I didn’t wear high heels when I was young, probably because I didn’t lead a lifestyle where they were called for. When I was a student I was either cooped up indoors practising the piano and attending ballet and flamenco classes, or I was escaping outdoors for long walks.
It wasn’t until I was in my early thirties that I started wearing high heels at work. Around the same time I began tango dancing, and that made me think a lot about what kind of heels to wear.
Female tango dancers wear much higher heels than flamenco dancers. They are often on their toes and their weight is almost always forward, so high heels actually help tango technique. Good posture is essential to prevent back injuries, and good shoes even more so.
My mother taught me how to walk in high heels when I was a young teenager. She used to give my sister and me deportment lessons, watching us walk across the living room in her high-heeled shoes. ‘Walk forward on your heel,’ she told us, ‘then your walk will be smooth and comfortable. Head up, shoulders down, back straight, arms and hips relaxed.’
I’m grateful to her now, every time I see some unfortunate, clumsy woman tottering onto a stage, or along the street, in high heels she doesn’t know how to manage. I’m even more grateful that my mother taught me to be sensible when it came to choosing shoes. ‘Never, ever compromise on good quality shoes,’ she said. ‘Your feet have to carry you a long time. Your shoes need to support you and be made of good quality leather. The Italians and the Spanish understand this better than anyone else. Never buy shoes that don’t fit and always look at the heel. If it is well balanced, you should be able to stand even on a high heel for long periods. The heel should not be too far back on the shoe. It puts too much strain on the back.’
As a dancer, I’ve learnt how vital that advice was. I’ve always been careful choosing my dancing shoes. Perhaps that’s why I’m one of the few dancers I know who doesn’t have bunions, or other foot problems.
These were the sorts of things I thought about when I designed María Perón shoes. I think women should look after their feet, as well as look beautiful.
