The Way She Walks
February 27th 2008 10:26
When we think fashion accessories, our minds tend to automatically lean towards the tangible – bracelets, handbags, shoes. But there’s an accessory that until recently went virtually unspoken of. It’s your walk. Thanks to America’s Next Top Model, it’s become common knowledge that a signature walk can set you apart on the catwalk. Granted, most of us don’t spend our lives pounding the runway, but that doesn’t mean the mantra shouldn’t ring true for the rest of us. As much as anything you put on your back, how you hold yourself and shimmy down the street actually says an awful lot to anyone who cares to look your way.
The next time you’re out and about, take note of not only how you grace the pavement, but the style in which other ladies (and men) do likewise. Clearly so many girls are not giving much consideration to how they’re trundling down the street on any given day. As much as you don’t want to look like you think you’re in a Valentino show as you scurry to catch your morning bus, you equally don’t want your signature walk to be ‘the elephant’, or worse, as my less than tactful sister recently described a particular stride, ‘the hunch and drag.’
A confident, elegant walk only serves to complement the fabulous outfits we labour over each morning. It’s no good looking like a million bucks if as soon as you endeavour to get from A to B you drop right down to a two-dollar stride. As much as we rolled our eyes at mothers who sang the praises of getting about the house with books on our heads, there is merit in the practice of straightening up and facing the world head on. Good posture means you’re half way to a good walk. Take your mum’s advice and hold your head high, don’t stare at the ground. Not only does staring down make you look slouchy, you’re also missing window-shopping opportunities, man shopping opportunities and fashion inspiration from other savvy women.
The other killer to a fabulous strut is killer shoes. Amazing shoes do amazing things to an outfit, your legs, your butt and your confidence, but they can do atrocious things for your walk if you don’t plan ahead. If you head into town in your new 3-inch stilettos without any prior practice, chances are you’re going to look ungainly. How many women have you seen stalking through the city, clearly not comfortable by any means in the fabulous shoes they’re wearing? Or worse, hobbling home in obvious pain, or the worst still – carrying a pair of amazing shoes and getting about barefoot. Everything about how great these women otherwise look goes out the window as you find yourself fascinated by their ungainly stride. Tragic! And avoidable. Practice in your shoes, take smaller steps if you’re wearing towering heels that you’re not quite used to, and if that means leaving the house 40 minutes earlier so you don’t end up galumphing down the street to be on time, do it. Invest in Party Feet to help your toes survive your stilettos, or wait until you get to work to put the killer heels on. Pounding the morning pavement in your suit and Havianas in a trend in its own right.
No matter what shoes you have on when you’re running about town, you still need to think about how you’re walking. When you’re on your way to work, or headed home, it’s not uncommon to have a squillion things going on in your head and how you look marching down the street is probably not top of your priority list. But, if you don’t stop to consider how you’re strutting, and how that’s making you look, it’s also easier to not consider it at other times – a night out with the girls, your way to a board meeting with the boss, or entering a fabulous bar or restaurant. All occasions where eyes are likely to swivel your way and if you enter that room with the hunch and drag, heaven forbid, the focus is likely to switch from your great ensemble to your not so great method of walking. Think about which direction your feet face – it should be forward. Think about if you’re shaking your ass enough when the time comes to be sassy. And at risk of sounding like your mother, put your shoulders back, tuck your booty in and hold your chin parallel to the floor!
We all have to make our way around on our tootsies at some point every day, so rather than shuffling your way through daily life, treat your walk like you would any other accessory and wear it with pride! And similarly to your other fabulous accessories, you are likely to get attention for all the right reasons.
The next time you’re out and about, take note of not only how you grace the pavement, but the style in which other ladies (and men) do likewise. Clearly so many girls are not giving much consideration to how they’re trundling down the street on any given day. As much as you don’t want to look like you think you’re in a Valentino show as you scurry to catch your morning bus, you equally don’t want your signature walk to be ‘the elephant’, or worse, as my less than tactful sister recently described a particular stride, ‘the hunch and drag.’
A confident, elegant walk only serves to complement the fabulous outfits we labour over each morning. It’s no good looking like a million bucks if as soon as you endeavour to get from A to B you drop right down to a two-dollar stride. As much as we rolled our eyes at mothers who sang the praises of getting about the house with books on our heads, there is merit in the practice of straightening up and facing the world head on. Good posture means you’re half way to a good walk. Take your mum’s advice and hold your head high, don’t stare at the ground. Not only does staring down make you look slouchy, you’re also missing window-shopping opportunities, man shopping opportunities and fashion inspiration from other savvy women.
The other killer to a fabulous strut is killer shoes. Amazing shoes do amazing things to an outfit, your legs, your butt and your confidence, but they can do atrocious things for your walk if you don’t plan ahead. If you head into town in your new 3-inch stilettos without any prior practice, chances are you’re going to look ungainly. How many women have you seen stalking through the city, clearly not comfortable by any means in the fabulous shoes they’re wearing? Or worse, hobbling home in obvious pain, or the worst still – carrying a pair of amazing shoes and getting about barefoot. Everything about how great these women otherwise look goes out the window as you find yourself fascinated by their ungainly stride. Tragic! And avoidable. Practice in your shoes, take smaller steps if you’re wearing towering heels that you’re not quite used to, and if that means leaving the house 40 minutes earlier so you don’t end up galumphing down the street to be on time, do it. Invest in Party Feet to help your toes survive your stilettos, or wait until you get to work to put the killer heels on. Pounding the morning pavement in your suit and Havianas in a trend in its own right.
No matter what shoes you have on when you’re running about town, you still need to think about how you’re walking. When you’re on your way to work, or headed home, it’s not uncommon to have a squillion things going on in your head and how you look marching down the street is probably not top of your priority list. But, if you don’t stop to consider how you’re strutting, and how that’s making you look, it’s also easier to not consider it at other times – a night out with the girls, your way to a board meeting with the boss, or entering a fabulous bar or restaurant. All occasions where eyes are likely to swivel your way and if you enter that room with the hunch and drag, heaven forbid, the focus is likely to switch from your great ensemble to your not so great method of walking. Think about which direction your feet face – it should be forward. Think about if you’re shaking your ass enough when the time comes to be sassy. And at risk of sounding like your mother, put your shoulders back, tuck your booty in and hold your chin parallel to the floor!
We all have to make our way around on our tootsies at some point every day, so rather than shuffling your way through daily life, treat your walk like you would any other accessory and wear it with pride! And similarly to your other fabulous accessories, you are likely to get attention for all the right reasons.
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