Whoever said ‘the higher the heel the closer to heaven’ needs a reality check. Stilettos are a love-hate relationship in footwear form - an artful blend of pain, power, and peril. They’re the shoes that make you taller, more poised, and often a little unsteady, like a fabulous giraffe on roller skates.
It’s a glide or go over situation. My stiletto-based scenario typically looks like the latter. Standing at 5’10 already, I never look to the toweringly thin structure for my after hours soirées.
Kitten heels call to me with their kitsch exterior and comfort-forward design, two factors stilettos greatly lack. As someone who ended up in hospital with ligament damage from falling off the pavement in Nike Air Force, high heels are not my friend. Suave as they are, the kicks bring with them all sorts of podiatric woes.
Blisters, sore arches and ankle sprains are all part and parcel of making your legs look longer. After all, the shoes were originally named after a type of slender-bladed dagger used in Renaissance Italy. A point PRs may want to skim over.
Bar the odd Christmas party, stilettos are becoming increasingly absent. Women are opting for low heels with high impact, as evidenced by recent fashion week sightings and celebrity outings. Gucci championed wedge designs for its SS25 collection, while Prada pushed point-toes with racer stripe accents.
A few seasons earlier, Miu Miu pioneered the divisive heeled thong boot for SS23, as Fendi sent silver bubble heel const.
