Style Guide: Choosing the right pair women’s shoes for your feet type

Every woman has known the struggle of wearing a pair of shoes that didn’t serve their comfort well. It would seem that blisters and sore feet were synonyms to being a lady. After all, “Beauty is pain”, isn’t that how the adage goes?

However, one thing that cannot be compromised when picking out the right footwear for your feet is comfort. Not only does comfort allow for a smooth stride and unrestricted mobility throughout the day, wearing the wrong pair of shoes for your feet can also adversely affect one’s posture, resulting in back pain, sore legs, and swollen ligaments.

Although the most comfortable shoes may not always be by the most coveted high fashion brands, if you pick the right shoes for your feet, your body will thank you for it. At Gafencu, our resident style experts offers a few pointers of what to avoid when picking out a pair of shoes, and hve created a list of comfortable but trendy footwear that will offer the right support and protection for your specific feet type.

Know your feet type
The three most distinctive feet types are arched, flat and wide feet. These types require footwear that conforms to the distinctive shape and form of a person’s feet type to provide the most comfort — more importantly — protection.

Although the norm in any shoe store is to pick a style you like and ask for your size, podiatrists will advice you to pick out footwear according to feet type, and avoiding heals for a long stretch of time. This is because the style you like may not be fitting for the feet you have. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to compromise on your overall look and elegance though (thank goodness!). Below are our recommendations…

Also Read: Best comfortable and stylish heels

Flat Feet
Those with flat feet are prone to ligament laxity and muscle weakness. Avoid shoes that offer little to no arch support, such as thin or flat soles, flip flops, and certain pointed or narrow fronts. Instead, pick footwear that offer more structure and support, cushioned insoles, stable design.

gafencu Style Guide Choosing the right pair women's shoes for your feet type bottega veneta wide feet — Photo courtesy of NET-A-PORTER

Bottega Veneta‘s Rubber Lido debossed leather mules are made in Italy from padded ‘Sea Salt’ leather. This square-toe pair is designed with thick straps and stiletto heels that offer 90mm of lift but a load of comfort from its padded soles.

gafencu Style Guide Choosing the right pair women's shoes for your feet type stuart witzman nudistcurve leather sandals — Photo courtesy of NET-A-PORTER

Stuart Weitzman NudistCurve leather sandals is a sturdy and elegant pair that features a very manageable block heel and slightly thicker two strap design for both comfort and support. This pair is made from smooth white leather and has square toes.

Something for the everyday stroll is a podiatrist-recommended Vionic Kit‘s Kitten Heels. Made from leather and suede, these elegant pair have a low 1.93-inch heel, and features an injected insole, enhanced contouring and padding to support the forefoot.

Also Read: Hiking, Trail Running, Rock Climbing: The best shoes for all kinds of terrain

Wide Feet
If you often feel pain in the arch, ankle, heel, along your legs or outside of the foot, it may be that you have flat feet. Avoid footwear with narrow toes like pumps and joggers. Instead, pick a pair shoes that have wider toes and platform sandals or open toed sling backs.

gafencu Style Guide Choosing the right pair women's shoes for your feet type steve madden wide feet — Photo courtesy of Steve Madden

Steve Madden‘s Lexi Multi Collection of opened toe block heels and wedges offers a wider breadth at the width of the toes that offers support for larger feet, and comfort with vegan leather, not to mention they come in a variety of colours to choose from.

gafencu Style Guide Choosing the right pair women's shoes for your feet type clarks wide feet — Photo courtesy of Clarks

A popular favourite for both extreme comfort and affordable price is Clarks. From leather strap heels to platform sandals in suede, ladies will be spoilt for choice to select from its wide range of styles, height and finishes.

gafencu Style Guide Choosing the right pair women's shoes for your feet type hush puppies wide feet — Photo courtesy of Hush Puppies

Hush Puppies is a great alternative choice to shop for more everyday walking. Offering D, E, and EEE width shoes in various styles, especially its ballerina flats fit comfortably on wide and fit wide feet.

Also Read: It List: Fashion accessories to invest in right now

Arched Feet
People with arched feet will feel more pressure and pain on their heels, resulting in bone spurs, calluses and are more prone to injuries. Avoid putting excessive weight on the heels and select footwear that have more support, a well-padded and / or shock-absorbing insoles for better protection.

If you thought you’d never find the perfect stiletto for your feet — think again! E’MAR‘s Raya Ankle Strap Pump is one that is specially designed by a podiatrist, so you know your feet will be getting the comfort it needs and deserves. Available in camel suede or gunmental leather, it features a dual-layer memory foam insole and an elongated arch incline for the perfect support.

The Magda Ankle Tie Platform is a strappy yet sassy platform sandal with laces that tie up above the ankle. Square-toed and 15mm in block heels, it offers a comfortable support in structure and feel, crafted in soft bovin leather. Available in four colourways including rhubarb, serenade, black and black leather, its style is one that the everyday modern woman would appreciate.

gafencu Style Guide Choosing the right pair women's shoes for your feet type sketchers — Photo courtesy of Sketchers

For a pair of runners, Skechers’ podiatrist-certified Arch Fit range is a collection of sneakers, slip-ons and sandals that are the ideal pair for everyday walking and atheltic activities. It provides support for high arches with maximum cushioning for long wear and sock-absorption.

