SHOE: DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHOES

The importance of right shoes was alien to me like 4 months ago. But after being gifted with a pair of high heels, I started to finally appreciate how important shoes are. How one can bring a whole outfit together and change the entire look by switching shoes and most importantly how wearing the right shoes can make one feel confident and ladylike.

To know about different types of shoes, first we need to know different types of heels.

* Stiletto heels:

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They are long, thin and can have height from 2inches to 10 inches. They make the wearer’s legs look more toned, sculpted and makes them look taller.

* Kitten heels:

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These are heels that have height from 1.5 inches o 2 inches, and they are most common on sandals. They give the glamour of high-heels without adding the extra height, so it is mostly preferred by tall women.

* Cone heels:

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They are round heels that are broader at the sole of the shoes but gets narrower as they go down. It can have varied heel heights.

* Prism heels:

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They have three sides and thus form a triangle of a heel. They are very uncommon nowadays.

* Spool heels:

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Spool heels are broad at the soles, then gets narrower near the middle and again thickens as it nears ground.

* Wedge heels:

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Wedge heels are not a single piece but run from the front of the sandals to back, but it will be thicker at the heels and narrower at the toes.

Types of shoes

The basic classification is casual shoes and dress shoes. But now the lines are fading between these according to specific peoples comfort zones. The following types are classified as high heels, flats and can be include in both.

1. HIGH HEELED SHOES:
These are generally shoes with heels of length over 2 inches. There are so many types amongst high heels itself. Most women prefer high heels over flats as they can make you look more elegant. They have heels of all kinds- stilettos, kitten heels, cone heels, spool heels and everything mentioned above. So the different type’s high heeled shoes are:

Pumps:
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They are shoes with low cut front, pointed toes either rounded or pointed, and heels of minimum 2 inches, and frankly my favorite kind. These are considered to be dress shoes.

Sling backs:

It is similar to pumps, in having heels over 2inches and rounded or pointed toes, but the back part isn’t completely covered but instead there is a strap the crosses over the heel, leaving the rest of the heels showing. I think this is THE most common type of high heels seen in India.

* Wedge sandals:

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Wedge sandals are shoes that give the comfort of wearing flats, but give the height and glamour of wearing high-heels. They are known so because they have wedge heels specifically. It is generally preferred in summer seasons. They are commonly strappy and available in fun, bright colors.

2. FLAT SHOES:

* Flip-flops:

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They are comfortable outdoor shoes made of rubbery material and has a Y shaped strap between the big toe and the rest of the toes. They do not have ankle straps. They are used when going to beach or generally in summer. But there is more sophisticated and dressy version of the same available in the market.

* Sneakers:

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Sneakers are common use shoes, very comfortable and convenient. It is unisex. It is used as running shoes. They are made of canvas or leather. It was once considered athletic shoes but now is used as casual shoes. There is also high heels version of sneakers available in the market called sneaker pumps, but it is not that commonly used.

* Espadrilles:

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They are comfort wear and are made of cotton or canvas fabric and have flexible soles. They are used as bedroom slippers mainly but are also used as running shoes in some countries, instead of sneakers. It is unisex.

* Mary Jane shoes

Mary Jane’s are the US name for the general school shoes with closed toe, low or no heels and a strap and usually seen in black color worn by school going girls. It is considered formal when worn by smaller girls but informal when worn by older women.

* Ballet flats

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These are true to its name and is very similar to a ballerina’s slippers-close toed, no heels, made of flexible and sturdy material. Now it has become major fashion again.

3. Shoes with high/low heels:

* Mules:

Mules are close-toed and backless and may have low or high heels, but usually the heels are chunky. In my region it is mostly worn by Muslim women who wear “Pardha”.

* Boots:

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Boots type footwear usually extends past the ankle and sometimes may reach up to the thighs. They do have heels- when worn fashionably it has stiletto heels generally, but when worn for protection from snow, water, mud etc. they have low heels. They are used by common people more for their functionality than for fashion nowadays.

* Platform shoes:

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Platform shoes are shoes with thick soles. It has been in existence from the ancient times. But the time it became most popular was during the 1990’s spice girl’s time. They popularized the Lucite platform shoes, that have platform soles AND stiletto heels. They are used by both men and women.

* Sandals:

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They are outdoor shoes used in places with humid climate or generally in summer season. The soles of the shoes are strapped to the wearer’s foot by straps generally over the feet and around the ankle. They have both low heels and high heels and are used because it helps keep the feet cool and dry.

Now the pictures of my favorite shoes as of now:

The first one is my comfy shoes:

I love this one because it goes with all my outfits;

This one is the one that started everything; the one I got as a gift:

And the last one is the newest one in the collection; just bought it on Friday: