“It’s great to see stylish (not just boring and flat) shoes for ladies out there with big feet. We may have big feet, but we still love our heels! I often get asked why I wear high heels (I’m 5’11”) but apart from looking great, heels make big feet smaller – think of triangles and Pythagoras.  So it makes even MORE sense to wear skyscraper heels!”

That’s a quote from Liz Crowley, size UK 10 when she saw some of the styles we have lined up for this Autumn.

It seems like the perfect time to open up the debate on flats versus heels for our growing band of large size shoe followers.  Many of you will know already that we encourage you to get in touch to tell us what you are looking for and what you’d like to see in future seasons. We have been increasingly surprised to see that, apart from width fittings, “heels” is probably the single most popular topic from our customers and would-be customers where larger sizes are concerned. And we are talking heels of 95mm plus. Of course, not all of you are tall, but height isn’t the obstacle to heel-wearing that we expected it to be: even you tall girls like your killer heels and not always just for an occasion.

We have started to see a pattern in the comments from different age groups on this but you may have some thoughts on that yourselves. What do you think?

So, what has been happening in the world of Shoesissima?

We had a fabulous launch season in SS12 and have enthusiastically moved forward into SS13, following the trends on the catwalk shows in New York, Paris and Milan and we have loved applying those trends to our range of ladies large sizes shoes.

What have we learnt?

You wanted even more on-trend Shoes in large sizes.
You wanted a little bit of extra width in your shoes.
You DEFINITELY wanted even bigger ladies shoe sizes and you told us this, often recounting stories, both humorous and horrible about experiences trying to find the shoes you wanted.

What have we done?

• We have moved even closer to the seasonal trends in terms of toe shapes, heels shapes and materials while remaining mindful of some of the constraints for taller girls with bigger feet.

• We added an extra width fitting to our shoes. While not pretending to be wide-fitting experts, we do recognize that comfort is paramount. On that note, we added light padding to the insole of all our shoes.

• We added sizes UK 11/Eur 45/US 13 and UK 12/Eur 46/US 14. Yes, and there were lots of requests!

• We’ve added video to the product pages o you can see the shoes on a foot.

• We’ve added “You may also like” feature to the product pages.

What hasn’t changed is our desire to provide you with the best service possible so if you have any queries whatsoever, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

We are still very interested in hearing any feedback about where you currently shop and what you would like to see from us as our collection grows so please keep the comments coming.

Judith

However, we also know that choosing the right clothes to suit your long and elegant frame can be difficult. So we thought we’d give you a few pointers to help you pick the perfect outfit….

Absolutely the first thing to remember if you are tall, and I appreciate this does sound a bit , well, obvious is make sure your clothes to fit in terms of length. You need to find the extra length from somewhere and this can be tricky! Don’t be tempted to buy trousers that are a little bit too short and hope no one will notice. They will and you’ll look like either you’ve borrowed your outfit from a short person, or you’ve unexpectedly sprouted overnight. Neither is a good look, trust me.

The high street to its credit, unlike with larger size shoes, has cottoned on to taller sizes and you’ll find a good choice available right across the fashion spectrum from Topshop and Zara to Dorothy Perkins. So get out and have a look, try things on you beautiful, elegant person, you!

Walk with confidence. You know if you feel good you will look good. Let’s face it everything looks great on a model and being tall you benefit from that effect. So remember your posture and develop a bit of attitude and you are going to look good.

The waist can be a troublesome area for tall girls. Make sure what you buy shows off your waist to make the most of your figure. Loose clothes or straight up and down lines make you look longer. Yes, wear a baggy top but pair it with skinnies. Similarly with wide leg styles wear it with a fitted top. Don’t go for baggy at both ends!

Again concentrating on the waist tends to show of your waist better and keep you in proportion. If you are wearing a dress try to buy one with that has a shaped bust or fitted waist. Again, this breaks things up and keeps you looking well proportioned. Tall women also look great in wide belts which has the added benefit of accentuating the waist and making your body look in proportion.

