There are lots of reasons to wear elevator shoes. If you are thinking about purchasing a pair of elevator shoes to step out in stylish stature, you will have to make some decisions first. In addition to considering how many inches you want to add to your height, you will also want to think about how and where you will use your new shoes. Style and looks will also be important.

If you think elevator shoes will look out of date and clunky, think again. These days, height-increasing shoes are available in a wide variety of appealing styles. Stylish elevator shoes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes for all sorts of occasions.

No matter which pair you wear, you will feel your best. At your next formal occasion approach that gorgeous woman you’ve been looking at across the room. On the court or on the field, you will play at peak performance.

First, you should consider how you will be using your elevator shoes and where you will be wearing them. Thanks to the availability of lots of trendy styles, you will have plenty of choices.

You want to select the right pair of shoes for the right occasion. A pair of elevator sneakers would be perfect for sports or casual wear, for instance, whereas a pair of formal Oxford men’s shoes that add height would be ideal for wearing at the office or during an important social event.

You will want to get the right size to fit your feet, of course. That will be easy, because elevator shoes are categorized with the same measurement methods as standard shoes. We have a size suggestion page if you need additional help.

But you also may be wondering, “How many inches should my elevator shoes be?” That is, rather than the length of your feet, you will need to consider how many inches you want your new elevator shoes to increase your height.

In general, elevator shoes available on the market nowadays can make you approximately 2 to 5 inches taller. That gives a wide range of options for men. The selection of tall shoes will depend on many factors. Most important, of course, are your actual height and your own personal preferences and taste.

First, you should consider the average height of men and women where you live. These averages differ by countries.

In the U.S., the average adult male stands 5’ 10” tall, while the average adult female is 5’ 4”. You will want to take these averages into consideration when deciding how much height you wish to add with your elevator shoes.

For American men under 5 1/2 feet or so, taller elevator shoes are often the best choice. Studies show that taller men tend to generate more respect in work environments as well as from the opposite sex. You will feel confident and empowered when you stride into a room with these trendy shoes.

Your choice of shoes also depends on where and how often you will use them. If you are planning to don a pair of elevator shoes to impress a date, and she is significantly taller than you are in your plain shoes, then going for 3-4 inches in extra lift is a smart choice. In addition, shoes are the first thing many women look at. Your new friend will be very impressed when her gaze falls on your spic-and-span, polished leather shoes. Without knowing they are elevator shoes, she will wonder how she could have overlooked you in the past.

Wearing those maximum height-enhancing shoes to an important job interview also makes sense, because the folks who interview you will be instantly if unconsciously impressed by your commanding presence. At the same time, you will feel more confident while answering the sometimes nerve-racking questions job-seekers must handle during interviews. Your sense of style and taste will also be apparent in the fashionable shoes you wear, and no one will know they are elevator shoes except you.

On the other hand, wearing elevator shoes that boost your height by 4 or 5 inches may be overkill if you wear them when you are with people who have become used to seeing you in your standard shoes at your actual height. Although properly worn elevator shoes are virtually unnoticeable to all but the most practiced eye, many folks who know you will become suspicious when they see you have grown nearly half a foot taller overnight.

In situations where you are dealing with folks you know, such as family or long-time friends or co-workers, it is usually wiser to go with elevator shoes that add just 2 or 3 inches to your stature. It is amazing just what a couple of inches can do. These shoes punch above their weight and can instill an amazing amount of confidence. You will take chances you may have never considered before, whether in business, family affairs or your love life.

Another option is insoles, which can add 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches to your stature. Although this may seem like a small amount, you will be surprised what even an added inch in stature can accomplish. People around you will start to look up to you, emotionally as well as physically. Part of that will be due to the newfound confidence you will feel when you are standing tall. Also, you will enjoy the improved posture that elevator shoes and inserts deliver.

If you have a wife, girlfriend or significant other who is taller than you, consider wearing a pair of lifts or elevator shoes that will bring you up to or slightly above her level. Even though some women may say they don’t care about a man’s size, it’s an evolutionary fact that females traditionally prefer taller males, whom for eons they have naturally associated with greater protection and security. So, if your spouse or girlfriend is about 1 inch taller than you, a pair of insoles should be enough to get you to stand beside her at her level or perhaps a notch above. You will feel more confident and look better together as a couple.

If you think wearing elevator shoes is somehow uncool, consider this: Leading men in Hollywood as well as other celebrities have used height-enhancing shoes to boost their acting careers as well as their romantic success. Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr. and Mick Jagger are just some of the stars of film and rock and roll known to wear elevator shoes. These icons have improved their style, confidence and success with good-looking, hip elevator shoes, so why shouldn’t you?

Cruise is a good example of how to choose how many inches to increase one’s height by. He stands 5’ 7”, while his former wife, Katie Holmes, is 5’ 9” tall. Yet when you see pictures of the couple together, there is Tom Cruise with his significant other, standing noticeably taller than she — at least by an inch or 2. So Cruise more than likely is wearing a pair of elevator shoes adding 3 or 4 inches to his stature. No wonder this superstar is always wearing a sly grin on his face!