Pump Shoes and Platforms: What’s the Difference?

Although men have a variety of shoes to choose from, the range comes nowhere near close to what the women counterparts have. Any woman knows to invest in at least a dozen different pairs of shoes. Women tend to place more emphasis on the shoes, as they realize that these can make or break an outfit. There is therefore more pressure on women to pay special attention to their footwear. 

Two of the most common shoes for women are pump shoes and platform. At first glance, the difference between the two may be unclear, but the differences are there. The first step to discovering the difference between pump shoes and platform shoes is to first look at them individually before exploring the real 

differences. 

Pumps Shoes 

Pump shoes are essentially high heeled shoes that are worn by slipping the feet inside the shoes, and have a low cut at the front of the shoe. The feet are meant to slip into the shoes, which mean that the shoe doesn’t need fastening. The pump (also known as Court shoe) can have different meanings depending on the location in the world. In the UK for example, women shoes with a low or flat heel also fall under the pumps category. In the US on the other hand, pumps only refer to women’s shoes with a high heel. 

Strictly speaking, pumps have a low cut at the front and are closed at the back. For the most part, pumps are considered to be formal wear, and are commonly seen at the office or at formal occasions. They are high in the back while low at the front where the toes are; which is one of the defining characteristic of this kind of women shoes. It is however not entirely impossible to find pumps with straps and buckles which can be a kind of grey area. Read this article to know more about pump shoes.

Platform Shoes 

Just like pumps, platforms have are high heeled women shoes. This is however where the similarities end. The major defining characteristic of platform shoes is that they are also high at the front where the toes are. Platform shoes have been around for a much longer time, going way back to ancient Greece where they were used to give the illusion of height for small statured women. 

Simply put, platform shoes have a thick sole starting from the front, and high heeled at the back. When wearing a platform, the angle of the foot is much less acute as when compared to wearing pumps, meaning that they are more comfortable in this way.

More Differences of Pump and Platform Shoes

The major difference between pumps shoes and platform shoes is the thickness of the base. The base of a platform is thick all the way round, while pumps are lower at the front. 

Another major difference (with only a few exceptions) is that pumps don’t have buckles and are strapless. Platforms are however considered to be more comfortable. 

The final difference is at the front of the shoe. Platforms are raised by at least an inch where the toes are, while the toes are grounded on a pump. 

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