I love shoes. Shoe shopping is a favorite activity, especially online where you can 'wander the aisles' virtually and see literally thousands of shoes in minutes! Whether it's high heels for formalwear, sneakers for the gym, hiking boots for, well, hiking, or any other type of shoe, you name it, I probably own it. So I have a lot of experience shopping for shoes, and am sharing it with you all here!
Finding the Perfect Heel
Heel height and width has always been a matter of much discussion and debate. Suffice it to say that the on-again-off-again love affair with the wedge has certainly opened up options!
If you're like me, then you're not a great high heel walker. Because of that, I'm very picky about what the heel on my shoe looks like. I can't handle the thin, spiky heel, and tend to go for something with a little bit more stability to it. Make sure you pick the heel carefully, because no matter how elegant the shoe may look, you'll still look like a doofus if you trip every 3 feet.
BOOTS
As everyone who has experienced a winter (sorry to all you folks out there in Miami...) knows, boots are a must-have for those cold, snowy, frigidly painful days. Shopping for boots can be pricey, but investing in a good pair of boots is crucial. Make sure your boots have a non-skid sole, because otherwise, you'll be slipping and sliding all over the place.
Of course, there's more than one purpose to a boot. Boots have become fashion accessories as much as any other type of shoe. Many of these boots are not actually cold-weather friendly--sorry, ladies, but that 4 inch stiletto heel just won't give you good traction.
How to Shop for Shoes Online
Shopping for shoes online is a bit more complicated because, of course, you can't try your shoes on before you leave the store. However, shopping online is incredibly more convenient and frequently cheaper than the average trip to the mall. Therefore, here are a few helpful tips:
1. Shop for brands you know.
If you are looking for a new pair of shoes and aren't picky about the brand, start with a brand that you already own. Shoes sizes may vary across brands, but it's a good bet that if you're a size 8 in one pair of Aldo shoes, you'll be a size 8 in another pair of Aldo shoes.
2. Look at return policies
Some online stores offer free returns if you don't like the shoe or it doesn't fit. Zappos.com is among my favorite for this. If you don't have to worry about paying for shipping, it's no big deal to buy a few pairs that are similar, try them on at home, and decide which pair fits best before sending back the rest and receiving a full refund.
3. Compare, compare, compare
Sometimes you can find the very same shoes for far cheaper on a different website than the first site you happen upon. Be sure to run searches in google, and especially to compare shoe prices on the actual designers' websites versus the stores' websites, etc.
