12 Tips for Buying Fall Fashion Boots & The Boot Award

The I LOVE My Feet DayS! 2015 Boot Award, our picks of the season, is available now. Download your Free copy today
Our new ebook, How To Avoid Killer Boots and buy boots that feel as good as they look! is available now! We have beautiful blue skies, golden-orange leaves on the trees and a crisp chill is in the air. It’s Fall and we need to shop for new Fashion Boots! Kim Kardashian- West, Taylor Swift, and Fergie all looked awesome in their thigh high boots. They rocked their open toe and open heel boots! Who cares that you can’t wear them in rain or snow; they look fabulous. Boots are not just a necessity to protect our feet in bad weather, they are an accessory for fall and winter fashions. 75% of the adult population has a foot problem. The majority of that 75% are women. Surprised? Not really. Educated, intelligent women sacrifice good foot care for style every day. Unfortunately, our feet have good memories and sooner or later, they say, “Uncle”, no more. Dr. Julie Schottenstein, M.S., DPM, from the Orthopedic Associates, USA, explains, “Chronic injuries are more likely to be aggravated by wearing boots. This is all dependent upon the width and tightness of the boot, specifically the toe box.” Dr. Julie is a Podiatrist, a foot doctor, who practices in Miami Florida and the warm temperatures are very conducive to open toe and open heel boots. Wearing the correct type of boot for your foot is very important because no one wants to limp out of the office at the end of the day. We have 12 steps below that can help you purchase boots your feet will love. 1) Go boot shopping late in the afternoon or later in the day. It’s normal for our feet to swell slightly throughout the day. Trying on boots later in the afternoon helps ensure our feet will be comfortable in the boot after a long day at work.The cute size 7 foot you had in school may not be the foot you have today. That’s okay because you are not alone. The rest of the female population is right there with you. Pregnancy, weight gain and age can all affect your shoe size, whether we want to admit it or not.   2) Please measure your foot. The silver  metal ‘thingy’ is called a Brannock Device. Look for the one purplish one marked “Women’s” and ask the sales person to measure your foot. A large majority of foot problems stems from people not wearing the correct size shoe. If you can’t find a salesperson to measure your foot, jump in and measure your own foot. Push your heel against the back of the Brannock Device. Look to see what line your big toe stops on. It’s normal for one foot to be larger and wider than the other so make sure you measure Both feet. The link below will provide more detailed assistance for using the Brannock Device and this will help you determine if your foot is wide or narrow.   3) Ok, now you know what size to look for but, do you know what type of boot you’re looking for? Do you want to look ‘hot’ or do you need boots to help you trudge through snow? Will you need to stand for long periods of a time in your boots? Do you plan to go dancing in your boots? Will you wear socks or leotards in your boots? Most importantly, do you want tall boots or ankle boots? Answering all of these questions affects the type of boot you select for your foot. Your feet can squeeze into something you like or want, but will your feet be comfortable in it?   4) If your foot is wide, look for boots with the W on the side near the size. Many women with wide feet must also concern themselves with the Shaft of the boot , i.e., the part of the boot that covers your calf. It’s important for your comfort and the circulation in your leg that the boot you select does not press too hard against it or pinch it. Those thigh high boots that Kim Kardashian-West, Taylor Swift and many celebrities wear slide easily over thin thighs but they can cripple a woman with wide thighs. When Fergie wore her open toed thigh high stilettos to the iHeart Radio Music Festival in September 2014, she wore lace up thigh high boots. Lace up boots are a great alternative for women who have full size thighs, and many women fit in this category. So if you have full size thighs like the fabulous Fergie, lace up boots may be a good alternative for you. 5) If your foot is narrow, size AA or B will normally appear on the side of the box near the size, however, you may find some boots have a narrower cut than others. 6) Remember, boots like shoes, vary in the way they fit your feet. Some boots run larger than the listed size and some boots fit more true to size. If you wear a 1/2 size, you may be able to wear a half size smaller than you normally do. 7) Your foot should be stable inside the boot. Too much wiggle room means the boot does not fit properly. It may feel okay for a few hours but this extra room makes your foot work harder because it’s trying to compensate for the lack of stability. After a few days, that extra wiggle room can become friction against your foot. This constant friction can lead to corns and callouses. 8) Always, always, always try on both shoes while you are in the store. It’s normal for one foot to be slightly wider and or longer than the other foot. I used to just try on the shoe for my larger foot. Although that one foot was wider and slightly longer, my other foot still had a say in the matter and it very effectively made it’s ‘voice’ known to me. I slid my foot into my cute new shoes and danced out the door but several hours later I limped back in. Had I taken the time to try on both shoes in the store I would have noticed that part of the cute shoe seam rubbed against my pinky toe. Yikes! Another painful lesson learned. From now on I try on both shoes in the store. 9) If you plan to wear socks with your boots, try the boots on with the same thickness type of socks you plan to wear. If you forgot to bring your socks with you, purchase a pair and then try on the boots. 10) My foot bible, the American Podiatry Medical Association, recommends buying leather boots. Our feet tend to perspire when they are enclosed and leather helps absorb this. 11) Our feet need arch support to function properly. Try to select boots that provide good arch support. If you find a boot you like but it doesn’t provide enough arch support you can purchase arch support inserts over the counter or see your podiatrists for custom Orthotics. 12) When purchasing boots it’s important to keep in mind where and when you plan to wear your boots because the heel height on the boot will affect your foot and your level of comfort. No matter how good they look on your feet, if the boots hurt or pinch your feet, or if you find yourself trying not to put your full weight on both of your feet and most importantly, if you can’t walk in them, leave those pretty boots in the store. Remember, the thigh high boot look is not for everyone but don’t get discouraged, find the boot and look that works best for your feet and legs. Love your feet enough to purchase a pair of boots that don’t hurt your feet and that you can wear comfortably. These 12 tips will help you select a pair of boots you can wear all season. Visit us again on Saturday October 3rd when we release our first ever, (drum roll please), I LOVE My Feet DayS! 2015 Boot Award for our picks of the season! My friends and I are also going to Periscope our boot buying experience on Saturday Oct. 3 1PM EST. Please join us by watching us live! Order your copy of  How to Avoid Killer Boots and buy boots that feel as good as they look! Learn the best type of boots for your foot ailment, get professional guidance and see which celebrities have foot problems! Download it now for 1.59.

http://www.shoesnfeet.com/blog/boot-buying-tips

http://www.shoesnfeet.com/blog/boot-buying-tips

http://shoes.about.com/od/fitcomfort/ss/measurefeet.htm#step2

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