Also Read: Shades of Chic: Sunny summer must-haves

Fashion Hacks: How to remove stains, treat discolouration, repair a loose thread and more…

Wine spills, oil splatters, and a loose thread on your favourite sweater — we’ve been there, and there’s nothing more heart dropping than the sight of our favourite statement piece stained. But fear not, because we’ve got you covered.

Before you decide to throw a fit or throw your clothes out, try out these fashion tips and tricks for removing stains and reviving your precious fashion investments back to its stylish original state.

Remove wine stains:
Wine stains are the bane of any sophisticated dresser. One minute you’re indulging in a sumptuous wine and dine occasion and the next minute you’ve spilled wine over your silk shirt — we’ve all be there. The next time this happens, rush to request a club soda (soda water) and run it through the soaked area before it sets.

The salts and weakly acidic properties of the beverage breaks down any stains without decolourising the fabric, making for an instantly quick relief. Though getting home without a shirt might be a concern for the aftermath.

Remove oil stains:
Unlike wine stains, oil stains are much more tricky to remove and difficult to ignore. They are especially attracted to fabric and sets much quicker than water-based liquids. But whether it is cooking oil, butter, make up or motor grease, the solution is easier than you think.

Fill a basin with hot water and dish washing detergent (not laundry detergent) and leave the fabric to soak for at least 30 minutes. Then, rinse and wash with laundry detergent and voila — Good as new!

Also Read: 9 Tips to care for your designer clothes

Remove set-in stains and discoloration:
If however, a stain goes unnoticed for several days or weeks, it could set into a permanent stain, but not all hope is lost. White vinegar should be a staple in every household for its versatile cleaning, preserving and sanitising properties.

First, fill an empty water bottle with vinegar. Start by sprinkling baking soda over the area, before spraying vinegar on it, then gently rubbing the mixture into the fabric. Let it sit for up to 30 minutes then rinse and repeat if necessary. Alternatively, let it sit in a formula of vinegar and detergent overnight before rinsing and laundering. This formula also applies to blood stains.

Remove ink stains:
If you’ve ever left a pen in your pocket or accidentally written on your shirt, you’d know that ink stains are some of the most stubborn stains to remove. But in the hopes that it hasn’t done permanent damage yet, using a hairspray, whether on ball point ink or permanent marker stains, can work magic on fabrics.

Start by dabbing a damp sponge around area for the hairspray to set in. Then, spray a generous amount of hairspray onto the affected area before scrubbing the stain. Repeat the process until the stain is no longer visible and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes (or overnight). Finally, rinse thoroughly and wash the garment. If you don’t have hairspray or would prefer a less chemically-derived product, you can replace it with rubbing alcohol and detergent.

Remove adhesive markings:
Not so much stains than just very stubborn foreign material, adhesive from stickers or other sticky objects leave a nasty mark for all to see, but the good news is, they are easier to remove than stains. Simply apply ice to the affected area to soften the hardened adhesive. Scrape off any adhesive materials if you have to. Then, pre-wash the garment in hot soapy water and let it sit for 30 minutes before rinsing. This will clean the marks right off.

Fix a hole in the sweater:
Could there be a more dreadful sight than a loose thread sticking out from an otherwise tightly-knit sweater? Don’t fret — there’s a simple and effortless solution to returning your beloved cardigan to perfect condition. Simply pick up a crochet hook, insert it through the underside of the knit and pull the string of yarn inward to tuck it underneath and through the hole from which the stitch had come loose from, then make a knot.

If small hole has opened up into a laddered stitch with an unfortunately large gap between the edges of the hole, the simplest solution is to patch it up with a needle and thread. This video is a good example of how to do it.

Also Read: Men’s Fashion: The ultimate guide to styling your outfit with jewellery

Monochromesexual: The do’s and don’ts of monochrome fashion

Monochrome fashion is one of the hardest fashion trends to pull off – try too hard and you can look OTT, don’t try at all and you end up looking boring! What then is the perfect way to rock monochrome fashion? Here are four tips from fashion pundits guaranteed to the steer you towards the right path.

Wear multiple layers of varied textures of the same colour to add depth to your outfit. For example, you could wear powder-blue skinny jeans with a midnight blue cotton blouse to show off your long legs. Add a neutral brown belt to add a twist to your outfit.

If your outfit is all in the same colour family, break the pattern with a contrasting accessory to make things interesting. So you can consider carrying a pink clutch with an all-black ensemble or accessorize a white outfit with gold or pink-gold jewellery.

Mix up solid colours with printed patterns – like a grey and white printed silk blouse with a grey pencil skirt for a perfect corporate look. Not only does this break up the sameness of the colour, it is also a great way to go monochrome if you don’t have contrasting accessories.

Sport monochrome fashion with confidence. If you’re uncertain about whether an ensemble is working or not, just lay it all out on the bed to judge if it’s looking pleasing to the eye. Seeing it all laid out can be helpful and you can add or remove items from the outfit without having to wear them.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay