The heel: why 7 cm can be more comfortable than 5
Comfort does not come from height but from where the weight falls. How to choose a heel you can wear all day.
“How many centimetres” is the most frequent and least useful question. Comfort in a heeled shoe depends on four things, and height is only one.
1. Where the heel falls
Decisive. The heel must sit directly under the heel bone. Pushed two centimetres back — as often happens, for a sharper silhouette — weight shifts forward and the toes hurt within two hours. A well-placed 9 cm heel is more comfortable than a badly placed 6 cm one.
2. Base thickness
The larger the base, the less balancing work the ankle does. That is why a 7 cm block heel is wearable all day while a 7 cm stiletto tires you. See Rubin — a 7 cm block heel, made for Bucharest pavements.
3. The platform
A platform is not merely decorative: it reduces the real angle between heel and toes. A 2 cm platform under a 12 cm heel gives the foot an angle equivalent to a 10 cm heel. That is how Selene, apparently 14 cm, survives a whole party.
4. The insole
The last piece. An insole moulded to your footprint spreads weight across the whole sole. A flat one gathers it at the front. Made to order, the insole is moulded to your outline.
How to choose
Start from the height you already walk well in, not the one you wish you could wear. Then, if you want more, add base thickness or a platform — not just centimetres.
Ask us: made to order, the heel can be moved millimetre by millimetre until it sits exactly where it should.
Frequently asked
- Why is a block heel more comfortable than a thin one at the same height?
- Because the larger base spreads the weight and demands far less balancing effort from the ankle.
- What does a platform do?
- It reduces the real foot angle. A 2 cm platform under a 12 cm heel gives an angle equivalent to a 10 cm heel.
- What is the maximum all-day height?
- It varies, but with a block heel and platform, 9–10 cm is wearable. With a stiletto and no platform, 7 cm is already a lot.
- Does heel placement matter?
- Decisively. The heel must fall directly under the heel bone. Pushed backwards, it throws weight forward and the toes hurt.
