Jimmy Choo's & foot shape--technical question

[e_nmn_m]

So I was browsing the new "Gilbert" pump at Nordstroms. Now, lots of people say the high heels are uncomfortable. Lots of people have problems buying shoes. This one reviewer wrote the following. Can anyone out there with some podiatry experience weigh in?

The length was perfect, the heel nicely snug and the toe box seemed adequate. As I am unused to high heels, however, I wore them on my carpeted floors for three days, gradually increasing in length of time from ½ hour to two hours. By the third session, my poor feet were actually red across the dorsum (top-side) and screaming to get out! Firstly, the heel-bed inside these shoes is completely flat; the plantar (bottom-side) of a human heel is rounded, so perching my rounded-human heels atop a flat surface made walking in heels an even greater challenge than was necessary. Secondly, with all the wearer’s weight shifted to the distal (toe-end) of the metatarsals (foot-bones), the designer should have put some type of padding to cushion these bones that are unused to bearing concentrated weight at that point.

 

[juneping]

^^most designer shoes do put some padding at the ball area.
everybody's feet is different. some have wide feet and some have narrow feet and that makes a HUGE difference. designer shoes are meant for people with narrow feet.
another thing is weight....you have to imagine we are putting all our weight or most of our weight on the ball of our feet when we wear heels....so the heavier we are, the worse it is for us.
i put paddings in most of my heels just for comfort.
personal preference...i never like heels lower than 2.5"...they usually hurt my feet..don't know why. 3-inch are the most comfortable for me. i usually wouldn't wear 4-inch heels to walk in the city....

i think the comments you got from the reviewer showed she wasn't used to wearing heels and have wide feet....

 

[Pishi]

I have no podiatry experience. However, I looked at that review. You will note that the woman who provided the review regularly wears Birkenstock and Mephisto, and is "unused to high heels".

I'll tell you right off the back that I think she went kind of OTT. It's Jimmy Choo, fer goodness sakes. Jimmy Choo makes some styles that are more comfortable than others, but it's a fashion line. It is most certainly not Birkenstock.

High heels put pressure on your feet. It would be ideal if all designers put in more padding, but sometimes that doesn't happen. Buy an insertable pad if you need it. But please, please, please do not whine about Jimmy Choo just because it "hurts" your foot more than Birkenstocks. These types of shoes fulfill very different purposes.

These are actually a conservative style for Jimmy Choo (see the other review on Nordstroms). I am not sure how the Gilbert fits. If you are buying designer high heels, note that all designers fit everyone's foot differently. For example, for pumps, I usually buy Manolo Blahnik Blixa. I have a widish foot. For years, Jimmy Choo didn't have enough room in the toe box for my foot, and I still don't like the way the leather is cut down on the current pump styles. So I don't buy JC for pumps. I buy JC's fashion styles that have more leather that wrap around the foot.

I buy YSL (very "comfortable" to my foot), and Prada, which is also great.

If I want to wear shoes that are just for comfort, then I will wear flats or my Dansko clogs or Uggs.

Many who wear heels recognize that wearing heels for hours is not always easy on your feet. And you get used to the feel of the heels over time.

So my conclusion is that the reviewer doesn't wear heels, cannot tolerate the discomfort that one who is not used to heels can initially experience, and perhaps might be happier with a different brand of heel (ie: Manolo, YSL, Prada, CL).

Of course, I am not a doctor. Just a shoe lover. And I don't wear shoes that hurt my feet abominably. We all have our threshold.

 

[halunfishie]

I'm not familiar with the Gilbert nor tried them on so I cannot say whther they are comfortable or not but I do own a few pairs of Jimmy Choo heels and they are the most comfortable heels that I own (Louboutin, Valentino, Badgley Mischka). They are indeed padded and give you more support than the other brands. Yes they are not comfortable like sneakers or Birkenstocks but they are top notch for designer shoes. If you can, try to stop by the boutique or department store that carries them to try them on and see how it feels. Good luck.

 

[e_nmn_m]

Thanks for everyone's replies.

I own a few JC and find them to be more comfortable than many other designer shoes (which is why I own then as opposed to, say, Manolos.) I was just wondering if her observations on construction were valid. Most people I know who wear heels, including myself, end up padding the ball area with foot petals or the like. I always did wonder why designers don't pad the front area better.