Is heel height measured...? - YouLookFab Forum

Adelfa

I usually do the outside, but I'm just making that up. No idea what the official manner is.

rachylou

Me neither. There's a Vince Camuto peep toe bootie on sale at Nordstrom. It's 4". I'm not sure if that's too high for me. I was thinking I liked 2" heels and lower, but looking at my shoes, I'm not sure I know what 2" is.

12 years ago

Marlene

Veteran

I have no idea how they measure heel heights. Sometimes it seems like they are using weird rulers. And with the inclusion of platforms, it gets even weirder...do they add in the platform...leave it out? It seems different all the time.

12 years ago

Anonymous

Good question. I'd always assumed it was floor to where heel meets sole but don't really know.

12 years ago

Liz A.

Veteran

I'm, fairly certain it's where the heel meets the back of the shoe. This is after doing some measuring of my own at home.

12 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

I saw the Vince Camuto Kina in a mag for $139 on sale, and then saw these Vince Camuto Kembas at 50% off for $69.47. But since yesterday evening, the black version has disappeared.

I'm going to go for being PPP, but boy 50% off was a really good deal. If I didn't already have tan booties at what I think are 4," I'd maybe go for the tan Kembas. But I have tan, and although I'm OK with their height, I think 3.5" is probably my ideal.

Little bit bummed hehe. Making internet faces cheers me up. Hehe.

12 years ago

DonnaF

Veteran

They are supposed to measure on the side from the middle of the heel, so it can make a bit of a difference in a chunky heel. Measuring is not always consistent from site to site; I have seen the same shoe with different heights cited. The better sites tell you the height of the platform and the effective height.

12 years ago

Marlene

Veteran

The problem with platforms is that sometimes they add in the platform height and sometimes they don't. I've gotten some shoes home and compared the actual shoe measurements with the online description and I still cannot figure out what is going on.

12 years ago

bj1111

Veteran

I haven't measured my heels. But i've taken those quoted measurements on a gestalt level. Four inches is too high, 2.5 inches is lower than i think and 3-3.5 is money.

Those kembas are gorg in tan.

12 years ago

Adelfa

Veteran

I too have seen the same shoe's heel listed at different heights at different sites. I use bj's gestalt method and it's pretty reliable.

12 years ago

Archer

Veteran

I go by what it adds to overall height.

12 years ago

Mia

Veteran

Like Donna mentions, I think it is to be measured from the side. I would definitely use measurements online as a general "ballpark". Effective height is also useful but not generally mentioned.

I have been known to take a measuring tape to double check shoes in the store as I know anything over 3" is a non-starter. Sometimes there is a bit of an optical illusion and measuring this way sorts it out right away.

12 years ago

Diana

Veteran

I measure from the back of the heel perpendicular to the ground, my theory being that on most shoes this is the highest point.. But I suspect that Donna is right and most retailers measure the middle, because I often find that heels are higher than I expect from the measurements once they arrive. I can tell by looking at the actual shoe what a 2.5" heel (my limit) in my world (measured from the back straight down) looks like. Definitely still some benefits to shopping B&M...

12 years ago

Scarlet

Veteran

Sometimes I am pretty sure they are just making it up :oP

12 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I do not measure from the back. If the heel is sloped it adds an extra half an inch to the height - or more. That makes a heel "on paper" unwearable for me, when in actual fact, I can wear it!

So I measure vertically. But really, at this stage I can eyeball it and don't even look at the heel height measurement. Nothing above 2 inches.

12 years ago

unfrumped

Veteran

Ha. These responses may explain my varied experiences, too.
I just assumed it was measured from the back top of the heel to the floor and that it was standard. Silly me. But then I got some supposedly 2.5" sandals that measured 3", that way.

So now I'm a believer that it could be all over the map--or at least a half inch here and there, which could be important for search criteria and whether to just try-and-see.

12 years ago

Mia

Veteran

Nordstroms site says they measure a size 8 1/2 shoe for the quoted height so that is interesting.

12 years ago

Liz A.

Veteran

I wear an 8.5 so maybe that's why mine measure so accurately! I always get the right height within an 1/8 of an inch or so when I measure perpendicular from the floor to where the heel meets the shoe.

12 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

That's interesting about them picking a particular shoe size. And also measurement from back being misleading about wearability, Angie!

On that note, I went and ordered the Kembas. I guess I'll find out if 4" is pushing it too far!

12 years ago

Category