High-heeled shoes make a woman’s leg elegant, longer and sophisticated, but only when the stilettos fit the feet like a glove and the owner manages to pull them off thereby compelling admiration instead of ridicule. In the real world stilettos mostly inflict pain upon their owners and aggravate walking. We looked into what criteria need to be applied when buying your shoes in order to get your hands on a comfortable pair.

“The longer the feet, the easier it will withstand high heels”

Anita Zannotti Štulec, designer, trained footwear master and owner of shoe salon A shoo in Zagreb let us in on the intricacies of comfortable stilettos: “Since everyone’s unique, there are no completely identical feet. There are more or less similar feet, but our craft takes an individual approach to every single client.” Zannotti Štulec explains what she means by an individual approach: “When making shoes in our craft, we perform an expert foot analysis for every client when they first come here. Among other things, this entails measuring the feet’s length and width, as well as other taking additional measures. Then we proceed to analyse the foot’s shape by taking the feet’s plantogram where we can ascertain how someone walks, the foot’s critical points, as well as plenty of other useful information we then take into account when making the ordered pair of shoes.”

The designer says that experience in wearing high heels is one of the basic preconditions for “stilettos that don’t hurt”. She also points out that one needs to pay attention to the material used to make the shoes. Stilettos made from natural leather are more comfortable than the ones made using synthetic materials. She also said that the heel’s height should correspond to the feet’s length because the longer the foot, the better it would withstand a higher heel.

Photo: Danijel Berković/PIXSELL

Pointed shoes with varying heel heights are in season these holidays

“When it comes to being comfortable while wearing stilettos, the main thing is not suddenly substituting flat, low, wide footwear for nice, elegant high-heeled shoes. You need to take time to incrementally get used to them by increasing the heel’s height and time you wear the shoes”, Zannotti Štulec recommends and tells us which shoes are going the be in high demand this holiday season:
“Everybody wants to look their best during celebrations and the upcoming holiday season. Being content with your entire outfit is a precondition for that. That’s why these decisions shouldn’t be made at the last minute. Once you decide what to wear, choosing the right shoe model will round off the overall impression. Pointed shoes with all kinds of high heels are trendy right now in a combination with a somewhat revealing and open neckline. Velours with a printed shape are very modern, even in brighter colours such as nude colour which is always in demand. The shiny surface of patent leather is very much appropriate for the upcoming holiday occasions. The ambiance we are to spend time definitely needs to be taken into the equation and footwear (model, the heels height) needs to be chosen accordingly. Our salon would be more than happy to give you useful tips and recommend footwear and accessories you’ll love and that’ll make you stand out.”

The time needed to make shoes at A shoo hinges on a particular foot and the shoe model itself and can take from 4 up to 7 weeks or even longer. “Customer satisfaction means the world to us. That’s why we take the customer’s wishes, needs, foot features and technical requirements of making the shoes into consideration while arranging everything. Given the fact that we also design footwear, our clients are more than happy to sit back and let us do the design for them. This is how one-of-a-kind models both our clients and we are proud of come to life”, Zannotti Štulec says.

“Stilettos have to be comfortable the moment you try them on”

Nataša Trinajstić from the shoemaking craft Zvonimir in Zagreb started learning the trade from an early age thanks to a deep-rooted family shoemaking tradition, while nowadays the craft is specialised in custom-made women’s footwear she designed herself. If you go to shoemaking craft Zvonimir, every season you can get your hands on several classic models customers can choose from. “I always make some of my classic models because of the fast-paced changes in today’s fashion. Moreover, I have to emphasise that I don’t use photos to make shoes because there are certain rules governing crafts and trades. These rules need to be followed so that the shoes are nice, comfortable and functional. We nurture classic models, but we always introduce some novelties. When it comes to heels, I mostly make classic smooth pumps, but we also have rounded and pointed shoes. As far as colours are concerned, the demand for black pumps is the highest, while brides also opt for white and beige. The delivery deadline is at least three days or more”, Trinajstić explains and reveals how to get “stilettos that don’t hurt”.

“It all depends on the heel a woman can take. The best heel is three to four centimetres high, but they’re not stilettos then. In order for stilettos to be comfortable, you want to keep an eye on the heel’s inclination in relation to the mould. You also need to make sure the model isn’t too tight. If the stilettos are uncomfortable when you try them on, they’ll always be like that and it won’t get any better in time.

Photo: Davor Puklavec/PIXSELL

The experienced Nataša gives her tips on how to choose comfortable stilettos
• They need to be comfortable the moment you try them on
• You need to able and know how to walk while wearing them
• Your fingers need to have enough room
• If they’re pointed, you need to get shoes half a number larger

We definitely recommend stiletto lovers who have a hard time finding the ideal shoes to match their feet to splurge and get a custom-made pair.