High Heels: To wear, or not to wear?

A wedding is a grand event that gives the bride full liberty to dress up like a regal princess and shine brighter than anybody else. However, when it comes to buying shoes for the wedding, one must not only consider the glamorous look of the shoes, but also the comfort. Not all brides can manage six-inch heels in a heavy lehenga and all the beautiful accessories on the big day. To avoid the risk of tripping in heels one can try stylish flats like embellished sneakers, embroidered brogues, juttis, or even ballerinas.

“Every sari or lehenga has something in gold or silver, so one can mix-n-match a sneaker with that. Many brides, nowadays, are going more minimal or neutral with clothes and add bling to their accessories. So, you can wear a beautiful pastel colour lehenga or sari which isn’t loud and add colour to your look with bright shoes and matching lipstick,” says designer Dyuti.

Actress Lavanya Tripathi, who recently wore a sari and teamed it up with a sneaker, feels that wearing heals all day long is also bad for one’s back. “Wedding day is not just about looking gorgeous, it’s about being comfortable as well. Standing in heals for long hours can be a nightmare. Embellished sneakers and ballerinas can help you there. Usha Uthup ma’am, who wears some of the most traditional and beautiful saris in the industry, designs her own shoes,” she says. True. Not just the brides, but even friends and cousins, who dance, and are running about all day, cannot bear high heels all day long!

However, what kind of shoes should one wear? Explaining about it, fashion blogger MeenakshiPamnani says, “Metallic sneakers or ballerinas are in trend and they would go perfectly well with your lehenga. Avoid wearing something very plain or white as it wouldn’t just match the look. There are so many printed ones in the market and so many metallic ones that you could just not stop wearing them. Brogues are a good choice too, there are many gorgeous ones with tassels available in stores and the tan colour would definitely go with any outfit.”

What kind of sari one wears also plays an important role in which shoes to pair it up with. If you are wearing a very traditional piece, don’t go for sneakers. Footwears like sneakers and brogues will look good only on saris such as an embroidered khadi or Ikkat. Also, try and give a traditional touch to your footwear by adding the bling. Don’t opt for faraway contrast colours as it will only make the whole look gaudy,” says Ashwin Mawle, celebrity stylist.

Adding to the list of do’s and don’ts, Meenakshi says, “Get your lehenga stitched in a way that the designer knows that you are not wearing heels so they won’t increase the length much. Also, in case the shoes are brand new, do walk around in them for a day or two to avoid shoe bites and put on a band-aid behind your ankle to avoid painful blisters. It’s all about comfort and it’s your big day, and wearing heels for the sake of it is just not what you want to do! You need to be comfortable at all times and wearing sneakers is definitely a win-win for you.”