Answering a Reader Question #133

ABC Wrote:

Hi Dania,

I'm wondering if you have any tips for breaking in heels. I tend to get blisters a lot on the knuckles of my toes when wearing heels. Is there a way to prevent that? And why is carpet bad for practicing? My apartment is all carpeted unfortunately. I'm practicing walking because I have a student runway show this weekend. Thanks! 

Hey, ABC! Great questions! So to knock out your first question about breaking in high heels, I came across this great article that is filled with tips for handling this situation. Breaking in heels takes some effort but is so worth it so try out the tips/suggestions the article talks about:

High Heels: How to Wear Them Pain-Free

To answer your second question, there is a huge difference between walking in high heels on a carpeted surface and a flat one, like concrete/pavement. First, the feeling is different--walking on carpet will cause your body to move a certain way and walking on pavement will make your body move another way. Carpet provides more of a "cushion," which is much more comfortable to walk on and your body language in your walk will reflect that, which isn't a good thing. Flat surfaces are less forgiving so you want to train your body to handle walking on this type of surface so that you don't have a fear or slipping and/or falling. The majority of runway shows use flat, sleek surfaces instead of carpet. So you want to learn your runway walk in an environment that's as close to the real deal as possible. Even if the student fashion show you're participating in ends up using a carpeted type of surface, learning how to walk on a flat surface from the start will make you better prepared for future shows and encourage good habits when it comes to your walking technique, body language and poise.

If possible, try finding a sidewalk, garage floor or similar type of pavement outdoors that you can practice on since your apartment is totally carpeted. Trust me, you'll notice a difference and it will make your walk much stronger. Good luck on the upcoming show and be sure to strut your stuff! ;-)