Designers put fetish foot forward

AND you thought you had a shoe fetish before.

Season by season, inch by inch, high fashion has been stepping toward the kind of skyscraper stilettos and pumped-up platforms that used to belong solely to the sexual underground. And now the trend has hit a new height in kink: Some of the biggest names are offering the most extreme footwear — studded six-inch heels at Dolce & Gabbana, harness straps at Gucci, near-vertical insteps strapped and plated like gladiators at Christian Dior.

Perhaps it’s the popularity of burlesque, or a wink at how accessories have come to dominate the fashion houses, or our own fetishization of expensive “it” bags and shoes. Or maybe footwear designers just like strippers and porn stars.

For whatever reason, it’s suddenly become acceptable, desirable even, to wear the kinds of shoes that once shod only streetwalkers. And to pay serious money to do it.

Here in Southern California, however, shoppers don’t have to cruise the boutiques, or the adults-only stores, to find affordable imitations. The exotic-shoe industry has long had a toehold here, in part because of the demands of the entertainment industry and its try-anything-once denizens. Local manufacturers that make naughty shoes for the tastes of exotic dancers, rock ‘n’ rollers and professional temptresses now are sources for credible designer knockoffs.

When Steven Meisel needed a 6-inch black patent number for an Italian Vogue shoot, he skipped Dolce & Gabbana and went to Ellie Shoes in Orange County. Maker of 6-, 7- and 8-inch heels for the bar, the boudoir and points between, the 7-year-old company in the city of Orange crafts platform soles in Lucite, chrome and even a proto-punk plaid, with many styles beginning at about $30. If you liked Stuart Weitzman’s spring collection of $265 to $585 patent and Lucite sandals, Ellie has several variations on his theme, with straps in silver glitter, black patent and hologram or clear vinyl starting at about $48.

On the other side of town, there’s Head Over Heels in Sun Valley, whose latest creations are the Chocolat and Pure Chocolat collections of padded-insole, wood-sole platforms carved to resemble an abstract steamship hull or letters from a fanciful alphabet. They’re pricier than Ellie’s, ranging from $249 to $399, but still hundreds less than the designer versions. And with no minimum order and a quick turnaround (less than a month), Head Over Heels can fulfill custom shoe fantasies.

The lower-price versions aren’t exact replicas of the coveted runway styles, but they are authentically wicked. Wear them with lots of confidence — and try not to trip.