A Romantic Heel Is Always Easy to Love

Marie Antoinette may have said: “Let them eat cake!” but it’s her doomed husband Louis’ shoes we’re interested in. Yes, the curvy-heeled shoes, part of this season’s romantic trend, are taking off faster than you can put them on.

“The curvy little Louis heel is showing up in a lot of our shoes,” says Diane Duke, manager and assistant buyer for Shoe Fetish in Sherman Oaks. “An obvious Louis shoe we carry that matches the heel is green suede with a black ribbon bow, but we also have the Louis heel on a nice pair of boots, and on some black suede pumps.”

Duke, who carries the Louis-heeled shoes, which cost from $65 to $250, says: “People love them. The look is very unique and nice. They’re very comfortable, because the heel is balanced. It’s not too thin. It’s easy to walk in.”

Sue Bloom, manager of the women’s department of Ron Ross, a boutique in Tarzana, says, “Customers love it. It’s directional. It’s right on. And it’s pretty. I think that customers recognize that this look was last worn in the ‘60s. That romantic look was very big then.”

To complete the look, Duke suggests wearing your Louis heels with lots of chiffon, “which is very big right now,” flowing but light skirts, and ornate baroque jewelry. However, wearing the heels with “culottes or bicycle shorts is very cute, too,” Duke says.

Says Bloom, “It’s the one shoe silhouette that has a very today feeling. It can really update your wardrobe, because it’s so recognizable and unique. Naturally, the Louis heels are showing up in this season’s hottest colors: jade green, electric purple, mustard and “black, of course,” says Duke, “always black.”

Do fashion-minded customers, fans of the Louis heel, even know who Louis XVI was? “Oh yes,” says Duke. “Our customers pick up the shoes and say, ‘That’s the Louis heel.’ Our customers are very well-educated,” she adds.