Well-Heeled Options From Designers
Fashion designers have spent more than five years convincing women that flat heel shoes are more stylish than pumps. But this fall, Los Angeles women are showing signs of a major rebellion. While designers such as Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel and Giorgio Armani continue to sell many more flats than high heels in their Beverly Hills boutiques (jewel-toned suede skimmers at Chanel, penny loafers at Armani), the city’s office complexes and dressy restaurants are filled with women wearing heels.
Many say they wear them for important business and social engagements, if not all occasions. Their main reasons are that higher heels make legs appear longer and slimmer. Just as important for many women, heels add inches to their overall physical height.
Jane De Franco, a public relations account executive at Kip Morrison & Associates, believes that heels have a placebo effect.
“I feel there is a definite difference in performance and productivity when I am wearing heels,” she said. “Whenever I want to feel pretty and good about myself, I put on heels. In flats, I just feel dumpier.”
De Franco, who is 5-foot-7, said heels give a power image yet enhance any businesswoman who “still wants to look like a woman.” She does wear flats for comfort, but only when conducting inter-office business. She doesn’t worry that some leading designers prefer flats.
“Trend isn’t an issue for me,” she said when asked whether heels are as much in fashion as flats. “I believe classic heels have always been in style. I’m not one to follow trends.”
Nancy Goetz, vice president of corporate finance and banking for Security Pacific Bank, believes flats and heels are equally acceptable in any business or social situation. But personally, the 5-foot-5 businesswoman likes 2 1/2-inch heels for the office.
“In a business meeting, you like to be eyeball-to-eyeball with a client’s eyes, his Adam’s apple,” said Goetz.
Teresa Dailey, a 5-foot-8 audit supervisor with Maginnis, Knechtel & McIntyre in Pasadena, believes that heels simply look better than flats with her office suits. “I don’t think flats look appropriate.”
Dailey prefers a closed-toed pump with 2 1/2- to 3-inch heels. For her, the added inches are a bonus not a problem, despite her height. High heels allow her to conduct business with men at eye-level, giving her a tangible business edge, she believes. Her flat heel shoes are reserved for leisure activities.
In an unusual twist on the trend, Connie Cox, who owns and operates a Manhattan-based stress reduction center, used to wear heels but recently gave them up. She says comfort was her motivation, not stress reduction. Now, she only wears heels special occasions.
“Unless you are out to seduce someone, why wear heels? That’s when I wear them--and to black-tie affairs,” Even then, Cox avoids wearing any heel higher than 2 inches.
Next spring, high heel wearers may find the selection of shoes in stores leaning more toward their direction. Mid-heels were featured in many designer collections for spring, including those of Romeo Gigli, who likes embroidered fabric shoes, and Geoffrey Beene who shows mid-heel shoes with ankle straps, among other styles.
Flats with leading designer’s labels will be available too. Patty Fox, director of fashion and marketing for Saks Fifth Avenue’s Southern California stores, says that Donna Karan’s flat shoe boots are a new look. From a strictly fashion point of view of spring ‘90, she added, “Most of the new outfits warrant a flat.”
