Forget flats, the heel's back!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) January 17, 2012 -- Well, let’s clarify, did the high heel ever really go away? Well, according to some fashion bloggers, maybe. Towards the end of 2011, fashion predictors were seen to focus their attention on practical footwear for 2012. However, a report published on January 4th in American site Women’s Wear Daily suggests that our obsession with high heels is far from over; according to Barneys New York fashion director Amanda Brooks, 1990s-style slinky silhouettes will be big this year, as well as their less-delicate counterparts, platforms.

So, happily, the high heel’s stake in the footwear trade shows no sign of slowing. But why do we love our high heels so much, despite the legendary pain they inflict? Writer and broadcaster Caitlin Moran recently wrote about the perils of wearing heels in her bestselling book, ‘How To Be a Woman’, and her logic is breathtakingly astounding. Why, indeed, do women wear high heels, when sometimes they’re so painful we would rather walk home barefoot? It is, as Ms Moran suggests, akin to buying a house without a roof and claiming that the matter will be solved by sitting in the lounge under an umbrella. This could well be interpreted as madness itself.

However, madness aside, shoe sellers have always been careful to cater for womens’ voracious appetite for anything with a heel. Monica Lott, one half of the duo that founded Norwich-based fashion site FYFO, suggests that high heels are always likely to be in style. “High heels are one of our bestsellers,” she explains. “There’s always a huge demand for them, especially around Christmas, when women are determined to look their best for parties. When we first started FYFO, we made sure we always had an excellent selection of heels available online because they’re an integral part of many womens’ wardrobes - and they’ll always be around. They add glamour to an outfit, and make women feel fantastic, so what’s not to like?”

Stephan Drury, a psychology lecturer with the Open University, argues that high heels are much more than just a fashion statement. “From an evolutionary perspective, it has been argued that women look more sexually provocative and attractive to men when wearing heels, as high heels lift the buttocks and appear to lengthen the legs,” he explains. “Equally, a woman who can walk in heels may communicate ‘good genes’ through her balance and grace.”

Ah, the sensitive subject of walking in heels. Not only do they sometimes hurt, but to add insult to injury, they’re also sometimes impossible to manoeuvre in. Gemma Tomkinson, an Investor Relations Analyst living in London, loves her heels - but still carries a sneaky pair of flats she changes into as soon as she gets to work. “I do find heels comfortable, but it depends on the height,” she says. “However, six inches with a platform is no problem as they take some of the impact.”

After being known for her love of trainers at university, Gemma realised how much she loved heels when she started work and saw how they changed the way she looked, and felt about herself. “I've had men and women come up and complement me on an outfit, purely because the shoes make a difference,” she says. “I won't go to a meeting without them. Height is not the main reason, although I'm only 5'2’’. It's more about their transformative qualities; men seriously take note when you walk by, and I feel so feminine.”

Gemma’s love affair with her shoes is not surprising, according to Stephan. “Given that height is often associated with status, high heels may thus increase a woman's sense of self-worth and power, and so change the way that people interact with her - not to mention the ‘aesthetic properties’ heels have upon womens’ legs,” he says. “However, all these reasons are purely speculative. The design of shoes has shifted throughout time, and early humans didn't wear them, so it is unlikely that a particular design of shoe is encoded within our genetic makeup.”

Online journalist Jayne Lutwyche is a fellow heel-lover, and has been since her early teens. “I’m 27 now, and I've been wearing heels regularly since I was 13,” she says. “Running in heels took a bit of getting used to, and for a time I had to have flats in the car as breaking a heel on the accelerator or brake pedal while on the motorway doesn't strike me as a brilliant plan!"

Like Gemma, Jayne enjoys the seductive properties of her high heels. “I feel taller when I wear them, but I also find heels make me feel more elegant, more glamorous and more ‘like an adult’,” she smiles. “I wear heels mainly for me, but I find that both men and women are more inclined to treat me like a woman when I wear heels. I suppose it's because I'm not so noticeably tiny! Perhaps I stand taller when I feel taller? Who knows? All I can say for sure is that I love my shoe collection.”

Contacts:

Monica Lott ℅ Amy Smith At Further: amy@further.co.uk
Stephan Drury: stephandrury@live.co.uk
Gemma Tomkinson: Gemma.Tomkinson@itv.com
Jayne Lutwyche: jayne.lutwyche@gmail.com

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