How to walk in this season's hottest heels

With many of this season's hottest shoes verging on the vertiginous, one shoe retailer has offered women some useful tips on how to avoid disaster when trying to walk in them.

Maria Darling, managing director of Shoes Glorious Shoes - which sources footwear from Milan, Paris and Madrid - said that the trick is all in the posture.

Firstly, she said, women should stand up straight, stretching the back of the neck and lifting the chest without leaning back.

Secondly, she remarked that heel-wearers should only lift up the big toe when walking to distribute weight evenly between the ball of the feet and the heels.

Finally, Ms Darling said, the knees should be locked back to avoid putting the whole of the foot down at the same time.

"Now that you have your weight distributed evenly between the fronts and backs of your feet you can walk totally normally," she concluded.

One famous heel-wearer who is unlikely to need such advice is former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham.

She is famous for her love of skyscraper designer heels, once telling GMTV that high-heeled shoes help her concentrate and that she would go to the gym more if it did not mean wearing trainers.