The chunky heel on these shoes make them super stable, and there is a fantastic gel-like cushion in the instep. The angle is quite dramatic though, so if you don’t wear heels often, be aware that there is a bit of pressure on your ankle due to the 10cm angle. Practice makes perfect with these beauties and we recommend wearing them around the house as much as possible to get used to walking if you’re not normally a heel wearer. Your partner or housemates will LOVE it!
Double Toppings have a roomy toe box but are much firmer and more structured than the Chocs. There is essentially no give in the fabric upper. Around 60% of people will fit the same size in the higher heels as Mary Jane Chocs, but if your Chocs are a snug fit, you may find that going up a size is more comfy.
“Will they stretch?” If you are super keen and want to really give it a good solid go, we recommend trying the following: wet some crumpled newspaper and put it in 2 ziploc plastic bags. Jam the bags into the toes of the shoes and put them into the freezer overnight. You might get a mm or two of stretch from this method, but its not guaranteed. Your better bet is to buy the size up and stuff the toes with our Foam Toe Cushions.
Orthotic Friendly? Yes, for most orthotics
Wide Foot Friendly? Not as forgiving and wide as our flats ranges, but they have a rounded toe and are a medium to wide width. We recommend sizing up if you have a very wide foot.
HCD Mid-heels Sizing information
As with the original DT heels, they have a wonderfully stable and easy-to-wear chunky heel, with the extra comfort of the gel-like instep cushioning. The upper shape is the same as the original higher heels, but with only half the heel height (5cm). They are excellent long-wear heels!
HCD Mid Heels have a roomy toe box but are much firmer and more structured than the Chocs. There is essentially no give in the fabric upper. Around 70% of people will fit the same size in mid heels as Chocs, but if your Chocs are a snug fit, you may find that going up a size is more comfy.
“Will they stretch?” If you are super keen and want to really give it a good solid go, we recommend trying the following: wet some crumpled newspaper and put it in 2 ziploc plastic bags. Jam the bags into the toes of the shoes and put them into the freezer overnight. You might get a mm or two of stretch from this method, but its not guaranteed. Your better bet is to buy the size up and stuff the toes with our Foam Toe Cushions.
Orthotic Friendly? Yes, for most orthotics
Wide Foot Friendly? Not as forgiving and wide as our flats ranges, but they have a rounded toe and are a medium to wide width. We recommend sizing up if you have a very wide foot.
HCD Platforms (Double Cream) Sizing Information
Collection 1 Platforms were about 3mm larger (half a size) than their same-sized Chocolaticas counterparts. For example, if you buy a 39 Choc and a 39 C1 platform, there will be around half a size of extra length in the platform, so if your Chocs are loose, you will need to go down a size. C1 styles that have not been re-released in the corrected fit are Gravity, Frankenstein and Habana Flowers.
Collection 2 Platforms are about 2-3mm smaller than their same-sized Chocolaticas counterparts. For example, if you buy a 39 Choc and a 39 C2 platform, the platform upper will be noticeably tighter, so if your chocs are already snug you will need to go UP a size. C2 styles that have not been re-released in the corrected fit are Ganguro, and Walk the 80s.
These first and second release platforms require a different gait (walking style) than other shoes. Most shoes have some flex in the sole, our platforms do not – which means your foot will move up and down inside the shoe unless you are an absolute expert level platform wearer. We highly recommend practicing around the house before wearing them to any event where walking around will be required, and we highly recommend wearing socks or even a bandaid on your heel to prevent blisters until you get the gait right with any C1 or C2 platforms.
Collection 3 and onwards – HCD have worked hard to get the fit and feel perfect in the platform ranges and we believe they have finally come as close to perfection as is possible with a platform with the release of C3.
Styles such as Sushi, Pink Widow, Rockabilly, Rainbow and the restock of Tiki, Op Art and Thank You Music etc have this new fit profile and you can feel comfortable ordering any of these styles from Popping Candy and they should fit essentially the same as your Mary Jane Chocolaticas, unless you wear your Chocs super snug to your toes or if your toes point significantly upward – then you might need the size up. The gait/height might still take some getting used to, but the comfort and wearability is miles ahead of the previous collections!
“Will they stretch?” Not really – they are a fair bit firmer and more structured than Chocs.
Orthotic Friendly? Yes, for most orthotics
Wide Foot Friendly? Yes
