Is this why Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wears shoes that are too big?

[timosman]

https://www.today.com/style/why-does...-shoes-t131834

Jun.25.2018

Did you notice her shoes are a little ... roomy?


^{Eagle-eyed trend spotters noticed that the Duchess of Sussex favors shoes that are too big for her feet.}

Whenever the Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, steps out in public, royal style watchers obsess over every single detail she’s wearing, from her gorgeous dresses and bags to her growing collection of oh-so-British fascinators.

But the former Meghan Markle has one style quirk that has only recently come to light: She often wears heels that are too big for her.

The most dramatic example might be the strappy, beige heels she wore back in November during a photoshoot celebrating her engagement to Prince Harry.


^{"She is definitely wearing one size up or maybe one-and-a-half sizes up," podiatrist Dr. Suzanne Levine told TODAY.}



And the black pumps she wore during her first official event with the queen this month definitely looked a little roomy around the heel.


^{It was barely noticeable, but the duchess's heels did look slightly too big for her.}

Why does the duchess do this? She probably won’t share her style secrets anytime soon — the royals almost never do, of course — but some experts speculate that she’s going up a size to protect her feet.

“I guess what she’s doing is trying to avoid any kind of skin breakdown or blisters,” Dr. Suzanne Levine, a podiatrist at the Institut Beauté in New York City, told TODAY Style.

With royals often required to stand and stroll around for long periods of time at official events, Meghan might be concerned about swelling or inflammation.

“I’m sure there are certain protocols where you can’t sit no matter what, and (she wants) to avoid not just blisters, but actually skin breakdowns, swelling, bursitis,” Levine said.

Another possibility is that one of Meghan’s feet is slightly larger than the other.

“She may also have a size discrimination between both feet, that they’re both not the same size, so she’s going up to the larger one,” Levine said.


^{The velvet stilettos she wore in March 2018 during a visit to Northern Ireland looked very roomy, too.}

Levine understands Meghan’s strategy of going up a size to protect her feet, and said it’s certainly better than the alternative of wearing too-small shoes that pinch.

“As a podiatrist, I would agree with her that that would be the way to go, as opposed to wearing shoes that just fit her and maybe feel a little too tight in some areas,” she said.


^{This isn't a new royal habit. The former Meghan Markle often wore oversized heels during her time as an actress. She wore these slightly-too-big pumps back in 2013.}

Still, wearing oversized shoes is not something Levine generally recommends.

“I think this seems a little bit more royal, so to speak,” she told TODAY. “The majority of my patients would probably get shoes that would fit a bit more appropriately.”

Dr. Emily Splichal, a podiatrist and human movement specialist in New York City, agrees. In fact, she says that wearing bigger shoes to prevent blisters may actually cause more damage.

“Blisters happen from friction. So if your shoe is larger than it should be, you’re going to move around in the shoe more, and that creates friction,” she told TODAY Style. “So I would probably argue that you could potentially get more blisters from wearing shoes that are too big.”

As for Meghan’s possible concerns about inflammation? Feet can definitely swell when people stand for long periods of time, but typically not enough to require wearing noticeably bigger shoes, Splichal said.

“When the foot swells from standing, especially really long hours, it’s not going to swell a whole shoe size,” she told TODAY Style.

If you are worried about swelling, she recommends going up half a size, at most.

In general, Splichal says it’s just not practical for ordinary women to wear shoes much larger than their actual size.

“The average woman wears heels walking around, and not as an accessory,” she said. “I just don’t want it misconstrued, and then the public starts making decisions just based off of what celebrities are doing, and it does not actually translate into their reality.”

Levine agrees.

“It’s definitely not something that an everyday person would do,” she said.

So when it comes to oversized pumps, it may not be wise to follow in Meghan’s footsteps.

Still, Levine thinks we should give the duchess a break.

"(Meghan) doesn’t have the options that you and I have,” she said. “We have an out, don’t we? We can go to the ladies’ room and put on a different pair of shoes. If she does that, the press will be all over her!”

“She may have to stand there for extended periods of time,” Levine added. “She’s not taking any chances.”

[Swordsmyth]

This is a zippy quality post.

Not only is the topic worthless but the Brit royals shouldn't be given any attention except when they do something nefarious.

[timosman]

This is a zippy quality post.

Not only is the topic worthless but the Brit royals shouldn't be given any attention except when they do something nefarious.

Look around you and notice how many people do wear shoes that a tad too big.

[Swordsmyth]

Look around you and notice how many people do wear shoes that a tad too big.

This trivia belongs in the "open discussion" forum.

[timosman]

This trivia belongs in the "open discussion" forum.

You are right. I was actually thinking about Personal Health & Well-Being.

[alivecream]

If I'm not mistaken, I've seen actresses that are wearing big shoes.