Image Management is not just about how you carry the clothes
you wear but also the accessories that you wear.
Now every guy knows that shoes are something that women
obsess about. Have you ever wondered why?
Well, part of the phenomenon was Sex & the City and
Carrie’s obsession with her Blahniks, one of the holy trinity of shoes, the
other two being Choo and Louboutin. For the guys (if there is any guy who is
reading this) thats Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin. The other
reason is that women can never look fat in any pair of shoes!
Martin Lindstrom (The author of Buyology: Truth and Lies
about why we buy), a branding expert has shown through research that that we
get high while shopping (Dopamine – a neuro-transmitter, gets released in the
brain), with shoes, another reaction happens as well. Buying shoes stimulates
the pre-frontal cortex, which is termed as the collecting spot. Don’t tell
anyone, but shoes are collector’s items!
Women buy shoes and lots of them. There is no getting around
it. I am going to try to describe types of shoes and the types of heels
available in the market.
Stiletto: It is
named after the spring-loaded knives made famous by the Sicilian Mafia. It is
named this as it is pointed and sharp and is usually 4-6” in height. They are
insanely sexy and women know exactly what happens to the men when they wear
them! The bolder the color, the bolder the woman. Every woman wants them and
envies any other woman who can carry off Stilettos like she was born for them.
Stiletto
Kitten Heels:
Similar like the Stiletto except that the hell is only about 1.5-2” high and
the hell is set in from the back of the shoe. This type of shoe is more cute
than sexy.
Kitten Heels
Cone Heels: These
are round heels that are broader at the sole and taper as they go down. Heel
height can vary.
Cone Heels
Prism Heels: They
have 3 sides (the cone is circular) and are otherwise similar to the cone
heels.
Prism Heels
Spool Heels:
Heels which are wide at the sole and at the bottom, but narrower at the middle,
just like a cotton reel.
Spool Heels
Stacked Heel:
These are designed to give illusion of thin layers of wood and the heel is
usually brown.
Stacked
Platform Shoes:
Sole is at a height (a platform).
Platform Shoes
Wedges: These are
shoes where the wedge heel runs from the heel to the middle or front of the
foot.
Wedge Shoes
Slides: Any shoe
that has a strap near the toes that can be slipped (or in which the wearer can
slide into) can be into are slides. These can be open toed or closed. Even
flip-flops are slides.
Slides
Mules: Mules are
slides which have a heel.
Mules
Thongs: Yea.. I
can imagine the men drooling.. they aren’t just underwear. They are basically
flip-flops or stylish versions of flip-flops.
Thongs
Slingbacks: These
have a strap that go around the ankle. These come in both with and without
heels.
Slingbacks
Pumps: These are
high-heels closed toe shoes. The toes are fully covered and the beginning of
the toes shouldn’t be seen, These are the typical formal office-wear shoes for
women. Note: While high-heeled peep-toes are also called pumps, they are not as
formal as compared to close toed pumps.
Pumps
Mary Janes: These
are the typical unkempt shoes that girls wear to school (at least here in
India). Never understood how girls shoes ended up being so dirty (I was the
official shoe polish boy at home – had to shine my dad’s, my sisters Mary Janes
and my shoes everyday) especially give that they turn out to be oh so prim and
propah later in life! These are the shoes with a strap around the bridge of the
foot.
Mary Janes
While providing Image consulting services, we also talk
about the kind of shoes you can wear for any occasion: Office, cocktail party,
a barbecue, a wedding etc.
Go forth and accessorize.
Imelda Marcos, the Philippine politician (the wife of the
former Filipino President) said “I did not
have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty.”
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