please don’t: heel guards
August 28, 2009 
6 Comments
image by SoleMates LLC
I’ve seen some great wardrobe inventions come from unlikely sources but I have to admit I was surprised to find a good idea gone bad featured in O’s (The Oprah Magazine) August issue. It’s called the SoleMate and it essentially is a little plastic do-dad that you put on your heels to protect them from soft surfaces and cobblestone. Nice idea but you would not catch me dead wearing those stupid things on my nice heels! It’s like training wheels for high heels. Pu-lease. And, can you imagine the conversations that you’ll end up having because of what you’re wearing on your heels? No thanks.
The best way to walk around in beautiful heels when you find yourself on a lawn or gravel is to tip-toe by placing all your weight on the balls of your feet. Even when I’m walking down a busy city sidewalk and I come across a grate, it’s tip-toe time. Have I scuffed a few times? Yes, that’s what a cobbler’s for. I know some gals who carry flats with them for walking so they avoid ruining their heels altogether – great idea!
What do you do?
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voted for tip-toeing, though I wear thicker heels or wedges if I know that I’ll be on one of those surfaces more than just here and there. not only are those plastic things ug-ly, but also can you imagine all the crud you would get on your hands when you take them off? yuck!
Karen – I didn’t even think of that — it’s truly disgusting! I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that O Magazine felt it worthy enough to donate 1/3 of a page to it.
I’m still obsessing on the shoes in the photo, though. Gorgeous! In theory, these sound like a good idea, but all the reasons you’ve pointed out make them seem silly and of course, not attractive.
I know! love the shoes — by Louboutin, of course. ha ha.
There’s a new product on the market trying to save women from their heels when in a rush or on harsh surfaces. I don’t recall the name, but I just saw it at the wwdmagic show in Vegas and saw a similar product at an open casting call for Milojo Productions.
Its basically a very compact pair of ballet flats, they roll up small enough to fit in one’s clutch. One product had a rubber bottom and the other pair suede bottom.
You obviously don’t live in Boston where every single freakin’ surface is cobblestones. Every pair of shoes I own is destroyed. $30/per to reheel 5 or more pairs of shoes? Not on an unemployed recent law school graduate’s salary.