Break up bright colours and try not to wear the same colour top and bottom. This draws attention to your height; Giselle and Tyra Banks may be able to deal with that level of scrutiny but we mere mortals may find it a bit tiring Use bright colours as accents and try coloured tops with softer colour trousers like denim or slim fit chino styles.  Long legs look great in skinny jeans; tall girls can carry off this look better than their more vertically challenged counterparts so work it!  For slimmer looking legs wear them with heels; if you have skinny pins a ballerina style will give you a more relaxed look. Not in to skinny jeans? Well wide legs or slouch jeans look fabulous. You won’t be swamped by a wide straight leg or even a flare. You will simply show it off to perfection.

With accessories, unlike the more petite, you can get away with large statement shoppers and maxi clutches and should go for these rather than small bags which look too small next to your tall body.

When it comes to shoes, quite simply wear the shoes that suit the outfit. Don’t be afraid of heels. If heels suit what you are wearing then wear them. If you want to wear flats, unlike your shorter counterparts you won’t disappear below people’s eye-line so why not?

In essence shopping for your taller frame is all about common sense and making sure that what you pick makes you feel good. There are many styles you can wear with confidence that shorter women just can’t carry off, as much as they’d like to.  It’s a good idea, and as we know much more fun, to shop with your best friend. She’ll tell you if something works for you or more importantly what doesn’t   Above all, remember not to try and hide how tall you – make it work for you and be proud. Most women will be slightly envious of your height and the outfits you can carry off so own it.

MATTHEW WILLIAMSON autumn/winter 2012 at london fashion week february 2012

The aim of the event is to encourage and nurture the creative talent that the UK has in abundance by providing a showcase to the world for our creative strengths. Neatly summed up by The Mayor of London, whose office is a prominent supporter of the event.

“With its innovative designers, cutting edge street style and catwalk pizzazz, it’s no wonder London has been voted fashion capital of the world. We want to show the city at its creative best in 2012 and these intriguing collaborations will bring together some of the most exciting designers and artists working in Britain today. I’ve no doubt we’ll be seeing work that is as challenging as it is inventive, showing the power of creative collaboration and adding to a summer like no other.”
- Mayor of London Boris Johnson

From Shoesissima’s point of view with our fashion forward Missima brand where fashion and creativity are central to the brand; we feel it is important, especially in times of economic turmoil, to remember there are things at which we excel.  Design and fashion are also very bankable assets that will help re-invigorate our economy. So if you get the chance, why not go out and be involved in one of the events? Let’s drop our tendency for self deprecation and show off a bit in 2012: we’re actually quite good!

Shoesissima don’t think so. What’s more we don’t think that one of the greatest, and least understood by men, pleasures for a woman namely shopping for shoes, should only be the preserve of a dainty size 5 or even a size 7. We think that all women regardless of shoe size should be able to shop for the shoes they want, not the shoes they have to put up with, even if you are a magnificent size 11.

Actress, mum and gorgeous size 9 Angela Griffin  shares our belief and kindly ‘road tested ‘ some of our Spring Summer ’12 collection recently. I think it’s fair to say she loved them and even tweeted “Just opened 3 boxes of shoes that fit my size 9′s!!!!!” When we last checked with her she had barely taken off the Natural Tobacco crossover sandals shown in the pic Angela took when her shoes arrived.

To be fair we can’t blame her, they are perfect for a cool casual summer  look and have been a big favourite with many of you shopping with us online.  All we need now is more of a Summer and we can all be happy!!

As this is our first blog we’d be really interested in your thoughts and any comments you want to make would be greatly appreciated. We want this blog to become a bit of a forum just for you. Where you can share advice, pick up hints and tips about fashion and be part of a select group of women who love shoes and love their feet.  As Bette Midler famously said

“ Give a woman the right shoes and she’ll conquer the world” We’re with you Bette, even if you are only a run of the mill size 5.

Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Twitter  @Shoesissima and keep up to date with the latest news on Facebook .