There is no denying that women’s casual wear is now dominated by fitness fashion clothes. Companies like Lululemon, Athleta, Sweaty Betty, and the giants Nike, Adidas, and Underarmour are all producing and selling fitness gear that is made to go straight from the gym to the café. Women’s sneakers have always come in colors and varying styles to match with casual wear, but recently shoe designers have come up with a truly different style of fashionable sneaker that has become all the rage. It is called the Wedge Sneaker, and I’m sure you’ve seen people wearing them around. The special “quality” about these shoes is that they have a hidden wedge, or lift, in the heel of about 2-3 inches. This gives the leg a longer look and the wearer a taller appearance.

One of the designers that is credited with helping start this craze is Gwen Stefani, whose clothing line is called L.A.M.B., which her website says stands for “love, angel, music, baby.” Ms. Stefani has been interested in fashion her whole life and she started her brand line in 2003.  Her take on sneakers was quickly adopted by many stylists and shoe designers.

Now, you can find many different kinds of wedge sneakers available on the internet. However, as with all shoes, the quality varies quite a bit. While the soles of wedge sneakers are usually bigger and with more cushioning than many other wedge shoes, thus more stable and comfortable, you still need to be careful with choosing this kind of shoe. I think less is more, when it comes to heel height. In other words, a lift of about 2” is enough to give the desired look, without sacrificing stability and balance. If you have stiff ankles, avoiding heels altogether is advisable.

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