Now here’s a thing – your life tends to settle into a certain pattern and a comfort zone. There is no doubt that, particularly at the outset of adding height – working out how to find shoes that make you taller, your instinct is go on the low side, however much in an ideal world you want to go high. Stuff limits and restricts you, and it’s funny but in the past month a few of my contacts asking advice have raised this, querying: “OK I have had my elevators for 6 months: how much do you think I can go to, bearing in mind that normally I am just…”

So here is a piece about a couple of situations and my suggestions on this, based upon my reply to one guy, Mike.

‘Wished I’d gone higher’

Mike works in a technical area and is out and about a lot. This helps because he can decide his own height: he is not bound by much by way of clothing restrictions, and first off he bought a 8cm (3″) pair of Chelsea type boots: “Fab boots, but after buying them I almost immediately wished I had gone for the next increment up, about half an inch, but I guess a lot of people say that!”.

And yep Mike they do. All the time.. Loads of guys go low low low because they understandably find it difficult to believe people will not notice what they think is a major difference. And then realise they could have gone up a notch.

So after he got the first boots and he told me this, I then advised him to up it a little (“and not just half an inch, more like go for 4″ boots”)…and in a different style. Get some trainers/sneakers or a different type of boot. Of course this worked a treat – and then on a roll, Mike bought some 6″ boots “for special” (no surprise there…once you have got the bug it tends to make you realise you can push it).

‘Can I go to 6 inches?‘

Now though, Mike feels he is in a quandary – “I love the style of the 8cm boots a helluva lot and because I am now used to wearing 10cm in the second pair, I started adding lifts to the first ones!! But now achieving 6″ extra in my new ones when I am out at night or with mates, and really getting a total buzz out of being well over 6 foot, I kind of want to get there all the time but am not sure as to how sustainable it is.”

‘Sustainable’ in height is quite a logical thing to consider – you have to truly say whether the additional advantages of adding to 6″ can be maintained in a way that suits you. Is 6″ comfortable? To wear all the time? Are you in a lifestyle where you feel you might end up compromised when taking shoes off?

Well I am someone who does that every day (wears 6″ boots), and I can tell you a few things – they are perfectly fine to wear all the time: you cannot run easily in them, but you can move at a reasonable speed if you need to. You need generally to walk at a more leisurely pace, but I tend to think (in passing) that this is actually better and gives a cooler impression generally. And this is the kinda stuff you learn by taking the boots out on a ‘test run’, if you like, when you get them and go to the shops or walk the dog, or get a coffee. You realise that when you add height with shoes you do change your stance and posture – but for me, it was undoubtedly for the better. You stand and walk upright which is really good. Head up, lengthen your back…elevators actually demand you walk right!

But the issue of 6″ being sustainable?

Incremental change

I would suggest that if you wear 4″ or even 3″ every day, then the 6″ boot is not going to be as noticeable an increase as you might think. I am not sure I would just jump straight to 6″ from zero (yikes), or advise anyone to do so! But if you are regularly wearing a 10cm lift, and it causes no special issues, then those extra few can be quite easily explained away.

And again your lifestyle is really the key. Mike works around and about seeing customers etc. His mates and family have not noticed any substantial difference (because the change has been gradual and incremental – bit by bit).

And if there is any takeout from advice about how to get as tall as possible undetectably and effectively, it is to grit your teeth and do it over a period of a couple of years by means of starting around 3″ and then heading up. Putting lifts in your shoes now is not a bad start, as that gives you an immediate inch, but do not add more than an inch. Unlike the GuidoMaggi elevators, usual shoes are not designed for adding height so it would be painful to go much further.

But three pairs of elevators, starting low and spread over a few years will almost certainly do the trick. I did it and compressed the time a bit but I have never looked back. You might decide with the higher ones just to use them for ‘special’, when you want to impress on a night out or just when you are feeling good!