who won’t wear anything less than 4 inch heels. Tall gals look better in lower heels. A thin profile heel adds a touch of elegance and can be found in the shorter lengths as well. ...to be continuedComments? Suggestions? Thoughts? Contact Diane Kaye with them.
|
||||
Back to TGF's Home Page |
|