Sweet and Low
Feet can breathe a sigh of relief as the season’s liberatingly short heels hit the shelves. Like hemlines, heel heights have long been a socioeconomic barometer, rising and falling with the mood of the times. After Marie Antoinette’s execution, the high “French heel” was considered a vulgar reminder of the Queen’s reign, as Elizabeth Semmelhack recounts in her book “Heights of Fashion: A History of the Elevated Shoe.” And during WWII, wartime propaganda urged American women to dress in practical shoes as they filled in for enlisted men as factory workers.
Just as austere fashions were favored in Revolutionary France, today’s luxury is understated and utilitarian—no doubt a reaction to the high-rolling Wall Street–worship of yesteryear. On the spring runways—where perilous stilettos and platforms have ruled for seasons—designers such as Chloé, Stella McCartney and Valentino squashed, kitten-ized and gave chunky mod treatments to heels, resulting in truly cute (and truly comfortable) shoes.
Ms. McCartney’s little pump looks great, as did the style’s first iteration in the ’60s, with an A-line shift; and Valentino’s studded punk-rock take on the kitten heel plays well with the three-quarter hemline that’s all the rage now. And although they’re not as practical as, say, 19th-century chestnut cracking clogs from France, these easy riders are sure to open up a whole new spectrum of activities—including walking more than two blocks without getting blisters.
Personally, I think short heels are for old ladies or super conservative work environments. High heels are hip, sexy and make the legs go on forever! Jimmy Choos are all the rave, esp. with my Indian Foot/Ankle Bands!
Jimmy Choo Lance Sandals
Jimmy Choo Shoes