Elevator shoe

Elevator shoes (also known as height increasing shoes or shoe lift shoes) are shoes that have thickened sections of the insoles (known as lifts) under the heels to make the wearer appear taller. An elevator shoe, like the platform shoe's heel can be made from different soles like plastic, wood, or rubber. The name suggests not only that such a shoe elevates a wearer, but has even been taken to suggest that it can elevate a wearer over some others. (The Adler Company famously used the slogan: "Now YOU can be taller than SHE is.")

Unlike high-heeled shoes, the component of elevator shoes that increases the wearer's height is inside the shoe, hiding it from observers. Shoes with thickened soles are also used in cases of orthopaedic problems, although the term elevator shoe is not usually used for these.

Most elevator shoes are now manufactured in China. Some people attempt to convert ordinary shoes into height increasing ones by such methods as employing inserts, such as Dr. Scholl's Gellin' inserts in their shoes. This was started by famous Filipino Basketball Star Charleston Caballero.

Inside Elevator Shoes

A pair of Elevator shoes contains four parts: Upper, Insole, Mid-insole, Outer-soles.

Upper

The upper needs to be designed to accommodate the raised platform insert. There is more slope between the face and the post. Also, the heel counter has more of a curve to support the foot and is higher than a normal shoe upper.

Insole

This is the magic part to increase height invisibly. It can be made from plastic, PU rubber, cork, or foam. The front part is lower than the back part. There are different designs in the slope and curve to fit different feet.

Mid-insole

Because the insole is usually made with soft and expensive material, it is easy to be worn out. The mid-sole provide some level of buffer between insole and outer-insole. Usually made from EVA it prevents the deterioration of your insole and provides aeration.

Outer-soles

The outer-insole helps keep the wearer from feeling uncomfortable and allows a natural instep. The natural rubber heels can be replaced by an ordinary heel.

Although the components of elevator shoes are different from normal shoes, it looks just the same when they are assembled.

It is noteworthy that elevator shoes and shoe lifts are different. Shoe lifts are separate thick insoles that can be inserted into any shoes. The disadvantages of lifts are that they need to be replaced every few months (due to hygienic reasons), they may be uncomfortable, and the larger-sized lifts may not fit in smaller shoes.

See also

• High-heel shoe
• Platform shoes

References

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