Portrait of a Lady - Part 3 (Heels)

In my third part of "Portrait of a Lady", I am going to talk about heels. High heels are a type of shoe in which the heel is significantly higher off the ground as compared with the toe. They make the wearer appear taller, accentuates the muscle tone in their legs and makes their legs appear visibly taller. There are many types of high heels, which come in different styles, colors and materials, and can be found all over the world. They have significant cultural and fashionable meanings attached to them, which have been largely shaped by historical contexts over the past 1,000 years. 

The influence of heels came mainly from the Western world as Eastern culture footwear design tends to be simplistic with the exception of those footbinding shoes or heels worn by ladies in court during the Qing dynasty. As time progresses, I feel that the Western world designed heels are more widely accepted as it is more practical.  

Looking at the list above, there are so many types of heels. In my view, a lady should always wear covered heels, be it a pump or stiletto. Maybe because I am not a fan of open toe/peep toe heels or even sandals, I feel that it is not graceful to show people the toes. On top of that, if a lady is wearing pantyhose, the seams at the footed toe area will show especially if she is wearing those open toes type of heels, it does not really go well as shown below.

However, I feel that much of it really depends on what you wear on the top. There are also some cases of exception especially when the open toe heels and those seamless pantyhose can complement each other well... For example, a high class and glamourous sandals with a matching nude pantyhose. Or the lady can simply learn some tricks while wearing nude sheer pantyhose with open toed heels.

Look at the picture above, the woman does have a pair of flawless legs, which are nicely tan. As you follow the legs from the thigh down to the ankle area, you will see those veins that are popping out and the sandals just show off the toes. The girl is pretty but she lacks that finishing touch to beautify her. If she put on a nice pair of nude pantyhose, it will look so much complete as shown in the picture below (note, the picture below belongs to another model, but just trying to draw a reference here). 

The height of the heels depends on the occasion, for normal work or practical use, a low heels around 3 to 6cm is ideal. As work is about professionalism and formality, fully covered toes heels and nude pantyhose are a must. Just look at the pictures below and see how the nude pantyhose helps to smoothen out the blemishes and veins around the ankles while the black covered heels just add in that formal yet feminine, powerful yet charming looks for the Office Lady (OL)... 

In a professional setting such as work, sandals are a big NO NO but peep toe heels is still acceptable to a certain degree. As shown in the picture below where the lady is wearing a nude pantyhose and a black peep toe heels, it is still palatable and pleasant. Imagine her wearing a pair of sandals in this outfit, it will be quite a mismatch that will totally ruin the looks. 

For more formal events, a slightly higher heels will be good to accentuate the height of the lady and making her more elegance and graceful. A stiletto of 8 to 11cm will be ideal for these occasions, making a lady looking ever so posh and classy. The dress or gown must match with the hosiery and heels, working together as a package to keep the image of a lady in a grand and generous way as shown in the pictures below. 

To end off, a nice pair of heels needs a matching hosiery to supplement it, just like how a nice cup of coffee complements butter toast in a breakfast set, you need to know how to match them and bring out the most feminine and beautiful aspect of a lady.