A girl can never have too many pairs of shoes. There is a pair for every occasion, and even an occasion for every pair – anything for us girls to clock some mileage in our favourite footwear.
There is also “footwear” for cars, and it is equally important to get the right fit. Ladies’ shoes such as wedges, platforms and stilettos come in various heel heights, with the equivalent for tyres being their profile. The difference is, the higher the tyre profile, the more comfortable the ride, whereas the higher the heel, the less comfortable the walk.
Another difference is, you buy shoes in pairs and tyres in sets of four (five if you include a spare). For normal everyday driving, you only need one set of tyres at any one time, but if you’re a “trackie” or “off-roadie”, chances are you probably have an extra set stashed somewhere at home. Similarly for shoes, you’re likely to own “extras” that will equip you for workdays, weekends, sports activities and formal events.
For me at least, performance and price are more important than tread pattern and overall appearance when selecting tyres. But when it comes to choosing shoes for myself, styling is everything, except when a pair of killer heels feel like they might actually kill my feet.
Many blisters, corns and aching ankles later, I have developed my own shoe-buying SOP (standard operating procedure).
Rule no. 1 is to always buy heels half to one size smaller than I would other shoes, so as to ensure a snug but not overly tight fit that gives me a sure-footed stride, even in five-inch stilettos. When it comes to tyres and wheels, however, I always go at least one size up, if not two. So, if it’s 17-inch, I would slap on a set of 18s, or even 19s if my budget allows.
I really believe that upsized “footwear” can transform a mundane car – the same way a pair of sleek stilettos can “up-style” any outfit.
