Why do women persist in torturing themselves for fashion? History has shown us how destructive some trends can be, but even educated, intelligent women still allow themselves to be ensnared in the fashion net.

Chinese foot binding and corsets so tight that women could scarcely draw a breath are just two examples of ridiculous fashions that thankfully have been discarded. But many women are still very unkind to their feet.

Some women consistently squeeze their feet into shoes a size too small, enduring corns, blisters and painful bunions as a result. Others walk to train stations, suffer at parties and at race days, and even through a day at work, in towering high heels, simply because they entertain an idea that the higher the heel the sexier they look.

Where does this notion come from, and why has it lasted so long? I don’t want to get into complicated sociological arguments, but it’s common knowledge that an idea of beauty is conditioned into us. I wish we women would trust to our own good sense more, and throw out the fashions that are stupid or plain dangerous.

It’s certainly true that higher heels can enhance proportions and make us feel more powerful by adding stature, but why the towers and why the great clumping heels? They only serve to make a woman look ridiculous. Like cows with thin legs and great hooves stuck on the end. Not to mention the back pain, sprained ankles and sometimes even broken legs that often follow.

I used to think that a lot of shoe designers must dislike women, but actually I’ve learned that marketers are more to blame for these fashion transgressions. It was Tamara Mellon, the marketing force behind the Jimmy Choo brand, who was pushing to go higher and higher on the heels of his shoes in the early days of building the brand. Jimmy Choo, the artisan, kept imploring, “No higher! You’re destroying the balance.”

I completely agree with him. When it comes to a woman’s shoe, balance is paramount. I have a general rule about shoes. If you can’t dance in them, or run in them, don’t wear them.

I didn’t wear high heels when I was young, probably because I didn’t lead a lifestyle where they were called for. When I was a student I was either cooped up indoors practising the piano and attending ballet and flamenco classes, or I was escaping outdoors for long walks.

It wasn’t until I was in my early thirties that I started wearing high heels at work. Around the same time I began tango dancing, and that made me think a lot about what kind of heels to wear.

Female tango dancers wear much higher heels than flamenco dancers. They are often on their toes and their weight is almost always forward, so high heels actually help tango technique. Good posture is essential to prevent back injuries, and good shoes even more so.

My mother taught me how to walk in high heels when I was a young teenager. She used to give my sister and me deportment lessons, watching us walk across the living room in her high-heeled shoes. ‘Walk forward on your heel,’ she told us, ‘then your walk will be smooth and comfortable. Head up, shoulders down, back straight, arms and hips relaxed.’

I’m grateful to her now, every time I see some unfortunate, clumsy woman tottering onto a stage, or along the street, in high heels she doesn’t know how to manage. I’m even more grateful that my mother taught me to be sensible when it came to choosing shoes. ‘Never, ever compromise on good quality shoes,’ she said. ‘Your feet have to carry you a long time. Your shoes need to support you and be made of good quality leather. The Italians and the Spanish understand this better than anyone else. Never buy shoes that don’t fit and always look at the heel. If it is well balanced, you should be able to stand even on a high heel for long periods. The heel should not be too far back on the shoe. It puts too much strain on the back.’

As a dancer, I’ve learnt how vital that advice was. I’ve always been careful choosing my dancing shoes. Perhaps that’s why I’m one of the few dancers I know who doesn’t have bunions, or other foot problems.

These were the sorts of things I thought about when I designed María Perón shoes. I think women should look after their feet, as well as look beautiful.