How To Look Good In Heels (Without Destroying Your Feet)

When the paparazzi caught Victoria Beckham on the beach in flat sandals this weekend, they zoomed in on an apparent bunion on her foot. Since the problem (a swelling of the joint in the big toe) is often associated with high heels, it's not like we're surprised that Beckham could have one—she does, after all, do everything from red carpet to grocery shopping in 6-inchers. J. Alexander from America's Next Top Model gave some tips to Allure on how to wear heels without pain that we thought worth revisiting...

• Buy heels a half-size too big to allow for a bit of swelling. When your feet hurt, your whole body hurts, and it shows in your face. The point is to look good in those shoes.
• In heels, much of your weight rests on the balls of your feet, which means that walking requires a whole different motion than you'd use when wearing flats. Aim for a heel and ball-toe motion—the heel and ball hit the ground at the same time.
• Take longer steps than you normally would—it causes you to lean back a little bit, which looks very graceful.
• Drinking and heels do not mix. Every teetering, wobbly step will show the world that you've had one too many.

Victoria Beckham wears flats! (Yes, this is news.)

Most of us mere mortals have a mix of boots, flats, heels, sneakers, and sandals in our closets, but Victoria "Posh" Beckham lives up to her Spice Girls moniker wearing sky-high stilettos and platforms every single day. Yes, even when going to the airport or picking up her boys from soccer practice. So imagine the audible gasp we made when we came across this photo of Beckham in a pair of ballet flats. GASP! Yes, we're stunned. We're heading to the optometrist to have our vision tested. What will you tell us next, that Lady Gaga was seen wearing pants?!

We're not the only ones scratching our heads. US Weekly has been documenting her footwear selections this week, and claim they spotted her in flats twice this week. What does it all mean?! US drudged up an old quote where Beckham said, "Unless they're on a ballet dancer doing ballet, I just don't get it... The problem with skinny jeans is if you wear them with flat shoes, like flip-flops or trainers, you end up looking like a golf club." Perhaps the flats were not a stylistic choice. The UK's Daily Mail is confident her footwear swap is the result of "serious bunions," and that she has been advised to have a bunionectomy. Wait, is that even a real thing?

Of course, Bekham's rep has laughed off the whole thing. "Oh please, it's purely a fashion choice," the rep told US. "She loves mixing things up, changing her image. That's all!"

Hmmm... we're not convinced. And for those of you who have endless time and energy to contemplate the shoe choices of celebrities like we do today, don't worry. We have a feeling Buniongate '10 is far from over.

Fendi Zucca Platform Slingback

Tobacco (brown) canvas with dark brown Zucca print. Angled platform. Peep toe. 4 9/10″ stacked heel with goldtone Zucca medallion on back. Made in Italy.

Fendi Braided leather chain sandals

Heel measures approximately 130mm / 5 inches with a 30mm / 1 inch platform. Zip on these gold chain-embellished sky-scraping platforms to upgrade a subtle warm-weather palette. Go for high-octane style this summer with Fendi’s fierce brown and beige braided leather multistrap sandals.

Miss Sixty Melania Pumps

Black leather pumps with rounded pointed toe. Signature logo engraving at black vinyl cone heel. Tonal ribbon detail at instep. Tone on tone stitching. Approx. 3.5″ heel.

VERSACE BLUE SUEDE

The shoes have a thick elastic piece across the front creating a ruch in the seude. Blue suede peep toe shoes from Versace with a high stiletto heel, bright blue platform and bright blue sole. They have bright blue piping round the toe.

Alessandro Dell’Acqua satin and leather boots

What a beautiful pair of ankle boots, they look so elegant and the mix of satin and leather is a very appealing blend of textures. The mosaic heel detail adds a very trendy touch to the boots.

Christian Louboutin

According to Ali Hall, editor of Look magazine, "All the main shoe trends are mega high — & even more death defying."

Christian Louboutin

This season’s shoe is the ankle-breaker. Towering stilettos which go as high as 7 inches. After the success of his 6 & 7 inch heels, Christian Louboutin has designs to generate an even higher shoe.

Sigerson Morrison

This stylish classic pump, the 9633 from Sigerson Morrison, would be the excellent addition to your everyday wardrobe.