In Praise of the Pump

It is a rare occasion that I have an opportunity to commune with a fellow chic chick about the state of modern women's footwear. I walk in heels. Stilettos, if I have the inclination. I walk a mile or so to the bank and library and back on my lunch about twice a week, in pumps that give me a three-inch height advantage. Today I met a heels wearing sister at the library, and she shared that she is often subject to gentle teasing as well, for putting fashion over "comfort".

Ah, but the thing is, pumps ARE comfortable, once you become accustomed to them. I simply can't walk in "flats" any more. Flat shoes (with the obvious exception of well-crafted supportive trainers) make me trip. High heels, on the other hand, make me strut.

I can tell a flat-shoe wearer in a second: "You're going all that way in those shoes!?" Even if she's currently hobbling around on 3" wedges, she's a flat-shoe person. She'd be better off in flats. In fact, most flat -shoe women should just stick to flats. They will be more comfortable and move better. In "dress" situations, find flat shoes that have dress-up appeal, and leave the dancing in stilettos to those of us who take to it as second nature, rather than abandoning the shoes at the dinner table and advancing to the dance floor unshod!

Not that barefoot doesn't have its place. When I'm not in trainers (running or working in the yard) or heels (pretty much every where else) you'll find me traipsing along at home or the yoga studio barefoot and fancy free!