EIGHT RULES FOR HAPPY FEET

1. Audrey Hepburn advised buying a pair of shoes half a size bigger, as comfort is integral to elegance.

2. As you get older, feet tend to get longer and wider. It's useless trying to squeeze into your usual size 6 1/2. Probably after the age of 40 you'll be a 7 1/2.

3. For the same reason, it's good to buy shoes in the evening, when feet are at their biggest, and never in the morning.

4. Try not to wear the same shoes too many days in a row. Ideally, you should change them every day to keep them from losing shape too soon.

5. Whenever you get the chance - at home or on the beach - walk around barefoot.

6. After an evening of walking on high heels, massage the soles of your feet with a tennis ball.

7. Look at the feet of your mother and grandmother. Many small deformations are hereditary but preventable.

8. Whatever kind of shoes you wear and whatever the shape of your feet, accept and love them, pampering them with great care and pedicures. Your feet are the pedestal that supports your soul.

CELEBRITY SHOE ADDICTS

"My name is Sarah Jessica, and I own well over 100 pairs of Manolo Blahniks."
- Sarah Jessica Parker

"I own one pair of Prada shoes. They make my feet hurt ... It's not the shoes' fault; they are exquisitely made. I blame my feet. I've got my mother's feet."
- Meryl Streep

"I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes."
- Oprah Winfrey

"I can be in the dumps of dumpsters and go buy a new pair of shoes, and then it's okay. Even if it's just for the time being, for that moment it's what I need."
- Britney Spears

"To me, shoes are like pizza: There is no bad shoe."
- Kelly Ripa

Authored by Paola Jaccobi