Stand tall, women of New York
By Meghan Cleary – Daily News – September 14, 2006
They may be just fine for walking, but this season’s boots were really made for looking totally chic – if you get the look right.
Sure, the platform shoe seems scary. But try the mile-high kicks and see for yourself what it’s like at the top, says shoe guru Meghan Cleary
Ladies, listen up. It’s a new season, there is a bit of a nip in the air, and the stores are full of a delicious shoe – the platform. They are sexier, higher and more fun than ever before. But “Oh!” you gasp, “they are too high, too wobbly, too … stripper.” Get over it, and get into it. Platforms are here to stay, and if you are an intelligent woman, which I know you are, you’ll master how to make your platforms work for you.
More than stilettos, more than the kitten heel and much, much more than the sensible ballet flat, platforms make you a tower of strength. Tall and majestic, you now can peer above everyone’s head and spot that cab two blocks away (and grab it before the non-platformed rabble below you even see it). You can pluck items off high shelves with ease, and now men must look up to you, much like the ancient Greek actors who wore elevated platforms to raise themselves up from mere mortal to godlike status.
From Naomi Campbell’s 1993 Vivienne Westwood runway fall heard ’round the world, to the Proenza Schouler slipup this week (when a model hit the ground), platforms draw attention – whether you are standing tall or falling over. Want to own the room? The boardroom? The bedroom? Then you need to own your shoes! If you are wobbly or take a spill altogether – so much the better. You’ll have unadulterated attention to use for whatever cause is on your agenda.
Savor the high life
When you wear a platform, you are working every muscle in your body – from your abs to your right brain. Pull in your pelvic muscles, tip and tuck your backside in, and feel your core strength kick in, in a way you never knew you had. Balance your body from within, using your legs and feet as extensions of your inner strength. Keep your mind agile as you scan the landscape for subway grates, potholes or uneven sidewalks. With all this concentration from mind and body, your shoes will keep you in the present moment. It’s a lovely kind of Zen.
Fashion’s best-kept secret: Platforms are actually more comfy than stilettos. A 4-inch spiky heel angles your foot at the full 4 inches. A platform, however, minimizes that rise to 2 or 2 1/2 inches, eliminating the pressure from the ball of your foot and giving you the power to embrace more height with less pain.
The moral of the story is, rock your own revolution this fall. Whether your personal cause is world peace or just getting up the steps at the Bryant Park tents, whether your kicks are Tara Subkoff for Easy Spirit, Sergio Rossi or Azzedine Alaia, platforms uncover women’s inner fierceness. Can’t the world use a little of that right now?
HOME | ABOUT | THE PERFECT FIT | PRESS | HSN | BLOG | CONTACT
