Stand Tall, but Prepare for the Rub
The female baboon, when she is aroused, walks on her toes, thereby signaling the male that she is ready to mate. Is it any wonder human males consider high heels sexy? They’re just responding to potent memories of an earlier evolutionary state.
Women, however, seem to have two opposing reactions to the stiletto heels that are, without a doubt, the look of fall. Responses range from, “Are the Gucci mules hotter than the Manolo Blahnik ankle-straps?” to “Do I have to?” to “Hell, no, not this baboon mama.”
Those of us who prefer to contemplate contemporary style as well as wear it wonder, why now? Gucci’s Tom Ford was an agent provocateur in the stiletto war. He finds towering heels both titillating and empowering for women. His detractors find being able to walk the dog, run for a taxi or from an attacker more empowering, but let’s not quibble.
For the past few seasons, women have complained of a dearth of sexy shoes in a marketplace dominated by big, square toes and clunky heels. Where was the delicate sandal to show off a slender ankle, the pump to exaggerate the curve of a well-turned calf? It’s here now, balancing on 10 centimeters, or 4 inches, of skinny heel.
Stores like Saks Fifth Avenue report that the stilettos are selling out--especially the designer versions, according to fashion director Nicole Fischelis. The pack of New York fashion editors in Milan viewing spring designer collections are braving the cobblestoned streets of the city in their spikes. The girls who look the best in them look comfortable, and have the brio to appear as if they were born to wear them.
Suzy Yalof, fashion editor of Glamour, insists she always wears high heels and can walk in them all day. “Manolo Blahniks feel like bedroom slippers. But the problem with the new shoes is our feet are squares, not triangles.”
Right. Despite the fact that the new stilettos feature dangerously pointy toes as well as skyscraper heels, my own road test of the silver Gucci heels with ankle straps revealed that the shoes are ingeniously cut so they don’t cramp the toes. Walking in them isn’t difficult, but standing too long on such tall heels hurts my back. And I’m not the only one to suffer from such realignment strain.
Martha Nelson, editor of In Style, wears stilettos for black tie events. “But I know I always have to get a massage the next day,” she says. “For my back, and especially for my feet.”
Like short skirts and longer lengths, stilettos, more moderate heels and flats will coexist. What it comes down to, I think, is a question of which is more appealing, a confident woman in flats or an insecure, suffering one in heels?
It is one of those cruel truths of fashion that the woman in the killer heels will usually command more attention, either because she’s risen from 5 feet 7 inches to 6 feet, or because she feels like a femme fatale in a Raymond Chandler story, and communicates the mystery and erotic promise of that identity.
